What is the impact of an event bringing together several hundred or several thousand people? This is the essential question that CICA is now attempting to provide a concrete response, and even a scientific one wherever possible. As a key player in the MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Convention, Events) ecosystem, the International Congress and Convention Association is embarking on a new adventure.
The project is still in its early stages. But those behind it are counting on achieving their goals by mid-2028. According to CICAThe first tool in the world to measure the impact of association congresses. As the project leaders sum up, " to secure funding and strengthen its strategic relevance, the business events industry must be able to clearly articulate its contributions to knowledge-based economies, sector development and community well-being ".
Given the scale of the task, CICA intends to rely on a number of partners. Starting with its co-founders - the Barcelona Convention Bureau, the Copenhagen Convention Bureau and the Flanders Convention Bureau, Business Events Sydney and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau. But the association's ambition, which is to " a rigorous methodology, rooted in academic research and informed by sector expertise "In response to this, Professor Carmel Foley, Assistant Professor Deborah Edwards and Dr Anja Hergesell, all from the University of Technology, Sydney, were asked to lead the project. Professor Nina Iversen from the BI Norwegian Business School and Professor Leif Hem from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) are also part of the team.
The precise contours of the project remain relatively vague, but ICCA is already promising to reveal more in a few weeks' time. The ICCA plenary session at IMEX on 18 May should provide a clearer picture.
