Tech
Interprefy: Middle East organisers struggle with language access
Some 85% of Middle East business event organisers who attend international events are frustrated by the lack of live multilingual translation services, according to new research from event technology company Interprefy. The study, which surveyed 387 decision-makers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, found that over half (52%) described their frustration as extreme or very high. Despi...
BCD Travel launches hotel payment reliability rating
BCD Travel has launched the travel industry’s first Virtual Card Acceptance (VCA) Rating. The system was developed in partnership with global payments company Conferma. The VCA Rating evaluates hotels based on successful virtual card processing. It scores properties on a one to 10 scale. The rating is integrated across BCD platforms. Travellers and agents can filter search results by virtual...
Kramer launches wireless presentation system for hybrid meetings
Dutch-based AV company, Kramer has launched VIA Connect 3, a wireless presentation and collaboration system for meeting rooms and classrooms. The 9x9cm device supports iOS, Android, Chromebook, PC and Mac connections without dongles or additional software. It works with AirPlay, Miracast and browser-based connections, and streams 4K video. The system connects wirelessly to in-room cameras and micr...
Riyadh to host UN Tourism Assembly and TOURISE Summit
Saudi Arabia will host the 26th United Nations Tourism General Assembly in Riyadh running 7-11 November, the first GCC nation to hold the event. The assembly expects delegates from more than 160 member states. The five-day programme runs under the theme “AI-Powered Tourism: Redefining the Future” and includes the 124th and 125th sessions of the UN Tourism Executive Council, plenary ses...
Cvent outlines vision for “AI-driven, human-led” future at CONNECT
Cvent has outlined three industry priorities at its annual CONNECT Europe conference 2025: navigating economic uncertainty, embracing artificial intelligence, and leveraging event-led growth strategies. Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and founder of Cvent, told attendees that despite inflation, geopolitical conflicts and shifting tariffs, optimism in the events industry is at a five-year high. “Our ind...
AI-powered captioning tool launches for events industry
Dutch-based company, Speaksee has launched Soundshape 1 Pro, a plug-and-play system that provides real-time captioning and multilingual translation for events. The AI-powered system integrates with existing AV setups to deliver live subtitles with over 95% accuracy and latency of less than one second. It connects using three cables audio, power and internet and attendees access captions by scannin...
Europalco hires new sales director
Lisbon-based events and shows company, Europalco has appointed Francisco Capote da Silva as sales director. Capote da Silva previously worked as senior sales manager at W Algarve, a luxury resort in southern Portugal, and as head of sales MICE international at Discovery Hotel Management. Pedro Magalhães, chief executive officer of Europalco, said: “His proven experience in the MICE and hospi...
The conference discovery revolution: How Instagram and AI are reshaping event marketing
The way people find and research conferences has fundamentally shifted, and many event organisers are still operating with outdated assumptions about attendee behaviour. While marketing teams continue to pour budgets into traditional channels, their potential attendees are discovering events through entirely new pathways that didn’t exist just two years ago. Understanding these changes isn&#...
New AI translator launched by Interprefy
Interprefy, a provider of multilingual meeting technology, has launched a translation agent that can join online meetings as a participant and deliver real-time audio translation in multiple languages. The Interprefy Agent supports live translation in more than 80 languages, with automatic switching for up to 10 source languages and manual switching for up to 25. It streams audio directly into mee...
Europalco turns 192 dining tables into projection displays for insurer event
Europalco delivered projection mapping across 192 dining tables for insurer Generali Tranquilidade‘s annual gathering at Lisbon’s MEO Arena. To mark the occasion, the Portuguese supplier also delivered one of Europe’s largest indoor drone shows. The event, produced by agency 2 Inspire, required 55 Europalco specialists and 1,700 cubic metres of equipment transported in 20 trucks....
Transatlantic tech pact to be signed during Trump’s UK visit
The United Kingdom and the United States are set to sign a groundbreaking technology agreement in the coming days, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s upcoming state visit to the UK. The announcement was made by the British Embassy in Washington on Saturday. Designed to strengthen collaboration between the two nations’ world-leading tech sectors each valued in the trillions of dollars the agr...
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre launches smart networking app Events PRO
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is introducing a new smart networking app, Events PRO, at all its professional events. The app helps visitors and exhibitors connect efficiently and meaningfully, based on shared interests and goals. With Events PRO, event days become more productive than ever. The app allows participants to plan meetings and schedules in advance, suggests the most relevant cont...