The Iberian Chapter of the International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA), which recently renewed its board of directors (chaired by Francisco Quereda, director of Malaga Convention Bureau) for the period 2015-2017, will implement a strategic plan for the two year period, essentially keyed to revitalizing the chapter and broadening business opportunities for its members in the association meeting market.
Among other measures, the plan envisages greater communication between members with the aim of encouraging knowledge transfer and experience sharing both at the chapter’s annual meeting and at a number of new education events.
Furthermore, another of the objectives is to continue expanding the chapter’s own database on congresses in Spain and Portugal, a decisive tool when submitting bids.
Another of the highly useful tools for marketing venues and destinations is the client-supplier workshop, which is held during the chapter’s annual meeting, for which reason a concerted effort will be made to increase attendance to the workshop, which will either be held as before during the annual meeting or on another date. There are also plans to recuperate an initiative that has always obtained good results: the Business Exchange (the sharing of information between chapter members about major congresses).
Profitable education
Specifically, with regard to the annual meeting, the idea is to make education content more cost-effective, focusing on how to generate business, thus offering members a medium-/long-term ROI. Likewise, the generational differences between chapter members – those with a long track record and plenty of experience and newcomers to the industry – will be taken into account when designing education content, satisfying their different with a variety of specific sessions.
In short, the idea is to make the chapter’s activities and events more useful to associates so that they can make the most of their membership and, therefore, make it easier for the chapter to attract new members, above all from those segments of the industry that are currently under-represented.
During the next two years, the chapter also intends to improve communication channels with the industry (newsletters, social networks, etc.) and reinforce partnerships and promote profitable joint projects with other meeting and event associations both in Spain and Portugal.
