Conference & Meetings World Issue 100 | Page 3

Meetings are in the centre of innovation now forging physical hubs to accelerate the best research ideas through to production Leader Celebrating a ton of value Managing editor, Paul Colston lease join me in celebrating our centenary issue of CMW, which I think has charted a fair and reflective journey of our global meetings industry since the spring day in 2005 that I signed off the first issue to press. What has changed in those times? Well, when I told my non-industry friends I worked in the meetings and events sector, the general perception was at that time that this was an amorphous, part travel-related, part nebulous sector embracing activities that were hard on our natural resources, while the results of these said activities were not easy to measure. One hundred CMW issues of reporting and research over 14 years have allowed me to witness first hand - in many exciting global destinations - the strategic thinking and development that has put in place considered policies on sustainability, methodology for measuring success and MANAGING EDITOR PAUL COLSTON [email protected] GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR IAIN STIRLING [email protected] GRAPHIC DESIGNER KATERYNA SMIRNOVA [email protected] ROI, as well as work to define what we do and to lobby for the value of what all our efforts add up to. I have seen a huge proliferation of industry associations and their evolution from being forums for sharing ideas and networking to becoming real hives of strategic thinking and hothouses for transforming what we do to be fit for purpose in 2019 and beyond. I would like to think that CMW has played a role in this global knowledge transfer and underlining that the knowledge economy is at the heart of what we do. We have helped share best practices more widley and showcased all that is cutting edge and innovative, as well as offering a platform for personalities who lead in our field. All your stories and journeys provide others with food for thought. The big ‘I’ word – Innovation – is now prevalent in physical hubs where researchers and entrepreneurs can rub shoulders to CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SIMON GEORGE RAMY SALAMEH PRODUCTION MANAGER ELIZABETH NIXON CIRCULATION MATTHEW WILLIAMS PRINTED BY PENSORD MASH MEDIA GROUP LTD 2ND FLOOR APPLEMARKET HOUSE, 17 UNION STREET, KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES KT1 1RR TEL: [phone] FAX: [phone] EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: WWW.C-MW.NET @CM_WORLD accelerate the best ideas from academia through to production. In this process, inevitably, meetings are required and that is where the sparks of progress and wonder can fly. In this issue you can read about Adelaide’s new innovative district. In my home town, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne’s innovation hub, The Helix, is shaping up and I anticipate many more forming around the world. I am proud to say our meetings industry and convention bureaus are in the thick of this mix. We represent a profession with a passion and one that creates value and progress. Here’s to us reporting another 100 editions. Please help me fill them with your achievements. © COPYRIGHT CONFERENCE + MEETINGS WORLD ALL MATERIAL PUBLISHED IN CONFERENCE + MEETINGS WORLD IS COPYRIGHT AND REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF THE PUBLISHERS. NO MATERIAL MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHERS. THE PUBLISHERS DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS, NOR DO THEY ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INTERPRETATION IN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS PUBLICATION. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED, STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR BE TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM BY ANY MEANS ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING OR OTHERWISE WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHERS. ISSUE 100 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 3