With more than 2,250 graduates across 56 countries, the CIS certification is designed to elevate your professional career and strengthen your skills in designing and delivering extraordinary motivational experiences around the world.

Whether you are a recent university graduate or an experienced travel professional entering the meetings and incentive planning field for the first time within a large corporation, the CIS program is ideal for anyone taking their first steps into the dynamic world of incentive travel.

The CIS workshop is open to both SITE members and non-members.

Workshop Content

The program covers the fundamentals of incentive program design, the factors that drive higher levels of performance, and the positive relationship between incentive travel and business results.

Sessions include:

• Incentive fundamentals
• Origins of incentive programs and incentive travel
• The value chain
• The value proposition of motivational programs and non-monetary rewards
• Market composition
• Key elements of program design and budgeting
• Industry tools and platforms
• And much more

Hotel: Hotel Real InterContinental Costa Rica
Room: Laurel 1
Fee: The registration cost is USD 300 for June 6 and 7.
Registration: Sold Out.

La entrada CIS SITE Certification se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

Discover how to become more competitive and effective in the commercial management of international congresses.

A three-part tactical session:

Clients (Associations): How is the global association market structured? How can I identify the ideal association meetings for each destination? What factors influence decision-making? How should you not engage with international associations?

Strategy (Bidding Process): What are not the strategic steps in a bid process? What are the critical steps in a bid process? Why do bidding processes fail? How can the bidding process be optimized?

Differentiators: How can we make our bid stand out? What types of incentives or grants are available?

This session is specifically designed for international congress bidding teams, combining practical tools, global benchmarks, and actionable insights to strengthen commercial strategies and compete more effectively in the international association meetings market.

The program will be delivered 100% in Spanish

Hotel: Hotel Real InterContinental Costa Rica
Room: Roble 2
Instructors:

• Juan José García, MBA, CICE, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer – BCO Congresos
• Andrés Escandón, ICCA Senior Regional Director Latin America & the Caribbean

Final fee: USD 410 – USD 530 for Non-Members

Registration

La entrada ICCA Certification se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

With more than 2,250 graduates across 56 countries, the CIS certification is designed to elevate your professional career and strengthen your skills in designing and delivering extraordinary motivational experiences around the world.

Whether you are a recent university graduate or an experienced travel professional entering the meetings and incentive planning field for the first time within a large corporation, the CIS program is ideal for anyone taking their first steps into the dynamic world of incentive travel.

The CIS workshop is open to both SITE members and non-members.

Workshop Content

The program covers the fundamentals of incentive program design, the factors that drive higher levels of performance, and the positive relationship between incentive travel and business results.

Sessions include:

• Incentive fundamentals
• Origins of incentive programs and incentive travel
• The value chain
• The value proposition of motivational programs and non-monetary rewards
• Market composition
• Key elements of program design and budgeting
• Industry tools and platforms
• And much more

Hotel: Hotel Real InterContinental Costa Rica
Room: Laurel 1
Fee: The registration cost is USD 300 for June 6 and 7.
Registration: Sold Out.

La entrada CIS SITE Certification se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

CMP Academy: Strategic Preparation for the CMP Exam.
With a registration fee of US$99.00, this interactive session is designed for professionals in the meetings industry who wish to prepare with greater confidence to take the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification exam. Recognized as a key credential for event organizers, designers, and strategists, CMP certification allows you to demonstrate professionalism and technical expertise to employers, colleagues, and clients.

Led by Tim Luepke, MA, CTS, CMP, CMM, DES, this class will cover best practices based on the CMP-International Standards (CMP-IS), including proven study methods, knowledge gap analysis, identification of preparation needs, and concrete strategies for successfully tackling an exam that tests logical reasoning and contextual analysis. Participants will gain tools, practical recommendations, and a better understanding of how to interpret questions and answer them with greater insight and confidence.

Registration here: https://web.cvent.com/event/f0981da7-d208-4700-98b4-7f0e4f24aaa5/register

La entrada MPI Certification se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

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.

La entrada FIEXPO Opening Session se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

La entrada ICCA Latin America & Caribbean Chapter Meeting se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

The Inclusive Legacy Lab is a strategic and participatory laboratory designed to transform the conversation on inclusion into concrete accessibility criteria applied to destinations, hotels, venues, events, and experiences.

Under the approach “From Inclusive Discourse to Accessible Experience,” this activity proposes analyzing the complete journey of a person with a disability or with specific accessibility requirements: from the search for prior information and event registration to arrival at the destination, accommodation, mobility, participation in sessions, networking, food and beverage, social activities, and return to their place of origin.

The session will combine strategic reflection, real experiences, technical perspectives, and collaborative work to identify barriers, propose applicable solutions, and move toward a meetings industry that is more accessible, competitive, and prepared for everyone.

This initiative is promoted within the framework of FIEXPO Latin America 2026, with the participation of institutional representatives, accessibility experts, and leaders from the meetings industry.

Facilitators and Invited Experts

• Patricia Puentes
  Director, Let’s Meet
• Lucio Vaquero
  Regional Director, PCMA
• Santiago González
  Development Director, FIEXPO Exhibitions Group
• Mónica Garcia
  Association Meetings Manager, Barcelona Convention Bureau
• Leonor Sanabria
  CONADIS — National Council for Persons with Disabilities, Costa Rica
• Karla Araya
  CONADIS — National Council for Persons with Disabilities, Costa Rica
• Gladys Díaz
  President, Latin American Union of the Blind

General Agenda

3:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.

Strategic Opening

Accessibility as a Condition for Quality, Competitiveness, and Real Hospitality

Welcome and introduction to the purpose of the laboratory.

This block will establish the central idea of the session: accessibility should not be understood as an additional component, a specific response, or a regulatory obligation, but as an essential part of experience design in destinations, hotels, venues, and events.

3:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

From Inclusive Discourse to Accessible Experience

Conceptual Framework and Institutional Perspective

Initial conversation with the facilitators to present the laboratory’s approach and open a reflection on the role of accessibility in the meetings industry.

The session will address how accessibility directly impacts the quality of the experience, the reputation of the destination, the competitiveness of events, and the ability to better welcome all participants.

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Real Experiences and Lessons Learned

What We Are Doing, What We Are Learning, and Which Barriers Still Remain

Exchange with invited representatives and experts to share experiences, lessons learned, and challenges related to accessibility applied to destinations, events, and services.

The conversation will seek to identify real barriers and translate them into useful criteria for organizers, hotels, venues, convention bureaus, DMCs, PCOs, and institutional stakeholders.

4:00 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.

Barriers Lab

The Complete Participant Journey

Collaborative work to analyze the complete journey of a person with a disability or with specific accessibility requirements participating in an international event.

Participants will work on different moments of the experience:

• Pre-trip information
  • Event registration
  • Communication of specific requirements
  • Arrival at the destination
  • Transportation and mobility
  • Check-in and accommodation
  • Entry and circulation within the venue
  • Participation in sessions
  • Networking
  • Food and beverage
  • Social activities
  • Emergencies or unforeseen situations
  • Return and post-event feedback

The objective will be to identify critical barriers, responsible stakeholders, and opportunities for improvement.

4:35 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Short Break

4:45 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.

Applicable Solutions Lab

From Barrier to Action

Participants will work in teams to transform the barriers identified into concrete, realistic, and applicable solutions.

Each group must select one priority barrier and propose an improvement action that can be implemented by destinations, hotels, venues, organizers, suppliers, or public institutions.

The dynamic will seek to answer key questions:

• What barrier do we want to solve?
  • Who is mainly affected by it?
  • Which stakeholder should lead the solution?
  • What concrete action can be implemented?
  • What minimum resources are required?
  • What could be done in 30, 60, or 90 days?
  • How will we know if the experience improved?

5:20 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Group Sharing

Lessons for an Accessible Experience

Brief presentation of each team’s main contributions.

The facilitators will organize the lessons learned into a general working matrix, identifying common barriers, proposed solutions, responsible stakeholders, and expected impacts.

This block will make it possible to build an initial shared base of applicable criteria to improve accessibility in destinations, hotels, and events.

5:45 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.

Accessibility as Real Legacy

Summary and Next Steps

A synthesis space to highlight the main lessons from the laboratory and project possible lines of continuity.

Accessibility will be presented as a concrete dimension of legacy: when an event drives improvements in the way a destination welcomes, guides, communicates with, mobilizes, and supports its visitors, the destination becomes better prepared for everyone.

5:55 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Institutional Closing

Final conclusions and closing of the activity.

The laboratory will conclude by reaffirming that an accessible experience does not only benefit people with disabilities; it raises the quality of the entire system: it improves hospitality, strengthens competitiveness, and expands the capacity of destinations to welcome more people, and welcome them better.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the Inclusive Legacy Lab, participants will have contributed to building an initial base of lessons learned on accessibility applied to the meetings industry, including:

• Identification of critical barriers throughout the complete participant journey.
  • Practical solutions for destinations, hotels, venues, and organizers.
  • Applicable criteria to improve the accessible experience.
  • Greater understanding of accessibility as a dimension of quality, competitiveness, and legacy.
  • Initial inputs to consolidate an accessibility work agenda within FIEXPO Latin America.

More than a conversation about inclusion, the Inclusive Legacy Lab will be a space designed to activate learnings, commitments, and concrete actions that make it possible to move from inclusive discourse to accessible experience.

La entrada Inclusive Legacy Lab – Powered by Let’s Meet se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

La entrada MPI Event Impact Forum: Preventing Food Waste se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

SITE South America arrives at FIEXPO Latin America 2026 with an activity designed to connect inspiration, purpose, action, and social responsibility.

The session will begin with an institutional welcome and a special participation by Annette Gregg, CEO of SITE, who will share a global perspective on the evolution of the incentive industry, the value of purposeful experiences, and SITE’s role in strengthening the professional development of the industry.

Then, Kike Ramírez will deliver his keynote “Challenge Your Destiny”, a high-impact conference designed to challenge, focus, and inspire industry professionals to become a more strategic, prepared, and conscious version of themselves.

The gathering will conclude with a social responsibility activity, reinforcing SITE South America and FIEXPO Latin America’s commitment to positive impact, human connection, and legacy.

Special Participation

• Annette Gregg
  CEO, SITE — Society for Incentive Travel Excellence
• Keynote Speaker
• Kike Ramírez
  International speaker, consultant, and specialist in neurosales, leadership, and applied inspiration

General Agenda

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Institutional Opening and SITE Welcome

Welcome remarks and words from authorities

The activity will begin with welcome remarks from the authorities present, highlighting the strategic value of SITE South America within the FIEXPO Latin America 2026 program and its contribution to the development of the meetings and incentives industry in the region.

This block will include a special participation by Annette Gregg, CEO of SITE, who will share a global perspective on the incentive industry, purposeful experiences, and SITE’s role in building stronger, more connected professional communities prepared to respond to the market’s new challenges.

3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Keynote: Challenge Your Destiny

Led by Kike Ramírez

This is the point where everything begins to make sense.

It is the natural connection between what you learn to win clients and what you build to create purposeful events. A conference that takes this reflection to a deeper level: personal preparation, professional execution, and the coherence with which each person chooses to move toward their highest potential.

Challenge Your Destiny is a high-impact experience that invites participants to review the way they think, sell, lead, and act.

Buyers and sellers will sit in the same room. And something that almost never happens will take place: standards will be elevated, expectations will be aligned, and real respect will be built.

This keynote seeks to shake, focus, and activate participants. Attendees will leave with proven tools that can be applied immediately, but also with something more important: a new way to stand, think, and decide.

Because the next level does not depend on luck.
It depends on how you prepare, how you execute, and how you honor your word.

4:15 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.

Social Responsibility Activity

Purpose, Connection, and Positive Impact

After the keynote, participants will take part in a social responsibility activity designed to transform inspiration into concrete action.

This space will seek to connect attendees with the human value of the meetings and incentives industry, promoting an experience of collaboration, commitment, and positive contribution.

The activity will reinforce the importance of creating purposeful events that can generate impact beyond the room and leave a meaningful footprint in the community.

5:40 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

SITE South America Closing

From Purpose to Action

Institutional closing of the activity, integrating the main learnings of the day and highlighting SITE South America’s role as a space for connection, professional development, and impact generation.

The session will conclude with an action-oriented message: challenging one’s own destiny means preparing better, executing with greater awareness, building higher-value relationships, and embracing purpose as an essential part of professional growth.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the activity, participants will have experienced a program designed to:

• Connect inspiration, commercial strategy, and purpose.
• Understand the importance of raising standards between buyers and sellers.
• Incorporate practical tools for professional action.
• Reflect on preparation, execution, and personal coherence.
• Participate in a social responsibility activity with positive impact.
• Reinforce the value of events as platforms for transformation and legacy.

SITE South America: Challenge Your Destiny will be an experience designed to challenge, inspire, and connect professionals from the meetings and incentives industry with their next level.

La entrada SITE South America se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.

The NextGen Summit is a space designed to inspire, train, and activate the new generations of the meetings industry.

Aimed at final-year students from careers related to tourism, events, hospitality, and related fields, as well as young professionals with less than five years of experience in the sector, this program seeks to help participants quickly understand how the industry works, identify real opportunities for professional development, and strengthen key skills to build a career with greater clarity, leadership, and projection.

The activity will combine industry vision, leadership, personal branding, LinkedIn, teamwork, an applied challenge, and a special participation by IAPCO, which will present a unique opportunity for Emerging Leaders in Latin America.

Activity Leaders

• Álvaro Rojas
  General Manager, Costa Rica Convention Center
• José Alberto Quan
  Meetings industry, LinkedIn, and personal branding specialist
• Macarena Murillo
  Guest facilitator
• Andrés Castro
  Guest facilitator
• Natalia Roblero
  Guest facilitator

Special Participation

IAPCO — International Association of Professional Congress Organisers

IAPCO will have a special space within the program to present a new regional opportunity aimed at the next generations of professionals in the meetings industry.

This intervention will bring participants closer to the international standards of professionalization, quality, and talent development promoted by IAPCO globally.

In addition, the IAPCO representative may participate, together with the activity coordinators, in the selection process of the winners of the final challenge.

General Agenda

3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Welcome and Introduction to NextGen

Opening of the activity and presentation of the program’s purpose: to help new generations understand the industry, develop key skills, and begin building their place within the professional meetings ecosystem.

3:15 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.

Understanding the Meetings Industry

Where You Stand and Where You Can Grow

A quick and clear immersion into the world of the meetings industry: destinations, convention bureaux, PCOs, DMCs, hotels, venues, associations, organizers, suppliers, buyers, and international organizations.

The objective will be for each participant to understand that the meetings industry is not only about event organization, but also a platform for economic development, knowledge, networking, impact, business, and destination positioning.

3:35 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Leading Before Having a Title

Led by Álvaro Rojas

An inspiring and practical space on early leadership, professional purpose, and the development of human skills.

The session will focus on one central idea: leadership does not begin when a person receives a formal title, but when they develop judgment, responsibility, the ability to learn, a service attitude, and a commitment to generating value.

Participants will reflect on how to stand out in the first years of their career, how to build trust, how to adapt to change, and how to prepare to grow in an increasingly demanding, international, and dynamic industry.

4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

IAPCO Opportunity for Emerging Leaders

A Unique Initiative for Latin America

Special presentation by IAPCO on the opportunity being developed for young talent in the meetings industry across the region.

This block will highlight the importance of professionalizing from the early stages, connecting with international standards, and opening new pathways for training, mentoring, and professional development.

4:30 p.m. – 5:10 p.m.

LinkedIn and Personal Branding for Young Professionals

Led by José Alberto Quan

A practical workshop to strengthen professional presence on LinkedIn and learn how to communicate personal value more effectively.

The focus will not be a generic social media workshop, but rather a session applied to young professionals who are beginning their careers in the meetings industry and need to build visibility, credibility, and relevant connections.

The session will work on how to improve a professional profile, how to communicate who you are even with limited experience, how to transform studies, internships, volunteer work, and projects into professional value, how to publish with purpose, and how to connect with leaders and organizations in the industry.

5:10 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.

Applied Challenge

My First Impact Project for the Industry

Participants will work in teams to solve a practical challenge linked to the future of talent in the meetings industry.

The challenge will be to design an initiative that helps bring more young people closer to the industry, showing its professional opportunities, its impact on destinations, and its value for community development.

Each team must build a brief, clear, and applicable proposal, considering the problem it seeks to solve, the target audience, the main action, the necessary allies, the communication approach, and its possible implementation within 90 days.

5:40 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.

Proposal Presentations and Selection of Winners

Teams will present their proposals before the facilitators and the IAPCO representative.

The selection will consider the clarity of the idea, its real applicability, connection with the meetings industry, creativity, impact potential, quality of communication, and short-term feasibility.

5:55 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Closing

From Participant to Protagonist

The activity will close with an action-oriented message, inviting young participants to stop seeing themselves as observers of the industry and begin positioning themselves as protagonists of their own professional development.

The meetings industry does not need young people waiting for their turn. It needs young people who are prepared, visible, connected, and ready to contribute today.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the NextGen Leaders Lab, participants will have achieved the following:

• Quickly understand how the meetings industry works.
  • Identify real career opportunities within the ecosystem.
  • Develop an initial perspective on professional leadership.
  • Strengthen personal branding and LinkedIn positioning criteria.
  • Learn about the regional opportunity promoted together with IAPCO.
  • Work as a team on a practical impact challenge.
  • Leave with concrete tools to apply in their daily professional life.

The NextGen Leaders Lab will be an experience designed for new generations to understand the industry, develop skills, build professional visibility, and begin occupying their place in the future of the meetings industry.

La entrada NEXT GENERATION SUMMIT se publicó primero en Fiexpo Latin America.