Meet the faces behind ICCA's famous First Time Attendee programme! ICCA places huge importance on giving First Time Attendees (FTAs) at the ICCA Congress a very warm welcome. Each year, just before the ICCA Congress begins, new attendees are invited to join a specialised session that aims to prepare them for success. Jam-packed full of helpful advice that is delivered from member to member, the programme has been delivered to over 3,000 delegates since it initially began and is designed with care to help them network, do business, learn, and maximise the benefits of attending their first ICCA Congress.
At the centre of the entire programme are the people we couldn’t do it without: our mentors, an amazing group of ICCA members and #ICCAFriends who are Congress veterans and want to help support and steer our newbies as they join the ICCA Family.
Meet Hildur Björg Bæringsdóttir
I joined Meet in Reykjavik – Reykjavik Convention Bureau in August 2013 as Director of Research and Lead Generation. My position was new back then, with an extra focus to be put on working with local ambassadors and bidding on conferences in partnership with relevant stakeholders. I started working with the ICCA database, targeting the conferences that meet criteria to be hosted in Reykjavik. In October 2013 I was appointed ICCA Researcher of the Month. My first ICCA event was the RSMP in Amsterdam in 2014 and since then I have attended twelve more ICCA events; RSMP, AMP, AES, CSW and Congress. Averaging over two per year. I simply love my ICCA family. I could be super professional and tell you all about the new ideas, business leads and education I have received from the ICCA events, but to me ICCA is synonymous to family and friends.
Reykjavík moved up 30 places on the ICCA worldwide ranking from the previous year. Reykjavík now shares the 50th place with Vilnius and Zurich, but in 2017 the capital of Iceland was number 80 on the list. We knew we were moving up the list and we have been for the past seven years since Meet in Reykjavík was founded, but we did not anticipate this. This confirms the increasing interest we have been feeling from MICE buyers over the last couple of years. So you can just imagine how pumped we are at the moment.
When I am not working, I am a wife and mother of three independent kids ages 7-10-13 and labrador dog. I never say no to a challenge and to my surprise I realised my hidden talent during CAT night at ICCA congress in Prague – stiltwalking! See you in Houston
Thank you to Hildur, for being an FTA mentor! Are you interested in helping our First Time Attendees to settle in? Please email Ksenija.p@iccaworld.org to find out how you can become a mentor.
Let’s get social by using the following hashtags: #ICCANewBee #ICCAMentorBee #LetsGetBuzzing #ICCA2021