IAPCO

IAPCO International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) Its remit is to raise quality standards within the meetings industry.

ABOUT IAPCO
Mission Statement
The IAPCO mission is to raise the standards of service amongst its members and other sectors of the meetings industry by means of continuing education and interaction with other professionals. Vision
IAPCO is the international accreditation member-driven association for Professional Congress Organisers around the world. Its members embrace the following Core Values:

They are proud of their profession; they live up to the ‘P’ in PCO

They get involved; they are a small and active group taking responsibility for their association and the industry at large

They are extra-ordinary; they care about delivering the highest quality of professional services and make decisions accordingly

They uphold the trust; they have a responsibility to their clients, and to the whole meetings industry, to conduct business in a trustworthy way

They set the benchmark; they are at the forefront of innovation within their profession and always strive to improve

Learning is essential therefore; education is at the core of their association and everything revolves around it

04/06/2026

🎥 Highlights from the IAPCO Council Meeting hosted by the Maastricht Convention Bureau.

Following IMEX Frankfurt, IAPCO Council gathered in Maastricht for strategic discussions, stakeholder engagement and destination experiences that reinforced the power of collaboration across the global meetings industry.

Produced by Maastricht Convention Bureau, this highlights video captures key moments from the programme and features insights from IAPCO President Sissi Lignou, Maastricht Convention Bureau CEO Jurgen Moors, Niels Klinkhamer of Klinkhamer Conferences & Events, and Jan-Tjitte Meindersma of Maastricht University.

Together, they explore how destinations, PCOs, academia, policymakers and the wider knowledge ecosystem can work together to create meaningful, long-term impact through international meetings and congresses.

▶️ Watch the highlights video and discover why Maastricht continues to stand out as a leading destination for international association meetings.

🌎 IAPCO is heading to San José, Costa Rica, for FIEXPO Latin America 2026, taking place from 8–11 June 2026.Representing...
03/06/2026

🌎 IAPCO is heading to San José, Costa Rica, for FIEXPO Latin America 2026, taking place from 8–11 June 2026.

Representing IAPCO will be Council Member & Training Academy Regional Representative for LATAM, Jimena Ruiz, and CEO Martin Boyle.

As part of the Next Generation Summit, Jimena will contribute to the educational programme, reflecting IAPCO’s commitment to advancing professional excellence through education, leadership development and regional capacity building.

Martin will represent IAPCO at the Latin American Destinations Forum and the 13th Latin American Politicians Forum, engaging with policymakers, destination leaders and industry stakeholders to champion the value and impact of the global meetings industry and the contribution of IAPCO Members worldwide.

IAPCO’s presence at FIEXPO also reflects its continued commitment to education and emerging talent in the region, including through the IAPCO-FIEXPO Emerging Leaders Programme LATAM and the Jorge Castex Scholarship.

Stay tuned for more updates and announcements from San José.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.iapco.org/education-and-training/ems-event-calendar/fiexpo-2026.html

From IMEX Frankfurt to Maastricht, IAPCO's momentum continues 🌍✨Following an exceptionally active week at IMEX, IAPCO’s ...
29/05/2026

From IMEX Frankfurt to Maastricht, IAPCO's momentum continues 🌍✨

Following an exceptionally active week at IMEX, IAPCO’s leadership convened in Maastricht for the first official in-person meeting of the newly formed Council and Committee Chairs, hosted by Maastricht Convention Bureau.

Across three days, discussions focused on IAPCO’s strategic priorities across advocacy, education, partnerships and engagement, with key conversations around professional excellence, accreditation, research, sustainability, inclusion, ESG, AI and resilience in a changing global landscape 🤝

A dedicated stakeholder advocacy session, hosted at MECC Maastricht, connected IAPCO leadership with local and regional stakeholders, reinforcing the value of collaboration between associations, destinations, venues, policymakers and strategic partners.

Beyond the formal programme, curated site visits and local experiences showcased Maastricht’s distinctive character, hospitality and congress expertise 🏛️

A sincere thank you to Maastricht Convention Bureau, MECC Maastricht, Crowne Plaza Maastricht and all partners and venues who helped make the experience such a success. ✨

Stay tuned for more highlights from Maastricht 🎥

in action at IMEX Frankfurt 2026 🌍IAPCO welcomed a record-attended Hosted Buyer Group of 42 participants from across o...
28/05/2026

in action at IMEX Frankfurt 2026 🌍

IAPCO welcomed a record-attended Hosted Buyer Group of 42 participants from across our global membership community, while our dedicated stand, shared with strategic partner AMCI, became a vibrant hub for meetings, networking, education and partner engagement.

The IAPCO Members & Partners Drinks Reception created strong momentum, bringing members, partners and wider industry stakeholders together in a spirit of collaboration and connection.

Throughout IMEX, IAPCO also facilitated access to exclusive partner-hosted events and engagements, including social events hosted by Australia.com, Destination Toronto, Dubai Can, Frankfurt Convention Bureau, Messe Frankfurt, Go To Guadalajara and Discover Hong Kong.

Hosted Buyer destination presentations from Visit Japan International, Go Türkiye and vienna.info further supported meaningful connection and business opportunities.

Our IAPCO Ambassadors were also active on site, helping strengthen visibility and engagement across the global community.

Stay tuned for more updates from coming soon ✨

in action at IMEX Frankfurt 2026 🌍Throughout IMEX, IAPCO continued to champion the value, resilience and impact of the...
27/05/2026

in action at IMEX Frankfurt 2026 🌍

Throughout IMEX, IAPCO continued to champion the value, resilience and impact of the global meetings industry, with the Council, Ambassadors, members and HQ team contributing to strategic conversations across the show.

At the heart of IAPCO’s presence was our dedicated stand, shared with strategic partner AMCI, supporting advocacy, visibility and connection for IAPCO and our members 🤝

A key highlight was the IAPCO Press Conference on 20 May, where President Sissi Lignou and CEO Martin Boyle presented the new Global Socio-Political Impact Survey, alongside updates on the 2025 Annual Member Survey and the launch of the Dear Destinations campaign.

Sissi and Martin also participated in Association Focus and Social, and the Place Leaders Forum, reinforcing IAPCO’s role in shaping dialogue across associations, destinations and business events leaders.

IAPCO’s voice was also represented at the highest levels of global industry strategy, with Martin Boyle participating in Events Industry Council and JMIC Joint Meetings Industry Council board meetings and supporting the forthcoming JMIC Global Manifesto for the Business Events Industry.

Stay tuned for more updates from coming up ✨

IAPCO in action at IMEX Frankfurt 2026 ✨IAPCO was proud to deliver a series of sessions carrying the IAPCO seal of exc...
26/05/2026

IAPCO in action at IMEX Frankfurt 2026 ✨

IAPCO was proud to deliver a series of sessions carrying the IAPCO seal of excellence, bringing timely and future-focused conversations to the global meetings industry 🌍

The education session “If AI Can Run Your Congress, What’s Your Role? A PCO Perspective” explored AI, automation and the evolving role of the PCO, with Benoît Dubuisson (Downtown Europe | Europa Group, IAPCO Council Member), Alexandros Terzis (ERA Congresses & Events, IAPCO Co-Opted Council Member), Nicole Walker GAICD (Lightning Bolt Consulting), moderated by Ginevra De Bellis (OIC Group, IAPCO Council Member) 🤖

At the IAPCO Stand, Ludivine Simon (K.I.T. Group GmbH) led “Beyond Greenwashing”, exploring sustainability, stakeholder accountability and collective action ♻️ The session was delivered with the support of IAPCO Sustainability Partner Business Events Australia.

Galit Shimshoni (ORTRA Meeting Point Ltd.) led “The Inner Journey”, focused on mental wellbeing, leadership resilience and burnout prevention 🧠

Thank you to IAPCO Service Provider Partner Snapsight for covering the sessions, and to all speakers, participants and partners who helped make these conversations so valuable.

AI is no longer a future conversation for the meetings industry. It is already part of daily decision-making. 🤖Last week...
25/05/2026

AI is no longer a future conversation for the meetings industry. It is already part of daily decision-making. 🤖

Last week, ahead of IMEX Frankfurt, the IAPCO & AMCI Emerging Leaders Workshop for IAPCO and AMC Institute members explored how event professionals can responsibly work with AI in high-trust congress environments.

The workshop was co-developed by the IAPCO Training Academy and IAPCO Emerging Leaders Committee Chair Alexandros Terzis, in collaboration with AMCI and AMCI Sr. Director, Membership, Accreditation, and Operations Thomas Pigg.

Through practical scenarios and live exercises, participants focused on judgement, responsibility, trust and human oversight.

Thank you to speakers Jonathan Easton, GEVME, Jeanne Sheehy, Bostrom, and Bambis Charalambous, ERA Congresses & Events, as well as to everyone who participated and contributed to such an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

A special thank you to Messe Frankfurt GmbH, an IAPCO Convention Centre Partner, for sponsoring the workshop and supporting this important space for emerging leaders to explore the responsible use of AI in the meetings industry.

Thank you also to IAPCO Service Provider Partner Snapsight for covering the session.

Stay tuned for more highlights coming soon.

24/05/2026

From IMEX Frankfurt to Maastricht, IAPCO's momentum continues.

As the IAPCO Council Meeting concludes today in Maastricht, IAPCO President Sissi Lignou shares an update from the meeting, reflecting on several days of strategic discussions, shared priorities and planning for the year ahead.

Our newly formed Council came together to reinforce IAPCO’s collective commitment to advancing advocacy, education, partnerships and member value across the global meetings industry.

Hosted in a destination known for its warm hospitality, walkability, strong knowledge networks and boutique international character, the meeting created space for meaningful dialogue around the future of our industry and the role of professional congress organisation in driving long-term impact.

Thank you to Maastricht Convention Bureau, MECC Maastricht and Crowne Plaza Maastricht for hosting us, and to everyone who contributed to such a productive, collaborative and inspiring few days.

Stay tuned for more highlights from the IAPCO Council Meeting in the coming days.

24/05/2026

💡 In a meetings industry increasingly shaped by powerful technology, what if the real innovation starts with people?

In the latest edition of The PCO by IAPCO, Dagmar Brozova of Kuoni Tumlare Congress explores why the future of congress management depends not only on adopting new tools, but on ensuring they truly support the human experience behind every event.

As hybrid formats, governance requirements and stakeholder networks become more complex, the article makes a compelling case for human-centred innovation: starting with people, processes and real operational constraints before deciding which technology can add value.

Through the example of the Kuoni Tumlare Congress Innovation Hub and its K-Poster solution, the article shows how technology can support scale, efficiency and engagement when guided by human insight, relevance and empathy.

📖 Read the full article in the latest issue of The PCO by IAPCO, on pages 58–59, here: https://www.iapco.org/resource/the-pco-issue-122-edition-1-2026.html

🏆 ICOM Group’s Mohamed Sherif wins IAPCO Innovation Award 2026Presented last night during the IMEX Gala Dinner in Frankf...
21/05/2026

🏆 ICOM Group’s Mohamed Sherif wins IAPCO Innovation Award 2026

Presented last night during the IMEX Gala Dinner in Frankfurt by IAPCO President Sissi Lignou, the IAPCO Driving Excellence Innovation Award 2026 recognises Mohamed Sherif, General Manager at ICOM DMC, ICOM Group.

Recognised for leading the development of the CardioAlex Smart Shuttle System, Mohamed and the ICOM Group team transformed delegate transportation at CardioAlex 2025 through data-driven operational design, sustainability-focused innovation and enhanced delegate experience.

See more here: https://www.iapco.org/resource/data-driven-smart-shuttle-system-wins-iapco-innovation-award-2026.html

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