ICCA – in collaboration with technology partner Simpleview – is proud to announce the brand new Digital Transformation of the world-famous ICCA database, and ICCA website. This project has been 3 years in the making and was inspired by the resilience our industry displayed during the global pandemic. We recognised changes were needed to give our members a more robust value proposition when the industry returned once more to in-person meetings.
IMEX23 is the perfect stage to share this news.
It has been a long and complicated process, calling on the expertise and professionalism of many people working right across the ICCA and Simpleview teams. Here is a brief overview:
In 2021, the ICCA Board discussed how improving the AMD (Association Meetings Database) could facilitate other improvements; including new website, updated CRM platform, and new member portal. A Digital Transformation would allow ICCA to drive forward a strategy for post-pandemic growth. Simpleview emerged as the ideal partner, with the necessary industry experience, expertise, technology platforms, and teams to deliver on the vision.
In 2022, ICCA staff, members, and Simpleview worked together to scope and implement three projects: CMS/Website, CRM/Member Portal, and the ICCA database. Today, we can share phase one of our work.
The Digital Transformation
Database
The world-famous ICCA database will soon be known as ICCA Business Intelligence. It will provide exemplary analysis and intelligence about international associations, creating far more business opportunities for our members. The original database was an amalgam of several platforms. The new AMD is more sustainable, bringing everything together and featuring:
Improved integration – seamless workflows, long-term stability, and more efficiencies in data management.
Modern user interface – more intuitive functionality making finding new business leads easier to research and action.
Meeting search tools – the customisation and saving of more specific search criteria is now possible.
New notification system – any saved search will generate an automatic alert when new leads are added to the database, or when a new RFP is opened for a pre-selected region.
New recommendation engine – smart intel going beyond the user’s search and reads pattern recognition and data science to predict the best possible meetings for a particular destination.
Website
The company website is the public portal into ICCA, especially for meeting professionals keen to know more about us. And this includes potential new members. The new website offers a cleaner, more user-friendly experience, with a particular emphasis on advocacy about how we can share what we do to connect and engage with the wider world. The new website acknowledges that ICCA - as an important heritage name with 60+ years in our industry – has a leadership role to play. We will continue to support and champion our global community at a global, regional, and local level.
Operational site changes mean the ICCA team can easily update and add relevant information about events, member news, industry news, sponsorship and promotional opportunities. It also clearly sets out our values, global reach, and explains the many benefits ICCA membership brings to associations and meeting professionals.
Next Steps
In Autumn 2023 – and as part of the motivation to rename the database as ICCA Business Intelligence - we will announce an additional database, which consists of (Inter)governmental meetings. The meetings identified for this database so far all have history/future information, and all rotate between at least 2 countries. This is a hugely exciting development and ICCA believes that by unlocking this information, we can provide more sustainable business opportunities for members.
We will also continue to curate our vast archive of white papers, articles, insights and information and make it easily accessible, much of it to non-members.
The ICCA Digital Transformation in quotes.
ICCA CEO, Senthil Gopinath: “ICCA’s Digital Transformation has been a long time coming. The original website and database provided magnificent service to our members but the spirit of resilience born by the pandemic inspired us to shake things up. We have a wonderful story, and an incredible intelligence of - and understanding about - our industry. Our work with Simpleview means we can share both the story – and intel - with supreme confidence. The Digital Transformation will make ICCA the go to source for all things meetings and events.”
“We are proud to be ICCA’s technology partner and pleased to launch their new platforms,” said Rich Reasons, President of Simpleview. “This digital transformation journey and deep collaboration with ICCA demonstrates our mutual commitment to the continued success of ICCA’s global community now and for years to come.”