Dear Associations… pull up a chair.

The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) has taken a red pen to the air of blandness that often plagues the events industry. Their new campaign, cheekily titled Dear Associations, reads like the opening line of a love letter – albeit written by people who understand risk assessments, GDPR compliance, and how to shepherd 5,000 cardiologists into a plenary hall without anyone fainting from jetlag.

The point is simple: if you’re an association worth your salt, you deserve more than a committee meeting in a beige ballroom. You deserve the polish, precision and professionalism that only an IAPCO Accredited PCO can deliver.

Beyond beige ballrooms

This isn’t IAPCO’s first rodeo. The campaign follows hot on Unlocking Excellence, but Dear Associations has a sharper focus; it speaks directly to those beleaguered committees trying to juggle policy papers, member angst, and budgets that squeak louder than the hotel ballroom chairs.

Chief Executive Martin Boyle was refreshingly blunt:

“Associations deserve the highest standards, and IAPCO accreditation is that guarantee. From strategic guidance and content curation to logistical precision and compliance expertise, our members bring unmatched competency, creativity and care to every detail.”

It’s hard to argue with that. After all, a conference isn’t just an AGM with a buffet; it’s the flagship shopfront for an association’s reputation. Get it wrong, and you’ve wasted money and squandered trust.

SISSI LIGNOU, PRESIDENT, IAPCO

What PCOs really do (spoiler: it’s not just lanyards)

IAPCO’s Accredited PCOs are specialists who glide between boardrooms and ballrooms with unnerving ease. They know about microphones, staging, and the eternal battle over vegetarian catering. But more importantly, they understand governance frameworks, policy outcomes, and the political minefields that associations tread daily.

In other words, they don’t just order the lanyards; they ensure the conference achieves something beyond a few Instagram snaps of canapés.

Clients aren’t shy about it.

Take Rui Pinho, President of the EUCENTRE Foundation, who admitted:

“The success of our international conference could not in any way have been reached without the partnership of an IAPCO Accredited member. In any industry and profession, the process of accreditation always plays a critical role in ensuring not only the provision of quality services, but also the adoption of up-to-date practices and principles.”

When clients talk like that, you know it’s not just marketing fluff. It’s a lived experience. Associations aren’t buying flowers here; they’re buying credibility.

The money talks, too

For anyone who thinks this is just industry navel-gazing, consider the complex numbers: in 2024, IAPCO members delivered 9,854 health and life science conferences worldwide, racking up a staggering €7 billion in economic impact. That’s not just a drop in the bucket — it’s a tide that lifts cities, countries, and entire industries.

And lest anyone think accreditation is a badge you stick on the wall and forget, members clock up thousands of hours in professional education each year. These people aren’t just keeping up; they’re keeping ahead.

More than logistics – it’s about trust.

Boyle summed it up neatly:

“At the heart of the relationship between associations and PCOs is the capacity to manage brand and reputation, trust, and the design and attainment of measurable outcomes. This campaign will reinforce that choosing an IAPCO Accredited PCO means choosing assurance, quality, and excellence delivered by professionals who truly understand associations and the communities they serve.”

That’s the crux. Conferences are now battles for relevance, visibility, and credibility. Associations can no longer risk amateur hour when their reputation and, often, their policy influence hang in the balance.

Coming soon to Barcelona (and your inbox)

The Dear Associations campaign won’t just lurk online. From late September to December 2025, it will strut its stuff through case studies, client testimonials, social media activations, and a starring role at IBTM World in Barcelona, where associations gather to shop for expertise like children in a lolly shop.

For those keen to peek behind the curtain, details are on IAPCO’s campaign site.

Final word

Associations are in the business of influence, impact, and legacy. PCOs, at least the accredited sort, are in the business of ensuring that those ambitions survive contact with reality.

And if the campaign’s tone feels a little like a love letter, that’s deliberate. After all, who wouldn’t want a partner who remembers your anniversary, arranges the gala dinner, balances the budget, and ensures your keynote speaker doesn’t go missing in Madrid?

By My Thanh Pham

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