CONFERENCE organisers’ association ICCA is teaming up with advocacy group The Business of Events to form an organisation pushing for a better recognition of the industry’s economic contribution.
The Global Advocacy Alliance will get underway during the ICCA Plenary at the IMEX Frankfurt trade event on May 13. Some 200 industry leaders are due to gather to share best practices in advocating for business events to governmental bodies at local, regional and national levels.
Supported by event management-platform Gevme, the session will feature insights from industry leaders from politics, destinations, consortiums, convention bureaus, and venues.
The alliance plans to equip participants with practical knowledge and tools to champion the interests of the event sector to facilitate its growth and recognition. A toolkit on helping with advocacy will be produced as a result of the event, ICCA said.
“The Global Advocacy Alliance is a key part of ICCA’s commitment to advocacy,” said ICCA chief executive Senthil Gopinath.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer members the opportunity to learn how to more effectively communicate with key stakeholders to advocate for their respective sectors to governments and policymakers. By advocating for the best interests of our industry, we contribute to the collective growth and upward trajectory of our community as a whole,” Gopinath said.
Martin Fullard, director of The Business of Events, who will be chairing the event at IMEX Frankfurt, said: “Advocacy is one of the biggest challenges our industry faces and is globally recognised as imperative. The idea behind this event is to bring together industry leaders to share best practices and create a toolkit for everyone involved to utilise in their advocacy efforts.
“Through this new advocacy alliance, we aim to empower convention bureaus and other stakeholders with the templates and tools they need to effectively engage with policymakers,” Fullard said.
For further information on the ICCA Global Advocacy Alliance, and to register for the event, click here…
