Announcing an ICCA Board decision to allocate EURO 10,000 from the association’s reserves towards disaster relief, ICCA President Christian Mutschlechner stressed the need for international association and corporate planners and decision-makers to continue their support for venues and destinations in countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia:

”Humanitarian aid is clearly a short-term priority, but ICCA is determined to help publicise the potentially disastrous longer-term impact if international meetings in the region are postponed, relocated or even cancelled outright. Very few international meetings venues were directly hit by the tsunami, but of course the media images of the worst affected areas influence perceptions about whole countries.

If companies and associations keep to their commitments regarding future meetings, hundreds of jobs can be saved supporting thousands of family members.

ICCA CEO Martin Sirk outlined ICCA’s plans:

“We have excellent communication channels to the international association community, and are providing them with access to factual information about the situation across the region, as well as contacts who can advise them on all aspects of organising their meetings in the affected countries. With so many associations involved in complex issues such as healthcare, economic development, trade, and social problems, there is even an argument for new meetings to be specifically planned for the region, so as to transfer knowledge and experience to where it is most urgently needed.”