More than 1000 delegates are in Leipzig for the 50th International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) assembly – a new record for the association.
A total of 1,047 executives from international meetings businesses arrived in the German city this weekend for a five-day programme of educational and social activities. The previous record was 982 delegates for the 2009 ICCA Congress in Firenze, Italy. There are record numbers of first time attendees, too – more than 250 – and more delegates than even before have registered to take part in the business exchange programme.
ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said: “Germany has one of our largest and most active national groups of member companies and organisations, and the surrounding northern European region also has strong ICCA membership: these are just some of the reasons we have achieved a record attendance in Leipzig. It’s also a great location for bringing in delegates from the emerging economies of Eastern Europe and Russia, and is easily connected to the wider world.”
Meanwhile, ICCA is on target to recruit 90 new members in 2011. “I’m certain this (growth) can be attributed to the continued attraction of the international association meetings market and the relevance of ICCA’s tools, database and business opportunities which are aimed precisely at this resilient segment,” said Sirk.
“In the past year we have identified another 800 association events to add to the 16,000 already on the database. It’s important that we continue to grow the data faster than membership growth. There is a strong growth dynamic in the market proven by the number of new events – there are 2500 ‘new’ meetings within their 4th year cycle. It’s not just resilient, it is also dynamic and it is driven by scientific and medical research.”
Pictured: Delegates at the official opening of the assembly at Gewandhaus Concert Hall
