Kai Hattendorf talks NCZE

Ami editor James Lancaster talks to Kai Hattendorf, CEO of UFI, the global association of the exhibitions industry, about the meeting industry's efforts to combat climate change.

Nienke van der Malen: associations have switched from reactive to proactive

Nienke van der Malen, CEO of Conferli, talks AMI Editor James Lancaster through research which shows associations are being more proactive when it comes to choosing where to meet. 1:30 ‘Headache’, ‘time-consuming’, ‘complex’ – these are the words you hear when you talk to associations about the te…

Loren Edelstein on Roe v Wade

AMI editor James Lancaster talks to Loren Edelstein, VP Content Director at Northstar Meetings Group, about how Roe v Wade could affect where associations choose to meet.

William Thomson on Event Tech

1:35 We got carried away with all the money that was going into event technology. 4:30 (But) virtual will play an incredibly important role through this decade. 9:07 There's still a big role for innovation and doing things differently. 11:47 Hybrid isn't the answer to any of the big problems fac…

Marc Mekki on Innovation

‘The ship is not safe in harbour. There is no harbour’ – 2:15 ‘Innovation is a mental framework’ – 5:00 ‘At its core innovation is the most enjoyable thing to do’ – 8:00pm ‘Perfectionism is an override of our natural state’ 11:20pm ‘We need 50 per cent contemplation 50 per cent execution’ – 15:…

"Smart associations are happier with smaller audiences," Martin Sirk

1:30 For most events, Covid is effectively over. We’ve decided that we simply have to get going. 6:05 There a desire to reengineer meetings and make them as impactful as possible. I think that’s the great thing to come out of this. 6:20 The association being formed now would never dream of descri…

"No one wants to feel tokenised," Marjorie Anderson

“People aren’t just a segment in your marketing strategy” “We tend to get stuck at diversity. Equity and inclusion are the hard parts.” “People want to be included, but no one wants to feel tokenized.” “Associations need someone thinking about this all the time.” “Associations are very meticulo…

"The biggest challenge is revenue diversification" - Carola Van Der Hoeff, AC Forum President and FIP COO.

1:34: We have opened up to international associations 2:42: Things are looking better. Europe is opening up. But we all need to change our business models. We can't rely on congress income. 3:30: Everyone is thinking about diversifying their income. 4:44 The world has changed. I'd be surprised i…

Nikki Walker, MCI Group.

1:14 There is a craving to get back to face-to-face. None of our clients liked hybrid. 4:45 Associations who already had online communities thrived during the pandemic. 8:26 Associations have been too rigid in the way they protect membership. 14:00 Online communities are simple and not exorbitan…

Marc Mekki - "The metaverse will probably never happen"

2:40 Associations must have a value-added proposition year-round, that’s what the pandemic taught us. 03:27 Many associations are old-fashioned and proud of it. 4:40  Associations are the guardians of a tremendous amount of specific sector knowledge – they should leverage it. 5:08 There are indi…