More than 100 delegates from the congress and convention industry met in Gdansk, Poland, to improve their sales and marketing techniques and make new contacts.

Representatives from 33 countries and five continents took part in the three-day Research, Sales & Marketing Programme, run by ICCA, the international suppliers’ organisation.

Sessions ranged from selling and branding a destination to bidding for international association events, building successful client relationships to running effective social media and PR campaigns.

Meanwhile a special four-part “Request For Proposal to bid presentation” programme took delegates through a detailed group task designed to illustrate key phase of the bidding process for events.

The event was interactive and aimed at junior to middle-managers who were able to suggest content, hold one-to-one meetings with ICCA faculty members, and bring their own material for analysis.

Delegates also had a chance to take home crucial business leads by participating in the Business Exchange, where they shared background information on potential clients with fellow participants.

ICCA Programme delegate Alexander Klimes of the Prague Convention Bureau, said: "Before the event I was a bit sarcastic about all the sharing and the networking which the ICCA Programme promised to deliver.  I was expecting to be a hidden participant, brainwashed with educational sessions, but this time I actively shared and networked with my fellow participants as never before. I made some great new friends and I feel like I became part of an ICCA family."

*The next edition of the ICCA Research, Sales & Marketing Programme will take place in Bregenz, Austria, from 13-16 June 2012.