Marking Global Meetings Industry Day this week, BestCities and the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) have come together to help associations articulate their new hybrid congress guidelines.
In the wake of the pandemic, associations must rethink design and delivery of events to ensure they can bring together international delegates safely and without travel if necessary. The new, complimentary bid guidelines template articulates these new requirements clearly to Professional Congress Organisers (PCOs) and Convention Bureaus (CVBs), equipping them to support with the delivery of hybrid event formats.
The template, a result of collaboration and knowledge sharing between IAPCO and BestCities will address crucial points for the hosting of virtual event components including consideration of destination selection, appropriate software choices for streaming, capturing content and security, facilitation of networking, the cost for attendees and promotion of the event.
Feedback on commitment to accessibility, diversity and impact through legacy ambitions are also central to the template and should be considered in both virtual and physical event delivery contexts.
Corne Koch, Board Chair, BestCities Global Alliance says, “The past year has been incredibly challenging for our industry, but through knowledge sharing and a passion for delivering impactful work has seen innovation blossom through resilience and adapting to our new normal.
“It’s clear that virtual events or hybrid event formats are here to stay for some time to come, so in order to help associations receive proposals from PCOs and host destinations which take this into account, this new template will provide the first building block in designing a hybrid event.”
Ori Lahav, IAPCO President comments, “Both BestCities and IAPCO have a passion for sharing knowledge and expertise – it’s at the heart of what both organisations do. This free resource is the product of effective collaboration and will now facilitate further fruitful collaboration between associations, PCOs and host destinations in the delivery of COVID Secure business and professional events.
“Thank you to the IAPCO Ambassadors, the CVB representatives and the associations who were involved in bringing this project to life. We’re hopeful this will help to drive innovation and keep our industry moving, even in these uncertain times.”
The template is available for download on IAPCO and BestCities websites from 8 April
IAPCO is also hosting an educational event on 15 April, ‘Pain or Gain – The Rationale of Hybrid”.
