International briefs this month span venue operations, certifications, sustainability tools, congress growth, destination marketing, and event technology across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
EUROPE
United Kingdom
The Eastside Rooms Updates Operations and Events Teams
The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham has announced several staff changes across its operations and conference teams. David Tonks joined the venue as operations manager. Declan McGrath moved from operations manager to operations director. The venue also promoted Alina Tautan from conference host to conference team leader. Karys Nelson moved from conference and events assistant to conference and events supervisor. The Eastside Rooms said the appointments support its operations and event delivery teams as the venue continues serving conferences, meetings, and events in Birmingham.
Barbican Secures Fifth MIA Gold Accreditation
The Barbican has secured Meetings Industry Association (MIA) Gold accreditation for the fifth time. The London venue scored 146 out of 150 in its latest independent assessment, equal to 97 percent. It also received a venue facilities score of 90 out of 100. The MIA Gold framework reviews areas such as operations, customer service, compliance, accessibility, ethical business practice, and quality management. Assessors cited the Barbican’s reporting procedures, training culture, staff communication, maintenance, upgrades, and sustainability work. The venue said the reaccreditation supports client confidence in its meetings and events operations.
Excel London Begins Record International Congress Year
Excel London hosted the 41st European Association of Urology Congress in its new 25,000-square-meter expansion. The four-day congress returned to London for the first time since 2017 and drew 12,366 delegates from 132 countries. Excel said the event was the first of 10 major international congresses scheduled at the venue in 2026. The remaining congresses include FTTH Conference, INTA Annual Meeting, EULAR, ESHRE, and ESCRS. Excel expects the 10 congresses to draw about 80,000 delegates and generate £250 million for London’s business economy. The venue opened its expansion in summer 2025 after a £350 million investment program.
BMA House Adds Carbon Reporting for Event Clients
BMA House has added EVENTsmart, Greengage’s carbon measurement platform, to support event clients with pre-event emissions reporting. The London venue said the tool helps organizers review carbon impact before an event and identify ways to reduce it during planning. BMA House also retained ECOsmart Platinum accreditation, Greengage’s top certification level. The venue first achieved Platinum status in 2022. Its broader sustainability program includes renewable energy sourcing, waste reduction, lower-impact catering, and expanded alcohol-free drink options. BMA House said the updates aim to give organizers clearer data and practical options for planning more sustainable events.
British Motor Museum Adds Forza Horizon 6 Experience
The British Motor Museum will open Forza Horizon 6 The Experience on May 23 in partnership with Playground Games. The exhibition will run through November and will connect the video game series with real vehicles and car culture. The museum will launch the experience with a one-day festival featuring cars, music, developer talks, and coding workshops. The exhibition will include a vehicle display and an Xbox interactive zone with racing simulators. Visitors can play Forza Horizon 6, which is set in Japan and releases May 15. The museum said the project aims to bring digital car culture into a physical exhibition setting.
Portugal
Europalco Earns ISO 45001 Safety Certification
Europalco has earned ISO 45001 certification for its occupational health and safety management system. The Lisbon-based event and entertainment solutions provider said the process included a risk review, employee training, internal audits, and new consultation channels for technical teams. The company also reviewed safety procedures for rigging, stage assembly, working at height, heavy lifting, and electrical work. Europalco said the certification aligns with its existing ISO 9001 quality certification and ISO 20121 sustainable event management certification. The company said the system supports safer work practices across complex event environments.
Germany
IMEX Frankfurt Tracks Ahead of 2025 Buyer Registrations
IMEX Frankfurt 2026 is tracking ahead of last year for hosted buyer registrations one month before opening. The show will run May 19–21 and expects 3,500 hosted buyers. Total buyer attendance is expected to exceed 4,000 from more than 60 countries. Exhibitors from more than 100 countries have confirmed participation. Africa will add new exhibitors from Mozambique and Angola, while Egypt will double its footprint. Japan is set for one of its largest showings, with Kyoto doubling booth space. Malaysia, Mexico, and Uruguay are also expanding. Germany will have 150 exhibiting companies, including Frankfurt.
NORTH AMERICA
Canada
SITE Survey Shows Stronger Incentive Travel Sentiment for Canada
Canada posted the strongest destination sentiment in the latest SITE Pulse Survey, which measured incentive travel planning during geopolitical disruption. Canada recorded a net sentiment score of +66.7 percent among European respondents and +46.4 percent among respondents outside the United States, Europe, and Asia. It also remained positive among U.S. respondents at +15.1 percent. The Gulf States showed the steepest decline, with scores of -82.1 percent among U.S. respondents and -72.4 percent among European respondents. SITE conducted the survey March 25–April 6 and received 193 valid responses from incentive travel professionals.
Ottawa Tourism Highlights Business Events During UK Trade Mission
Ottawa Tourism completed an April trade mission to London focused on business events, investment, cybersecurity, defence, and advanced technology. The mission included an April 14 reception at Canada House with Invest Ottawa and Rogers Centre Ottawa. Ottawa Tourism also hosted a conference buyer event April 15 at Fulham Football Club. The trip promoted Ottawa as a meetings destination with access to government, research, technology, and defence sectors. The release also highlighted Rogers Centre Ottawa as the city’s main convention venue and cited INCYBER Forum Canada 2026 as an example of a major sector event choosing Ottawa.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Australia
ICC Sydney to Operate the Cutaway at Barangaroo
International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) will operate The Cutaway at Barangaroo beginning April 20. The venue joins the public-private partnership portfolio involving Darling Harbour Live, Placemaking NSW, and ICC Sydney. The Cutaway offers 5,000 square meters of event space beneath Barangaroo Reserve, with access from Barangaroo Metro Station. Features include a main event space, pre-function space, gallery rooms, exhibition rooms, commercial kitchen, dressing rooms, rigging infrastructure, and First Nations educational space. The venue will begin with test events before hosting larger programs from August 2026, including Sydney Festival, Vivid Sydney, Biennale of Sydney, the National Indigenous Art Fair, and corporate launches.
ICC Sydney Launches 3D Digital Twin for Event Planning
International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) has launched a 360 Interactive Tour, a 3D digital planning tool for event organizers. The platform uses Matterport mapping technology and a user interface from Phoria. It allows users to explore the Convention Centre, Exhibition Centre, and TikTok Entertainment Centre remotely. Organizers can review room layouts, connectivity, and attendee flow before arriving on site. ICC Sydney said the tool supports event planning by improving spatial understanding and reducing reliance on static images.
Macau
G2E Asia to Feature Robotics Bar Activation
G2E Asia will introduce a robotics bar activation as part of its 2026 show floor programming. The Asian IR Bar x Robo Space will operate as a three-day pop-up featuring automated cocktail preparation and live robotic performances. Attendees can access the experience through a timed entry system after completing a short on-site quiz. Organizers said the activation will combine networking space with demonstrations of robotics and artificial intelligence in hospitality settings. The feature will run alongside the main exhibition, with free expo hall access available for early registrants before May 11.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Licensing Events Draw 330-Plus Exhibitors
The Hong Kong International Licensing Show and Asian Licensing Conference ran April 27–29 and drew more than 330 exhibitors. Organizers said the events showcased over 600 brands and licensing projects. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organized both programs. The conference brought together about 20 licensing experts to discuss global trends, intellectual property (IP) strategy, sports licensing, location-based entertainment, food and beverage licensing, and e-commerce. This year’s show added an IP and e-Commerce Support Services Zone with workshops on online shops, digital marketing, and livestream commerce. The Chinese Mainland Pavilion featured more than 150 institutions.
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Group Launches Food Waste Guidebook
The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Business Events Alliance (KLCCBEA) helped launch Malaysia’s first Best Practices on Waste Management and Responsible Sourcing Guidebook. Partners included WWF-Malaysia, Taylor’s University, and UCSI University. The guidebook gives hospitality operators and educators practical tools for food waste reduction and responsible sourcing. It uses seafood sourcing as a case study and includes Malaysia-focused examples from hotels and restaurants. The release said Malaysia generates about 16,688 tonnes of food waste daily, with nearly 60 percent considered avoidable. Taylor’s University has already added the guidebook to two hospitality-related modules. UCSI University plans to adopt it later.
LATIN AMERICA
Colombia
SITE Incentive Summit Concludes in Bogotá
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) held its 2026 SITE Incentive Summit in Bogotá, Colombia, from April 20–23. The invitation-only event brought together global incentive travel buyers and suppliers for education, networking, and destination experiences. The program included general sessions, roundtables, and informal networking. Attendees also took part in local experiences such as a graffiti walking tour, coffee tasting, dance classes, Monserrate visit, La Candelaria walking tour, cacao tasting, and tejo. SITE announced that the next SITE Incentive Summit will take place July 13–16, 2027, in Marrakesh, Morocco.
