When social distancing measures were put in place in Iceland on March 16, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center in Reykjavík had to close temporarily. Before the outbreak, however, 2020 was on track to be a record year for Harpa in international events.

Research amongst event buyers, conducted by BMA House, an event venue in London, has shown a significant desire to seek a better work/life balance.

With the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis providing an opportunity for many individuals to focus on family, leisure and personal relationships, 68 percent of event organizers said they will seek a better work/life balance going forward. This was reflected by 60 percent of event delegates also saying they would seek improvements. 

Benchmark, A Global Hospitality Company, has officially launched its recovery initiative that will support meeting planners and partners while creating new solutions for the industry in a post-COVID-19 world. In effect through March 2021, the plan mitigates the risk and uncertainty of committing to new meetings and events. To provide reassurance to corporate planners, the plan includes flexible short-term bookings, relaxed attrition and cancellation fees and 100 percent credit given on rebookings. 

The Hague Convention Bureau has employed two new international sales managers to focus on the city’s specialist markets, including new energy, impact economy, IT and technology, and cyber security.

As countries around the world respond to the coronavirus pandemic, London’s events industry has been adapting their business offering to support the fight against coronavirus. While the government takes small steps towards reopening parts of the U.K. economy and the events industry considers the path to recovery, the London Convention Bureau is launching a new resource for event planners: London’s Virtual Site Visits.

Stockholm has a good reputation as being a leader at the forefront of environmental and sustainability issues; however, the good work is not always reflected in international rankings. Sustainable Meet Stockholm, a new collaboration and marketing project, wants to change that by putting Stockholm on the map as the top destination for sustainable meetings. 

After the easing of restrictions on social gatherings and travel this week, the New Zealand government has confirmed ticketed large events, including domestic business events and conferences can now go ahead with a 100-person limit. There is also a one-meter (six-foot) distancing requirement, and contact tracing is essential.

While virtual conferences are a convenient and inexpensive option, a recent survey from PromoLeaf revealed that over 70 percent of participants prefer to attend conferences in-person. 

Among the reasons that in-person meetings are preferred are: The best networking usually happens in person (it’s hard to get the same effect online); body language and subtle communication cues don’t come across as well via video chatting; and vendors and service providers can’t provide the same level of examples and demonstrations virtually as they can in person.

Travel Leaders Corporate and Altour's corporate travel business are aligning under the Altour brand, offering travel fulfillment, data and insights, and meetings and incentive management.

The two sister companies have been working closely together for more than two years cooperating on international accounts, air agreements and entertainment travel. The alignment, according to the companies, was a natural outgrowth of that collaboration and their commitment to providing customized travel solutions and services.

The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has delivered a set of strategic principles to the Australian government that intends to instill confidence in country's business events industry so that COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions can be safely lifted and the industry can rapidly restart.