ICCA was proud to be heavily involved in FIEXPO Latin America in Panamá City in June.
Here, Andrés Escandón, Regional Director ICCA Latin America & the Caribbean shares his highlights:
Dear ICCA friends,
The stronger our collaboration, the stronger our industry becomes. This statement sums up what we just witnessed at FIEXPO Latin America 2023 in Panamá City.
A special acknowledgement to our industry partners, FIEXPO, for a powerful and remarkable show, to our host destination - and Association Partner-, PROMTUR Panamá, for the hospitality, and to every single one of our Latin American and the Caribbean members for their drive, passion, openness, creativity and willingness to push forward.
We were happily busy from start to finish, here are some highlights of ICCA’s activities and presence.
Friday 19th June
Participation in the launch of Panamá’s new Association Leaders Programme with the presence of the great Melissa Riley, Patrick Delaney and Christian Mutschlechner… long-term advocates of all things ICCA.
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June
ICCASkills Session for Latin America and the Caribbean in partnership with FIEXPO, with the participation of industry professionals from Colombia, Panamá and Costa Rica. Thank you to our amazing trainers, Patrick Delaney and Christian Mutschlechner
Monday 22nd June
ICCA Panamá Insights with ICCA’s President, Marta Gomes, ICCA’s CEO, Senthil Gopinath, ICCA Deputy Chair for North America and Senior Vice President Destination DC, Melissa Riley, and ICCA Board Member and Managing Director of Paragon Group, Eyal Halevy. We launched - during this session - the new Panamá Association Hub in partnership with PROMTUR Panamá and Congrex Americas
Next Generation Summit, marking for the first time ICCA and PCMA joint efforts to support the future leaders of our industry.
ICCA Latin American and the Caribbean Chapter Meeting, introducing the new chapter leadership and with the presence of ICCA’s President and CEO. Amazing turnout and participation from all regional members.
Tuesday 23rd June
Participation of ICCA’s CEO in the FIEXPO Connecting Minds session.
ICCA Business Exchange led by our very own Leticia Serrano, ICCA Membership Development Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Associations Forum for Latin American Associations with the participation of 100 international and regional associations, in partnership with FIEXPO, and with the support of Javier Montilla (Congrex Americas), Eyal Halevy (Paragon Group), Cinthya Uzcategui (Congrex Americas), Carlos de Sebastian (MCI Group), and a special contribution of Marie Hunter, Head of Global Events and Congresses for IEEE. Masterfully moderated by FIEXPO’s Santiago Gonzalez.
Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June
Participation in the FIEXPO Latin America Trade Fair at the Panamá Convention Center. Two full days of business meetings filled with parallel content and activities.
Launch of the registration for the ICCA Latin America and the Caribbean Summit 2023 in Mar del Plata, Argentina (September 5-8)
Latin America and the Caribbean continues to push the boundaries with new ideas and initiatives that will positively impact our global industry. ICCA’s commitment towards the region remains strong, and we’ll continue creating value for our partners, members and regional community.
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To further demonstrate the continued rise of the region as an major international player, Natalia Bayona, who was one of the keynotes at the ICCA Congress 2021, was appointed as Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) becoming the youngest Latin-American woman in that role.