IACC Meeting Room of The Future™ Visionary Global Initiative Will Transform Meetings

A dynamic new initiative from the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) is set to transform the meeting experience through a global collaboration of leaders in conference room design, audiovisual technology, hospitality, academia and conference management. The project and initial global survey results are be unveiled at IACC-America's Connect annual conference in New York City this April. The IACC Meeting Room of the Future™ combines innovation and entrepreneurialism with the expertise of meeting industry professionals and planners.

The program's ambitious goal is to predict and showcase a clear vision of what is new for today and what solutions need to be sought for tomorrow's meeting rooms, to deliver what clients want and need for maximum productivity. Collaboration, productivity and inspiration will be at the heart of the 2016 concept, with the plan to build on this annually.

The initiative brings together the brightest minds and companies in the industry, to create both a physical and virtual meeting environment. Contributors include leading universities in the US, Europe and Australia, several meetings and technology companies and leading designers of venue furnishings. "As the only global organisation representing smaller meetings and venues, IACC is singularly-positioned to spearhead this initiative," affirms IACC's CEO Mark Cooper.

Effective research is at the core of the initiative. IACC is surveying a broad spectrum of the industry to identify and understand needs, track current trends and innovations and determine the kinds of learning environments that foster collaboration, ideas exchange and relationship building. “These environments profoundly influence people, behaviours, companies, politics and ultimately economies.” Cooper notes. IACC will engage with planners, meeting hosts, delegates, operators and suppliers, and is partnering with Meeting Professionals International (MPI) on a survey involving 1000 of the association’s members.

The project will address the most challenging issues facing the meetings industry today while showcasing the most innovative and useful aspects of tomorrow’s meeting room. Access to sufficient bandwidth is clearly a critical issue and one that demands thoughtful study and careful investment in equipment and training. As the industry becomes even more global, conference venues must offer first-rate teleconference services. The rapidly expanding number of new mobile devices used by planners and attendees demands powerful, high-speed connectivity that can host any number of devices and any group or number of groups. “Connectivity affects every aspect of the meeting experience,” Mark Cooper asserts. “Super high-speed Wi-Fi is essential throughout the facility as part of security and privacy, critical communications within the meeting experience and with colleagues beyond, sustainability and guest services.”

The results of the IACC Meeting Room of the Future™ survey will be published globally and at IACC-America’s Connect annual conference this April.

Current contributors and research partners include Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Microsoft, Dianne Devitt.net, Corbin Ball Associates, Sli-do, Benchmark Hospitality International, MGSM Executive Hotel & Conference Centre and PSAV.

The IACC Vision: IACC is a community of passionate people and organisations delivering innovative and exceptional meeting experiences.

About IACC: Founded in 1981, IACC is a not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the meetings venue industry and to giving member properties the tools necessary to provide an exceptional IACC meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Quality Standards and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Kenya, Nigeria, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, Ukraine, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and the Philippines.

For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org. “There are meetings and then there are IACC meetings.”

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Discussion on Water, Tourism Inter-connection

With Tourism & Water: Protecting our Common Future as theme, Bayelsa State Government hosted the commemoration this year in Nigeria. The relationship between water and tourism was the highpoint of discussion at this year’s World Tourism Day. The celebration also considered how portable water could be derived from oceans, seas and rivers that occupy greater part of the earth’s space.

The choice of the theme no doubt, influenced the state’s interest in hosting the event as over 70 per cent of its land is occupied by water, yet, there is scarcely enough to drink. In fact, the event held at the bank of Oxbow Lake, where guests were entertained with various water games, including boat regatta and cultural performances.

The choice of the venue was also in line with the United Nations’ decision to celebrate the day in Maldives; a sleepy Caribbean Island that is surrounded by water, yet, it is unable to access portable water. Interestingly, the community has devised means of treating the sea to get fresh water for human consumption.

Aside from the abundance of water in Bayelsa State, which the year’s theme has highlighted as a major boost to tourism, the state is equally endowed with other tourism attractions such as Peace Park, Agge Palm, Twon-Brass, Okpoama, Odioma, Akassa as well as Dieiama Beaches.

Others are museums, monuments and statues including Chief Christopher Iwowari monument at Bassambiri, Ogidigan deity, Oloibiri Oil Museum, Mongo Park Residence, Isaac Adaka Boro Monument at Kaiama, Akassa Light House, Akassa Slave Tunnel, Whiteman’s Grave yard, White man’s grave yard, Twon Brass as well as British Consulate.

For the hospitality facilities, the state government said world class hotels and holidays resorts were being developed, not only to facilitate and augment the growth of the state’s budding tourism sector but also to support business travelers and leisure seekers from within and outside the country.

The State Governor, Seriake Dickson, however, regretted the preponderance of natural resources that abound in parts of the state were not harnessed for the human and economic growth by previous administrations.

Declaring the celebrations open, Dickson said the year’s theme was apt as it geared towards creating awareness on the need for sustainable water chain as well as its accessibility at all times. 

Harbin Hosts Mass Ice Wedding

Most people would prefer a nice warm day on which to get married to their loved one. However 18 couples decided to choose a nice cool winters day on which to get married The wedding was organized by the Harbin city government, and 18 couples from Nigeria, Russia and China participated in the mass wedding ceremony. This was part of the 28th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Notice the warm coats they are wearing!

A man lifts his wife in front of a snow sculpture after the group wedding ceremony 

Confetti is thrown at couples during the group wedding ceremony

Couples wave during the group wedding ceremony