Geopolitical risk is moving closer to the centre of destination selection as international associations reassess how political instability, diplomatic tensions and changing regulations can affect major meetings. A new white paper from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) highlights a shift in which geopolitical conditions are no longer treated only as last-minute operational problems, but as factors that can influence decisions before a destination is selected.
Developed by the ICCA Future Leaders Council 2025–2027, “Geopolitical Uncertainty and the Future of International Association Meetings” examines the effects of armed conflicts, diplomatic tensions, visa restrictions, sanctions, civil unrest and regulatory changes on international meetings. According to the paper, these pressures can affect destination selection as well as delegate participation, event safety, financial viability, sponsorship and supply chains. The implications extend beyond destinations directly affected by conflict. Visa policies can determine whether delegates from certain markets are able to attend, sanctions can complicate payments and commercial relationships, while diplomatic disputes or sudden regulatory changes can alter the feasibility of an event even after planning has begun. For international associations whose participants, sponsors and suppliers may come from dozens of countries, disruption in one part of that network can create consequences across the entire event.
This is adding another layer to competition between destinations. Convention centres, hotel capacity, air connectivity and pricing remain fundamental to the bidding process, but associations are increasingly required to consider whether an event can operate reliably throughout a planning cycle that may stretch several years. Political predictability and the ability to respond to disruption are therefore becoming more closely connected to a destination’s overall event proposition.
Destination Decisions Are Expanding Beyond Infrastructure
For destinations competing for international congresses, geopolitical conditions can influence both the attractiveness of a bid and the level of risk an association is prepared to accept. A destination may offer strong infrastructure and competitive costs, yet changes affecting visas, border access or international relations can create barriers for delegates from individual countries or regions.
Participation is particularly important because international association meetings depend on geographically diverse audiences. Restrictions affecting entry or mobility can change attendance patterns and create uncertainty around registration revenue, sponsorship exposure and the international profile of an event. These considerations can become especially significant for scientific, medical, academic and professional associations whose communities are spread across multiple markets.
The ICCA paper also places financial viability alongside safety and participation. Sanctions, supply-chain disruption and regulatory change can affect transactions, suppliers and contractual relationships, meaning geopolitical developments can move quickly from the political sphere into event operations. As a result, risk assessment is becoming relevant not only to security teams but also to destination bidding, procurement, budgeting and contracting.
Organisers Are Building More Flexibility Into Events
The industry response is increasingly centred on flexibility. ICCA identifies relocation strategies, destination diversification, hybrid formats and stronger contractual protections among the approaches being used by associations and business events professionals to manage geopolitical uncertainty. Relocation planning can provide an alternative when circumstances make an original destination difficult to use, while diversification reduces dependence on a limited number of markets or regions. Hybrid capabilities can also provide an additional layer of continuity when physical participation becomes difficult for part of an international audience.
Contract structures are becoming another important part of that preparation. Events planned several years in advance can encounter circumstances that were difficult to anticipate when agreements were signed. Building clearer protections around disruption can therefore give associations, venues and other partners greater ability to respond without turning every geopolitical change into a commercial crisis.
The shift does not mean international associations will simply avoid destinations exposed to political uncertainty. Instead, it points toward more detailed evaluation of how destinations and suppliers identify risks, communicate changes and provide alternatives when conditions evolve.
Resilience Could Become Part Of Destination Competitiveness
For convention bureaux and destinations, the changing environment creates a new dimension to international bidding. Infrastructure remains visible and easy to compare, but resilience is more difficult to demonstrate. Destinations may increasingly need to show not only what they can deliver under normal conditions, but how their event ecosystem would respond if travel access, regulations or external conditions changed. That could place greater emphasis on coordination between convention bureaux, venues, hotels, transportation providers, government bodies and event organisers. A destination capable of providing clear information and workable alternatives during periods of uncertainty may offer associations something that cannot be measured solely through venue size or room inventory.
ICCA’s analysis also suggests that geopolitical risk management is likely to become a continuing responsibility rather than a one-time assessment during the bidding process. International meetings have long planning horizons, and conditions can change substantially between the moment a destination wins an event and the arrival of the first delegate. In that environment, the competitive advantage of a destination may increasingly depend on its capacity to remain operational, accessible and adaptable throughout the full event cycle. The global meetings market is not abandoning ambitious international events, but the questions asked before awarding them are becoming more complex.
