International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), an organization for suppliers to the international meetings industry, elected its first president from Africa.
During the General Assembly of the 53rd ICCA Congress, occurring in Antalya, Turkey until Nov. 5, Nina Freysen-Pretorius gained this position. She is the founder and CEO of South Africa-based The Conference Company.
Freysen-Pretorius joined the ICCA board of directors in 2008 and has been second vice president of ICCA since 2010. She is the first ICCA president from Africa and the third female president in ICCA history.
She commented about her new role:
“With ICCA celebrating 50 years of industry involvement, I am so glad an African leader is given an opportunity to lead. Now is the time for ICCA to extend its influence into new markets and developing countries, fostering continued growth that will provide jobs, assist in the alleviation of poverty and contribute to a better life for many.”
“My objective is to ensure that ICCA continues to provide benefits, which enable its members to generate and maintain significant competitive advantage. These benefits may mean different things in different parts of the world, and we have to be in a position to respond accordingly. Future focus should be to increase the quality and professionalism of our members by educational tools and unique networking events.”
“ICCA and the conference industry are entering a critical new phase of innovation and growth, and I am looking forward to build on the successes of recent ICCA leaders.”
After two terms of two years, ICCA’s current president Arnaldo Nardone is stepping down at this year’s ICCA Congress. For the first time ever, three presidential candidates stepped up for ICCA’s presidential elections: Handan Boyce (Halic Congress Center, Turkey), Freysen-Pretorius and Martin Winter (Gold Coast Tourism Corporation, Australia).
