Out of the 24 members of the Hybrid City Alliance, 11 have demonstrated their achievement in line with the ICCA Global Association Meetings Protocol. These members have provided in-depth details, case studies and demonstrations of the best practice they have undertaken since committing to the protocol at IMEX in Frankfurt.
The Hybrid City Alliance has 24 member cities in 16 countries across five continents, committed to the development and implementation of strategies based on the findings and recommendations of the ICCA Global Association Meetings Protocol. The reports from these 11 destinations represent the initial progress made by the alliance, with further demonstrations of success due at the ICCA Convention in Krakow in November. The destinations include: Edmonton; Fukuoka; Kuala Lumpur; Lausanne/Montreux Congress; Liverpool; Ottawa; Prague; Sydney; Taipei City; the Hague; and Zurich.
“The Hybrid City Alliance was formed out of a common need to develop new ideas and think creatively during a time of real challenge for the whole industry,” said Bas Schot, head of The Hague Convention Bureau and one of the founders of the Hybrid City Alliance. “Whilst the challenges have changed the need to evolve has not, which is why we as a group decided that we needed to focus on sustainability and climate change—which are arguably two of the single most important topics in the world today. I am impressed at the wide variety of ways which our members are meeting the targets of the protocol and look forward to their ongoing impact on the planet and people around them.”
Described as a strategic future for the global events industry, the Global Association Meetings Protocol focuses on four key pillars: Sustainability, Equity & Legacy; Crisis Planning & Mitigation; Advocacy & Policy; and Sector & Community Alignment. Due to differing local and regional priorities the pace of progress for each pillar in each city varies as outlined below.
- Sustainability, Equity & Legacy: Sustainability; equity, diversity and inclusion; and legacy are now top of mind for association clients when it comes to site selection. Therefore, destinations should dedicate more resources to deliver on those priorities more effectively. Edmonton and Kuala Lumpur have shown particular success across all areas of this pillar. The Hague has demonstrated success in DEI and sustainability, whilst Fukuoka, Lausanne/Montreux Congress, Ottawa, Prague, Sydney and Zurich are also making progress in the sustainability category.
- Crisis Planning & Mitigation: Protocols to enhance safety, health and security should be further enhanced and codified to protect against future cataclysmic shocks and chronic stresses that impact business events. HCA cities have made extensive progress here, which has been demonstrated by Edmonton, Kuala Lumpur, Lausanne/Montreux Congress, Liverpool, Prague, Sydney, Taipei City and the Hague.
- Advocacy & Policy: Association clients are asking destinations and their partners to continue to advocate stridently for reducing barriers to travel. Advocacy and Policy has been a strong focus for Edmonton, Kuala Lumpur, Lausanne/Montreux Congress, Liverpool, Prague, Sydney and the Hague.
- Sector & Community Alignment: Providing access to local clusters of advanced industries and community leaders is critical for attracting business events in those industries. Selling brainpower as well as buildings improves competitiveness for the destination and enhances legacy outcomes for the client. The final pillar has been a particular success for the HCA–with all the listed cities making significant progress.
Lesley Mackay, HCA founder member and VP, meetings and major events at Ottawa Tourism, concludes: “Now is the time to make major changes that will benefit our children and their children. As an industry focused on bringing people together to learn, build relationships and develop new ideas we are uniquely positioned to positively impact the world around us. I am so proud to be a part of such a forward-thinking group of destinations and look forward to seeing what else we can achieve together in the years to come.”
More HCA Members will be providing and updating their responses to the protocols in the weeks and months ahead.
For more information, visit www.hybridcityalliance.org.
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