GainingEdge

Risk management was the theme of this morning's GainingEdge Knowledge Exchange at IMEX Frankfurt. What the room made clear is that the industry is not short of experience. It is short of structure. Laetitia Delzenne from UITP walked through how the association has built a multilayered approach to risk, including a tiered event system and a risk matrix that evaluates business models, stakeholder relationships, and resource capacity. Her account of navigating the Gulf crisis, from daily crisis meetings to a difficult cancellation decision, was a masterclass in what proactive risk management looks like under real pressure. Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar from Dubai World Trade Centre brought the venue perspective, sharing how the centre navigated the same crisis from the other side. Proactive communication with organisers, government support, and a rapidly expanding venue footprint helped maintain momentum and keep events on track. Christina Wulff Lohmann from Copenhagen Convention Bureau presented initial results from the Copenhagen Risk Navigator ahead of today's official launch. Eight months in the making, the toolkit maps 14 practical tools across the event lifecycle, moving organisations from awareness to execution. The discussion that followed made one thing clear: transparency, early engagement, and collaboration across the value chain are not optional extras. They are the foundation. #GainingEdgeKnowledgeExchange #GainingEdgeKeX #GainingEdge #IMEX26 #RiskManagement #BusinessEvents #CopenhagenRiskNavigator #GainingEdgeExpertsOnTheRoad

Proud to have played a role in bringing this to life. Today at IMEX Frankfurt, Copenhagen Convention Bureau officially launched the Copenhagen Risk Navigator - International Strategies and Tools for Business Events. This has been a project close to our hearts. Working alongside FERMA | Federation of European Risk Management Associations and RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.), and building on the 2023 Copenhagen Risk Assessment White Paper, we have helped develop a resource that gives the business events industry something it has long needed: practical, validated tools to move from risk awareness to action. The Copenhagen Risk Navigator is freely available to all business events professionals. Head to the link below to download it: https://lnkd.in/eZvKxgr9 #EventProfs #MeetingProfs #Copenhagen #RiskManagement #BusinessEvents #CopenhagenRiskNavigator #Resilience Bettina Reventlow-Mourier Christina Wulff Lohmann Steen Jakobsen Paul Vallee Wonderful Copenhagen

#Inclusive event design is not a universal formula. What works in one city, one culture, one context does not automatically translate elsewhere. At IMEX Frankfurt this morning, #GainingEdgeExpert Loren Christie led a conversation that got to the heart of that challenge, bringing together voices from three continents to unpack what inclusion really demands of the business events industry. Global reach only creates value when it is grounded in local understanding. #BestCitiesGA #IMEXFrankfurt #Inclusion #BusinessEvents #IMEX26 #GainingEdge visitBerlin – Berlin Convention Office Destination DC Melbourne Convention Bureau

Tomorrow is the day! After months of research, testing, and real-world validation, the Copenhagen Risk Navigator officially launches at IMEX Frankfurt. Watching the theme of risk management take centre stage at the first ICCA Association Circle, with 29 associations and 54 members from 30 countries in the room, made one thing clear: the industry is ready for this. The appetite for structured, practical tools that move organisations from awareness to action is real. #GainingEdgeExperts Paul Vallee and Steen Jakobsen were in the room, contributing to that discussion as part of GainingEdge's work on the Copenhagen Risk Navigator alongside Copenhagen Convention Bureau, FERMA | Federation of European Risk Management Associations, and RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.). What starts tomorrow in Frankfurt is bigger than a report launch. #ICCAAssociationCircle26 #CopenhagenRiskNavigator #RiskManagement #BusinessEvents #IMEX26

IMEX Frankfurt is just days away. If there are still gaps in your schedule, the GainingEdge team wants to hear from you. The team will be on the ground throughout the show and has time set aside for informal, no-agenda conversations over coffee. Whether you are working through a strategic challenge, exploring a new direction, or simply want to connect with someone who knows the industry well, there is an expert available. Topics can range from destination strategy and competitiveness to risk management, legacy and impact, and venue development. But equally, bring whatever is top of mind. Find the right expert and arrange a time: https://lnkd.in/gk2Bn5hT #GainingEdgeExperts #IMEXFrankfurt #BusinessEvents #IMEX2026

Months of research, analysis, and development, and yesterday it finally met its first real audience. #GainingEdgeExperts Paul Vallee and Steen Jakobsen led an exclusive sneak preview of the Copenhagen Risk Navigator at a Meetingplace Wonderful Copenhagen workshop, testing its insights and practical tools before its global launch. The room did not disappoint. Participants engaged deeply with the material, raising questions and reflections that ranged from the role of RFPs in risk assessment, to the importance of looking beyond financial risk, to how trust, governance, and leadership are essential to making new approaches stick in practice. One of the more thought-provoking moments: the observation that many associations default to familiar destinations, and what that means for genuine risk thinking across the industry. What came through clearly is that the appetite is there. The industry recognises that navigating risk demands both discipline and collaboration, and that is exactly what the Copenhagen Risk Navigator is built to support. Next stop: IMEX Frankfurt, where Steen will present alongside Bettina Reventlow-Mourier at the official press conference on 20 May. Media can contact marlieke@gainingedge.com to register and receive embargoed materials in advance. #CopenhagenRiskNavigator #BusinessEvents #RiskManagement #IMEXFrankfurt #IMEX2026 RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.) FERMA | Federation of European Risk Management Associations Copenhagen Convention Bureau

GainingEdge is pleased to welcome Thomas Reiser as Partner, Association Advisory Services. Tom brings more than 25 years of international leadership experience in association management and business events. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), where he led a period of significant expansion across membership, global reach and financial performance. His career also spans senior roles with Smithbucklin, MCI Group and Interel Association Management (Dentons), among others. In his new role, Tom will strengthen GainingEdge's service portfolio towards international associations, with a particular focus on strategic meetings management, destination and venue selection, and helping destinations and venues grow their share of the global association meetings market. In his own words: "GainingEdge has established itself as a trusted advisor to destinations, venues, and other industry stakeholders worldwide. I look forward to working closely with colleagues and clients to develop innovative, future-ready solutions for international associations and to create more alignment between associations and destinations to deliver greater long-term value and impact." Welcome to the team, #GainingEdgeExpert Thomas Reiser. We look forward to introducing you to clients and colleagues at IMEX Frankfurt 2026. Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/gQQ7NaJr #GainingEdge #GainingEdgeExperts #GainingEdgeProjects #BusinessEvents #AssociationManagement #IMEXFrankfurt #DestinationStrategy

9 Days to go. GainingEdge is proud to be part of the team bringing the Copenhagen Risk Navigator to life. If you are at IMEX Frankfurt on 20 May, this is one press conference worth making time for! #CopenhagenRiskNavigator #businessevents #riskmanagement #IMEX26

The GainingEdge Knowledge Exchange returns at IMEX Frankfurt 2026. This year's theme, Shifting Sands: Managing Risk in a Disrupted World, explores how organisations across the business events ecosystem are moving beyond reactive measures toward more proactive, adaptive, and strategically embedded approaches to risk. Three senior voices from across the value chain will share their perspectives: Laetitia Delzenne of UITP, Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar of Dubai World Trade Centre, and Christina Wulff Lohmann of Copenhagen Convention Bureau. A discussion and Q&A, moderated by Steen Jakobsen follow. Places are limited. Register now: https://lnkd.in/gavV-kkA #GainingEdgeExperts #IMEXFrankfurt #GEKeX #BusinessEvents #RiskManagement #MeetingsIndustry #IMEX2026

Today is #GlobalMeetingsIndustryDay, a moment the business events industry uses to demonstrate its collective value and impact to the world. For GainingEdge, it is a timely prompt to look ahead. In two weeks, the GainingEdge Knowledge Exchange returns at IMEX Frankfurt, bringing together industry peers for an open, non-commercial conversation on risk management in an age of disruption. How do organisations build more proactive, adaptive approaches when circumstances are constantly shifting? How do you create leadership cultures that embrace diverse risk perspectives and respond to fast-moving scenarios? Three voices from across the value chain will open the conversation: Laetitia Delzenne of UITP, Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar of Dubai World Trade Centre, and Christina Wulff Lohmann of Copenhagen Convention Bureau. Attendance is limited, so watch this page for registration details. More IMEX updates at https://lnkd.in/gk2Bn5hT #GMID2026 #GlobalMeetingsIndustryDay #GainingEdgeExperts #IMEXFrankfurt #BusinessEvents #RiskManagement #MeetingsIndustry