ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association, was founded in 1963 and now is one of the most prominent organisations in the world of international meetings. It is the only association that comprises a membership representing the main specialists in handling, transporting and accommodating international events. ICCA's network of over 850 suppliers to the international meetings industry spans the globe, with members in over 85 countries. All companies and organisations which have a strategic commitment to provide top quality products and services for international meetings should consider ICCA membership as part of their long term plans.

The Convention 2020 research project will stimulate thought and debate around the world about the forces, trends and ideas that will shape our industry over the next ten years, about the future needs of clients and about the changing business environment, and it will provide practical insights on how to prepare for the changes ahead.

ICCA is proud to be one of the founding partners of this project. Whilst it is impossible to precisely predict the future, it is vitally important to intelligently imagine some of the many possible shapes of that future, and for companies and destinations to prepare themselves to take advantage of coming opportunities and to react to potential dangers and new competition. Convention 2020 is our industry's first large-scale attempt to pull together such a disparate range of material - trend data in demographics and business, viewpoints from clients and suppliers within our industry from all around the world and from large numbers of thoughtful individuals from outside the meetings business, taking into account the latest technological developments and the speed of change in technological fields, and the in-depth views of many industry leaders.

By getting proactively involved in the Convention 2020 research initiative ICCA is securing its leading role as thought-leaders and innovators, which enables ICCA to generate new competitive advantages for its members by helping them to incorporate the very latest trends and future business opportunities into their own strategic planning process, in what is an ever more competitive and fast-changing world.

The focal point of ICCA's involvement is our Congress in Hyderabad, India, from 23-27 October 2010, where we expect over 800 meetings industry leaders from more than 70 countries to come together. We will use the findings and concepts from the Convention 2020 research to stimulate numerous discussions and debates that will help open our delegates' minds, to share insights, to consider new business models and opportunities, to critically analyse current orthodoxies, and to shape strategic thinking.

ICCA has offices in the Netherlands, Malaysia, U.S.A. and Uruguay.

Please find more information on ICCA at www.iccaworld.com

For further information, please contact:

Martin Sirk, CEO
ICCA, The International Congress & Convention Association
Toren A, De Entree 57
1101 BH Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Phone: +31 20 398 1919
Email: m.sirk@icca.nl
Website: www.iccaworld.com