IAPCO’s Guidelines and White Papers have been written by a committee of association professionals, PCOs and convention bureau partners to provide guidance and strategies on bidding for a congress, choosing a PCO and developing a congress bid.

In addition, IAPCO and Best Cities have collaborated to publish the Hybrid Congress Bid Guidelines and the Global Wellbeing and Connection Survey ties into IAPCO’s ongoing support for talent in the global meetings industry to generate a greater sense of belonging within the workforce and in turn help to shape the recruitment and retention of talent for years to come.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PCO

 

These guidelines have been produced to assist associations with the appointment of a Professional Congress Organiser (PCO). What is a PCO? What is the role of a PCO? What criteria to consider to appoint a PCO?

HOW TO CHOOSE A CORE PCO

 

These guidelines have been produced to assist associations with the appointment of a Core Professional Congress Organiser (PCO). What is a core PCO? What is the role of a core PCO? What criteria to consider to appoint a core PCO?

FIRST STEPS FOR THE CHAIR IN THE PREPARATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

 

This paper is primarily designed to assist the Chair of the Local Organising Committee, going through 13 essential steps and providing useful knowledge to volunteers, but also helping all parties defining their unique roles.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A PCO FOR INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL MEETINGS 

 

When asking companies to tender for the organisation of a congress, it is important to give them as much information as possible.
This paper provides a template and guidelines from which organisations can create their own RfP. While it is not exhaustive, it will provide the essential elements required. It is hoped that this will assist with the process and reduce the workload for the Organising Committee.

BIDDING FOR A CONGRESS

 

Bidding for an international congress requires commitment and effort by all parties involved in the process and warrants a dedicated course of action. The energy, hard work, and costs related to it are very often underestimated and it is vital that the parties which make up the “bid team” take their responsibilities seriously in order to mount a successful bid submission. This document highlights steps for a successful bid.

HYBRID CONGRESS GUIDELINES

 

This Association Congress Bid Guidelines Template has been written specifically for associations that deliver their congresses and conferences in destinations around the globe to aid them in identifying the many key considerations that are required today and tomorrow when writing their own Congress or Conference Bid Guidelines that are used in the bidding process of their respective event.
It is the culmination of a unique collaborative of meeting professionals from Convention Bureau and PCO backgrounds, together with final input and recommendations from a number of regional and international medical and scientific associations.

SURVEY: GLOBAL WELLBEING & CONNECTIVITY SURVEY

 

IAPCO’s recent global wellbeing and connection survey results, provide insights into the meeting professionals’ contribution to the ‘greater good’. IAPCO commissioned a unique body of research to gain a better understanding of the feeling of wellbeing and connection that meetings professionals from around the globe feel now that in-person meetings are back and to gain a sense of how they feel they are contributing to the greater good through the delivery of their client’s events. This supports concurrent industry-wide research projects that initially focused on economic impact and meeting design. Addressing WHO-5 (mental wellbeing), AAQ-2 (psychological flexibility), MAAS (mindfulness) and the IDGs (Inner Development Goals) in this academic study has provided a detailed picture of the current state of personal and professional wellbeing within the sample group.

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