The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has updated its "Big Data Search" tool with the addition of 25,000 new "high-potential meeting ambassadors," it announced last week. That's 10,000 more than the database had previously.
Available exclusively to ICCA members, Big Data Search utilizes the databases of Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Search to help destinations locate academic contacts related to a specific meeting subject in specified cities and regions. Engaging local subject matter experts, it's believed, can help destinations make a more successful pitch to host the next edition of an association's international meeting.
Users can determine whether contacts at local universities are also featured on association and meeting websites within their field, and can also identify what subjects and specialties local universities are known for, helping destinations determine the industries in which they have a local competitive advantage.
"By automating the research to see if high-profile academics, as identified with our Big Data Search tool, are actually active with an association and its meetings, we create a shortcut for ICCA members to identify suitable local meeting ambassadors," ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said in a statement. "This should save our members a lot of research time."
Check out the all-new MeetingNews Minute, featuring exclusive research on industry trends!