ICCA to roll out conference impact measurement tool

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has launched an initiative to develop the first globally applicable measurement framework to quantify the wider impact of association conferences beyond tourism metrics.

The proposed Global Impact Measurement Tool for Association Conferences will assess the social, scientific and economic value generated by association meetings, including their role in advancing industry sectors, facilitating knowledge exchange, attracting talent and influencing policy development.

With impact still “under-recognised”, ICCA hopes the new framework can help the business events industry to secure funding and establish strategic relevance by articulating its contributions to knowledge economies, industry advancement, and community wellbeing.

“Governments, policymakers, and strategic partners require concrete evidence of societal value to justify investments in infrastructure, destination development, and marketing,” ICCA said in a statement.

ICCA will develop the tool in collaboration with several convention bureau partners namely Barcelona Convention Bureau, Copenhagen Convention Bureau, Flanders Convention Bureau, Business Events Sydney and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In addition to being industry relevant, the methodology is meant to also be academically grounded.

The study is led by researchers from the University of Technology Sydney, including Carmel Foley, Deborah Edwards and Anja Hergesell, alongside Nina Iversen of BI Norwegian Business School and Leif Hem of the Norwegian School of Economics.

It remains to be seen if the eventual product will be as universal as ICCA seeks, but the body is espousing the ambitious development of a “rigorous, globally applicable measurement tool that provides clear and credible evidence of the multifaceted impact of association conferences”.

ICCA expects the validated global measurement tool to be completed by mid-2028.