Educational session at ICC Birmingham; photo credit: ICCA
The ICCA UK & Ireland Chapter’s conference took place at the beginning of April at the ICC Birmingham, attended by a record-breaking number of delegates from venues, destinations, suppliers and PCOs. The conference is the largest ICCA UK & Ireland Conference to date, attended by over 110 people, including more that 30 first time attendees.
The event was titled “Navigating Uncertainty – On So Many Levels”, reflecting the challenges faced by the industry, now and in the future. According to the organisers, it was an opportunity to gather and reflect on past successes, but most importantly to look to the future on both an individual and organisational level.
Diane Waldron, chair of the ICCA UK & Ireland Chapter, commented: “Seeing such a significant growth in attendance is testament to the hard work our chapter continues to do as we support each other both personally and as organisations. I am sure everyone in attendance left with new ideas, connections and opportunities for their business.”
The event was organised in partnership with ICC Birmingham, and the West Midlands Growth Company. The 2023 ICCA UK & Ireland Conference will be held in Glasgow from 30-31 March 2023.
The sessions in detail:
• Keynote - Sandy Kennedy, Entrepreneurial Optimist
• The Commonwealth Games: Once in a Generation… Hosting a major global event and bringing home the benefits - Introduced by Steve Knight, Senior Business Tourism Manager, West Midlands Growth Company with:
◦ Ian Metcalfe, Commonwealth Games England
◦ Ian Reid, Commonwealth Games England
◦ Sian Roberts, West Midlands Growth Company
• The State of the Nation: Recovery levels, future forecasting, global tourism trends and the future of travel - Tracy Halliwell, London & Partners.
• Hybrid Events: The Importance of Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility - Johnny D Martinez, ShockLogic
• Green Meetings - A Partnership Approach to Net Zero - Scott MacLean, Managing Director, Green Tourism
• Finding Your Headspace / Keeping Your Headspace - Jack Owens, Failte Ireland; Adam Baggs, Soaring Worldwide
• Ambassador Conference Bidding: You win some, you lose some - Introduced by Sandra Eyre, Senior Account Manager, ICC Birmingham with:
◦ John Paddington, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM)
◦ Lisa Wainwright MBE, CEO Sports and Recreation Alliance (SRA)
• Inclusion, What it Really Means - Amanda Scott, Compass Group
• Make Your Story Count! - George McLean, The Complete Works
