New Leadership, New Industry Manifesto, and Accelerated Climate Action Agenda for Global Business Events
Frankfurt, Germany – The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) announced a series of major developments following its annual press conference, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the global business events industry. The announcements signal a renewed focus on leadership, advocacy, sustainability, and long-term industry impact.
At the centre of the announcement is the election of a renewed JMIC Board and the appointment of a new Executive Director, together positioning JMIC and its members for a new chapter of global industry leadership.
The newly elected Board welcomes two internationally recognised leaders to its ranks: Dr. Senthil Gopinath of ICCA and Maurits van der Sluis of EMECA. Their appointments reflect JMIC’s continued commitment to strengthening representation across the full spectrum of the business events ecosystem and enhancing the industry’s collective voice on the global stage. They will be supporting their existing Board colleagues: Chris Skeith from UFI, Flavie de Beueil from City DNA and Martin Boyle from IAPCO.
The Board thanked outgoing treasurer, Barbara Weizsäcker, Secretary General of EMECA for 4 years of service during crucial phase of incorporation of JMIC.
Furthermore, JMIC announced the appointment of Dorian Kronenwerth as its new Executive Director.
Together with the Board, Dorian will lead JMIC into its next phase of development, with a stronger emphasis on industry advocacy, collaboration, and positioning business events as a strategic contributor to economic growth, innovation, societal progress, and sustainable transformation.
James Rees, President of JMIC, commented: “This moment represents more than a leadership transition. It marks an evolution in how our industry positions itself globally. We are bringing together diverse expertise and stronger alignment across associations to ensure the business events industry is recognised for the value it creates for economies, communities, knowledge exchange and sustainable development.”
Launch of a New JMIC Manifesto
JMIC also confirmed that it will release its updated Global Manifesto for the Business Events Industry in June.
Building on the success of previous editions, the new Manifesto will combine strategic policy positioning with strengthened evidence-based advocacy. It will be complemented by industry data, statistics, and storytelling case studies designed to demonstrate the tangible contribution of business events to policymakers who are the prime targeted audience of the manifesto.
The enhanced approach aims to provide a stronger narrative framework for advocacy efforts globally and reinforce recognition of business events as critical infrastructure for economic development, innovation, international collaboration, and societal outcomes.
Net Zero Carbon Events: Moving from Commitment to Implementation
JMIC further highlighted significant progress across the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative, reinforcing the industry’s transition from ambition to measurable implementation.
Key developments announced include:
- Updated NZCE Measurement Methodology designed to provide greater clarity, improved usability and stronger comparability of event emissions measurement across different event types and stakeholder groups.
- External Tool Assessment evaluating sustainability tools for their NZCE alignment.
- Reporting Validation Programme supporting greater transparency and confidence in how signatories communicate progress and climate action outcomes.
- Embedding NZCE into Sustainable Event Standards by EIC, reducing fragmentation and simplifying sustainability for business events stakeholders.
- Education and Capacity Building to support organisations globally in implementing climate action strategies, with support from.
These developments reinforce NZCE’s role as the industry’s central platform for decarbonisation and demonstrate growing collaboration across regions and stakeholder groups.
Alexander Alles, Executive Director of JMIC until May 2026, says: “The progress we are announcing today demonstrates that our industry is maturing and seeking clear collaboration. Whether through advocacy, harmonised standards, education, or measurable climate action, our objective remains clear: to create one stronger, more aligned industry voice capable of delivering long-term impact.”
About JMIC
JMIC serves as the global voice of the meetings industry, bringing together international and regional organisations to raise awareness of the sector’s value and drive collaboration. JMIC is dedicated to promoting the value of the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry through advocacy, research, and collaboration. JMIC presents The Iceberg, a platform that promotes the broader impact and lasting legacies of business and professional events. JMIC’s Global Manifesto serves as an advocacy tool, providing an industry rationale for engaging with policymakers, local governments, corporations, institutions, and communities. www.themeetingsindustry.org
About NZCE
Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) is the global climate action initiative of the business events industry, launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 and hosted by JMIC on behalf of the industry. Endorsed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), NZCE brings together event organisers, venues, destinations, suppliers and industry associations to accelerate the transition to net zero. www.netzerocarbonevents.org
submitted by Chris Lewis, Clareville PR
