As we bring our CMW and CN print audiences together , we hope we can spark even more synergies within this expanded readership
Leader
Meeting the challenges together
Managing editor , Paul Colston
A very busy few weeks of late , with the biggest ever IMEX America , and ICCA gathering the conference clans once more for its annual congress in Abu Dhabi . And the pace isn ’ t slowing with IBTM World promising another big package of content , as European meeting professionals prepare to congregate in Barcelona once more .
This extended issue of CMW is packed with destination reports from our correspondents and it is clear that , while there is a general feeling of optimism as we head towards 2025 , ‘ hot spots ’ remain to be aware of – both literally in terms of ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine and in parts of the Middle East – as well as economic ones : Inflationary pressures are far from tamed .
Doing more with less is a common theme , especially with certain costs such as hotels difficult to predict for planners . Budgets are expected to remain flat or slightly decrease in 2025 , so containing costs is clearly a
priority concern . In addition , meetings and events teams are facing even shorter lead times and it is not uncommon to see an RFP for a large event as little as five weeks out , according to anecdotal evidence .
With corporate financial controls tighter than ever and lengthy internal approval processes , time for planning meetings and events is at a premium . Even more reason to look for new tools and technology to help overcome the challenges – and here it is worth looking closely at PCMA ’ s AI Spark offer ( see p15 ).
And clients have higher expectations of not just hardware and software , but of creativity as they look for best value for their spend . Many professionals left our industry or began freelancing during the global pandemic , and there are numerous challenges for HR departments around finding the right talent with the appropriate level of experience . But the more we learn from about how to create a positive company culture that fosters loyalty and a sense of belonging , the better we will be equipped to meet such challenges .
I hope you continue to find useful insights in this bumper issue , information you can use to import into your own businesses as we move into the New Year .
And , as we bring together our Conference & Meetings World and Conference News ( UK ) print audiences together in one conference compendium , we hope we can spark even more synergies within this expanded readership .
As ever , you can follow up on more daily news and views on the two sister titles ’ individual websites at : www . c-mw . net and www . conference-news . co . uk respectively . n
MANAGING EDITOR PAUL COLSTON pcolston @ mashmedia . net
PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR IAIN STIRLING istirling @ mashmedia . net
MARKETING EXECUTIVE CHARLIE CARTER ccarter @ mashmedia . net
CORRESPONDENT THEO REILLY treillyr @ mashmedia . net
PRINTED BY PENSORD
DESIGN PA MEDIA
MASH MEDIA GROUP LTD 2ND FLOOR APPLEMARKET HOUSE , 17 UNION STREET , KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES KT1 1RP
TEL : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1122 FAX : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1144 EMAIL : INFO @ MASHMEDIA . NET WEBSITE : WWW . C-MW . NET
@ CM _ WORLD
© 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 133 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 3