ICCA names The Hague as finalist of prestigious Best Marketing Award

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) revealed that The Hague Convention Bureau (THCB) is in the finals for the renowned ICCA Best Marketing Award. THCB is nominated for its efforts to strengthen The Hague’s position as the Cyber Security Capital of Europe. The winner will be announced during the 57th ICCA Congress next month.

As the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) issued in a statement yesterday, the three organisations shortlisted for this years’ Best Marketing Award are Visit Scotland Business Events, Serbia Convention Bureau and The Hague Convention Bureau.

THCB submitted its case on affirming and strengthening The Hague’s position as the Cyber Security Capital of Europe by initiating the International Cyber Security Week (CSW). In collaboration with The Hague Security Delta (HSD), the municipality of The Hague and the Innovation Quarter, THCB organised a week-long festival on cyber security. The event was organised with the participation of more than 100 city partners.

Nienke van der Malen, Director The Hague Convention Bureau clarifies, “The Hague has created a strong legacy in clusters like Peace & Justice and Legal & Finance, but it is less known as one of the world leaders in the field of security.” “The Hague is home to the biggest Security Delta in Europe and we are keen to raise awareness for this. That’s why we came up with the idea to schedule all security-related events in the same week to maximise their impact”, she explains.

Between 25-29 September 2017, 81 events were organised in The Hague which were joined by 4324 delegates from 70 countries. Van der Malen continues, “since thousands of delegates only had to travel once instead of multiple times, the Cyber Security Week was a massive achievement from a sustainability point of view as well.” The ICCA Best Marketing Award, established in 1997, recognises the excellence and outstanding achievements of organisations in their effort to market their destination or product. Entries can range from full-scale campaigns and branding exercises to individual promotions and events.

“We are very excited about reaching the finals of the ICCA Best Marketing Award and that our efforts, as well as the great collaboration of everyone involved, has been recognised. Winning this amazing award would really mean a lot to us”, concludes van der Malen.

Chairman of the judging panel, Patrick Delaney of SoolNua, states, “we were very impressed by this year’s entries, and were particularly excited to discover the innovative ways our finalists are linking destination marketing to their local intellectual capital. They all have a clear focus on the legacy and beyond-tourism aspect of their meetings. We are very much looking forward to their presentations at the ICCA Congress!”

All finalists will present their case at the 57th ICCA Congress on 11 – 14 November 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The winner is chosen by judges and delegates on a 50/50 basis and will be announced during the closing session on Wednesday 14 November 2018.

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