“Meeting Escrow uses ICCA to highlight vital importance of client deposit protection for International Association Meetings”

Canada-based Meeting Escrow has joined ICCA, the globally-recognised leading organisation in the International Association Meetings sector, to ensure that its unique meetings deposit protection product is not restricted to the corporate meetings market, but becomes widely adopted throughout the association world.  ICCA membership and access to its database and communication channels will enable Meeting Escrow to reach venues, PCOs, destination marketing organisations (often the first-approached knowledge source for international clients), and the international associations themselves, in all regions of the world.

Martin Sirk, ICCA CEO said: “We’re delighted to welcome Meeting Escrow into the ICCA community, and I believe their innovative financial service will be enthusiastically welcomed by suppliers, intermediaries such as PCOs, and associations alike, and will help to manage financial risk, differentiate quality companies, and encourage transparency throughout the association meetings sector.  We want ICCA to become the must-use platform for any business interaction or knowledge exchange relating to international association meetings, so a service promising guaranteed financial protection, especially during these times of economic uncertainty, is a valuable addition to the many other offerings that we make available to ICCA members and international associations.”

Meeting Escrow (www.meetingescrow.com) was founded by Grant Snider in early 2015 to bridge the “trust gap” in an unregulated marketplace between buyers and sellers of Meetings Industry services. Both parties sign an escrow contract with Meeting Escrow for the total amount to be protected. Funds are wire transferred by the buyer directly to a distinct, uniquely identified Meeting Escrow bank account to the benefit of the supplier-partner and then the individual deposit payments are wire transferred out per the deposit payment schedule in the contract. Client funds are secure and fully protected and supplier-partners are paid on time. In addition, deposits can be held in US dollars, Euros, Canadian dollars and 17 other foreign currencies, thereby shielding associations from currency fluctuations.

Grant Snider, Founder and President of Meeting Escrow said: “I’m proud to be part of the ICCA community and look forward to helping international Associations, PCOs and DMOs do business with each other in a way that protects everyone’s interests. Meeting Escrow is the missing piece in the complex jigsaw representing how Associations do business with a vast array of supplier-partners. With Meeting Escrow, clients can rest assured that their deposits are safe and secure. Supplier partners, likewise, can see that funds have been collected on their behalf. It’s a true win | win”.

Grant Snider brings lifelong Meetings Industry experience and an indisputable reputation as a person of integrity and trust to Meeting Escrow. Following an early career in the hotel industry, Snider moved to the destination services sector eventually becoming co-owner of JPdL, Canada’s largest DMC. He sold his stake in the company in 2014. Over the years he has served in a variety of leadership positions in meetings industry associations such as ADMEI, SITE and FICP. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada.