In response to member preferences for shorter, more affordable meetings, the Americas chapter of the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC), IACC-Americas, is reinventing its annual meeting with new venues, a new schedule, and new learning formats, it announced today.
Starting with its 2016 meeting, taking place April 19-20 in New York, the IACC-Americas Annual Meeting will be known as IACC-Americas Connect. Previously a four-day event, the meeting has been shortened to two days and will now take place across multiple venues.
"IACC's mission is to connect people, sharing meaningful ideas and enabling positive change," said IACC CEO Mark Cooper. "We have created an event that is educational, affordable, and focused on the most innovative and effective trends in the industry."
IACC plans to roll out the new meeting format across its global chapters, but said IACC-Americas' New York meeting is an ideal launch pad.
"New York is the perfect place to launch this revolutionary project," continued Cooper, who said IACC-Americas Connect will be spread among at least three different venues: Convene Midtown East, Pier 60, and locations around Chelsea Market. "A goal of the event is to offer different venue experiences, as these are one of the most important takeaways for our members who attend."
Another change at next year's meeting will be the ability for attendees to stay at the accommodation of their choice.
"There is no obligation to stay at recommended hotels," said TJ Fimmano, IACC-Americas president. "New York offers a wide choice of accommodations and price points."
The changes are reflected in the meeting's theme, which will be "Sharing Ideas That Matter."
"IACC-Americas Connect will break the mold this year introducing new concepts and innovations while remaining true to the benefits of networking and education which have been a part of IACC since inception," concluded Alex Cabañas, recently-elected president of IACC and CEO of Benchmark Hospitality International. "The industry is changing at a rapid pace. You must ask yourself: Are you changing fast enough to stay relevant? At IACC, we are."
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