ICCA
That was then and this is now ...
THE YEAR WE CHANGED THE WAY WE POSITIONED OURSELVES BOTH AS A GLOBAL BRAND AND HOW WE PERCEIVED OURSELVES INTERNALLY , IS HOW ICCA CEO SENTHIL GOPINATH SUMS UP 2023 AS HE LOOKS BACK ON “ A SIGNIFICANT YEAR ” FOR THE ASSOCIATION AND FORWARD TO NEW CHALLENGES .
I
n 2023 we launched the ICCA Digital Transformation , incorporating the new ICCA website and Business Intelligence ( BI ) database . To meet renewed demand for post-pandemic in-person meetings we staged major gatherings across the globe culminating in the extraordinary 62nd Congress in Bangkok . We grew both our International Association Community network and our membership . We made tremendous in-roads into the world of advocacy through our strategic partnerships , and by bringing governmental meetings into our BI portfolio .
We continued our push for a more
sustainable industry via our leadership role in the Net Zero Carbon Events movement , our ongoing commitment to the GDS Index , and introducing legacy initiatives such as the Bangkok Pledge on Gastronomic Sustainability by ICCA .
We graduated more students through our ICCASkills programme , saw the second cohort of our Future Leaders Council share their first assignment , published a Presidential Survey , Partnering For Success , and of course , the ICCA City and Country Rankings 2022 . All this activity allowed us to leave 2023 proudly stating that ICCA was stronger than ever .
That was then and this is now . Our
Above : Senthil Gopinath
“ The ICCA team is forever challenging , thinking , reworking . To use a cricketing term , we stay on the front foot .”
value proposition lies not in what we ’ ve done , but what we are doing .
We strategise and think far ahead . But the work we do is very much assessed in the moment when everything goes live . Only when we experience what we do in front of delegates , can we ascertain the effectiveness of what we deliver . It ’ s a nerve-wracking , exhilarating experience . One that keeps us fast , agile , and open to change . The ICCA team is forever challenging , thinking , reworking . To use a cricketing term , we stay on the front foot .
Being forward-thinking is a necessity of the international meetings industry . And I am very excited about where our forward-thinking endeavours will take us this year . I addressed the ICCA community in December saying , “ what we do now matters in 2024 , 2025 and beyond ”. We exist to grow and expand the opportunities for both our members , and the role our industry plays in society at a local , regional , and global level .
So come and join us at our dedicated ICCASkills Hubs in Luxembourg and Beijing , or Christchurch , or sign up and learn online . Come and talk to us at IMEX in Frankfurt and Las Vegas . Come and be part of our Business Workshops in Vienna and Baku . Come and see ICCA in action in Panama City , Zurich , Cancun , Washington DC , or at Chapter meetings across the world . Come and join us at Congress because this year , everything we do leads to Abu Dhabi and the 63rd ICCA Congress , 20 – 24 October . And if you can ’ t join us in person , we will continue to share the work that we do in as many engaging ways as we can .
It is a great privilege to be ICCA CEO , to lead a 60-plus year company with an indelible connection to this amazing , vibrant business community . 2024 fills me with hope and excitement and I can ’ t wait to reveal to everyone what ICCA has planned .
The theme of Congress is ‘ tomorrow starts today .’ For all of us at ICCA , tomorrow started late last year . n
ISSUE 129 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 9