Karin Segers will strengthen the Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Center team as of May 1 in the position of Director of Conventions. She follows in the footsteps of Mirjam van de Kamp, who will leave on July 1 for a personal adventure. Segers is currently segment leader for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events at 35 NH hotels in the Netherlands.

Ahead of this year’s IMEX Frankfurt, taking place 14 – 16 May, the team has published a Sustainable Event Report revealing the successes, experiments and learnings from last year’s show. The report lifts the lid on sustainability planning in the run-up to and execution of IMEX Frankfurt 2023, sharing notable achievements in waste diversion and energy use, as well as highlighting opportunities for improvement.

The global industry leading Net Zero Carbon Events initiative has published seven best practice guidance and methodology documents that provide highly valuable actionable insights and strategies for the industry as organisations worldwide develop and implement their plans to achieve net zero. The documents are now available free to download.

IBTM World 2023 has enjoyed its most successful show yet. With over 132,000 connections made and a significantly higher adoption of the show’s sophisticated lead scanning technology, the 2023 edition has cemented the show’s credentials as the meetings and events industry’s leading smart event. The show opened its doors to 2,250 exhibitors from over 150 countries, as well as almost 4,000 buyers.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has launched a dedicated advocacy portal on the UFI website. The portal bundles information and materials on key industry initiatives, highlights relevant industry issues, and profiles partner institutions to drive and advance advocacy for the exhibition industry globally.

A white paper authored by The Hague & Partners Convention Bureau and Ottawa Tourism will reveal that 63% of global association buyers are either very concerned or slightly concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in event organising, when it launches next month.

The international General Membership Meeting of RHSC took place in Ghana with a strong link to the local community and a focus on technological innovations, leveraging for the first time an A.I. tool for simultaneous translations which allowed access to multiple languages while reducing costs in a very simple way.

IBTM World, due to take place at Fira, Barcelona, from the 28-30 November, has announced a second wave of inspirational speakers for its conference programme, all of whom are equipped to empower attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to cultivate a sense of community in the events they create.