I can confidently say that IASEAI is seriously exploring Swapcard for the 2026 iteration. Regarding policymakers attending, this is a fair criticism, but one that’s just much more difficult to achieve in practice. Specifically for 2025, funding for the February event wasn’t even secured until late 2024; senior officials often have calendars booked months in advance, so I’m not surprised there was a lack of policymakers in attendance given the relative short notice + competing events happening in Paris that week + this being a brand new event. I expect this will improve somewhat organically over time as IASEAI builds brand credibility.
I can confidently say that IASEAI is seriously exploring Swapcard for the 2026 iteration. Regarding policymakers attending, this is a fair criticism, but one that’s just much more difficult to achieve in practice. Specifically for 2025, funding for the February event wasn’t even secured until late 2024; senior officials often have calendars booked months in advance, so I’m not surprised there was a lack of policymakers in attendance given the relative short notice + competing events happening in Paris that week + this being a brand new event. I expect this will improve somewhat organically over time as IASEAI builds brand credibility.
Thanks for providing additional context! Really excited about this event series going forward!