Cocal

What Cocal does

COCAL (Asociación de la Industria de Reuniones de América Latina) is a non-profit industry association founded on September 4, 1998 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that serves as the umbrella organization for the Latin American meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) industry. It represents more than 20,000 professionals affiliated through national associations across approximately 12 Latin American countries, including AOCA (Argentina), ABEOC Brasil, Asoeventos (Colombia), AUDOCA (Uruguay), AMPROFEC (Mexico), and APPCE (Panama), and directly enrolls companies, independent professionals, destinations, academic institutions, and university students. The organization also coordinates CONLATIR, a continental council aligning policy and knowledge exchange across these national bodies.

COCAL's core offerings are organized around four pillars: tiered association membership (student, professional, association, and academic tiers, with pricing not publicly disclosed); the annual Congreso Cocal, which rotates across Latin American countries and is scheduled for Fortaleza, Brazil on July 1-3, 2026; the Future Leaders Forum, a youth-engagement program supported by IMEX; and CONLATIR's continental coordination work. The association maintains formal alliances with global industry bodies including PCMA, IBTM World, IAPCO, and the Events Industry Council for education, certification, and standards access.

COCAL is member-funded through recurring membership dues and is governed by an elected Junta Directiva currently led by President Julio César Bojórquez Hernández for the 2026-2028 term, alongside a Secretary General, Treasurer, and VPs covering Associations, Companies, Academia, Destinations, and Professionals. The go-to-market is event-driven: recruiting members through the website (cocal.org, Spanish and Portuguese), the rotating Congreso Cocal, and the CONLATIR network of national associations. There is no proprietary technology platform, no app, and no disclosed AI/ML capability, and revenue figures are not publicly available.

Name

Cocal

Legal name

COCAL | Asociación de la Industria de Reuniones de América Latina

Website

https://cocal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COCAL is a non-profit Latin American association, founded in 1998 in Buenos Aires, that represents more than 20,000 meetings-industry professionals across 12 countries via tiered membership, the rotating annual Congreso Cocal, the Future Leaders Forum, and the CONLATIR continental council.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association / MICE Industry Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Meetings industry association
• Events industry network
• MICE industry representation
• Convention bureau services
• Professional event association

Headquarters

HQ city

Buenos Aires

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Cocal generates revenue through membership fees from national associations, companies, independent professionals, destinations, and academic institutions. The association offers different membership tiers including student membership, professional membership, association membership, and academic membership.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

COCAL is a non-profit association that serves as the umbrella organization for the Latin American meetings industry, offering tiered membership services (for national associations, companies, independent professionals, destinations, academic institutions, and students), organizing the annual Congreso Cocal conference, coordinating the CONLATIR continental council of national associations, and running the Future Leaders Forum for young professionals in the sector.

Product overview

Cocal is a non-profit association representing the Latin American meetings industry, not a traditional software product company. It operates as a unified association offering membership services, annual congresses, and professional development programs. The organization integrates national associations, companies, independent professionals, destinations, and academia under one umbrella. Key offerings include the annual Congreso Cocal, the Future Leaders Forum for young professionals, and CONLATIR, a continental council for collaboration among national associations. The association represents over 20,000 professionals affiliated through its member organizations across Latin America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cocal Membership
• Congreso Cocal
• Future Leaders Forum
• CONLATIR (Consejo Latinoamericano de Asociaciones de la Industria de Reuniones)

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• CONLATIR (Consejo Latinoamericano de Asociaciones de la Industria de Reuniones)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998CONLATIR is the continental council that brings together the most important national associations of the Latin American meetings industry. It promotes collaboration, knowledge exchange, and public policy development at the continental level. COCAL serves as the umbrella organization integrating these national associations.
• IMEX GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIMEX Group supports the Future Leaders Forum (FLF), COCAL's youth engagement initiative that connects and inspires young professionals in the Latin American meetings industry. IMEX provides backing for FLF programming and mentorship activities.
• AOCA (Argentina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOCA is one of COCAL's founding national association members from Argentina, representing event organizers and contributing to the association's governance and initiatives including diversity and inclusion programs.
• ABEOC BrasilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEOC Brasil is the Brazilian Association of Event and Fair Organizers, serving as COCAL's national representative in Brazil and contributing leadership through figures like Enid Camara.
• Asoeventos ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsoeventos is Colombia's national association for event professionals, providing leadership to COCAL through figures like Andrea Zuluaga and Santiago Barrientos.
• AUDOCA UruguaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUDOCA is the Uruguay convention bureau and a member of CONLATIR, with its president Carolina Adano serving as COCAL Treasurer (2022-2027).
• AMPROFEC MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMPROFEC is the Mexican Association of Professional Congress Organizers, with past president Julio Bojorquez having served as AMPROFEC National President for 4 years before becoming COCAL President.
• FIEXPO LatinoamericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIEXPO Exhibitions Group, led by COCAL Treasurer Carolina Adano, organizes the leading trade show for Latin America's meetings and events industry.
• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCMA is a global organization for the meetings and events industry that collaborates with COCAL on education and professional development initiatives for Latin American professionals.
• Events Industry CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Events Industry Council provides standards and certifications for the global meetings industry and works with COCAL on professional development and industry standards in Latin America.
• IBTM WorldsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBTM World is a leading global event for the meetings and incentive travel industry, collaborating with COCAL on industry initiatives and member access.
• IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAPCO is the global body for professional congress organizers that works with regional associations like COCAL on standards and best practices.
• APPCE PanamasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPPCE (Asociación Panameña de Profesionales en Congresos, Exposiciones y Afines) is the Panamanian association of congress and exhibition professionals, with VP Luis Ricardo Martínez Fajardo serving as COCAL Past President.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ASAE (American Society of Association Executives): Leading U.S. association for the association management profession, with education, credentialing (CAE), and advocacy. Comparable as a peer association serving association executives, though geographically focused on the U.S. and broader in scope beyond MICE.
• UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry): Global association of the world's leading exhibition venue operators, exhibition organisers, and industry partners. Comparable as an international trade association for the exhibitions/MICE ecosystem, though more focused on exhibitions than meetings.
• Events Industry Council: Global body representing the events industry with 30+ member organizations, providing the CMP credential and industry standards. Already a COCAL partner but comparable as an umbrella association aggregating MICE member organizations at a higher tier than Cocal's regional scope.

Regional players

• AOCA (Asociación Argentina de Organizadores y Proveedores de Exposiciones, Congresos y Eventos): Argentine national association of event organizers and suppliers, founding CONLATIR member of Cocal. Comparable in model (membership association for MICE professionals) but operates at a national rather than continental level.

Direct peers

• ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association): Global association for the international meetings industry, focused on international association meetings, with a similar member-based model spanning associations, suppliers, and destinations. Highly comparable to Cocal's continental scope and offering.
• IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers): International body for professional congress organizers that sets standards and accredits PCOs. Comparable to Cocal in mission (standards, education, representation) and already a COCAL partner; overlaps in serving the same professional organizer constituency.
• MPI (Meeting Professionals International): Global association for meeting and event professionals, offering membership, education, and chapter-based community. Directly comparable to Cocal in mission and model, but operating globally rather than regionally focused on Latin America.
• SITE (Society of Incentive & Travel Executives): Global association focused on the incentive travel and meetings industry with membership, education, and events. Comparable membership-based association model serving a partly overlapping professional community in the MICE ecosystem.
• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association): Global community for convention and business event professionals delivering education, content, and networking. Already a COCAL partner, but comparable as a peer association serving the same professional segment with similar membership and education programs.
• IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events): Association for the exhibitions and events industry offering education (CEM certification), advocacy, and networking. Comparable as a global industry association with overlapping membership base of event organizers and exhibition professionals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cocal_asoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/COCAL.LATAM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cocal-latam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cocal