Associations

1. International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)

ICCA was founded in 1963 by a group of travel agents. It is headquartered in the Netherlands

and has regional offices in Malaysia, South Africa, U.A.E., U.S.A. and Uruguay. ICCA

represents destinations and suppliers that are specialised in handling, transporting

and accommodating international meetings and events. ICCA has over 1,100 member

companies and organisations spread over 100 countries. ICCA specialises in the international

association meetings sector, offering data, communication channels, and business

development opportunities.

Key Persons

James Rees, President

Executive Director, ExCeL London has 25 years’ experience in event organisation and major

venue management.

Gregg H. Talley, FASAE, CAE, Treasurer

Is one of the founders of Talley Management Group, Inc. He specialised in professional

society and association management and citywide convention management in his 30+ year

career. He is also the Chief Strategy Executive for the Convention Industry Council,

Mr. Senthil Gopinath, Chief Executive Officer

Gopinath’s has a 20-year career in the meetings travel industry

Membership

Its supplier members, called Sectors belong to Destination Marketing, Meetings

Management, Meetings Support, Transport and Venues segments.

Benefits for suppliers:

International association meetings – research, sales & marketing goals

Identify more prospective clients

Build in-depth knowledge of target clients and their events

Communicate more effectively with prospective clients

Design a better strategic approach to international association sector

Increase face-to-face client opportunities

Win more bids/make more sales

Strengthen the company/destination competitiveness in the international meetings field

Build effective networks

Suppliers can compare themselves with competitors/identify one’s strengths & weaknesses

Promote your developments and success stories

Train the suppliers team

Understand market and client-need trends

Conduct business with other ICCA members

Build supplier-client relationships with ICCA’s meetings management members

Communicate one’s company’s expertise, products & services to potential ICCA member

clients

Exchange business leads

Form partnerships, mergers, consortia or user-groups

Host ICCA events

Annual Convention

The 58th ICCA Congress will be held in Houston, U.S.A. from 27-30 October 2019, while

the ICCA Association Meetings Programme - AMP 2020, a forum for informally networking
of ICCA Members and Association, will be held from 29 June 2020 - 01 July 2020 at Tirol,

Innsbruck and Alpbach in Austria

Some Regional Meetings in our part of the world

ICCA Middle East International Meetings Forum 2019, 18 September 2019 - 19 September

2019, Abu Dhabi, UAE

IT&CMA 2019, 24 September 2019 - 26 September 2019, Bangkok, Thailand

ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Inaugural Summit 2019, 5 December 2019 - 6 December 2019

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

IBTM Asia Pacific, 6 April 2020 - 8 April 2020, Singapore, Singapore (All ICCA member

tradeshow)

Select Research/Publications

3 major trends shaping the evolution of venue services

The findings were

ICCA Venue members have achieved a healthy increase in revenue, with a diversification of

revenue streams.

Digitalisation continues, with technology forming a larger part of service provision and

business development.

Sustainability is of increasing concern. Venues are implementing procedures to reduce their

environmental impact.

How 47 cities are using economic, social and environmental regeneration to attract

more meetings
At the European Cities Marking Conference, the Global Destination Sustainability Index

(GDS-Index) released their third Whitepaper that details the case studies, data analysis and

the actions taken by 47 Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and municipalities

to become destinations of choice for meetings, events and business tourism.

Business Events industry boosts global GDP with 1.5 trillion dollars and 26 million jobs
 2. Union of International Associations (UIA)

The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a research institute and documentation

centre, based in Brussels. It is Non-profit, apolitical, independent, and non-governmental in

nature, UIA has been a pioneer in the research, monitoring and provision of information on

international organizations, international associations and their global challenges since 1907.

The UIA was founded by two Belgians, Henri La Fontaine and Paul Otlet. to “assess and

describe the degree of internationalism prevailing throughout the world”. They wanted to

bring together all international associations in a concerted effort.

Having recognized the importance of international meetings and congresses to international

association life, UIA initiated the first international meetings of this industry, which led to the

creation of a number of trade groups such as AIPC, AIIC, AITC and IAPCO. UIA offers

collaboration and partnership with entities in the meetings industry to promote networking

between association and industry bodies.

Key Persons

Cyril Ritchie, President

Marilyn Mehlmann and Dragana Avramov, Vice-Presidents

Jacques de Mévius, Secretary-General

Seya Immonen, Treasurer

Membership

Associate Membership

Benefits

Receive an exclusive early copy of UIA’s International Meetings Statistics Report

Have online access to UIA’s International Congress Calendar and, with a Premium

Membership, to Yearbook of International Organizations

Receive an exclusive copy of the UIA Survey on Meetings of International Organizations

Are invited to participate in UIA's Associations Round Tables

May post their news relevant to associations on the UIA website

May maintain their own page on the UIA website, linked from the Associate Members'

Directory

Receive support from UIA in their networking with international associations by customized

contact data delivery

May order a customized data-streaming in constantly updated live data feeds on organizations

and their meetings

Are invited to participate in UIA’s training sessions

Upon request, can receive professional advice about networking opportunities with

associations

Annual Conventions/Events

7th Round Table Asia-Pacific, 19-20 September 2019, at Pattaya, Thailand

13th Round Table Europe, 4 November 2019, at Brussels, Belgium

Research/Publications

World of Associations e-Newsletter is produced monthly in partnership with CIM -

Conference & Incentive Management. It features upcoming international congresses,

interviews with association executives, surveys, and best meeting deals/offers for

organizations. It is also an interactive platform for international associations who are seeking

for opinion-sharing with their peers on topical issues, best practices and experiences.
HeadQuarters Magazine serves the needs of association executives dealing with the

organization of congresses all over the world.

The UIA works with universities and research institutes around the world and assists graduate

and post-graduate students with their research and data needs.

 3. Destinations International (DI)

Destinations International, formerly known as Destinations Marketing Association

International is a platform for meetings and business event planners to help them excel in

their jobs and careers. It provides news analysis, research and guidance, new ideas and

ongoing education through data, digital, events and print products. It also facilitates

networking among buyers and sellers.

Key Persons

Loren Edelstein Editor in Chief

David R. Blansfield Executive Vice President / Group Publisher.

Danielle Cirami-Gillis Vice President, Events & Trade Shows.

Membership

Through subscription of M&C Magazine

Annual Convention/Events

DI does not have an annual convention but has events at various destinations the upcoming

ones are

Destination Arizona, 14-16 October 2019, at Scottsdale Arizona

Destination Caribbean, 20-23 October 2019, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Research/Publications

Are Planner Points an ethical perk?

Hotel loyalty programmes offer loyalty points to group businesses. Yet opinions are strongly

divided regarding how those points can or should be redeemed.

The research found that 41% respondents did collect planner points for arranging group travel

or meetings. Out of these 41%, 40% used those points for personal leisure travel, 25% for

personal business travel but only 19% applied them to meetings or events. Ironically, only

10% said that the planner points influency7h ed their choice of hotels for meetings or events,

while 62% conceded to have some influence.

When the questions turned to whether its ethical to use planner points for personal leisure, an

astounding 76% were either ok with it or appreciated the perk. Only 29% of the

Organisations had a policy that addressed the usage of planner points. The question remains

whether hotels leading the pack of those offering planner points like Marriot, Hilton, Hyatt

and IHG are reaping the benefits of their lure?

M&C is DI’s monthly magazine in print and digital format.

Meeting Tech Insider is a monthly newsletter on technologies that can enhance meeting and

event experience

Sports Travel a monthly e-newsletter for those who organise, manage and host sporting

events
 4. Meeting Professionals International (MPI)

Founded in 1972, MPI provides education, networking opportunities and business exchanges

to Meeting Professionals. It has a membership of 60,000 meeting and event professionals

across the globe that includes over 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings

audience. It has More than 70 chapters and clubs in 75 countries worldwide. The 3 organs of

MPI are

MPI Foundation is a Not-for-profit organisation that funds grants, scholarships and pan-

industry research in support of the global meeting and event industry.

MPI Academy provides skills training, CE credits and certificate courses through live and on-

demand instructor-led courses and webinars.

MPI Publications are The Meeting Professional, Meetings Outlook, MPIpulse and MPI

NewsBrief e-newsletters

Key Persons

Steve O'Malley, HMCC, CITP, Chair

Division President, Maritz Travel, St. Louis, Missouri USA

Paul Van Deventer, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Darren Temple, Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Memberships

The three membership categories are Planner, Supplier and Student & Faculty.

Annual Conventions & Events

IMEX America 2019, 9-10 September 2019, Las Vegas, USA.

European Events & Meetings Conference, 9-11 January 2020, Sevilla, Spain
Research/Publications

The Meeting Professional Magazine is the flagship publication that highlights planner and

supplier members while showcasing best practices, trends, destinations and industry

leadership.

Meetings Outlook is a future-focused quarterly that helps identify new trends and innovations

on the horizon

Plan Your Meetings Professional Development Guide a twice-yearly digital guide provides

education, ideas and resources

 5. PCMA

Formerly Professional Convention Management Association was founded in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, USA. It was formally incorporated as PCMA, a non-profit in 1958. It is

headquartered in Chicago. PCMA has 7,000 members and an audience of 50,000 across

North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It has 17 chapters and activities in 30

countries. It boasts that 68% of its members have least a decade of experience in the industry

and 78% are key decision makers

PCMA has the following ventures:

PCMA Foundation supports the industry through education, research and charitable giving.

The Foundation funds scholarships for students, faculty and other professionals and

recognizes industry accomplishments at the annual Visionary Awards.

Digital Experience Institute is the authority on livestreaming, digital events and hybrid

meeting strategy and production. It supports the Digital Event Strategist certification

Convene a print and digital magazine of the business events industry which has an audited

circulation of 36,000 meeting organizer subscribers.

Courses and Certificates PCMA conducts preparatory to specialisation, online courses like

CMP Prep, Digital Event Strategist Certification, Incentive Conference and Event

Professional Certificate, Convention Services Management Training Course etc. It also had a

library of educational videos and conducts webinars and continuing education programmes

on negotiations, meeting design, event tech trends, event strategy etc.

Key Persons

Sherrif Karamat, CAE; President & CEO

Karamat also serves as President of the PCMA Foundation and Publisher of Convene

magazine.
Mona Cotton, Chief Business Officer

Michelle Crowley, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer

Membership

Corporate Members who work as an in-house planner managing company meetings,

incentive, conference, and/or business events projects

Agency Members own or work in an Intermediary Agency that specializes in the

management of meetings, incentive, conference and/or business events projects.

Supplier Members own or work in a company providing goods and services as a vendor or

supplier to the incentive, conference and event industry.

Student Members are full-time students currently attending a tertiary education establishment

or training college/university.

Faculty Members are those working at a tertiary education establishment or training

college/university.

The Benefits they get are:

Access to Members-only forum and directory

Convene Magazine Subscription

Discounted rates on Events & Education and Exclusive Offers

Access to all recorded sessions and speakers

Business Events Bootcamp online learning Programme.

Annual Conventions and Events

PCMA’s Asia Pacific Annual Conference, 6-8 November 2019, at Macao.

PCMA Convening Leaders, 5-8 January 2020, at San Francisco

European Influencers Summit, 22–24 September 2019, Barcelona, Spain

Research/Publications

The Future of Meetings & Events Spaces: ‘A Living Case Study’ (White Paper)

Through a study commissioned by PCMA Foundation and Marriott International, researchers

at the consulting firm Fahrenheit 212 looked at a data and cultural signals and distilled it into

five major trends that will define events for years to come.

Europe’s Future as a Destination for Meetings and Conferences

PCMA collaborated on this project with the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention

Bureaux of Europe. It found that immigration policies, Artificial intelligence, Social unrest

and Sustainability are a few of the internal and external pressures affecting Europe’s business

events industry. This report analyses Europe’s medium- to long-term market potential as a

destination for business events and is designed to help support organizers in assessing global

trends and identifying potential challenges.

Real Reasons Convention Attendees Aren’t Booking in the Block

Conference attendees do not book a room at one of the hotel properties in the official hotel

block. Conferences are facing the heat of competition from Trivago offering “the ideal hotel

room at the best price,” and every major hotelier promoting the benefits of booking direct.

While Airbnb’s affordable alternative to the traditional guest experience attracts the budget-

conscious registrants.

The study, conducted by Kalibri Labs and Prism Advisory Group — with funding from the

PCMA Foundation, Hilton Worldwide, and NYC & Company, discovered that in addition to

the 48% attendees who booked through the room block 23 percent of attendees actually

stayed at the same hotels but they made their reservations through a channel other than the

event’s housing system.

 6. International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO)

Is an organisation of conference organising/meeting planning companies IAPCO’s aims to

create opportunities for members to share best practice with one another and promote best

practices by participating in industry-wide discussions and encouraging members to adhere to

the Association’s quality standards. It has also developed education programmes for the

meetings industry

IAPCO undertakes study of theoretical and practical aspects of international congresses and

conducts research work to seek and promote relevant solutions to all problems confronting

professional organisers.

EDGE (Experts in Dynamic Global Education) is IAPCO’s education programme, designed

to provide continuing education and to raise standards. Other educational products are web-

EDGE, Bespoke EDGE and Sharp EDGE, each providing a different educational offering to

the meetings industry.

Key Persons

Mathias Posch, President

Martin Boyle, CEO

Membership

IAPCO membership has a rigorous entry criterion and an admitted member is called an

Accredited Professional Congress Organiser.

The benefits a member enjoys are:

International brand recognition because of the strict quality criteria required of its

membership

Opportunities to network and exchange

Annual monitoring by assessment programmes

Business promotion through the Knowledge Hub and The PCO

Reduced rates for staff to attend IAPCO EDGE Seminars

Complimentary access to webEDGE (IAPCO’s online learning platform)

Reduced rates to attend PCMA Convening Leaders and DES Certification programme

Preferential insurance rates for members event

Business opportunities via the requests for IAPCO members received by the Secretariat.

Annual Conventions & Events

IAPCO EDGE Advanced Seminar, 13-15 November 2019, Prague, Czech Republic

Research/Publications

The PCO Magazine

 7. Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA)

HKECIA was founded in May 1990 by 10 major exhibition organisers to provide industry

members with a unified voice in negotiations with the government and government-related

organisations and for the general betterment of business interests of members.

It aims to promote Hong Kong as the major international exhibition and convention capital in

the region and the world by raising levels of professionalism and operational standards in the

industry through training and educational programmes, enhancing communication amongst

members from different sectors of the industry and facilitating collection and dissemination

of industry information and statistics for the benefits of members and their businesses.

It holds the Honorary Memberships of Exhibition and Event Association of Australia

(EEAA), International Association of Exposition Management (IAEM) and Meeting Industry

Association (United Kingdom) (MIA) and memberships of UFI - The global association of

the exhibition industry (France) (UFI), Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention

Associations (AFECA)

Key Persons

Mr. Stuart Bailey, Chairman

CEO & Founder, Bailey Communications Hong Kong Ltd

Ms. Wendy Lai, Executive Vice Chairman

Vice President, Global Sources Exhibitions, Global Sources

Mr. Adolph Chan, Vice Chairman

Executive Director, AMC (Exhibits) Ltd

Mr. Peter Cheung Vice Chairman

Director, Comasia Limited

Membership

The 3 membership categories are

Full Membership is restricted to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)

companies who have been registered for a minimum of three years having organised or

provided related services in at least one exhibition or convention in Hong Kong SAR or

mainland China at a major exhibition or convention venue.

Associate Membership is open to Hong Kong SAR-registered companies having activities

related to the exhibition and convention business.

Overseas Membership Overseas membership is open to any mainland PRC or international

company conducting activities related to the exhibition and convention business

The membership benefits are:

Representation as a unified voice in dealing with the government, legislative and statutory

bodies to defend the best interests of members in the exhibition and convention industries

Networking and expansion of business connections through our events.

Up-to-date news and information of latest industry development and opportunities build

knowledge through educational seminars and conferences.

Exposure and Promotion of the company through the association’s websites, e-newsletters

and sponsorship opportunities.

Annual Convention/Events

HKECIA Annual Seminar cum Christmas Cocktail, held in the month November or

December every year

Research/Publications
2018 HKECIA exhibition survey reflects strong foundation of Hong Kong’s exhibition

industry despite US-China trade war

The survey results show that Hong Kong’s exhibition industry remains steady, in terms of the

number of “trade” and “trade & consumer” exhibitions, with a slight decrease in the number

of participants.

The total number of exhibiting companies dropped by 3.9%. The numbers from Hong Kong,

International and Mainland China dropped by single digit, but the number of Regional

companies rose by 11.7%. Overall visitors fell by 1.7% with all regions down in number apart

from Mainland China from which visitor number increased slightly by 0.3%.

- End of Assignment -