As lockdown measures begin to loosen in Europe, life is slowly starting to resemble a more familiar past. However, there are notable differences, with the visitor economy and meetings industry, particularly hard hit. As we set out to recover from the impacts of covid-19, leaders are calling for a green and fair recovery to avoid a return to the ‘old normal’. It follows, that the meetings industry in particular will experience a tough rebound, unless both the economic importance of the industry, and a clear vision and plan for a more sustainable and regenerative way of organising events is defined.

International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)’s 2019 statistics captured 13,254 rotating association meetings, the highest ever recorded annual figure in its yearly statistics, with an increase of 317 from last year’s record-breaking figures.