The two international associations inked an agreement at ICCA’s recent global congress in Abu Dhabi.
The partnership will include ‘mutual support’ to advocate for the meetings industry and the value of business events.
ICCA’s CEO, Senthil Gopinath, said the agreement marked “a new era off collaboration” between the associations.
“We are looking forward to developing exciting new programs and coordinating on resources and workshops aimed at building capacity for our members in targeted destinations throughout the world,” he said.
IAPCO president, Sarah Markey-Hamm, who is also CEO of Melbourne-based PCO ICMS, shared more detail on the skill-building elements of the partnership.
“Together, we are not only strengthening the meetings industry but also ensuring its sustainability by building capacity in regions that need it most,” said Markey-Hamm.
“We look forward to combining our expertise to create impactful programs that elevate standards and bring lasting benefits to emerging destinations.
“The two organisations will conduct research to determine specific locations where capacity-building would be most effective and have the most impact.
“Planned programs include workshops and other educational sessions designed to target professionals in the area for development and ultimately advocate for the value of DMCs and PCOs,” she said.
Meanwhile IAPCO’s CEO, Martin Boyle, flagged the importance of different industry associations working together.
“In order to truly increase the professionalism and capacity of meeting professionals across the globe, it is essential that IAPCO leverages mutually supportive partnerships with other industry organisations,” said Boyle.
“Such is the case with our new MoU with ICCA. Together, we will focus our energy on identifying organisations in key underserved regions and then build and deliver professional development programs suited to their needs.
“Pairing ICCA’s global database with IAPCO’s targeted PCO training and development, I am confident we will be able to achieve great things.”
All PCOs who wish to become members of IAPCO are required to gain the association’s own accreditation to join, building in a baseline quality standard to be affiliated with the body.
