Dear ICCA member,
There are only 88 days left for the ICCA Congress & Exhibition in Florence, Italy to take place! Over 360 people from 43 countries have registered already.
See who will be there!
You haven't registered yet? Don't delay, register now! 900 to 1,000 attendees are projected to attend from 70 countries turning it into what is sure to be ICCA's largest ever Congress.
In this bulletin:
Why attend? - how to justify your attendance!
ICCA Business Exchange - a massive intelligence gathering opportunity!
Education Programme - more confirmed speakers!
ICCA Best Marketing Award - partipate for a chance to win a FREE registration!
2009 ICCA Silent Auction - last chance to donate a prize approaching!
Why attend?
How to justify your attendance!
ICCA has produced a document to help members explain the business case for their attendance at this year's Congress, so please feel free to cut and paste extracts into your communications to board of directors, stakeholders, bosses and line managers. ICCA will be delighted to produce additional factual information in support of your arguments, so please let us know when you need assistance.
download PDF version
download WORD version
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ICCA Business Exchange
Take part of this massive intelligence gathering opportunity and leave the congress with even MORE business leads!
What is the BE?
How does it work?
Are you interested in taking part?
What is it?
ICCA's success over more than four decades has been built on the principle of members exchanging commercial information with one another about recently hosted events. This is the foundation of ICCA's Association Database, and will once more be a central component of this year's congress.
It's all about sharing leads regarding non-repeat business. You don't have to be afraid of losing business since as soon as a piece of association business is yours, it won't usually come back for many years. Verbal sharing of information is a purely voluntary matter; confidential data can be held back. All written material is included longer term in the online association database and is accessible to all members.
The format is designed to ensure that commercial confidentiality issues are respected while encouraging interaction between the different categories of ICCA membership. Adequate time and space will be scheduled during the congress to enable pre-set and ad hoc meetings and information exchange to take place between delegates.
How it works:
When registering for the congress you will be asked to provide data on one major international event you have recently been involved with, and to be willing to share your insights and inside knowledge about this event with other delegates participating in the Business Exchange throughout the congress.
ICCA Data will support delegates in ensuring that an unprecedented amount of commercially important information will be exchanged during the congress, turning the BE event into a massive intelligence gathering opportunity.
All BE delegates are asked to give additional information in advance to events which were inputted into the database online such as: information regarding the decision making process, government support, matters relating to the budget and details on gala dinners, etc.. Afterwards a PDF file containing this information will be sent to all BE participants, asking them to do their homework and preparation for when the time comes to meet the persons they wish to speak to.
Want to take advantage of this opportunity to participate and leave the ICCA Congress with even more business leads?
Upon registration you will be able to indicate whether you would like to participate in the Business Exchange. Instructions on how to submit a lead will then be included in your confirmation email as well as a link to an online lead submission form where you will need to complete background information on the event you are submitting.
Association events submitted must meet the following criteria:
- attract at least 50 participants
- be held on a regular basis
- rotate between at least 3 different countries
- in case of a past meeting, it should not have taken place more than 2 years ago.
The deadline to complete the Business Exchange application process is 8 October 2009, participants with incomplete applications after this date will not be able to take part in the Business Exchange.
If you have any questions on the Business Exchange or the application process please contact Michel Retz.
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Education Programme
We have more confirmed speakers!
Each year we invest more and more in our speakers, and strive to create a programme that will be fresh, thought-provoking, strategically-oriented, and packed with new ideas for improving your personal performance and your organisation's bottom line. The speakers and panelists will be drawn from all regions of the world, with a mixture of experienced ICCA members, top international corporate and association clients and outside experts to ensure that there will be opportunities for every delegate to gain some new insights, no matter how many years they have been in the business.
Below you will find information about some of our confirmed speakers and their sessions, all the latest information on topics and speakers can be found on the congress website.
Terrance Barkan & Brian Costanzo
Understanding the Strategic Development Priorities of Regional and Global Associations - What are the top strategic priorities of international associations and how do these affect their plans for global, regional, and local meetings... full description
Ann Debaere
The Future Shape of Meetings Case Studies from the Cutting Edge of Our Industry.
Ian Marber The Food Doctor
Session on food science and food psychology.
Chris McManus
The Left Handed Delegate - Chris wrote the bestselling popular science book "Right Hand, Left Hand" and is renowned as the world's primary expert on every aspect of left-handedness, from genetics to social exclusion. His introductory lecture will cover some of the myths and true facts (are "lefties" really more creative?)... full description
Helena Nyhus
Big Anniversaries Perfect Opportunities for Politicians and the meetings Industry to Work Together! - National and city anniversaries: 10th, 50th, 100th or even 400th anniversaries of historically significant events provide perfect opportunities for our industry to work with politicians to achieve great things for destinations... full description
Alison Partridge
Business English for Non-native English Speakers - Identify the most common mistakes made by non-native English speakers and the implications for business relationships; identify the processes that you should put in place to ensure your sales and marketing messages achieve their objectives... full description
Thomas Reiser, Prof. Wieland Kiess, Dr. Ina Weisshardt
The Big Scary Things That Keep Doctors Awake at Night! - Find out what are the biggest issues facing doctors and medical systems around the world today, and how these are likely to profoundly influence both the future agendas of medical meetings... full description
Rohit Talwar
Fast Future: Congress Centres 2020 New Research Results - Renowned Futurist Rohit Talwar has teamed up with ICCA to conduct some unique research into the future reality of congress centres, the results of which will be unveiled for the first time at this session before being made available to all ICCA members... full description
Please note: ICCA reserves the right to amend session titles, format, speakers, and content.
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ICCA Best Marketing Award
Partipate for a chance to win a FREE registration to the ICCA Congress!
ICCA members include the top professional marketeers in the meetings industry. Each year we see evidence of this in eye-catching advertising and PR coverage, through unique and innovative promotional events, in dramatic exhibition stand designs, and in hard-hitting marketing campaigns to boost event attendance or to achieve other ambitious event objectives on behalf of corporate and association clients.
If you are proud of the creative marketing work your destination or organisation has developed over the last couple of years, DON'T BE SHY! Enter your campaign or project in the ICCA Best Marketing Award competition!
The top three entries will be given one complimentary registration for this year's ICCA Congress in Italy, and will present their material to a plenary session of ICCA members. The winning entry, decided by a combination of audience voting and a panel of expert judges who will scrutinise the materials and evidence, will win a media package worth approximately EURO 10,000, but more importantly will gain the respect and admiration of the toughest audience there is: your peers in the meetings industry!
Don't wait to organise a committee meeting or put together your draft entry: contact ICCA Head Office straight away to find out why and how you should enter!
Application deadline is Friday 11 September 2009 and it is free to participate! Visit the Best Marketing Award website for further details and to download an entry form. If you have any questions, contact Jill Frazer.
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We look forward to meeting you there!
With kind regards,
Martin Sirk
Chief Executive Officer
ICCA
