Brussels, 16th of July 2026 – The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) today announced the publication of the third edition of the JMIC Global Manifesto, an updated and expanded version of the industry’s flagship advocacy resource for positioning business events as drivers of economic, social and professional transformation.

First published in 2020 to support the sector’s post-pandemic recovery, and revised in 2023 to build the industry rationale for business events as agents of growth, this third edition draws on the latest data from the Events Industry Council’s 2026 Global Economic Significance Study alongside a wide range of association and sector sources. It sets out 15 ways in which business events create strategic advantage for governments and destinations, from building trust and community legacies to supporting talent development, sustainability and measurable ROI.

A key addition to this edition is the integration of case studies and legacy narratives from The Iceberg, JMIC’s impact storytelling platform. Where economic data demonstrates the scale of the industry’s contribution, The Iceberg’s case studies illustrate the lasting, often less visible legacies that business events leave behind in host communities. Together, the two resources give industry professionals and policymakers both the figures and the stories needed to make the case for business events as strategic policy tools.

The Manifesto also sets out ten practical steps for delivering the industry’s message locally, reflecting JMIC’s position that a single global narrative must be adapted and owned by national, regional and local stakeholders to be effective with their own governments and public
authorities.

Working Group
The third edition was developed by a JMIC working group whose members contributed their time, expertise and sector networks to the project. JMIC thanks:

• Martin Boyle, CEO, IAPCO (Working Group Lead)
• Gemmeke De Jongh, Senior Manager Education and Impact, ICCA
• Alex Alles, Senior Director Advocacy & Sustainability, ICCA
• Peirui Tan, Programme Manager Advocacy and Alliances, UFI
• Gregor Bischkopf, Executive Director, IFES
• Bettina Reventlow-Mourier, Deputy Convention Director – Head of Congress, Copenhagen Convention Bureau

James Rees, President of JMIC, said: “JMIC’s role in supporting the global business events industry is to provide a platform where the world’s business events associations and industry stakeholders speak with one voice. The Global Manifesto is a detailed manifestation of such a platform which, having supported the industry in its recovery from the pandemic, has rightly been designed and adapted for the world in which we now operate and will be an invaluable tool for colleagues and stakeholders across all regions to support their advocacy work and demonstrate the powerful, lasting impact andlegacy of business events.”

Martin Boyle, CEO of IAPCO and lead of the working group, said: “This Manifesto takes a truly global perspective, while recognising that successful advocacy is ultimately delivered through relevant local messages. Drawing on research data from the Events Industry Council (EIC), the member associations of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) and others across the meetings and events sector, it has been designed as a practical and accessible guide, equipping meetings industry professionals with clear, adaptable messaging to
support advocacy initiatives and stakeholder discussions, whether speaking as a member of one of our global meetings and events industry associations or advocating as an independent company. As CEO of IAPCO, we will be using the Manifesto ourselves, but will also be leveraging its content by sharing it with all of our members as we support them through their own grassroots advocacy work.”

Further case studies and legacy narratives are available at www.the-iceberg.org

About JMIC

The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) is the global umbrella body for the major associations representing the business events industry. JMIC advocates for the recognition of conferences, trade shows and conventions as strategic economic assets, and leads the
industry’s Net Zero Carbon Events initiative targeting net zero emissions by 2050.