The ICCA Congress 2025 in Porto is on course to be a transformative, future-focused experience that redefines what a global business events can be. Set against the backdrop of Porto’s rich history, vibrant creativity, and spirit of bold exploration, the 2025 ICCA Congress invites delegates to learn, grow and connect as they chart new courses for their organisations, their careers, and the industry itself.
The city of Porto itself is our stage, with events taking place at some of the most incredible locations the area has to offer. With five distinct, immersive content tracks, all centred around the theme of “Charting the Course,” participants have the unique opportunity to take part in boundary-breaking discussions, exciting out-of-the-box sessions, and meaningful networking experiences — all woven throughout iconic venues across the city of Porto.
This year’s five dynamic content tracks align with the Congress theme of purposeful exploration and bold innovation
Content Pillars
Innovation & Technology
Future Leadership & Resilience
Creativity as Catalyst
Global Impact & Sustainability
Purposeful Business Models
Charting a Course for Change
“Charting the Course” invites delegates not simply to attend, but to actively shape the future — individually, organisationally, and collectively. The event will start by intentionally creating a space for open dialogue and vulnerability, fostering openness and preparing delegates for deep personal and collective exploration.
Innovation & Technology
Focus: Hands-on exploration of cutting-edge technologies and innovation shaping the future of events.
The future is happening now. AI, AR, and many other transformative technologies are poised to change the face of the business events landscape, and those who don’t adapt are destined to be left behind. In Porto, a hub for technology innovation, Congress delegates will get expert knowledge from the changemakers themselves, providing a roadmap toward the next chapter in events management, sustainability, and more.
Key Points:
An immersive “Innovation Lab” featuring live demos and experiments.
Interaction with global tech leaders, startup founders, and innovators.
Insights into cybersecurity, digital strategy, and tech stewardship.
Porto’s tech ecosystem provides the perfect environment for this experiential track.
Future Leadership & Resilience
Focus: Equipping professionals with tools and mindsets to navigate and lead through constant change.
The world is changing, and to keep up, we must have the tools and knowledge necessary to keep up. Personal growth is an individual process, and ICCA champions everyone’s journey. This track equips attendees with the models, materials, strategies, and information to chart their own course toward confidence, resilience, and effective leadership. It’s a toolkit for navigation that lets you explore, discover, and shape your path.
Key Points:
Personal transformation as a prerequisite for industry evolution.
Mental models, leadership strategies, adaptability frameworks.
Emotional intelligence and vulnerability practices to foster resilience and community.
Adaptability and continuous learning frameworks that prepare you to pivot, adapt, respond, and innovate
Global Impact & Sustainability
Focus: How the business events industry can take the lead on sustainability and global impact.
The planet is our most significant stage, and its preservation is critical to creating meaningful experiences for future generations. This track homes in on how through collective commitment and action, the community can create real impact toward making global events more sustainable.
Key Points:
Events as transformative journeys across a global canvas.
Emphasis on environmental stewardship and responsible innovation.
Showcase pioneering practices and collective commitment to sustainable actions.
Porto’s legacy as a hub of global connection serves as inspiration.
Purposeful Business Models
Focus: Showcasing bold, impactful organisational transformations for positive global change.
From start-ups to scale-ups and burgeoning young businesses all around the globe, the business events industry leads the way in innovation, disruption, and fresh new ideas. The ICCA Congress will tap into this incredible energy, with sessions providing participants with key tools and resources to build, grow, and develop their organisations.
Key Points:
Real-world examples from sustainability-focused, tech-disruptive, and social enterprise leaders.
Practical insights into redefining business strategies for relevance and impact.
Empower delegates to turn personal leadership growth into organizational transformation.
Encouraging courageous leadership that balances profit with meaningful contribution.
Creativity as Catalyst
Focus: Harnessing the arts and creativity to drive deeper engagement, empathy, and transformation.
Even in highly technical or business-orientated spaces, creativity is key. The individuals who transform industries and disrupt the status quo are the ones who exercise their creative muscles and stretch the limits of their imaginations. This track pushes participants to connect with their inner innovator to access a deeper understanding of how looking at challenges through the eyes of an artist can give us new understanding of the issues faced by meetings and events professionals.
Key Points:
Explore how creativity enhances storytelling, event design, and emotional resonance.
Sessions led by artists and creative thought leaders.
Practical applications from design thinking, architecture, and visual storytelling.
Immersive workshops inspired by Porto’s culture and arts scene.
Encourages reconnecting with creativity as a human, universal impulse.
Central to the 64th Congress is an unwavering focus on people — the attendees, stakeholders, and the broader community. Recognising that meaningful exploration and transformation begin with the individual, theICCA Congress centres the human experience.
Congress design principles prioritise personal connections, authentic dialogue, and immersive engagement, ensuring that every delegate feels valued, included, and empowered. As delegates embark on their journey, ICCA commits to placing people first, knowing that genuine growth, innovation, and lasting impact are achieved when the human experience remains central to our collective voyage forward.
To chart a course is to step boldly into the unknown, guided by courage, curiosity, and unwavering belief in possibility. It means choosing exploration over certainty, innovation over comfort, and transformation over stagnation. "Charting the Course" invites each of us to become explorers of ideas, perspectives, and potential.
The 64th Congress theme invites delegates into deep, purposeful exploration and meaningful connection. This is ICCA's invitation to gather and actively shape the future, providing the tools, community, and guidance essential for our colelctive transformative journey ahead. As delegates embrace the spirit of thoughtful discovery, a powerful vision for ourselves, our industry, and the world emerges — one that resonates far beyond the event itself.
ICCA serves as your guide, facilitator, and catalyst, providing ideas, tools, and connections necessary to navigate uncertainty and drive bold innovation.
In Portugal, ICCA 2025 is your call to action: become explorers, innovators, and changemakers. Embrace transformation individually and collectively. Chart a meaningful course, propelling yourself, your organisation and your industry forward.
Stay tuned for more details about the 2025 Congress Programme.
ICCA 64th Annual Congress Programme