ICC Opens New Bidding Window for Chambers to Host Global and Regional Events

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has opened a new opportunity for chambers of commerce around the world to bid for the hosting of its flagship World Chambers Congress and World Chambers Federation (WCF) Regional Summits, creating a new pipeline of international business events for 2028 and 2029.

Through a newly connected bidding cycle, the ICC and its World Chambers Federation will appoint four chambers to host major events: three WCF Regional Summits across 2028 and 2029, and the 16th World Chambers Congress in 2029.

Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 14 October 2026, although chambers are not being asked to produce a full bid at this initial stage. Instead, the first step is designed to establish strategic intent, identify which hosting opportunity is being explored and provide an initial assessment of the prospective host's readiness.

The move gives chambers an opportunity to position their cities and business communities within one of the world's most established international networks of chambers, while also linking event hosting more closely to economic and business development objectives.

According to ICC, hosting a WCF event can help chambers strengthen their leadership and strategic relevance, raise the international visibility of their city, region or country, bring businesses and institutions together around shared priorities, and mobilise government, destination and wider ecosystem partners.

For destinations, the opportunity extends beyond the delivery of an individual congress or summit. The ICC frames hosting as a means of creating a platform through which a chamber and its wider business community can lead conversations, connect with international markets and advance priorities of importance to local businesses.

The distinction between the two event formats is central to the new bidding process.

The World Chambers Congress is the WCF's global flagship. Held every two years and rotating between different regions of the world, it brings together chamber leaders and professionals to exchange best practice, develop international networks, address business challenges and explore innovation. The most recent edition, held in Melbourne in September 2025, brought together more than 1,000 business, chamber and government leaders from 100 countries. The 15th Congress will take place in Toronto in 2027, co-organised with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The 2029 edition therefore represents the next available opportunity for a chamber to host the global Congress.

The Regional Summits follow a different model. Launched in 2023, the WCF's regional events were created to bring the federation's global network and expertise closer to regional business communities, addressing common challenges and opportunities through a regional lens. Co-hosted with local chambers, they are open to both WCF members and non-members and are intended to extend the organisation's reach, including towards smaller businesses, SMEs and entrepreneurs.

ICC is consequently positioning the Regional Summits as more than scaled-down versions of the Congress. Each has its own strategic purpose, with the Congress focused on shaping the wider agenda while the Regional Summits are intended to translate that agenda into regional action.

That distinction could be particularly relevant for chambers and destinations that see international association events as part of a broader economic development strategy, but for which hosting a global congress may not be the appropriate fit.

The new portfolio approach also changes the way potential hosts can engage with ICC. Rather than preparing a fully developed bid immediately, prospective hosts can begin with a relatively light Expression of Interest and enter into a structured conversation with the WCF about the most suitable opportunity.

At this stage, chambers do not need to have a complete business plan, a confirmed venue or a final delivery model in place. The process is instead intended to establish why the chamber wants to host, which event it wishes to explore and how prepared it is to take the process forward.

The timing is significant for the international business events sector. The 2025 World Chambers Congress in Melbourne demonstrated the scale that the WCF network can bring to a host destination, while previous editions have rotated across different global regions to ensure wider access to the international chamber community. The organisation describes the Congress as the largest and only international forum specifically bringing chambers together to shape shared priorities, exchange strategic insight, showcase innovation and reinforce collective leadership.

The WCF's Regional Summit model has meanwhile been gaining ground as a complementary mechanism for extending that network. Its first Europe and Asia Regional Summit, held in Istanbul in October 2024, attracted more than 800 delegates and focused on issues including climate action, cross-border business and the role of chambers in supporting businesses.

For chambers considering a bid, ICC will hold candidate briefing sessions during September to explain the value and differences of the hosting opportunities, the selection process and key dates, the requirements for the Expression of Interest and the support available to prospective candidates.

The formal bidding portal is expected to become available shortly, with Expressions of Interest closing on 14 October 2026.

With the 2029 World Chambers Congress and three Regional Summits now being taken to market through the same portfolio cycle, the process gives chambers and their destination partners an opportunity to compete not simply for an event, but for a place within the future international calendar of one of the world's largest business networks.
 

Download the bidding guidelines to explore hosting opportunities and the selection process here
 

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