The International Congress and Convention Association has announced that it will soon welcome association executives as affiliate members of the organization. At present, the group’s membership includes 1,100 meeting suppliers from 100 countries who are focused on the international association meetings market.
In January 2020, ICCA plans to launch new “ICCA Association Community” with education and resources for organizing effective meetings. The new membership category is part of an evolution at ICCA, said James Rees, ICCA President. In a message to members, he noted the launch of the Association Portal in 2013, the creation of ICCA Verified Associations, and increasing participation of association executives at ICCA events in recent years.
Rees called the move a “crucial step for ICCA” and pointed to a changing marketplace: “For over 55 years ICCA has been the catalyst to bring together the major destinations, venues, and service providers of the international association meetings industry under a common mission to shape the future and value of international association meetings. As the world of meetings has evolved, so has the relationship between ICCA and the associations, moving from the supplier-buyer relationship to that of real partnership and collaboration.”
Those interested in joining ICCA must work for a non-governmental organization not managed by a third party that has at least one internationally rotating meeting, which attracts a minimum of 50 participants per meeting, and is held on a regular basis. They should have a decision-making or a decision-influencing role on where their international meeting is held.
