SINGAPORE The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) is adopting a more proactive approach in its dealings with members. More meetings are being held outside its Amsterdam headquarters and both seminars and training sessions organised in various locations overseas.
ICCA’s Management Finance Committee meeting took place from September 7-9 in Singapore, the first Asian city to host this meeting. ICCA chose Singapore for its meeting partly because of its success in the international associations meetings sector, where ICCA’s expertise lies.
Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA, said that the ICCA Board wanted to be closer to members. “We need to get out and into the marketplace, and will use our global connections to reinforce ICCA’s own brands,” he said.
While in Singapore, the ICCA delegation held a half-day dialogue session titled ‘The Road Ahead’ at Suntec Singapore, targeted particularly at the university students who were invited to the forum.
Sirk said: “ICCA receives strong support from Singapore members, in terms of using the tools provided and giving feedback. There has been good take-up in the country-specific training opportunities.”
Noor Ahmad Hamid, ICCA regional director Asia-Pacific, conducted customised on-site training with three member organisations in September, showing them how to use new features and tools in ICCA’s vast database and resources.
Suntec Singapore was one of the participants. Its senior manager for convention, exhibition and special events, Felicity Wong, said: “This is a good opportunity for those in the association business to be trained by an ICCA professional. We now have a better understanding of how the database works and the ability to maximise its potential.”