In 2020, BestCities commissioned the study Advancing Event Legacies through Impact Measurement, which provided the sector with a common framework for understanding impact. The report highlights the importance of moving from short-term outcomes, such as attendance or immediate knowledge transfer, to enduring legacies – policy reforms, skills development, or societal benefits that continue well beyond the event.
“By introducing a common legacy language, we aim to create consistency in how impact is defined and measured, empowering both associations and destinations to deliver outcomes that matter,” the study explains. This framework has since become a cornerstone for associations eager to demonstrate relevance to their members, funders, and wider communities.
Incredible Impacts: From Recognition to Real-World Change
At the heart of BestCities’ impact agenda lies the Incredible Impacts Programme, co-created with ICCA in 2017. The initiative rewards associations that embed legacy into their congresses, while serving as a showcase to inspire the wider sector. Renewed in 2025 for another three years, the programme now provides a USD$20,000 main award and USD $5,000 Seed Grant Fund, broadening opportunities for both established and emerging associations.
One of its most compelling examples comes from the International Hip Preservation Society (ISHA), which won the 2024 Incredible Impacts Award. At its 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, ISHA recognised the limited surgical capacity for hip preservation in Africa. Rather than holding a meeting detached from local needs, it worked with hospitals in South Africa to provide hands-on training for orthopaedic surgeons.
Over 50 African surgeons participated in workshops and live surgeries, ensuring knowledge transfer that will directly improve patient outcomes. “This project goes far beyond the event itself,” the jury remarked. “It has created a professional legacy of improved surgical skills that will benefit patients in underserved areas for years to come.”
Another recipient, the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), won the 2023 award for its Women’s Empowerment Summit in Mongolia. The congress drew attention to the voices of rural women, often excluded from policymaking, and created tangible local impact. More than 300 survivors of domestic violence in Khovd Province received direct support through the summit, while advocacy workshops gave women the confidence and tools to participate in community and national decision-making. As ACWW emphasised, “The summit was not just about discussing empowerment but about equipping women to actively shape the decisions that affect their lives.”
The 2025 Seed Fund Grant went to Autism-Europe for the 14th Autism-Europe Congress (AEC 2025) held in Dublin. The project, developed in partnership with Irish autism charity AsIAm, is advancing accessibility and inclusion in international meetings. Through public engagement, advocacy for inclusive employment, and training modules for event organisers, the congress aimed to leave a lasting legacy by promoting neurodiversity awareness in Dublin and beyond.
Impact Across the Alliance
BestCities’ partner destinations have consistently shown that every international meeting has the potential to deliver impact if designed with intention.
At the Web Summit 2025 in Vancouver, Indigenous leaders joined global technology innovators to explore how AI, blockchain, and digital sovereignty can be harnessed for community empowerment and cultural preservation. The summit’s “Indigenous Wisdom Meets Emerging Technology” sessions highlighted how technology, when guided by traditional knowledge, can advance reconciliation and digital equity. By creating dialogue between First Nations leaders and the tech sector, the event showed Vancouver’s commitment to making global innovation more inclusive and values-driven.
In Melbourne, the Convention Bureau launched the First Peoples Engagement Guide, an educational tool that supports planners in respectfully engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. For associations, it offers practical steps to acknowledge Indigenous culture and honour local protocols, making events more inclusive while enabling genuine cultural exchange.
Copenhagen’s hosting of the 2023 Badminton World Championships also shows how impact can extend beyond the immediate focus of an event. On the sidelines of the tournament, a delegation from Asian nations grappling with water pollution engaged with Danish green-tech companies. The exchange sparked momentum for new Asia–Denmark collaborations on water management, proof that sporting and business events can act as launchpads for cross-sector innovation.
In Madrid, the Convention Bureau has developed the PLUS Platform, a comprehensive legacy toolkit that guides planners through a seven-phase lifecycle approach. With digital resources aligned to the UN SDGs, it helps associations move systematically from strategy to evaluation, embedding impact into every stage of event design.
Meanwhile, World Physiotherapy’s 2023 Congress in Dubai left an indelible mark on public health. Partnering with the Emirates Physiotherapy Society, the congress launched an advocacy campaign that led to a major policy reform: residents of Dubai can now access physiotherapy directly, without prior referral. This structural change demonstrates how an international meeting can leave a transformative and measurable legacy within its host community.
A Year-Round Legacy Engine
BestCities does not treat impact as a one-off deliverable. Through its Global Forum and Community Cafés, the Alliance helps association executives and member destinations sustain momentum. These platforms create space for peer-to-peer exchange, provide practical tools, and encourage continuous evaluation, ensuring legacy remains in focus throughout the lifecycle of international meetings.
“Legacy is not the conclusion of an event, but a continuous process,” the Alliance notes. “Our role is to support associations in keeping that process alive, so each congress builds upon the achievements of the last.”
Want to know more about how your next event can create lasting impact? Contact BestCities Global Alliance at www.bestcities.net or email Loren Christie at loren@bestcities.net to start the conversation.