ICCA has elected Christoph Tessmar, director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau, as its new president. The announcement was made at the association’s General Assembly during the 2026 ICCA Congress in Panama City.
Tessmar will now lead the association into its next phase of development.
Dr Senthil Gopinath, ICCA CEO, welcomed the appointment, highlighting the importance of leadership, collective ambition and the opportunities ahead for the association.
“ICCA’s strength has always come from the people who make up our global community and the connections we create across borders, sectors and perspectives. I am delighted to welcome Christoph as our new president at such an important moment for our association and our industry. Together, we have an opportunity to build on the progress we have made, strengthen ICCA’s position as the global leader in advocacy for the business events industry, and demonstrate even more clearly the value international association meetings bring to economies, communities and society. I look forward to working closely with Christoph and our Board as we turn our shared ambition into meaningful impact for our members and the wider industry.”
The appointment comes as the 2026 ICCA Congress brings the international business events community to Panama under the theme, ‘CrossWorlds: The Crossings We Bring, The Crossings We Choose’. The idea is to reflect ICCA’s wider ambition to create opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond traditional industry boundaries.
