ICCA conference in Strasbourg under the theme of innovation and transformation

As many as 110 participants from 14 countries attended the annual meeting of members of ICCA's two branches, Central Europe and France and Benelux, which took place April 23-25, 2023. was held in Strasbourg, France. Aptly named the "Beyond Borders" meeting, the conference consisted of speeches, workshops, panel discussions and a tour of the European Parliament and the main facilities in Strasbourg. The meeting was attended by a strong representation from Poland, consisting of Malgorzata Przygórska-Skowron from the Krakow Convention Bureau and Anna Jędrocha and Anna Gorska from Symposium Cracoviense.

The event, entitled "Inspiration for Transformation," was led by Kai Troll, founder and president of ASSOCIATIONWORLD. The slogan of the event perfectly captured the essence of the event - in order to move forward and make progress, it is necessary to constantly transform and reevaluate traditional business practices. The program itself exemplified this, introducing innovative ways to engage the audience, including a meeting with Aziz Shokhakimov, the talented conductor of the Strasbourg Philharmonic, and a presentation by Bugatti of Alsace, which showed that anything is possible with a clear vision.

Another highlight was certainly the speech by Cedric Dumont, a very experienced skydiver and BASE jumper with more than 20,000 jumps and many world records to his credit, who spoke about the importance of getting out of one's comfort zone and overcoming fear to achieve triumph. He also stressed the value of preparation and planning in extreme sports and the importance of learning from one's mistakes. "The most important thing in any adventure is not what you achieve, but who you become," - he said, emphasizing his belief that the journey is as important as the destination, and that personal development is a key ingredient in any great adventure.

Other speeches covered a wide range of topics, including the current state of the meetings industry, the importance of sustainability in event planning, and the impact of technology on meetings and events.

Malgorzata Przygórska-Skowron, Head of the Krakow Convnention Bureau, and Anna Gorska, Board Advisor at Symposium Cracoviense and ICCA Board Member, took part in a panel discussion entitled Creating Impactful Events. Malgorzata Przygórska-Skowron presented a case study of the ICCA congress held in Krakow on 6-9/11/2022, focusing on the positive impact of the event on the country, the Polish industry, the community and the city itself. Among the positive results achieved as a result of holding the congress in Krakow, she included solidarity with Poland and Ukraine, exceptional cooperation between partners, the demonstration of the city's potential, the sustainability report prepared based on it, and new congresses to be held in the city in the future. One of these congresses is the Alzheimer's Disease International Conference, which will be held in April.

Anna Gorska talked about the event, presenting the legacy and assumed positive effects of its organization such as the creation of a National Plan for Alzheimer's Disease, the involvement of volunteers both young and senior citizens in the event and training them to serve people with dementia, and a public awareness campaign about the disease.

An interesting case study was presented by Erica Fawer, Sustainability Integration Director at MCI Group, who talked about ESCRS2022, the 40th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. This event made history for the first time by putting sustainability at the forefront of its flagship event. "ESCRS2022 integrated sustainability into every aspect of the event, from site selection and waste management to transportation and community engagement. The goal was to create a more sustainable event that would not only reduce its environmental impact, but also provide a positive social and economic legacy for the host city and its residents," she said, calling on associations to do the same and encouraging vendors in attendance to help them achieve it.

The city of Strasbourg was aptly chosen to host this year's ICCA conference, where there is a strong emphasis on sustainability and which has a reputation as the most bicycle-friendly city in France, as well as having the largest streetcar system in the country.

The entire conference provided a valuable forum for attendees to interact, share experiences and insights, and learn about the latest trends and best practices in the business events industry. The next meeting of ICCA's European chapters will already take place during the upcoming IMEX in Frankfurt.

 Author: Anna Gorska