ICCA Congress in Paris
© Viparis 
Viparis will welcome the 60th ICCA Congress European Hub from 25 to 27 October.
The 60th ICCA Congress, which brings together key stakeholders in the international meetings industry, will be held from 25 to 27 October in Cartagena, Columbia. This year’s theme is “Forward to our Future”: What does the future of the events industry look like in the post-Covid era? How can we reinvent ourselves as we confront the challenges that lie ahead? In 2021, with the pandemic still very much a reality, a great deal is at stake for the members of the International Congress and Convention Association.
After a global health crisis that has lasted nearly two years, ICCA has devised a new format. The main event will take place in Cartagena, but will also be held simultaneously in five regional Hubs around the world: Johannesburg, Abu-Dhabi, Seoul, Nagasaki and Paris.
Palais des Congrès d’Issy: European Hub host
Over 250 European Hub attendees from 29 different countries will gather at Palais des Congrès d’Issy. They will include representatives from 30 international congress organisation association, as well as ICCA members from venues and destinations throughout Europe that host congresses. Workshops will be offered on topics such as innovation, diversification, CSR and, more generally, current challenges facing the industry. Palais des Congrès d’Issy, a listed historical building from the 1930s, will offer participants a uniquely Parisian Art Déco atmosphere, as well as high-speed broadband connectivity for recording and live-streaming sessions to participants worldwide.
„Welcoming the European Hub of the first ICCA Congress to be held since the start of the pandemic is a source of pride for Viparis, and sends a very important signal.“
A warm welcome from Viparis and its destination partners
ICCA Congress European Hub attendees will also enjoy a number of special events organised by Viparis and its partners. A gala welcome will be held at La Serre, Viparis’s new events space on the rooftop of Pavilion 6 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition complex. La Serre offers 420 sq m of interior space and a 520 sq m covered terrace overlooking Europe’s largest urban rooftop farm. Congress participants, who will register for the event using a facial recognition system, will be able to learn about and try out a range of technological innovations. These include a meeting with startups at French Event Booster, Viparis’s innovation platform for the event industry, and a visit to a brand-new augmented reality studio created by Novelty. As for accommodation, they will be hosted at either Mama Shelter or Novotel, two Accor hotels located inside Paris Expo Porte de Versailles complex, and just a short walk from the Palais des Congrès d’Issy.
Viparis and its partners are proud to host the European Hub of the 60th edition of the ICCA Congress, which has not been held in Paris since the ICCA was established in the early 1960s.
About Viparis
Viparis, a subsidiary of the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is the European leader in conferences and trade events. Viparis manages nine main events venues in the greater Paris region. Furthermore, Viparis welcomes 10 million visitors per year and hosts 800 events each year in various venues (Espace Champerret, Espace Grande Arche, Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, Les Salles du Carrousel, Palais des Congrès d’Issy, Palais des Congrès de Paris, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris Le Bourget and Paris Nord Villepinte).
