At IAPCO, we believe that our Members play a vital role in supporting the recovery of not only our industry but local and national economies through the successful and safe delivery of business and professional events for their clients. It is the bringing together of people at such events to learn, to interact and to do business in a safe and healthy manner that will see us all through the other side of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Yes, we have all experienced significant decline in short-term business due to the postponement and cancellation of client events, but we are also starting to witness some signs of recovery as governments begin to loosen their lockdown restrictions.
However, there is still lots to do.
IAPCO, along with our industry partner associations, continues to collaborate and share critical data and reports to support our conversations with decision makers. We are listening to our Members as they react to the ever-changing landscape and requirements across the globe and are providing services and education customised to meet their needs.
We have assembled a Task Force of National PCO Associations from around the globe to create a unified voice for all PCOs through advocacy and the creation of international protocols.
IAPCO continues to monitor the situation as it unfolds on a daily basis relating to the many industry events that we support, the opportunities for us to provide educational sessions around the globe and the activities we conduct on behalf of our Members.
We turn to the specialist international organisations, such as World Health Organisation, to advise our Members on how to protect themselves, their clients and their partners.
World Health Organisation:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
We also endorse the recommendations from our Partners: Joint Meetings Industry Council (link to IAPCO Strategic Partners’ COVID-19 Statements):
https://www.themeetingsindustry.org/novel-coronavirus/
and:
Events Industry Council / EIC Industry Insights (link to IAPCO Strategic Partner Statements):
https://www.eventscouncil.org/Industry-Insights/About-coronavirus
Our Members deliver, on average, about 20,000 meetings around the world worth an estimated +€9 billion in economic impact into the cities they work. This is a vital contributor to all economies so I personally, call on governments that are serious about recovering from this challenging situation to listen to IAPCO, our Members and our industry partners. Together, we can move towards a safe, secure and efficient recovery.
Ori Lahav
IAPCO President