Dear friends and colleagues,
It is with great honour and a deep sense of responsibility that I step into the role of President of the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers. I am profoundly grateful for the trust placed in me by our vibrant and powerful community.
Driven by my great passion for our profession, which initially inspired me to serve it from a volunteer position, alongside my fellow Council Members and Administration, I feel very confident about our Association’s great potential to strengthen the future of meetings but also excited about the great results of our strategic plans moving forward.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to our Immediate Past President, Sarah Markey-Hamm, for her exceptional leadership and the lasting impact of her work. Her dedication has been a guiding light for all of us, setting a standard of excellence and driving our Association to new heights. She has set a high standard to follow!
Undoubtedly, our mission and vision to raise the standards of professionalism and achieve excellence could not be accomplished without the incredible dedication of our volunteers, Council Members, Ambassadors, Members of Committees and Task Forces, all of them being passionate professionals who are driven by heart and soul. I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to them. I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our partners and members for their trust, partnership and support.
We are blessed to work in this Industry, which not only brings people together, but also drives the transfer of knowledge, creates lasting legacies and significant impact in destinations, contributes to economic growth and social progress, activates sustainable goals and innovation, embraces diversity, and inspires collaboration.
As the leading voice of PCOs in the Meetings and Events Industry, we represent a global community of future-invested meeting professionals, trusted advisors who prioritize our clients’ visions and interests. Committed to world-class quality, we embody excellence, resilience, reliability, and trust, values that define our community of global meeting professionals.
These ideals are at the core of IAPCO’s work, shining through in every strategic initiative we undertake. I am particularly proud of the Advocacy Campaign, which I had the honour to lead during my term as Council member in the past years. With the steadfast support of our members and partners, for which I am grateful, we reached remarkable milestones, and an exceptional advocacy result so far.
Moving forward, our plan is to dive deeper into the advocacy journey with the aim to demonstrate the value that IAPCO members bring to the Meetings Industry, and also showcase its significance to the world. This mission has been a core part of my passion, while serving our Industry through various volunteer positions in the past 20 years, and will remain one of my driving forces.
In a world shaped by rapid change—geopolitical shifts, technological advancements, and global challenges, our ability to stay connected, adaptable, and focused is more crucial than ever. Together, we can foster a resilient and innovative industry.
I am proud of the great progress and results of our strategic priorities on community engagement, an elevated education, digitization, strong partnerships and advocacy, so far, and happy to lead their continuation in the future. I am also excited to embrace the opportunities and horizons that our upcoming strategic plans will open in the future. Part of them will focus on continued growth of membership and partnerships, fostering of the PCO Capacity in emerging regions through exclusive education and training, the creation of a stronger bond between our members, all leading to an increased awareness of the “magic power” of the Meetings Industry.
In this next chapter, with great respect to IAPCO’s history and mission, I wish to focus on the elements of friendship, love, trust, transparency, emotional intelligence, and collaboration to drive our vision further. In this next page, it will be about YOU, as IAPCO will be your ‘dashboard’ to inspire, be inspired, learn, network, collaborate, design, create, lead and advocate, with a heart. Let’s come together to showcase the difference our business can do to this world.
Thank you for your commitment and support, it will be an absolute joy to serve you, and I am looking forward to our common future!
Yours,
Sissi Lignou
