11 Members of Hybrid City Alliance Reveal Achievements on Journey to Global Association Meeting Protocol

11 October 2022

11 of the Hybrid City Alliance’s 24 members have demonstrated their achievement in line with the Global Association Meeting Protocol. The 11 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. This initiative has been supported by ICCA.

The Hybrid City Alliance, which boasts 24 member cities in 16 countries across 5 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 Hybrid City Alliance, with further demonstrations of success due at the ICCA Convention in Krakow in November.

“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,” comments 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.”

The initial reports from the following Hybrid City Alliance members can be found at https://www.hybridcityalliance.org under each member’s profile (or click the individual links below):

Described as A Strategic Future for the Global Events Industry, the Global Association Meetings Protocol focuses on four key pillars. 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 Lumpa 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 Lumpa, 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 Lumpa, 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 Vice President, 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.”

Further HCA Members will be providing and updating their responses to the protocols in the weeks and months ahead.

The initiative has been undertaken with the support of ICCA.

About The Hybrid City Alliance

The Hybrid City Alliance brings together like-minded destinations to offer a simple, streamlined, transparent and free to access approach to engaging with multiple locations for hybrid and multi-city events. Our vision is to be the world leaders in developing ways for people to gather together in safe, flexible, and effective ways!

The city partners act as one point of contact for PCOs and event buyers looking to work with multiple suppliers and destinations on a single event.

The Hybrid City Alliance is developing a range of services and additional tools for organisers, including educational content and white papers. These are available through the Hybrid City Alliance website - http://www.hybridcityalliance.org/

Launched in December 2020 by four co-founding cities (Geneva, Ottawa, Prague and The Hague), the Hybrid City Alliance is growing and currently includes 24 members.

The current Hybrid City Alliance members are*:

Australia, Business Events Sydney
Belgium, Antwerp Convention Bureau
Canada, Ottawa Tourism Business Events
Canada, Explore Edmonton
Canada, Tourism Winnipeg
Costa Rica Convention Bureau
Czech Republic, Prague Convention Bureau
Ecuador, Quito Tourism Board
France, Cannes Convention Bureau
Japan, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau
Malaysia, Sabah Tourism Board
Malaysia, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau
Malaysia, Business Events Sarawak
Malaysia, Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau
South Korea, Jeju Convention & Visitors Bureau
Switzerland, Geneva Convention Bureau
Switzerland, Lausanne Montreux Congress
Switzerland, Zurich Convention Bureau
South Africa Durban KwaZulu Natal Convention Bureau
South Korea, Seoul Convention Bureau
Taiwan, Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism
Thailand, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau
The Netherlands, The Hague Convention Bureau
United Kingdom, Liverpool Convention Bureau

*October 2022