BestCities Global Alliance and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) have announced changes to their flagship “Incredible Impacts Program.” Celebrating the “beyond tourism” value of international association meetings, the program provides a global platform for meetings that have proven impact while recognizing their contributions with a cash reward.
Starting this year, the “Incredible Impacts Program” will award one association a grant of $20,000—a change from previous years, where three grants of $7,500 were distributed. The new selection process will involve a jury shortlisting three finalists, who will each present their entry during a plenary session at the annual ICCA Congress in November. For the first time, attendees will be able to vote on the winner, with the final score evenly weighted between jury and audience.
The “Incredible Impacts Program” will also provide a seed grant of $5,000 to associations seeking to establish a new legacy program. Interested parties will need to submit a business case, and one winner will be awarded the funds. This new addition supports BestCities and ICCA’s commitment towards advancing legacy and impact in the international meetings industry, and advocating for associations that are helping to shape a better world for future generations.
“We are thrilled to introduce the latest evolution of the ‘Incredible Impacts Program,’ which not only recognizes associations demonstrating innovative thinking and creativity to achieve impact, but also inspires others to incorporate legacy initiatives into future events,” said Lesley Williams, managing director, BestCities. “We’re also pleased to provide support to associations eager to implement a legacy program, with an eye towards encouraging most, if not all, international associations to integrate legacy and impact into their conference planning going forward.”
“The dynamic new change to ‘Incredible Impacts’ is led by a genuine growing interest and engagement in the initiative,” said Senthil Gopinath, CEO, ICCA. “We want to celebrate the best of the best and raise the stakes to a ‘winner takes all’ scenario because the stories our associations are telling—and the legacies their initiatives are leaving—thoroughly warrant a solo moment in the spotlight. By bringing Congress attendees into the final judging process raises the impact value, kudos, and ‘wow’ factor to the ‘Incredible Impacts’ win.”
For more information, visit www.incredibleimpacts.com.
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