Conference & Meetings World Issue 123 | Page 5

Those who kept their feet firmly on the show floor with eyes on the eyeballs are clearly winning the business

Leader

Celebrating the conference human factor

Managing editor , Paul Colston

Y ou may be reading this at one of our industry ’ s trade exhibitions or association forums and certainly shows like AIME , International Confex and recent gatherings of SITE and IAPCO have seen the conference clans keen to come back together in person again .

We certainly need our key platforms for keeping abreast with industry trends and innovative products . Event tech continues to form a big section of the exhibiting community at our industry shows , however some of those that bet the bank on virtual meeting technology are now facing some difficult times as the market re-pivots and re-embraces the in-person format with renewed gusto . Those who kept their feet
firmly on the show floor with eyes on the eyeballs are clearly winning the business . As our article on event insurance in this issue illustrates , people are far more likely to buy into a real person over any two-dimensional quotation or pitch . But can such insurance be relied upon in times of stress and upheaval ? That is the question we explore . Talk to a human is the key advice coming from that debate .
Technology surely exists to make our meetings better and more productive , but most definitely it is not an altar to worship at in itself . It is great , therefore , to hear from the IMEX team that their main theme for discussion at this year ’ s show in Frankfurt is ‘ Human Nature ’.
As the travel gates open almost everywhere , including China ( unless you ’ re travelling by balloon perhaps ), we offer two reports from the international field from our intrepid reporter Catie Owen . She checks out the incentives offers in Jalisco state , Mexico , and paddles the conference canoe in Canada to check out some incentives .
We also report from AIME in Melbourne and offer columns from partner associations and organisations SITE , AIPC , ICCA and Destinations International .
And there ’ s a case study from Iceland to warm the heart . Certainly a destination steeped in nature , but also human nature .
MANAGING EDITOR PAUL COLSTON pcolston @ mashmedia . net
PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR IAIN STIRLING istirling @ mashmedia . net
INTERNATIONAL REPORTER CATIE OWEN Cowen @ mashmedia . net
ACCOUNT MANAGER TIMOTHY REIDY treidy @ mashmedia . net
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER SABRINA BOUCHER
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