ICCA启动City Accelerator Programme试点计划，聚焦拉美、亚太及非洲二级目的地

ICCA has shortlisted 10 destinations to pilot its new City Accelerator Programme, an initiative designed to help cities align business events with broader economic priorities, including investment attraction, innovation, internationalisation, and tourism growth.

Announced at the Global Cities Forum during the 65^th ICCA Congress in Panama, the programme will initially focus on secondary destinations across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa, according to Andrés Escandón, ICCA’s senior regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Each pilot will be tailored to the destination’s specific level of industry maturity.

Designed as a multi-sector initiative, the programme engages city leaders alongside investment promotion agencies, economic development bodies, innovation hubs, startups, and the broader business events sector.

Escandón told TTGmice that the concept originated in Latin America to address a common regional challenge: bridging the gap between local economic agendas and business events strategy. While acknowledging that cross-sector alignment is not a new concept, he emphasised the need for a structured framework.

Ahead of the announcement, a targeted workshop brought together industry leaders and public-sector stakeholders to stress-test ideas developed over the past two years. To ensure balanced input, half the attendees were industry CEOs, while the other half represented investment agencies, incubators, tourism authorities, UN Tourism, and the World Economic Forum. Their feedback was consolidated into the final framework.

ICCA plans to establish tailored roadmaps for the shortlisted cities, with work scheduled to begin in January. Pilot durations are expected to run between three and six months, depending on institutional complexity and local readiness.

“This is how ICCA aims to deliver tangible value and elevate the strategic importance of global events at the highest levels of city and national government,” Escandón said. “It forms a core part of our advocacy and our ongoing commitment to our members and industry stakeholders.”