Award-winning global collaboration in space through partnerships and innovation

IAC 2025 marked only the fifth time that the International Astronautical Congress would be held in the Asia-Pacific region. Historically, delegate turnout is lower when the event is hosted far from Europe or North America, creating significant financial risk. The Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), rather than a government body, carried this financial liability.

The challenge lay in uniting multiple powerful stakeholders – the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), Australian Space Agency (ASA), NSW Government, and Business Events Sydney (BESydney) – each with distinct mandates, revenue models and expectations. MCI Australia needed to ensure alignment between these organisations under a shared strategy, drive global participation, exceed industry sales targets and ensure the congress achieved a positive financial outcome. 

MCI Australia designed a structured, highly collaborative governance and delivery framework uniting all four major partners: SIAA (host), IAF (programme owner), the Australian Space Agency and NSW Government (co-hosts), with BESydney as destination partner. 

To manage risk and maintain transparency, MCI implemented multi-party governance and budget systems with clear communication flows and shared reporting. Custom analytics and regular performance updates guided collective decision-making.  

A global marketing and communications campaign extended reach across both traditional and new audiences, including space influencers, space-enabled industries and 184 targeted trade, scientific and industry associations. Innovative commercial initiatives such as MCI’s “VIP Priority Windows” and “Industry Town Halls” drove momentum, while delegate acquisition workshops empowered local ambassadors with measurable outreach goals. 

This deeply coordinated approach overcame geographic, financial and governance challenges, creating a united vision for success and positioning IAC 2025 as the most ambitious and inclusive edition in the event’s history. 

Watch the event video here.

The event attracted over 26,000 registrations from 99 countries with 86% of the 7,600+ Congress delegates being international, making it the largest international congress in Sydney in 2025 and the seventh largest non-medical association congress ever held in the city.

The campaign delivered 15.4 million paid ad impressions, 987,000 organic social views and more than 8,000 new followers across channels. More than 50 EDM campaigns achieved a 57% open rate and 7% click rate, while partnerships with 40+ space agencies and 184 associations amplified reach through influencer content and a prerecorded broadcast from the International Space Station.

Further achievements included 6,400+ abstract submissions (the second highest in IAC history), 107% of sponsorship and exhibition targets achieved, and 14 Country Pavilions from active space nations. Programme sessions celebrated indigenous space wisdom spanning 60,000 years, while the congress welcomed strong attendance from the USA (870 delegates), Japan (465), South Korea (361), China (319), Germany (304), and Italy (233), as well as representation from 40 international government space agencies.

The Public Day drew over 18,500 attendees (the largest space outreach event in Australian history) and marked LEGO as the first toy brand ever to sponsor a space congress. With 62% of abstracts presented by students and young professionals, IAC 2025 also set a new benchmark for diversity and inclusion.

Despite complex governance and stakeholder priorities, MCI ensured transparent reporting, strict budget control and strategic negotiation. The result was a record-breaking, financially successful congress that generated an estimated AUD $47 million visitor economy impact, positioning Australia as a leader in global space collaboration. 

In November 2025, the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) announced MCI Australia, in partnership with the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the Australian Space Agency (ASA), as the winners of the Collaboration Award category of the IAPCO Driving Excellence Awards for their delivery of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025, in Sydney Australia. Sissi Lignou, President of IAPCO, noted: “The IAPCO Collaboration Award recognises the highest standard of partnership. The way MCI managed and collaborated with their many partners for the prestigious IAC 2025, is a masterclass in multi-stakeholder governance, data-driven decision making and creative market engagement.”

Discover how collaboration, creativity and strategic alignment can turn your event into a global success. Contact MCI today.