What’s New This September
Welcome to our September round-up at BestCities Global Alliance, where we spotlight the latest achievements and activities from across our global network. This edition features updates on the Incredible Impacts Programme and our team's recent appearances at ASAE and IMEX America, alongside a packed month of conferences, cultural moments, and destination news from across our partner cities.
Dive in to stay informed and inspired.
Association Focus: Important News and Events
IHPBA Wins Incredible Impacts Programme Seed Fund Grant, Finalists Announced for Main Grant
BestCities Global Alliance and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) are celebrating the International Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association as this year’s Incredible Impacts Programme Seed Fund Grant winner. The association will put the grant toward a new Legacy Project tackling disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma care across Asia-Pacific, building on its upcoming 2026 World Congress in Singapore.
Three finalists have also been named for this year’s Main Grant, with winners revealed at the ICCA Congress in November:
Autism Europe Congress 2025, held in Dublin, set a new standard for autism-affirming event design and inclusive employment practices.
International Social Housing Festival 2025, held in Dublin, put tenants’ lived experiences at the heart of housing policy through a replicable toolkit.
WindEurope Annual Event 2025, held in Copenhagen, tackled the sector’s growing STEM skills gap through hands-on learning initiatives.
BestCities Global Forum 2027: Programme Preview
The programme for the 2027 BestCities Global Forum in Cape Town is taking shape, and it’s shaping up to be a rich one. Here’s a look at what’s confirmed so far:
Anita Mendiratta, a global advisor to Heads of State and Fortune 500 leaders, opens the Forum with a keynote on navigating leadership through crisis.
Richard Perez, founding director of the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at the University of Cape Town, leads a session exploring where design thinking meets Ubuntu, and what that means for associations operating across cultures.
Karina Lance, of Dubai Business Events (one of our partner cities) moderates a panel on building shared organisational culture across borders.
Lorne Sulcas, a former game ranger known as “The Big Cat Guy,” brings an inspirational session translating lessons from tracking Africa’s big cats into leadership and resilience.
Delegates will also spend a full day exploring Stellenbosch, with wine estate visits and a City Café session rounding out the destination experience.
What Does an Association Event Really Leave Behind?
Most associations can tell you exactly what their annual event cost. Far fewer can tell you what it actually changed, for the profession, for members’ careers, for the destinations that hosted it.
BestCities Global Alliance is partnering with association specialist Belinda Moore on global research digging into that question, and we want to hear from you, even if long-term impact isn’t something you’ve measured yet.
Share your perspective in a 10-minute survey, with findings feeding into the conversation at ICCA Congress in Panama this November.
For more on why we’re asking, read Belinda Moore’s reflection on event legacy.
Head Office Highlights: What’s Happening at BestCities Global Alliance
BestCities at ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition
BestCities Global Alliance drew a full house at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis this August.
Loren Christie moderated “A Global Perspective on Inclusion as a Core Element of International Meetings,” bringing together Magdalena Nowicka Mook of the International Coaching Federation, Karina Lance of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Alison Best of Destination Vancouver, and Gregory Yap of the Singapore Tourism Board.
Together, the panel unpacked how inclusive event design looks different depending on where in the world you’re hosting, from regional cultural norms to accessibility standards, offering the room practical perspective rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
BestCities Returns to IMEX America Smart Monday, 12 October
BestCities Global Alliance is heading back to IMEX America this October, bringing the same topic on inclusive event design to Smart Monday with a fresh line-up of destination voices.
Building on the momentum from Indianapolis, this session promises new perspectives from different corners of our network. Full details on speakers and timing will be announced shortly, so keep an eye out.
City Buzz: What’s Happening in BestCities Destinations
Madrid
Back-to-Back Scientific Conferences, 23–30 September
Madrid hosts back-to-back medical and scientific conferences this September, with the 34th Annual Meeting of the European Orthopaedic Research Society running from 23 to 25 September, expecting 600 delegates, followed by the International Conference on Computing in Cardiology from 27 to 30 September, with 500 delegates anticipated.
MCB Promotional Activities, 12–26 September
Madrid Convention Bureau resumes its international promotional push this September, taking part in PCMA Convening Leaders EMEA in Lisbon from 13 to 15 September and Spain Convention Bureau’s Inverse Days for the French market in Santiago de Compostela from 24 to 26 September.
MCB will also run its annual fam trip for the Chinese market from 12 to 15 September and host the second edition of the Madrid Agency Forum from 20 to 23 September, welcoming around twenty Latin American agencies for an experiential programme designed to showcase Madrid through all five senses.
New DEI Guide Launch, 21 September
Madrid Convention Bureau launches its new DEI guide on 21 September, available in both English and Spanish. The guide builds on MCB’s public commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, offering local companies a shared framework of principles and actions to help create MICE environments where everyone can participate fully and safely, regardless of origin, ability, identity, or circumstance.
More Madrid Events in September
Madrid’s calendar is also packed with major cultural and sporting moments this September.
After more than 40 years away, Formula 1 returns to the city with the Spanish Grand Prix on the newly designed MADRING circuit, from 11 to 13 September.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid follows from 14 to 19 September, marking its 40th edition with a new opening show at the Sabatini Gardens.
Rounding out the month, Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour kicks off in Madrid on 18 September, with 12 concert dates over four weeks.
Tokyo
Tokyo Locks In International Conferences Through 2029
Tokyo has secured a string of major international conferences, each expected to draw more than 1,000 participants across sectors including healthcare, technology, transportation, and medical sciences. Several of these events have previously been hosted in fellow BestCities Global Alliance destinations.
International Gynecologic Cancer Society Annual Global Meeting, 4–6 November 2027: Around 4,000 delegates, including 1,500 international participants, will gather at the Tokyo International Forum. The event was previously held in Dublin in 2024 and Cape Town in 2025.
51st International Conference on Software Engineering, 22–28 April 2029: Jointly organised by the IEEE Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery, this event at the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba expects around 2,000 delegates, including 1,500 international participants. It was previously held in Melbourne in 2023.
Asian Pacific Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand Meeting, 1–4 September 2029: The Keio Plaza Hotel will welcome approximately 1,100 delegates, including 600 international participants, for this event, previously held in Singapore in 2023.
Berlin
FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, 4–13 September
Berlin will host the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup this September, the tournament’s first return to Germany since 1998. Sixteen of the world’s top teams, including host nation Germany, the United States, Australia, Belgium, and Nigeria, will compete across the Berlin Arena and Max-Schmeling-Halle, with the final weekend taking place on 12 and 13 September.
Melbourne
RoboCup and RoboCup Symposium 2028
Melbourne has secured RoboCup and the RoboCup Symposium for 2028, bringing the world’s largest robotics and artificial intelligence competition to the city.
Melbourne Convention Bureau worked alongside the RoboCup Federation, RMIT University, and RoboCup Junior Australia to win the bid, with backing from the Victorian Government and Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund.
Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event is expected to draw up to 3,000 delegates and 15,000 spectators, generating an estimated economic impact of over 14 million dollars.
Read the full announcement on Melbourne securing the world’s largest robotics competition.
IEEE Convene, Hanoi
Melbourne’s Australian team attended IEEE Convene in Hanoi, connecting with industry leaders, partners, and innovators from across the region to exchange ideas on the future of technology and innovation.
Melbourne Featured in Travel Turtle Magazine
Melbourne Convention Bureau and its partners recently caught up with Travel Turtle Magazine to highlight the diverse experiences, venues, and event infrastructure that make Melbourne and Victoria a leading destination for conferences, corporate meetings, and incentive travel.
The feature includes perspectives from MCB, Crown Melbourne, Chadstone, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Phillip Island Nature Parks, and MCG Events on creating memorable delegate and incentive experiences.
Diabetes Australia Congress
Melbourne was proud to host the Diabetes Australia Congress, bringing together leading experts, researchers, innovators, and advocates to advance conversations around diabetes prevention, management, and support. The Congress reinforced Melbourne’s position as a leading destination for international medical and scientific meetings, where global communities come together to create lasting impact.
Washington, DC
Meetings Capitalized: A New Approach from Destination DC
Destination DC has introduced Meetings Capitalized, a new approach helping meeting planners tap into the people, institutions, and ideas that set Washington, DC apart.
Building on its debut at IMEX Frankfurt, the initiative offers plug-and-play programming built around the city’s concentration of intellectual, civic, and cultural assets, including the Smithsonian Institution, associations, universities, think tanks, and policy organisations, designed to bring meetings to life through direct engagement with the experts shaping national and global conversations.
Destination DC will fully launch the initiative at its press conference during IMEX America on Tuesday, 13 October at 1:00 p.m., held at the IMEX America Press Center on the Show Floor (Bayside D, South Convention Center, Level 1, Mandalay Bay), but planners can already explore what Meetings Capitalized offers.
Dublin
42nd ISQua International Conference, 27–30 September
Dublin will host the 42nd ISQua International Conference this September, bringing healthcare leaders, researchers, and policymakers from around the world to the Convention Centre Dublin to discuss quality and safety in healthcare. Full details are available on the ISQua Dublin 2026 conference page.
China Eastern Airlines Launches Dublin-Shanghai Route
Dublin Airport has celebrated the launch of China Eastern Airlines’ new non-stop service between Dublin and Shanghai, marking Ireland’s first direct connection to China’s largest city. Operating three times weekly, the route strengthens Dublin’s connectivity with Asia and improves accessibility for international conference delegates travelling from key business and tourism markets.
More details are available on Dublin Airport’s announcement of the new route.
Guadalajara
Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026
Guadalajara will host Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 for the first time, one of the region’s most prestigious gastronomic events.
Taking place on 1 December, the awards ceremony will bring together leading chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary talent from across Latin America.
Copa Cronos 2027
Guadalajara will host Copa Cronos 2027, an international youth football tournament bringing together emerging talent, competitive teams, and players from different regions and countries.
Beyond competition, the tournament offers young athletes talent development, cultural exchange, and international exposure, with a professional format and comprehensive logistical support creating an experience that extends beyond the pitch for players, teams, and families.
Details on Copa Cronos’ 2027 tournament format are available on the organiser’s site.
Singapore
Singapore Clinches Best MICE Destination (Asia) for Seventh Consecutive Year
Singapore has been named Best MICE Destination (Asia) at the M&C Asia Stella Awards 2026, marking the seventh consecutive year the city-state has claimed the title. Organised by Meetings & Conventions Asia, the awards recognise the region’s leading MICE destinations, venues, and organisations across 28 categories, with winners determined by industry peer voting.
Four local players also took home honours this year:
- Marina Bay Sands’ Expo & Convention Centre was named Best Convention Centre (Asia).
- Resorts World Sentosa and Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore each won Best Sustainability Initiative in their respective categories.
- Pan Pacific Singapore rounded out the sweep with Best Meetings Hotel (Singapore).
Disney’s D23 Makes Asian Debut in Singapore in 2027
Disney’s iconic D23 convention is heading to Singapore for the first time, with D23 Asia set to take place at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre from 25 to 27 June 2027.
The event marks D23’s first appearance in Asia, joining a legacy of fan events previously anchored in Anaheim. Attendees can look forward to sneak peeks of upcoming Disney projects, meet-and-greets with stars and directors, interactive experiences, and exclusive merchandise, with organisers promising an event that captures the scale and fan-first spirit of D23 while offering a distinctly Asian flavour.
Dubai
DWTC Announces Diverse Events Calendar Across Two Venues Through Year-End 2026
Dubai World Trade Centre has announced a wide-ranging calendar of exhibitions, conferences, and business events running from August through December, spanning both DWTC and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai. The expanded venue capacity gives organisers greater scale and flexibility, with a diverse events calendar spanning priority sectors including tourism, technology, sustainability, healthcare, food and beverage, energy, construction, automotive, education, and consumer goods.
Emirates Introduces Five Measures to Help Customers Travel with Greater Confidence
Emirates has introduced a package of measures giving customers greater flexibility when travelling to or via Dubai. The added booking flexibility and travel protection reduce planning risk for international delegates and business travellers heading to the city.
Uber and Dubai Airports Open Dedicated Passenger Lounge at DXB
Uber and Dubai Airports have opened a dedicated rider waiting lounge at Dubai International Terminal 3, located beside the primary Uber and Careem pickup area. The air-conditioned space offers air purification, luggage-friendly seating, work tables, multiple charging points, and an organised UberX and Careem Comfort queue using PIN dispatch, supporting a smoother, climate-controlled transfer experience for business travellers and event delegates.
Dubai Ranks First Globally for Cultural and Creative Industries FDI for Fourth Consecutive Year
Dubai has ranked first globally for new Greenfield foreign direct investment projects in the cultural and creative industries for the fourth consecutive year, according to 2025 Financial Times fDi Markets data. The emirate attracted 754 projects, generating 19,304 new jobs and 3.756 billion US dollars in FDI capital inflows, outpacing London, Singapore, Riyadh, and Bengaluru.
Houston
Houston First Hosts Destination Strategies & Insights
Houston First recently brought together members of the local hospitality community for Destination Strategies & Insights, a discussion covering current market trends, Houston’s national rankings, updates on the GRB South Expansion, and insights for the year ahead.
Watch the video below for an inside look.
Houston’s Visitor Economy Shows Strong Growth
Houston’s visitor economy generated a total economic impact of 26.8 billion US dollars across the metropolitan area in 2025, with global tourism investment surpassing 1 trillion dollars. The city’s hotels also showed solid rates and demand through July, reinforcing momentum highlighted in Houston First’s 2026 data on key hospitality trends.
About the author
Marlieke Kemp-Janssen
Marlieke Kemp-Janssen has over 15 years of experience in the international hotel industry, specialising in digital marketing, eCommerce, and communications. She has held leadership roles in luxury-branded hotels, where she developed and executed successful online strategies. Now based in Kuala Lumpur, Marlieke is the online marketing project manager for BestCities Global Alliance. She manages the alliance’s LinkedIn presence, website content, and monthly round-ups, along with other digital projects that support global engagement and visibility.