A new white paper released by IMEX, following the Place Leaders Forum held during IMEX Frankfurt 2026, highlights the urgent need for convention bureaus to redefine their role as destinations face increasing global competition for talent, investment, innovation, business events, and residents. Titled “Place Leadership and the Business Events Sector,” the report is authored by Professor Greg Clark CBE FAcSS and Borane Gille of The Business of Cities.
The paper argues that convention bureaus can no longer operate solely through a tourism-focused approach. Instead, they must adopt an integrated place leadership strategy that aligns business events with broader goals such as economic development, innovation, talent attraction, sustainability, and community well-being. Drawing on research and case studies from 27 cities and countries, the report demonstrates how business events can become powerful catalysts for long-term local value creation. According to the authors, the traditional distinction between visitors and residents is rapidly disappearing. Today, a congress delegate may later become a resident, investor, entrepreneur, or student. Likewise, advances in hybrid working, remote employment, digital nomad lifestyles, and greater global mobility have fundamentally changed how people engage with destinations. As a result, cities are no longer competing only for tourists but simultaneously for skilled professionals, research, capital, innovation, and international events.
The report stresses that convention bureaus should move beyond simply securing event bids and increasing hotel occupancy. Instead, they should become strategic partners in shaping and communicating their destination’s long-term vision. The most successful destinations, it argues, will focus on attracting events that strengthen priority industries, foster innovation ecosystems, support workforce development, and generate lasting community benefits long after delegates have returned home.Several destinations are already demonstrating this approach. Copenhagen integrates business events with its globally recognized life sciences sector, Auckland closely aligns convention activities with regional economic development objectives, while Barcelona emphasizes event legacy by connecting international congresses with local social and community priorities.
The white paper outlines seven key recommendations for the global business events sector. These include embedding convention bureaus within economic development structures, aligning event portfolios with strategic destination priorities, improving intelligence-sharing with governments, measuring long-term legacy and community impact more effectively, and reforming funding models to reflect the broader economic and social value created by business events.The findings are particularly relevant for destinations participating in international trade shows such as IMEX America, taking place October 13–15, 2026. As association and corporate buyers increasingly seek destinations that demonstrate sustainability, innovation, sector expertise, and measurable impact, convention bureaus embracing place leadership will be better positioned to attract and retain future business. Many of the report’s themes will be explored further during the Place Leaders Forum at IMEX Frankfurt 2027, reinforcing the growing importance of business events as strategic drivers of destination competitiveness and long-term prosperity.
