Expert speakers from various industries such as International Congress and Convention (ICCA), Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts, among others, will be presenting topics catered specifically for attending association executives and corporate travel professionals from India or with operations based in India.
Drawing on his experience as an international association CEO for the last 12 years and his involvement as a past Board member of the European Society of Association Executives, well-established association expert Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA said, “One key point our audience will receive is to understand how the old model of associations being the monopoly providers of knowledge relating to their association’s field no longer works as competition is everywhere. Data and knowledge in every scientific and technological field are growing far faster than the capacity of associations to collate and control their dissemination. In this fast changing environment, it is vital for associations to become more professional, to re-examine their business models, the way they run their annual meetings, and even their reasons for existence, lest they become irrelevant and die. This session will challenge the mindsets of our audience while providing concrete solutions to their most pressing issues.”
Speaking from his experience as the past President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, Dr. Ashok Johari, President, SICOT India shared the importance of his session ‘Benefits of Attracting International Meetings to India’. “Professional conference organisers have to be aware of the tremendous benefits of hosting such meetings in India and their great role in getting the meetings to India and how to successfully organise them. Academia and PCOs must be proactive in looking for opportunities and must synergise in hosting international meetings in India. Given the scale of meetings today, it is difficult for the former to be able to successfully host meetings without the active support and organisation by the PCOs,” said Johari.
David Sand, CEO, UWIN IWIN expounded on the importance of his session “Technology and Incentive Travel” for Corporate Travel Professionals. “Incentive Travel is not a luxury but a necessity for corporates today. The digital revolution has created expectations from incentive travellers that need to be attended to. We will identify what these are and discuss them. It is important because in order to stay relevant and competitive in this sector, these are minimum criteria for success in today’s business environment,” he revealed.
