ICCA
Walking the walk with event design that inspires
ICCA SENIOR EVENTS COORDINATOR AGAPI KAPIA DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSFORMING A SPACE INTO A STORY
B usiness meetings and
events typically follow a predictable script. There’ s the conference room, the coffee break, and the catered meal with tried-and-true canapés and mid-range wine. There are the breakout sessions with Post-it notes and telling the group one thing about yourself. Generally, attendees don’ t anticipate a different experience.
But the ICCA Events Team thinks that global events shouldn’ t follow the same humdrum routine. We think delegates are ready for something new, unexpected and something they’ ll remember for a lifetime. Events should unfold in a way that adds meaning, memory, and emotion to every moment; they should provide value, impart knowledge, and encourage connection – all while weaving a narrative that moves attendees through a location, telling a story through movement, words, and interactions.
A walk to remember For this year’ s ICCA Congress, we are putting a new spin on what it means to design a meeting. Delegates are invited to pack their sneakers / trainers and prepare for a truly immersive experience: one that charts a course through the city of Porto, immersing participants in the rhythm of the sights, sounds, and traditions.
Across multiple historic venues, each within walking distance along the Douro River, delegates will explore five core Congress Tracks. The journey through the city will create a spellbinding story that enriches the soul, spirit, and mind.
In Porto, every step will bring delegates a deeper sense of connection, not only to the city itself, but to each other, as part of a group of meeting and events professionals sharing a collective experience unlike any other. By decentralising the Congress sessions and social events across multiple locations, we’ re turning movement
Above: Agapi Kapia
into momentum – encouraging participants to slow down, soak in their surroundings, and let the architecture and atmosphere guide their Congress experience.
Instead of sitting in one meeting hall, delegates will stroll through cobbled streets, riverside paths and historical landmarks, travelling with each other on a path from one chapter of the Congress to the next.
This‘ Walking Congress’ concept isn’ t about mixing things up. It’ s about spatial storytelling: allowing each space to become a character in the Congress narrative. Our Events Team mapped the Congress journey, matching venues with Congress Tracks and moving from vision to implementation.
Where space meets story When considering each Congress session, we worked to align the content theme to the venue. By allowing Porto’ s rich architecture, stories, and personalities to shape the event experience, we’ re designing an experience where the city itself becomes the stage, the guide, and the inspiration.
By walking from venue to venue, delegates will progress through the Congress narrative as well as their own personal journey. By selecting two Content Tracks that fit their goals, personalities, and style, delegates will help design their own Congress pathway from inspiration to implementation.
In Porto, we’ re not just gathering the best and brightest from the meetings and events community – we’ re storytelling and leading delegates on an immersive adventure that moves away from the everyday into new territory. The ICCA Congress 2025 is an event that moves, breathes, and lives in the spaces that host it. Bring your walking shoes. Bring your curiosity. And prepare to experience what it truly means to meet with purpose. n
ISSUE 138 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 9