FIEXPO Opening Session

FIEXPO Opening Session Powered by ICCA
Connect to Evolve
From Global Industry Challenges to Conversations That Convert into Sales

The FIEXPO Opening Session Powered by ICCA will mark the beginning of the academic program of FIEXPO Latin America 2026, under the central concept:

Connect to Evolve
From Global Industry Challenges to Conversations That Convert into Sales

This session will open a strategic conversation on the current moment of the global meetings industry, in a context shaped by geopolitical, economic, technological, and social transformations that directly impact how destinations compete, how associations connect, how events generate value, and how professionals build business opportunities.

The opening will combine global vision, strategic perspective, and practical application, connecting the industry’s major challenges with an essential question for all FIEXPO Latin America participants:

How can we transform every conversation, every meeting, and every connection into a real opportunity for evolution, collaboration, and business?

Participants

• Senthil Gopinath
  CEO, ICCA
• Michael Blackman
  Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events
• María Eugenia Oriani
  MICE Director, PROCOLOMBIA
  ICCA Latin America Chapter Chair
• Dennis Speet
  Managing Director, Amsterdam Convention Bureau
  Former Interim CEO, ICCA
• Christoph Tessmar
  Director, Barcelona Convention Bureau
• Arnaldo Nardone
  Director, FIEXPO Exhibitions Group
  Session Moderator

General Agenda

8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Institutional Welcome

Official opening of the academic program of FIEXPO Latin America 2026.

This block will welcome participants and present the conceptual framework of the session: Connect to Evolve, an invitation to understand the global challenges of the industry and translate them into concrete conversations, decisions, and business opportunities.

8:45 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

State of the Global Meetings Industry

A Strategic Perspective from ICCA

Special intervention by Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA, to present a high-level vision of the current state of the global meetings industry in the face of major international challenges.

The intervention will address how the geopolitical context, global conflicts, trade tensions, economic uncertainty, international mobility, and changes in global collaboration are impacting associations, destinations, and international events.

It will also provide an opportunity to reflect on what the industry is doing — and what it must continue doing — to remain resilient, relevant, and capable of generating value in an increasingly complex world.

9:10 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Global Leaders Panel

How Destinations, Platforms, and Business Opportunities Are Evolving

A conversation moderated by Arnaldo Nardone with international leaders from the meetings industry.

The panel will connect the global vision presented by ICCA with the concrete experience of leaders working across different fronts of the industry: major international platforms, convention bureaux, destinations, associations, and event attraction ecosystems.

The conversation will address topics such as:

• The main challenges destinations face today in competing globally.
  • The evolution of the role of convention bureaux and promotion entities.
  • The relationship between international events, economic development, and territorial impact.
  • The new expectations of associations, organizers, and buyers.
  • The need to move from traditional promotion to more strategic value propositions.
  • The role of collaboration, market intelligence, and long-term vision.
  • How to better prepare teams to generate conversations that become real opportunities.

10:00 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.

From Conversation to Sale

How to Win Clients and Convert Connections into Opportunities

Final block designed to connect the strategic vision of the opening with the commercial action that defines the FIEXPO Latin America experience.

This space will focus on one central idea:

A trade show is not won only at the stand. It is won before, during, and after every conversation.

Participants will receive a practical perspective on how to better prepare for their meetings, understand the client, communicate value with greater precision, sustain more relevant conversations, and transform connections into business opportunities.

The objective will be to activate participants so they begin FIEXPO Latin America with focus, commercial judgment, and a results-oriented mindset.

10:25 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Session Closing

Final conclusions and transition into the rest of the academic and business program of FIEXPO Latin America 2026.

The closing will reinforce the central message of the opening: in an industry shaped by global change, the ability to connect intelligently, evolve with purpose, and convert conversations into opportunities will be a decisive advantage for destinations, organizations, and professionals.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the FIEXPO Opening Session Powered by ICCA, participants will have explored:

• A strategic reading of the global context impacting the meetings industry.
  • The main challenges and opportunities for destinations, associations, and international platforms.
  • The evolution of the role of convention bureaux and event attraction strategies.
  • The importance of connecting global vision with concrete commercial action.
  • Conceptual tools to transform conversations into business opportunities.
  • A renewed perspective on the value of FIEXPO Latin America as a platform for connection, learning, positioning, and business generation.

The FIEXPO Opening Session Powered by ICCA will be the starting point for a week designed to connect, evolve, and turn every encounter into an opportunity for growth for the meetings industry in Latin America and around the world.