Washington Joins BestCities Global Alliance
BestCities Global Alliance welcomes Washington, DC, as the 13th partner city in our global network of events destinations. This further expands the alliance’s impact in North America as we continue strengthening our support for the global MICE community. We are excited to see this new partnership open up new opportunities for creating impactful events to inspire lasting, positive change.
New City Pages Published on our Website
Part of the BestCities website has been redesigned, making our list of Partner Cities and relevant data about them more accessible to different organizations looking for potential destinations. The pages for each partner city highlight their sustainability practices, showing our commitment to making a lasting impact on the global community.
Click the new Partner Cities tab on top of the homepage or visit the page through this link: https://www.bestcities.net/partner-cities/
BestCities at Convening EMEA Copenhagen
The BestCities Breakfast at PCMA Convening EMEA was a huge success as we gathered together with our partner cities, industry professionals, hosted buyers, and other colleagues at the Royal Golf Club in Copenhagen. It was a morning of meaningful dialogues that created promising future collaboration opportunities. Through this event, we also officially welcomed our new partner city, Washington, DC.
BestCities Breakfast at IMEX America
We’re looking forward to bringing another opportunity for our partner cities to make an impact on a global scale through the BestCities breakfast happening at IMEX America on Wednesday, October 18th, 7:30 AM.
Our guest speaker is Kabloom CEO and digital marketing expert Richard Torriani. With his expertise in helping associations grow their events, this will not just be a huge opportunity to network and collaborate with other industry professionals; it will also be a fun and interactive learning experience that could expand engagement and reach for future events.
Places for the session are limited, so click here to register today.
Incredible Impacts Entries Now in Review
Applications and nominations for the Incredible Impacts Grant and Seed Fund Grant are now closed, officially starting the review process. Three candidates will be shortlisted and given the chance to present their case during the ICCA Congress happening in Bangkok from November 12 to 15.
Watch this video to find out what to expect at the ICCA Congress:
The Incredible Impacts Grant worth $20,000 will be given to an association that has made an amazing impact through one of their meetings, while the Incredible Impacts Seed Fund Grant worth $5,000 will be given to a worthy association that is still in the early stages of launching an impactful legacy initiative.
Global Forum Programme Highlights
The programme and list of speakers for the upcoming BestCities Global Forum has now been finalized, with further details to be released soon. Happening from January 18 to 21, 2024 in Melbourne, the event will be facilitated by Nigel Collin, one of the most respected facilitators in Australia, who has extensive experience working with some of the world’s biggest organizations for the past two decades.
Among the confirmed speakers are Social Researcher & Demographer Mark McCrindle, Association Specialist Belinda Moore, Founder & CEO of Barefoot Citizens Consulting Natalie Simmons, Co-founder of MindMeeting, Mike Van Der Vijver, and more.
On January 18th, the welcome reception will kick off the Global Forum at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the party moving to The LUME Melbourne after the initial festivities.
Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to elevate your events and expand your global network. Click here to register today.
Updates From Our Partner Cities
What do our partner cities have in store for us for the final stretch for 2023? Find out in this round-up of what’s happening in our partner cities:
Washington, DC
We welcome Washington, DC as the latest addition to our list of partner cities changing the world one meeting and event at a time. They are just as thrilled and excited as we are for this new partnership, saying:
“We are thrilled to join the global alliance of business event destinations. We look forward to working with our great partner cities to create a positive impact through business meetings and to bring more association clients to our host destinations.”
Team Destination Washington, DC
Proving their commitment to sustainability, operational excellence, efficiency, and high-performance design, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center has been awarded a LEED Gold certification. Washington, DC is also the first LEED Platinum city in the world.
Houston
Houston will be hosting Gastech, the largest global conference dedicated to natural gas, low-carbon solutions, climate technologies, and other related markets, in September next year — the first time the event will be held in Houston since 2019. Over 800 exhibitors will be joining next year’s event, with new industry zones expected to be added to the mix.
As for Houston’s airport traffic, George Bush Intercontinental Airport welcomed 4.33 million passengers in July, a 15.1% increase compared to last year’s numbers. Hobby Airport also experienced a 3.9% increase.
With the influx of visitors, Houston City Council’s approval of the $250-million expansion project for Hobby Airport couldn’t have come at a better time. The expansion will cover improvements to the baggage claim area and the baggage handling system. Though the total project cost is estimated at $470 million, the Houston Airport System will request additional appropriations come 2024.
Meanwhile, Houston’s hotel market is also on the rise, averaging 61.3% in the first 8 months of 2023. The average daily rate (ADR) is also up by 7.7%, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) is up by 16.4%.
Melbourne
Melbourne has won the bid for the 9th International Symposium on Lifecycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE2025). The bid was led by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) in partnership with RMIT University, with the support of the Victorian Government. The series of symposia under the International Association of Lifecycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE), the largest professional body of civil engineers, will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 15 to 19, 2025.
Melbourne also won the bid for the CINP World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, which will happen in June 2025. The bid, spearheaded by MCB with support from the Victorian Government and Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program, is expected to attract over 1,000 of the world’s leading experts in the medical field, reinforcing Melbourne’s reputation as a leading global hub for medical research and innovation.
Meanwhile, Melbourne’s business event industry continues to thrive, validated by the city securing the title Oceania’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination 2023 for the 9th time. The announcement was made at the World Travel Awards Asia and Oceania Gala Ceremony 2023, held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) 2023 — the leading trade event for the meetings and event industry in the Asia Pacific region and owned by MCB — has also been awarded Best Exhibition or Trade Show at the Australian Event Awards and Symposium.
Preparations for AIME 2024 are underway, and applications are currently open for their hosted buyer program. Find out more here – https://aime.com.au/
Tokyo
Tokyo welcomes PRI in Person 2023, the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Global Conference on October 3 to 5. The 15th in this string of annual events, will be the first time the conference will be held in Asia in seven years and the first time to be held in Japan.
PRI in Person is the world’s leading responsible investment conference, convening over 1,000 delegates each year to learn the latest developments, discuss best practices, and network.
The Business Events Tokyo team also shares that they will be joining the rest of the MICE community at IMEX America this October. They will be setting up at booth F617 to highlight initiatives, features, and offers that make Tokyo a great destination for future events.
Cape Town
Cape Town welcomed worldwide groundwater resource professionals as they hosted the IAH 50th Worldwide Groundwater Congress last September 17 to 22 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The convention featured the theme “Groundwater: A Matter of Scale.”
The congress was attended by global scientists, geologists, ecologists, water managers, and other professionals dedicated to groundwater resource planning, management, and protection.
Berlin
Berlin will be hosting EADV Congress 2023 from October 11 to 14 at the Berlin ExpoCenter City, bringing together global healthcare professionals and organizations eager to learn the latest scientific advances in Dermatology & Venereology. Congress attendees can expect a diverse, interactive program with hands-on workshops, sub-specialty sessions, and industry sessions.
Berlin is definitely attracting more events from the medical field as they win the bid for the Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), which Berlin will host for the first time October 17 to 21, 2025. The 5-day event is expected to attract 30,000 participants as internationally recognized experts discuss how the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer can be improved.
Meanwhile, Berlin’s hotels with a sustainability certification from Sustainable Meetings Berlin and Sustainable Tourism Berlin are now visible to customers on Booking.com. All certified hotels are marked with the highest level “3+” in the Sustainable Travel programme.
Click here for Sustainable Partners Berlin.
The visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office will also be participating at the IMEX Las Vegas and IBTM Barcelona. Find out more at https://convention.visitberlin.de/en/meet-us-here.
Dublin
Aer Lingus is bringing more visitors to Dublin as they add flights linking Dublin Airport to Denver and Minneapolis-St Paul. The new routes will be added to their flight schedule by summer 2024.
Dublin has also been added to the list of the Best Connected Airports in the World, ranked at #17 between Barcelona and Beijing. With 193 destinations included in its winter schedule, Dublin is also home to Ryanair, Europe’s biggest budget airline.
The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) has been awarded Gold for Best Overseas Conference Centre at the Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards 2023. Held at Battersea Evolution, London, the awards body recognizes and rewards excellence in the industry through a voting body made up of UK event organizers.
Meanwhile, the IB Global Conference and Heads World Conference 2023 will take place at The Convention Centre Dublin from October 5 to 8. A sought-after event for global educators, the event aims to be a venue for sharing best practices and gaining new learning for IB practitioners.
Dubai
Dubai will host the World Summit for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 2024 happening on May 26 to 30, 2024, the first time the event will be held outside of Europe. The summit’s great contributions to advancing healthcare and prevention make Dubai a fitting venue, considering the city’s commitment to becoming a hub for scientific innovations and knowledge exchange.
Dubai International (DXB) celebrates a new milestone as its H1 traffic surpasses pre-pandemic levels. 2023 brought in over 41.6 million visitors in H1 alone, over 100% more than the traffic recorded in the first six months of 2019. This continues to cement the airport’s standing as the world’s busiest international hub.
As the final quarter of the year starts, the Dubai World Trade Centre concludes its 2023 events calendar with a string of much-awaited MICE events like:
- Automechanika Dubai (2 – 4 October)
- AccessAbilities Expo (9 – 11 October)
- GITEX Global (16 – 20 October)
- HR Summit & Expo (24 – 25 October)
- Beautyworld Middle East (30 October – 1 November)
- Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Dubai exhibition (30 October – 1 November)
November and December will also be filled with events like the International Family Medicine (IFM) Conference & Exhibition, World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), Big 5 Global, and more. For more details on these events, you can check this schedule – https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2023/September/06-09/DWTC-2023-events-calendar
Singapore
Singapore has been named the Best MICE Destination in Asia at the Meetings & Conventions Asia Stella Awards 2023. Other awardees during the event are Marina Bay Sands as the Best Meeting Hotel (Singapore), Sands Expo & Convention Centre as the Best Convention Centre (Southeast Asia), and World Express as the Best Destination Management Company (Asia).
Singapore also welcomed the 14th edition of the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix from October 15 to 17, with one-of-a-kind retail and dining to day-to-night entertainment across various precincts in Singapore. The excitement culminated in a thrilling race around the iconic Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Meanwhile, more organizations heed the call for MICE events to be more sustainable as it is impactful. The 25th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) held in Singapore adopted several green initiatives to minimize the event’s carbon footprint, including providing public transport passes for delegates to encourage greener modes of commuting around the city, appointing hotels with a green policy and fundraising to support Singapore’s One Million Trees movement – an initiative that aims to plant a million trees nationwide over the next decade, in line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030’s City in Nature vision.