March 2024 Newsletter
The New (ab)Normal – Business continuity challenges One of the highlights of the recent Dubai Association Conference was a presentation by Danny Tinga, Senior Partner in Deloitte’s Resilience, Crisis & Reputation division, who sent shivers down delegates’ spines when articulating the many ways in which organisations can suffer existential crises, then provided some relief by … Continued
May 2023 Newsletter
It’s good to talk…and to listen, and to think Of all the many dangers of the AI revolution, one that isn’t getting enough (or any!) press coverage is the potential damage that will be caused to the art and practice of conversation. Debate and disagreement can be messy, “inefficient” and time-consuming. The temptation will become … Continued
March 2023 Newsletter
The World needs AI: Artificial Association Intelligence 2022 was the year when mass-market AI went mainstream, but this year it will go hypersonic. Hot on the heals of astounding art generator DALL-E2, OpenAI released chatbot ChatGPT, reaching 100 million active monthly users only two months after launch, the fastest growing consumer product in history, potentially revolutionising search, … Continued
September 2022 Newsletter
A time for experimentation but also dependability As association leaders and event organisers prepare to flock back over the coming weeks to IMEX America in Las Vegas, IBTM World in Barcelona, and smaller gatherings such as MICE Asia in Singapore and WIAF in Washington DC, the world could be forgiven for thinking that the business … Continued
July Newsletter
Summertime*, and the livin’ is…..easy?!?! Traditionally this is a time for recharging and relaxing, catching up with old friends and discovering some good books, enjoying a glass of chilled wine and a much-needed slower pace of life. A time to take your mind off the pressures, daily annoyances and strategic challenges of work and the office. … Continued
May 2022 Newsletter
Newsletter – May 2022 International associations & the joy of face-to-face After more than two years hunched behind computer screens it’s finally happening: associations are meeting face-to-face once more, pulling together their own far-flung communities at reinvented and repurposed annual conferences, and finding great event-excuses to reconnect with their peers. The Dubai Association Conference, Brussels … Continued
March 2022 Newsletter
Newsletter – March 2022 International associations in times of conflict These are dark times. The aggression by Russia’s President Putin against Ukraine has brought together democratic nations around the world in condemnation and to levy unprecedented economic and social sanctions, whilst crowds of protestors have thronged the streets of almost every major city, including many … Continued
Dubai Association Conference 2022
Dubai Association Conference 2022: Post-event report OverviewThe third edition of the Dubai Association Conference was successfully organised on 21 February 2022 in the brand-new Dubai Exhibition Centre located on the Expo 2020 Dubai site. A total of 172 registered attendees from 14 countries, including 25 hosted association leaders from outside the Gulf region, attended an … Continued
Newsletter – December 2021
Wishing us all a genuinely “New Normal” for 2022 It’s been a hell of a last couple of years, obviously worse for some than others. Many international associations’ members have been in the front-lines of the fight against COVID-19, all across the healthcare sector from epidemiology to cardiology to virology to physiotherapy to the many unsung heroes working in public health. … Continued
Global Association Hubs Newsletter – October 2021
(Re)Open(ing) for Association Business! At long last, there’s a mood of cautious optimism in the air! I recently spoke with representatives from our partner cities Brussels, Dubai, Singapore and Washington DC, sharing updates on their local COVID19 situation and their plans for future (live face-to-face!) activities with our international association friends. In Brussels, any size of association conference … Continued