The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME).
Under the MoU, both associations have committed to working together on three key issues facing the Australian business events industry. These issues are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); Legacy and Sustainability; and Talent Development and Retention.
Under the DEI pillar, ICCA and ABEA will support members and associations in their DEI practices by collecting and sharing case studies, and co-publishing a White Paper focusing on the impacts and opportunities of multiculturalism in the business events industry.
ABEA members will also have access to ICCA’s International Business Events Preceptorship Programme which facilitates educational mentoring opportunities with ICCA global members (Preceptors), allowing ABEA members the opportunity to learn about global best practices.
Under Legacy and Sustainability, ICCA and ABEA will advocate to the government and stakeholders the importance of the business events industry as a key economic and social impact driver.
ICCA will also initiate cross-regional collaboration on business events legacy impact with ABEA through case studies and other information sharing; and both parties will host quarterly meetings to discuss progress, stakeholder engagement and advocacy programmes.
Lastly, the third pillar, Talent Development and Retention, will work to address workforce challenges.
At AIME 2024, ICCA and ABEA will collaborate on the Emerging Leaders Challenge, where the programme aims to provide recognition and a voice for emerging leader professionals to share their ideas on refining the business events proposition in the area of talent attraction and retention. The winner will be awarded ICCA’s scholarship to pursue the ICCASkills certification as a Certified International Convention Specialist (CICS).
In addition, ICCA and ABEA will review the Emerging Leaders Challenge later this year to address how the programme will be delivered in 2025.
Peter King, chair of ABEA, said that this MoU was an opportunity to harness well-renowned international expertise and connections to amplify the work of ABEA for its members.
“We know our members need to embed DEI principles, and sustainability, and develop talent to thrive in the competitive marketplace. Our partnership with ICCA is designed to provide unparalleled opportunities for our members, and the sector, to tackle these challenges head-on.
“No one organisation can do this on their own. By joining forces with ICCA, the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry, we can pool our resources and focus on achieving the outcomes we all need.”
The MoU commenced on February 19, 2024, and will be reassessed in December 2026.
