Four Asia-Pacific chambers compete to host the 10th World Chambers Congress

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chambers Federation (WCF) General Council, the deciding body for selecting the Congress host country, gathered on 17 October in Tokyo to hear presentations from four competing chamber delegations: China Chamber of International Commerce (Yiwu), the Indian Chamber of Commerce (Kolkata), the Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Manila), and the Sydney Business Chamber (Sydney).

Vincenzo Illote, President of the Torino Chamber of Commerce, city host of next year’s edition of the Congress, said: “Hosting the World Chambers Congress is a great privilege for chambers of commerce that are members of ICC WCF’s international network. The event is a unique forum for chamber leaders and their business members to share valuable know-how, explore future development opportunities and debate global trends affecting their local business communities.

“We congratulate the four competing chambers for the 2017 edition for making it this far in the selection process and look forward to seeing them in 2015 in our city, Torino, for the next edition of the event.”

While reviewing applications, WCF council members assess each bid on a wide range of criteria including chamber strength, relationship to ICC WCF, experience in hosting international events, programme proposals, budget, infrastructure, and event logistics. Following a thorough review of each candidate’s presentation, the successful chamber will be announced at the end of November 2014.

“There is no losing city. All four chambers have delivered impressive live presentations that showcased each country’s potential for business and how their regional culture meets innovation. The decision is not easy as only one of the four candidates will be chosen to welcome the biggest international gathering of chamber leaders in 2017,” said Peter Mihok, Chairman of the ICC World Chambers Federation.

Organized by the ICC WCF, the World Chambers Congress is set to return to the Asia-Pacific region following a successful 2009 edition in Kuala Lumpur.

The 9th World Chambers Congress will take place in Torino, Italy from 10-12 June under the theme ‘Community, Identity, Vision’. More than 1,600 chamber delegates from 120 countries are expected to attend the event.

Learn more about the ICC WCF World Chambers Congress.

Follow the 9th World Chambers Congress on Twitter @worldchambers and via the hashtag #9WCC.