ICCA has announced plans to develop a Global Impact Measurement Tool for association conferences, aiming to help destinations and organisers evidence the wider societal value of meetings — from knowledge exchange and innovation to talent attraction and policy influence — rather than relying solely on traditional tourism indicators.
The initiative is being co-founded with five destination partners: Barcelona Convention Bureau, Copenhagen Convention Bureau, Flanders Convention Bureau, Business Events Sydney, and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Research will be led by an academic team spanning University of Technology Sydney (Professor Carmel Foley, Adjunct Professor Deborah Edwards and Dr Anja Hergesell), alongside Professor Nina Iversen of BI Norwegian Business Schooland Professor Leif Hem of Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).
ICCA expects to deliver a validated, globally applicable tool by mid-2028, enabling member destinations, convention bureaux and association stakeholders to present consistent, credible evidence of the long-term economic, social and scientific outcomes generated by conferences.