A clear government vision for the development of an integrated destination economy – one that benefits multiple segments of the local community – is the critical first step towards a city that can sustain its growing population, observed high-level destination managers and trade development leadership speaking at the ICCA Congress 2025 on November 10.

Gloria De León, minister of tourism for Panama, stated that governments have to be clear about what they need to do for the future.

“In the case of Panama, our clear vision is to convert Panama into the home of business, congresses and international events. Once we have that vision, all government (agencies will) work together,” she said.

Amanda Lampe, CEO, Business Events Sydney, agrees to the need for “various departments in the government…to take a holistic view” of city development, but acknowledges challenges in getting bureaucrats to move quickly away from “looking after their own departments” to being more collaborative about creating good urban cities that will sustain the population.

Fellow speaker Nangula Uaandja, CEO of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, opined that business events provide a valuable way for her country to improve its socio-economic conditions.

She explained: “Namibia is the third least-densely populated country in the world, and we believe it’s a beautiful country that many people ought to visit. Yet, few do. We think that business events held in Namibia can attract people who may not otherwise consider the country as a tourist destination.

“Secondly, business events can provide significant employment opportunities to young people.”

Uaandja explained that there is a high level of unemployment among the youths in Namibia, but with the arrival of more business events, young people have been able to make a business out of supporting services needed by events.

Carlos Abade, president of Visit Portugal, declared that tourism and business events can be a tool for achieving prosperity for Portugal’s people. The country is now preparing a strategy for the next decade to reinforce its commitment to both tourists and residents by improving the management of cities. He said this would require better infrastructure and knowledge in destination management.

“We need shared knowledge in managing cities. That’s why cooperation among countries is so important. Events like the ICCA Congress, which brings together more than 80 nationalities, are valuable in allowing us to discuss how to build a better future for our people,” stated Abade.

Moderator Natasha Richards, director of impact and industry relations, IMEX Group, remarked that “bringing the right event to your city, your region or your country will leave it in a better place”.

She asked De León how leaders across countries could collaborate to bring socio-economic progress to larger regions. In response, De León pointed to the Panama Association Hub, which was launched to serve Latin America by attracting international associations and organisations to the region.

De León added that there is also strong public-private partnerships to give destination Panama a competitive advantage in the global meetings industry.

Additionally, speakers on the panel discussed the importance of legacy building through business events to ensure that the host city benefits from incoming meetings.

Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, minister of tourism, creative industry and performing arts Sarawak and minister of youth, sports and entrepreneur development Sarawak, shared outcomes of the post-pandemic Legacy 360 strategy, which is led by Business Events Sarawak to position the Malaysian state as a global leader in generating long-term economic, social, and environmental impact through business events.

According to Abdul Karim, Legacy 360 has contributed “100 per cent to Sarawak’s bid wins” since 2021 when the strategy was birthed.

Business Events Sydney works with associations that meet in the Australian city to ensure positive local impact is achieved.

“We are government funded, we receive taxpayers dollars, so we make sure that we are thinking about those legacies that events are leaving behind,” Lampe said, adding that considerations include the indigenous community, economy, tourism earnings, research and innovation, education, and more.

Uaandja pointed to the Namibia Public Private Forum (NamPPF) as a prime example of a beneficial business event that facilitates public and private sector communications. Through dialogue between the government of Namibia and the private sector, the NamPPF aimed to create actionable solutions that advance Namibia’s national development agenda.

“It was an exciting event for us because it was chaired by Her Excellency, the president of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who gave us two full days to engage with her and the private sector, and to listen to the voice of the private sector,” reflected Uaandja, adding that businesses were able to present their sectors and speak up on government support needed to accomplish national targets.