IACC announces Mark Cooper will chair Events Industry Council board

IACC has announced that its CEO, Mark Cooper, has been appointed 2021 Chair of the board of the Events Industry Council (EIC). The EIC is the global voice of the business events industry on advocacy, research, professional recognition and standards. The EIC board is comprised of nominated members of the overall EIC, including more than 30 organisations in the events industry. These leaders are the governing body for the overall council with fiscal responsibility and strategic direction for all EIC programmes. Cooper has significant experience within the business events industry, having been CEO of IACC since 2012. He has also held senior posts with respected conference venue operators and global agencies, including Dolce Hotels & Resorts, Sundial Group, Conference Direct and Warwick Conferences. Cooper commented: “IACC has been a long-standing and active member of the EIC. Over the last five years attending EIC meetings at industry events like IMEX and IBTM World, I have experienced the passion of this community and saw firsthand how influential EIC can be in creating a connected business events industry. “I have always welcomed the opportunities afforded to me to be more involved in this great leadership team and community and therefore I’m excited to be leading the EIC board and to working together with a talented and experience team as we support our industry on the path to recovery and rebuilding post pandemic. “One of the key objectives for the in-coming board is to grow membership in regions where representation is yet to be realised, such as EMEA and APAC where there as a huge opportunity for EIC to implement its excellent education, certification and accreditation programmes. “As our industry returns to health, with possibly a new identity and features, I hope I can help in some way, with positioning EIC as the global voice for the industry, protecting all that serve in it and influencing all who can contribute to it.”