Christian Mutschlechner, who heads the Vienna Convention Bureau, has just had his term of office as President of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) extended for another two years - until 2006.

The General Assembly of this worldwide association of meeting professionals also passed a resolution to increase the size of the Board of Directors from next year.

Christian Mutschlechner has held office as ICCA President since 2002. Previously, he served as 1st Vice President and was a Member of the Board of Directors for five years. He joined the Vienna Tourist Board in 1985, taking over the helm of its Convention Bureau in 1990.

He was not the only ICCA official to be given a vote of confidence. Margarethe Gamauf, in charge of congress sales promotion at Austrian Airlines, was re-elected Airlines Category Board Member for a further two-year term.

The ICCA takes its membership from Congress Travel & Destination Management Companies, Airlines, Professional Congress Organisers (PCOs), Tourist and Convention Bureaux, Meeting Information & Technical Specialists, Meetings Hotels and Convention & Exhibition Centres.

Previously, there was one Board member for each of these Categories. Yet at this year’s General Assembly in Cape Town, a strategic decision was backed by an 80% majority to change Board structure. As of next year’s Congress in Montevideo in autumn 2005, each geographical region (Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa & Middle East, North America and Latin America) will also elect a representative to this body.