Monday Insights – February 28th

This Monday’s Insights feature brings you the industry headlines you may have missed from the previous week.

Headlines

IMEX has reported ‘strong demand’ as Germany eases COVID restrictions, according to M&IT Magazine. The report supports anecdotal information heard by the EDGE team recently and is excellent news for the industry.

Germany plans to lift most of its coronavirus restrictions throughout March. Masks will still be mandatory indoors, as the number of cases in the country continues to decline. Read more about the country’s 3-step plan here, alongside comments from Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group.

In more good news for overseas event planners, Northstar Meetings Group has reported that proof of vaccination is no longer required to access indoor events and restaurants in Washington, D.C., and the mask mandate will end on March 1.

Philadelphia has removed its vaccine requirement for indoor dining, but people still need face coverings in indoor public spaces. In Washington state, vaccine verification will no longer be necessary for large events starting March 1, and the mask mandate will end on March 21.

Read the full state-by-state Covid updates here.

Lime Venue Portfolio has launched three new packages. As part of its Meetings for Change initiative, they bring sustainability, mindfulness, and wellness to the fore.

The initiative follows findings from the brand’s Beyond Food reports. Specifically the chapter on Food & Mental Health, and the need to support mental health and create empathetic and reassuring spaces for delegates. 

“This is about health; health for our delegates, our organisers and the planet. The aim is to offer our customers a simple package that is highly credible and allows them to fulfil their own commitments to their guests, and their sustainability goals, by working with a trusted partner like ourselves.”

Jo Austin, Sales Director, Lime Venue Portfolio

If you want to hear more or book any of the packages, contact EDGE.

Double take

During its fourth-quarter earnings call, Air France-KLM shared a ‘steady rebound’ of corporate traffic in 2021. According to BTN (Business Travel News), the Group’s corporate segment in December 2021 reached about half the volume of 2019. The trend was ‘driven by long-haul routes after a partial relaxation of travel restrictions and the reopening of U.S. borders’. 

And Omicron-related corporate travel restrictions trend hampering short- and medium-haul traffic into 2022, has recently reversed. What’s more, Air France-KLM noted that ‘several major multinational companies are starting to or planning to resume travel.’

With corporate travel policies often setting the tone for meetings and events, this is good news for events. 

Read the full BTN run-down of the airline’s earnings call here.