Presidential Message: Last few weeks to sign up for Puerto Rico!

Where has 2012 gone to? Another crazily-busy year is sprinting, faster than Usain Bolt, towards the finish line! Summer is approaching in the Southern Hemisphere and the leaves are starting to turn to gold in the Northern, so it must be time to get ready for the ICCA Congress in Puerto Rico, the highlight of our association’s calendar.

If you haven’t registered yet, don’t despair! There’s still time, and the fabulous education sessions and countless business opportunities on offer will still be waiting for you no matter how late you sign up.  We’ll have larger delegations than ever from North, South and Central America, with new Caribbean entrants to the meetings market joining us as Observers.  For very good reasons Puerto Rico markets itself as the gateway joining all these regions together, presenting a wonderful opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experience. Our Chinese friends will be there in force to promote the Shanghai 2013 Congress, and as usual they’ll be joined by Scandinavians and South Africans, Koreans and Qataris, Australians and Austrians: the global thought-leaders and business gurus of our fascinating and dynamic industry who make the ICCA Congress a truly unique experience.

Of course we’ve still got IMEX America to tackle in Las Vegas before the Congress commences, and where a tremendous ICCA member representation will be seen on the exhibition floor and amongst the international hosted buyers and group coordinators.  This reflects the ever-more crowded marketing calendar, and the never-ending search to meet with highly qualified clients and intermediaries.  We congratulate Ray and Carina and their team on such a great effort in building up this show to world-class standard so quickly!

I don’t expect 2013 to be any less busy for any of us, nor less challenging in terms of the economic and business environment.  Competition is also constantly raising the bar to achieve success, so only the most professional companies and the most flexible and innovative destinations are going to prosper.  I passionately believe that ICCA membership is going to be one way that all our members can address these challenges, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts on these matters with you in Puerto Rico, both on the Congress platform and over a coffee.

See you soon!
Arnaldo Nardone, President