ICCA Advantage: Keeping up with the Demands of a Fast-changing Industry!

Never has it been more important than today to adopt a proactive mindset in seeking out new learning opportunities and keeping up to date with the drivers of an ever-changing sector. In March, ICCA announced a new programme designed to increase this awareness among event professionals with their minds on international meetings. ICCA Advantage is a targeted solution to propel business events forward with real-life case studies and tailor-made, personalised training sessions.

With more than 1,000 members across 91 countries and territories, ICCA is not only the association events industry’s leading benchmark but also the preferred one-stop shop for courses and training that meet the demands of these areas. Following this rationale, ICCA Advantage offers organisations the opportunity to face challenges that may be holding back their progress by providing practical solutions. “ICCA Advantage aims to provide customised training on various subjects that are top of mind these days, including bidding, sales, business and market planning, technology, AI, DEI and more. The sessions are especially designed for the needs of each individual organisation, making each training tailored to the issues voiced by the organisation itself,” ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath (on the right) tells us.

Reaping the benefits of over 60 years of history, exchange, knowledge and trust, the ICCA database allows members to access exclusive statistics and analyses. By providing relevant white papers and guidebooks, tools and resources for associations, this two-way avenue also makes it possible to curate a library that reflects the methods and templates with which associations bring their events to their members. “The topics we plan to include in this first phase include convention bidding, marketing and branding for destination promotion, risk and crisis management, sustainability, impact and legacy, DEI and AI. On the latter, we are working with Insights Lab to produce a programme focused on how to use AI to generate and qualify leads, maximise trade show ROI, and develop data-driven actionable propositions,” says Gopinath.

Back in a March, a group of German DMC professionals took part in ‘BidSmart’, a two-day programme organised by the Berlin Convention Office and supported by ICCA Advantage with a focus on convention bidding. Instructors led participants through practical exercises and discussions focused on essential topics, including feedback on current bidding documents, a summary on the most defining and promising leads in the market, and bidding strategy assistance. Marco Oelschlegel, Director of Conventions, Berlin Convention Office, said: “We are delighted that ICCA introduced its seminar ‘ICCA Advantage BidSmart’ especially adapted to the needs of team members who are new to the topic of bidding. Together with the international experience of the ICCA team, it provided valuable impetus for future bidding processes.”

Adopting new technologies and innovations becomes more user-friendly for those who prioritise continuing education. ICCA Advantage seeks to harness the power of cutting-edge technology and new forms of personalised learning to empower its participants. “The Berlin example incorporated topics such as generating and prioritising business leads, along with insights on how to improve current bid documents, competitor insights and analysis, and advanced bidding techniques. This allowed the teams to work together on concrete case studies, opening up many opportunities for optimisation,” adds Gopinath.
 

ICCA Learn: An All-in-One Learning Hub for the Events Industry

Additionally, ICCA Advantage is yet another segmented proposal that adds to the vast list of offers within ICCA Learn. The educational portfolio aims to support members at different stages of development and help them on their lifelong learning journey. “Professionals need to update and re-train regularly, and ICCA wants to be their partner in this endeavour. ICCA Learn is our roster of programmes aimed at providing the skills needed to succeed in all areas of the industry and in many different roles and career stages,” says Gopinath. From those starting out to executives, ICCASkills offers the only globally recognised certification for suppliers in all sectors of the meetings industry; ICCAUni is the home of the ICCA academic community, designed to promote collaboration between academia and the events industry; finally, the Association Impact Masterclass – co-created with #Meet4Impact, GainingEdge and with Business Event Sarawak as a seed fund contributor – was an innovative training programme, sponsored and hosted by BestCities Global Alliance, held in Dublin last January, that looked at sharing and assessing impact activities for association professionals from around the world who want to invest in their legacy programmes. “ICCA Advantage is a fantastic addition to the existing ICCASkills and Masterclass programmes in that it gives organisations the opportunity to home in on ‘pain point’ issues and address challenges, as well as giving participants the cutting-edge information necessary to get a leg up on the competition,” Gopinath continued.

ICCAUni’s Pedagogical Vocation

ICCAUni was introduced in 2024 with the clear purpose of encouraging collaboration, innovation and mentorship between academia and the events industry, and relaunched in 2025 with a clearer value proposition. We asked Senthil how colleges and universities are playing this binding role and fostering access points to the world of global events. “We have set ourselves three objectives. First, to create a framework for exchange. This means an exchange between both worlds, but also among universities themselves. In other words, channels where universities in Europe can easily connect with universities in Africa and create their own network.” The second is research: “We want to have a better idea of what type of research is being done and create a better alignment with what is most relevant to each sector. We would like to ensure that research can serve industry more effectively and increase, for example, the number of PhD students involved.” Finally, the global association also wants to focus on talent development. “This means ensuring that the student journey is perfectly in line with the needs of the sector and also that professionals continue to learn throughout their careers,” concludes Gopinath.
 

ICCA is currently working with 40 universities from around the world to develop a special course at the 64th ICCA Congress in Porto to better meet the needs of academics at global meetings and events.

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.