Senior
event leaders from over 20 countries are supporting a collaborative campaign to
achieve worldwide recognition for the events industry and its impact on job
creation, education and innovation.
Leaders
from countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Colombia, France, Spain, Japan
and Rwanda attended the IBTM World Forum for Advocacy in Barcelona on 17 November,
where they discussed ways to align efforts and share best practices for industry
advocacy and growth.
The Forum,
presented by The Business of Events and supported by ICCA, PCMA, IAPCO, Events
Industry Council, Joint Meetings Industry Council, City DNA and SANCBE, underlined
the transformative power of business events in shaping resilient, innovative,
and inclusive societies.
The meeting,
held before the start of IBTM World 2025, included the sharing of the Barcelona
Declaration, which commits to:
- Collective action on building a
sustainable, fair, and inclusive event economy that serves all societies
equitably.
- The continued development and
promotion of policies and programmes that unlock economic growth at both
local and global levels.
- The launch of a coordinated
advocacy campaign to demonstrate the value of the worldwide event economy
to policymakers, stakeholders, and influencers.
Sherrif
Karamat, president & CEO, PCMA, said: “We’re calling on governments to integrate business events into national
development strategies while encouraging leaders to align efforts and share
best practices for advocacy and growth. The Barcelona Declaration proves
there’s a fantastic appetite for working together to achieve these goals.”
Claudia Hall, IBTM World exhibition director, added: “How we articulate our impact as an
industry is vital, and I’d like to thank all the associations and organisations
that have supported and participated in this initiative to drive advocacy and
action.”
