Final Call for Abstracts: ICCA Congress 2026 Special Research Stream | Panama City, 8–11 November 2026
July 25, 2026
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) invites researchers, academics, students, and industry professionals to a Special Research Stream at the ICCA Congress 2026, held in Panama City, Panama, from 8 to 11 November 2026. The stream's theme is "Emerging Perspectives: Rethinking Value, Legacy, and Knowledge in Convention Tourism and Events", and it is chaired by Prof Nellie Swart of the University of South Africa (UNISA).
The convention and business events sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Pressures related to sustainability, destination carrying capacity, labour conditions, digital platform power, geopolitical fragmentation, and changing professional expectations are challenging long-standing assumptions about growth, value creation, and legacy. Delivered through the ICCAUni initiative, the stream provides a dedicated forum for academics, students, and industry-engaged researchers to exchange and critically examine emerging perspectives, to challenge dominant narratives, and to develop new theoretical, empirical, and methodological insights relevant to both academia and the global association meetings community. Collaborative papers between academics and industry practitioners are especially encouraged.
Topics of interest
The stream welcomes conceptual, empirical, and methodological research, critical case studies, and poster presentations on the following topics, and on related themes.
Topics of interest
Both theoretical and applied contributions are encouraged, including critical perspectives.
- · Event fatigue among residents and repeat attendees
- · Over-eventisation and diminishing returns of recurring conventions
- · Destination carrying capacity, crowding, and quality of life
- · Political economy of convention bidding and hosting
- · Deglobalisation and the regionalisation of business events
- · Intellectual, professional, and knowledge legacies of conventions
- · Informal, pop-up, and unbranded events
- · The dark human side of event tourism
- · AI in events: algorithmic gatekeeping, platform power, and bias
- · Post-growth and degrowth perspectives in event tourism
- · Intergenerational dynamics in convention attendance
- · Academic-industry partnerships in convention and event tourism
- · Education, skills, and professional pathways in the sector
- · Academic and industry careers: closing skills and expectation gaps
Submission and key dates
Abstracts must not exceed 400 words and should clearly outline the purpose, methodology, and contribution of the proposed paper. Accepted abstracts are invited to submit a full paper, in the form of an extended abstract of either 1,000 or 2,000 words. Accepted formats are full papers, research notes, and poster presentations. All submissions are sent by email to education@iccaworld.org. At least one presenter must register for the ICCA Congress 2026; registration is administered separately by ICCA, and acceptance of an abstract does not constitute registration.
Key dates
The abstract deadline has been extended. Abstracts run to a maximum of 400 words.
- Abstract deadline21 August 2026 (extended)
- Full paper invitedBy 31 August 2026 (1,000 or 2,000 words)
- Reviewer feedback30 September 2026
- Final paper30 October 2026
- Congress dates8–11 November 2026, Panama City, Panama
Abstracts are submitted to education@iccaworld.org. Enquiries about the research stream can be directed to the Research Stream Chair, Prof Nellie Swart, at swartmp@unisa.ac.za.
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