Looking Back, Looking Forward
Dear ICCA Members,
As we prepare to come together in Panama for the ICCA Congress, I am also approaching the end of term as President.
When I stood for election, our industry was emerging from one of the most difficult periods it had ever faced. My ambition was both to protect what makes ICCA special while helping our association move forward. I spoke about understanding our members better, delivering more tangible value and return on membership, remaining close and accessible to our community, and having the courage and energy to embrace change.
Four years later, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together.
We listened extensively to our members across regions and sectors, and those conversations shaped Strategy 2030, giving ICCA the direction for its next chapter. We revisited our mission and values and modernised how ICCA presents itself and communicates, making it clearer what we stand for, including for a new generation entering our industry.
We turned that strategy into action. We strengthened our regions and Chapters, reinforced local teams from Asia Pacific to Latin America, and evolved our governance so that ICCA better reflects and serves its global community.
We have become more ambitious with data and business intelligence, moving beyond rankings towards richer market insight through GlobeWatch, stronger reports and our new Business Intelligence capabilities. The ambition is simple: to turn ICCA’s data into intelligence that helps our members understand markets, identify opportunities and win business.
And we have strengthened ICCA’s influence, developing our advocacy work and partnerships, including with UN Tourism and the European Union, and bringing our industry into broader conversations around economic impact, sustainability and legacy.
Our events have perhaps been the most visible expression of how ICCA has evolved. We have continued to reinvent our content, formats and experiences, creating new ways for our community to connect and learn. Not everything we have tried has worked immediately. I see that as part of our progress. ICCA today is an association increasingly willing to experiment, learn, adapt and keep moving forward.
At the same time, we have worked hard to ensure that this ambition is supported by a stronger organisation. ICCA enters its next chapter financially and organisationally stronger, with an ambitious team and the capacity to continue investing in its future.
But what matters most to me is not any single project or initiative.
It is the people.
To my fellow Board members, past and present, thank you for the time, energy and vision you have brought to ICCA.
To our ICCA team, thank you for taking ideas and turning them into reality every day, often far beyond what our members see.
To our CEO, thank you for the trust, openness and partnership we have shared. Leadership is never a solo exercise, and together, I believe we made a great team.
And most importantly, to our members: thank you.
Thank you for your trust, your engagement, your suggestions, your friendship and, yes, for challenging us when we needed to be challenged. ICCA is strong because its members care enough to participate, contribute and constantly push it forward.
As I look towards what comes next, I do so with great confidence.
There is much more to accomplish, as there always should be. But ICCA is ready for its next chapter, with an extraordinary global community behind it.
I could not be prouder of how far we have come together, and I am excited to see where ICCA goes next.
Thank you for the extraordinary privilege of serving as your President.
And before we turn the page, I look forward to one final ICCA Congress together in Panama.
Warmly,
Marta
