It’s official! The 2011 ICCA Congress taking place from 22-26 October in Leipzig, Germany, officially broke the record for the number of registered attendees.
With almost 2 weeks to go 995 delegates from 70 countries are booked in. ICCA is anticipating it will reach a record-breaking attendance of well over 1000 delegates. The previous record was 982 delegates for the 2009 ICCA Congress in Florence, Italy.
ICCA CEO Martin Sirk says: “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. When this natural accessibility is combined with an excellent educational programme, the opportunity to identify local potential clients in both corporate and association sectors, and tremendous support from the Leipzig team, it’s a winning formula for what we are certain will be a wonderful Congress”.
ICCA is also on track to recruit either a record or near-record number of new members this year, which reflects the fact that the international association meetings market continues to grow, despite the current economic situation.
Martin Sirk: “Despite the challenging global economic environment we’re delighted to see a record attendance for our annual congress, as well as a continued growth in membership, including from countries which are suffering the most. I am certain this 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.”
