The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) today unveiled a pioneering initiative aimed at bridging the gap between the academic world and the business events industry: ICCAUni.

The initiative aims to establish a network of educators and career advisors across universities and colleges globally, thus creating opportunities for emerging talent to connect with the business events industry and offering graduates a platform to discover potential career paths.

“Finding exciting new talent is the lifeblood of our industry. ICCAUni will showcase the incredible scope of what our industry offers — from marketing and hospitality, to logistics and advocacy — and by doing so, will attract a whole new generation of leaders,” said Senthil Gopinath, CEO, ICCA. “By bringing education establishments into this unique membership program, academia will be able to point to our industry and tell their students that this is where opportunity lies. And we will get to enjoy the industry-wide benefit of fresh perspective, and boundless enthusiasm.”

Keiko Nishimoto, Professor at Ritsumeikan Business School, Japan adds: “Welcome to the ICCAUni community. I worked for PCOs for 20 years and now moved to the academic sector, and I always believed that universities should play a critical role in shaping the future of the meetings industry. This is possible only if we unite, so please join ICCA and be a part of this dynamic movement – let’s shape the world together.​”

The ICCAUni membership program will give students an active understanding of what it takes to succeed in the professional sphere. Member organizations will get two scholarships (including travel and accommodation) to the ICCA Annual Congress, plus access to ICCA’s world-famous Business Intelligence database, and access to a library with 60-plus years of industry knowledge and insight. 

ICCA is a global community and knowledge hub for the international association – and governmental – meetings industry. Founded in 1963, ICCA specializes in the international association meetings sector, offering data, education, communication channels, as well as business development and networking opportunities.