Associations World Congress 2025

12:00 - 13:00

Registration and badging for the pre-congress session delegates

13:00 - 13:50

Lunch & Networking

14:00 - 17:30

Medical Associations Forum

This annual meeting within the congress has proved very popular each year. We examine the top issues raised by medical associations, with setting the scene, discussion threads on the top three issues, case studies from delegates presented to the room and discussed around tables, ending with the summing up.

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Linda Pereira

Executive Director, CPL Events & Consultancy

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14:00 - 17:30

Leadership & Governance Forum

Executive leadership in an association means working in an ever-evolving environment where volunteer leadership changes regularly. Defining the role of the executive and ensuring effective governance requires continuous effort, strategic insight, and adaptability.

In this interactive forum, we will explore the unique challenges of working with voluntary leadership and provide practical strategies to enhance collaboration, decision-making, and organizational impact.

Key topics include:

• Navigating leadership transitions – Defining and sustaining the executive’s role in a changing leadership landscape
• Understanding board dynamics – Helping boards embrace their responsibilities and function effectively
• Enhancing decision-making – Ensuring the right people make the right decisions at the right time
• Prioritizing impact – A strategic framework to help your association focus on the programs and services that truly matter

Join us for an engaging discussion designed to equip you with tools and insights to lead effectively in a dynamic governance environment.

Jim Meffert

Principal Consultant & Strategist, Tecker International

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15:30 - 16:00

Refreshments & Networking

18:30 - 19:30

Welcome Reception & Registration

At the Grand Elysee Hotel

An opportunity to meet your fellow delegates, speakers and association experts and partners, with drinks and canapés.

SPONSOR & HOST:

19:30 - 21:30

Hosted Dinners

A number of dinners are hosted by suppliers at various restaurants.

State your interest in attending one of these when booking your delegate place.

08:00

Registration and badging desk opens

08:30 - 09:00

Welcome and Introduction to the Congress

• What to expect over the two days
• Key updates to the programme
• Introduce the hosts

Damian Hutt FIEM

Executive Director, Association of Association Executives

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09:00 - 09:45

Keynote Talk: Forging Bridges of Trust and Innovation in the Digital Era

Inspiring Author | Helicopter Pilot | Endurance Triathlete |  Executive Head of European Hematology Association

Ignacio Quiles Lara will address one of the most pressing challenges facing association leaders today: how to innovate and create added value while maintaining organizational relevance and stakeholder trust. In an era marked by rapid technological transformation, he will explore the delicate balance between leveraging innovation and fostering meaningful human connections. He will also guide leaders on how to navigate transitions effectively, ensuring their teams and members are empowered throughout the process.

Drawing on his extensive experience in translational research, business leadership, and his remarkable tenure as Executive Head of the European Hematology Association—where he has driven impactful change over the past three years—Ignacio will provide invaluable insights into modern association leadership. His emphasis on innovation, technology, and trust will illuminate the path forward for associations seeking to remain relevant while staying deeply human-centered. Attendees will gain practical guidance on developing associations, foundations, or federations that are technologically progressive yet aligned with their unique mission and values. Ignacio's approach ensured continued relevance and added value in today's ever-changing landscape.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Ignacio is an inspiring author (his last book is titled Seven Minutes), a skilled helicopter pilot, and an accomplished endurance triathlete. With a rich background as a venture mentor, investor, and board member for early-stage ventures, Ignacio's multifaceted expertise uniquely positions him as a thought leader in his field. He has also held senior roles at renowned pharmaceutical companies, including GSK, AbbVie, Servier, and Novartis.

His remarkable academic credentials include a degree in Biochemistry and Bioscience, as well as Master’s degrees in Anthropology, Genetics, Public Health, Life Sciences, and European Studies, and a Doctorate in Experimental and Health Sciences. Additionally, he holds an MBA from ESADE and has completed the Executive Development Programme at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

09:55 - 10:55

What is the Association's Role in a World of Disinformation and 'Alternative' Facts?

Keynote Panel

Jean-Luc Eiselé

Chief Executive Officer, World Heart Federation

Jon Bisset

Chief Executive Officer, Community Broadcasting Association of Australia

09:55 - 10:55

How can Associations Justify the Inevitable Environmental Impact of Events?

Keynote Panel:

Rodney Cox

Global Event and Association Specialist, International Gas Union

Linda Pereira

Executive Director, CPL Events & Consultancy

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09:55 - 10:55

What is the Successful Membership Model of the Future?

Keynote Panel

Erika​​​​ Lundström

Director, Governance, Membership and Learning, International AIDS Society

John Peacock

Chairman, Associations Forum, Consultant & Partner, Governology

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09:55 - 10:55

Artificial Intelligence: The Key to Value & Growth or Low cost, High volume and Unreliability?

Keynote Panel

Alan King

Head of Global Membership Development, IMechE

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Alex Skinner

Chief Executive Officer, Pixl8 Group

Refreshments, Networking & Exhibition

11:25 - 12:20

Association Strategy Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in their plans, activites and policies.

Building Public Trust and Media Literacy

This presentation explores how associations can leverage their position to build trust and strengthen media literacy, with actionable frameworks for developing member-focused educational initiatives that enhance critical thinking across diverse demographic groups.

Jon Bisset

Chief Executive Officer, Community Broadcasting Association of Australia

Critical factors for Successful Governance and Constitutions that work

Associations around the world have the same principles and pressures, although with different legislation and culture. This presentation will highlight global best practice including small boards, strategic plans, delegation to CEO, accountability to members and readable constitutions.

John Peacock AM from Governology has presented to associations in 17 nations and will share his deep governance knowledge and looks forward to questions, comments and alternative viewpoints.

John Peacock

Chairman, Associations Forum, Consultant & Partner, Governology

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11:25 - 12:20

Conference & Events Strategy Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in their plans, activites and policies.

11:25 - 12:20

Membership & Community Strategy Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in their plans, activites and policies.

11:25 - 12:20

AI - Artificial Intelligence Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in applying AI in associations.

Using AI to power an Association's news feed

Learn how an end-to-end content service that blends journalistic expertise with AI-sourced stories, provides an association with relevant high quality news stories from around the world.  Amplify is working with organisations including this association to source stories for its Spotlight news feed, providing members a highly valuable service.  The founders of Amplify, Alan Hunter and Michael Brunt, are both highly experienced with The Times and The Economist, explain how the service works and what it does for its clients, who range from associations to professional publishers, trade organisations and companies.

Michael Brunt

Co-Founder, HBM Advisory

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Strategic Partner Exchange

Lunch, Networking & Exhibition

14:15 - 15:00

Association Tech Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

14:15 - 15:00

Conference & Events Tech Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

14:15 - 15:00

Membership & Community Tech Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

14:15 - 15:00

AI - Artificial Intelligence Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

15:00 - 18:00

Re-examining Financial & Investment Strategies

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session Leader: 

Rennie Schafer

Chief Executive Officer, Self Storage Association

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15:00 - 18:00

Creating Events that Members and the Sector Prioritise

This interactive session led by Sasha Frieze, an award-winning events producer, and producer of over 500 association conferences, will examine the essential strategies, models, and approaches to create events that your members and the sector prioritize.

• Introduction to the key issues
• What constitutes a must-attend programme
• What elements of an event are most desired and by whom
• Break
• Sharing of experiences among delegates
• Examining your competition
• Exercises to create plans for success
• Review and wrap-up

Session leader:

Sasha Frieze

Managing Director, The Business Narrative

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15:00 - 18:00

Redefining Success: Metrics That Matter in a Changing World

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

15:00 - 18:00

AI Strategies for Growth, Value and Efficiency

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leader:

Stéphanie Kioutsoukis

CEO & Founder, Fresh Strategies & Solutions

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08:30 - 11:10

Diversified & New Revenue Streams

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session Leader: 

Barbara Grobicki

Executive Director, Strategic Management Society

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08:30 - 11:10

Growing Stakeholder Engagement & Revenue

This interactive deep-dive session led by David Hicks, addresses how you increase and develop your speaker's, sponsor's, exhibitor's and delegate's engagement in your flagship events. 

David has been working in customer relationships and journeys for decades, with some of the world's leading companies. His work on congresses in this area of stake-holder engagement is ground-breaking

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leader:

David Hicks

Global Experience Thought Leader; XM Coach Co-Founder & Chairman, XM Coach | TribeCX | TMD

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08:30 - 11:10

Understanding your Membership & Stakeholders

Understanding your membership and your stakeholders, their points of view on issues in the sector, and being able to evaluate and anlyse them is vital to your ability to service their needs and represent them.

In this deepdive session you will examine:

• The challenges to gaining an understanding of your membership & stakeholders on a large scale, how to be up-to-date when the sector evolves rapidly, and how to resolve them
• Various successful methods that have worked for associations
• Example approaches that everyone can learn from
• Mistakes and how to avoid them

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leader:

Simon Shelley

Chief Commercial Officer, Hi Impact

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Charlie Woodward

CEO & Co-Founder, Natter

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08:30 - 11:10

Creating Valuable and Reliable Content with AI

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leaders:

Alan Hunter

Co-Founder, HBM Advisory

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Michael Brunt

Co-Founder, HBM Advisory

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Refreshments, Networking & Exhibition

11:15 - 12:05

Association Strategy Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in their plans, activites and policies.

11:15 - 12:05

Conference & Events Strategy Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in their plans, activites and policies.

11:15 - 12:05

Membership & Community Strategy Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in their plans, activites and policies.

11:15 - 12:05

AI - Artificial Intelligence Case Studies

Case studies from association executives of successes in applying AI in associations.

Strategic Partner Exchange

Lunch, Networking & Exhibition

13:50 - 14:35

Association Tech Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

13:50 - 14:35

Conference & Events Tech Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

13:50 - 14:35

Membership & Community Tech Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

13:50 - 14:35

AI - Artificial Intelligence Demos

Demonstrations of new and updated technology, most with AI functionality, presented by suppliers and association executives.

14:40 - 16:30

Successful Outsourcing & Insourcing: Value, Excellence & Control

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

14:40 - 16:30

Creating Successful Event Portfolios

It's vital that associations provide value and services for each and every member. By doing so you will ensure a robust and loyal membership, with a good stream of revenue.

In this session, we examine what a balanced portfolio of events should and could be, and how this squares with our obligation to provide for the whole membership, including:

• How should we adapt to reach a higher proportion of our members?
• Where do online seminars fit in, and do they take-away from the in-person events?
• Should you, and could you, be organising leadership summits?
• Regional conferences vs flagship conferences - should we alternate them?
• Spinning off successful topics in a flagship conference as stand-alone events or retain them?

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leader:

Rodney Cox

Global Event and Association Specialist, International Gas Union

14:40 - 16:30

Organisational Memberships: Engagement beyond the Main Contact

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leader:

John Peacock

Chairman, Associations Forum, Consultant & Partner, Governology

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14:40 - 16:30

Owning the AI Space in your Sector

As a leading provider of information in your sector, your community are looking for authoritative guidance and leadership on the use of AI an how it is applied within the sector, best practices and transparency for retention of trust.  

This session will examine what the challenges are to doing this in both Individual Member Organisations and Business Member Organisations. The session leader, who has great experience with this in his organisation will provide guidance and best practices and ideas, as well as examples.

This expert-led deep-dive session is highly interactive and contributive:

• Introduction to the key issues from the Session Leader
• Review of delegates' situation (from the session survey completed by attendees)
• Structured discussion of they issues highlighted by delegates, with multiple threads
• Break
• Experience sharing by delegates either to the room or at round tables
• Break-out into sub-topic issues
• Review and wrap-up

The format may be adjusted to address the needs identified in the session surveys that are completed by delegates a 6-8 weeks before the event.

Session leader:

Robert Millar

Founder & co-CEO, Global AI Leaders Network

16:30

Congress Close

16:00 - 18:00

Check-in at the Grand Elysee Hotel

18:00 - 20:00

Dinner at the Grand Elysée Hotel

08:30 - 10:00

Breakfast & Site Inspection of the Grand Elysée Hotel

10:15 - 11:00

Visit to, and site inspection of Curio Haus