Hoping to raise its profile among international meeting planners, LA INC., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, has joined the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), it announced last week.
One of the leading trade associations in the global meetings industry, ICCA has more than 900 member companies and organizations in 86 countries.
"Los Angeles is already one of the elite performers in the U.S. domestic meetings market for both associations and corporate meetings," said LA INC. Senior Vice President of Sales and Client Services Michael K. Krouse. "Now we have an opportunity to target international association congresses through our membership with ICCA. We will learn new marketing skills from the top international cities such as Vienna, Barcelona and Singapore, which will help make us more informed and competitive when bidding for large international events."
Added ICCA CEO Martin Sirk, "We're delighted to welcome LA Inc. into ICCA. 2011 is going to be a year when more and more U.S. cities begin to recognize the importance of international markets, thanks to the launch of the two key international trade shows, AIBTM and IMEX America, which will not only bring in international hosted buyers but will also attract the top international destinations as exhibitors. Bidding for international association meetings is a dramatically different process from selling to the domestic U.S. association market, and it's our intention to give our U.S. members the skills and data to become genuinely competitive in this complex market segment."