Welcome Message
Dear friends, it’s a great pleasure, in the name of ICCA Iberian Chapter Executive Committee, to invite you to our Annual Meeting which will take place from the 11th to the 13th of March 2026 in Coimbra. Under the theme “When Heritage Meets Meetings” undoubtably will be a great opportunity to enhance relations, connections and take the most out of our great chapter!
Coimbra have identified the necessity to promote this destination as a Mice destination, and they are fully committed with that and hosting our annual meeting it’s a great opportunity to showcase the installed capacity to achieve it. I’m completely sure, together with Coimbra-Center of Portugal Convention Bureau we’ll have a successful event.
It will be the perfect environment to network, sharing knowledge and experiences with our colleagues, clients and valuable speakers from the industry, and allow us to discuss new trends and hot topics related with our business.
The Executive committee is fully committed in preparing an interesting event, combining the beauties of the destination with an interesting educational program and exquisite experiences and food in the best spirit of the ICCA family.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to discover a beautiful region of the centre of Portugal.
The ICCA Iberian Executive Committee are looking forward to welcome you all in Coimbra for a memorable conference!!
Jorge Vinha da Silva
Chairperson ICCA Iberian Chapter
Dear friends,
What unites us goes far beyond shared geography. We are bound by a history built on closeness, cultural exchange, affection, and above all, a shared passion: create experiences that inspire, transform, and stay in people’s memories.
It is therefore deeply symbolic that we gather in Coimbra. City of knowledge, a meeting point between generations, a place where tradition coexists naturally with innovation. Coimbra is a city that teaches, welcomes, and invites reflection — and there could be no more fitting stage for a meeting dedicated to envisioning the future of the events industry in the Iberian Peninsula.
Here, where for centuries minds, ideas, and leaderships have been shaped, we also aim to build new bridges between professionals, projects, and territories. We want this annual meeting of the ICAA Iberian Chapter to be more than just a date on the calendar: to be a true space for sharing, co-creation, mutual inspiration, and the building of real opportunities.
Portugal and Spain today share common challenges and ambitions in the events sector — the need to innovate, to integrate technology, to meet sustainability demands, and to create experiences that are more human, more authentic, and more meaningful. It is precisely through cooperation, the exchange of best practices, and mutual trust among professionals that we find the answers to these challenges.
The Center of Portugal takes pride in being a meeting place — a region where heritage, nature, gastronomy, wine, creativity, and hospitality come together to create unique settings for meaningful events. Here, events are not merely organized — they are crafted with soul, connecting people and places.
Welcoming you here is both a privilege and a responsibility: the responsibility to show that this is a territory that is prepared, professional, competitive, and deeply authentic — capable of hosting international-scale events while never losing its identity.
On behalf of Visit Center of Portugal, it is with great pleasure that we welcome you. Your presence honors us, strengthens Iberian cooperation, and reinforces our conviction that together we can raise the excellence of the events industry in both our countries.
May these days in Coimbra be filled with meaningful conversations, new ideas, emerging partnerships, and projects taking shape. May you leave not only with new contacts, but with lasting relationships — built on trust and a shared vision for the future.
Because the best encounters are not imposed — they are built.
They are built with people, with sharing, with vision, and with passion.
Welcome to Coimbra.
Welcome to the Center of Portugal.
Welcome to the Annual Meeting of the ICAA Iberian Chapter.
Rui Ventura
President of Visit Center of Portugal
