On Tuesday, March 12th, the third Extraordinary General Assembly of the International Padel Cluster was held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) - the venue that will host the first edition of the Padel World Summit (PWS). The assembly was attended by over 100 industry professionals, including members and guests.
The opening of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the International Padel Cluster was conducted by IPC President, Jorge Gómez de la Vega, who welcomed all attendees and expressed gratitude for their presence at the event.
Following Gómez de la Vega's remarks, Cluster Secretary General/Treasurer, Alex Pardo, presented the cluster's representativity data and introduced the 2023 annual accounts as well as the 2024 budget. Then, IPC Technical Secretary/Coordinator, Jaume Ferrer, reviewed the achievements of 2023 and the actions undertaken such as lobbying, discussed the cluster's internationalization and website updates, outlined the services offered by the Cluster, and emphasized the creation of sector databases to enhance market studies.
Subsequently, Mireia Álvarez, responsible for International Relations at the Cluster, discussed the cluster's international growth - now with members from over 20 countries - its presence at major industry fairs and events, and introduced the new Ambassadors project aimed at having a cluster representative, a paddle specialist, to assist members in their internationalization efforts. Later, Jorge Caña, Second Vice President and Head of the Facilities Area of IPC, updated on the status of the UNE Paddle Court Standard, which has already been published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), and discussed the next steps, including the promotion of a European UNE-EN Standard or an ISO/IEC International Standard.
Following this, Francisco Manuel de la Torre, Mayor of Málaga, and Gema del Corral, Territorial Delegate of Tourism, Culture, and Sports in Málaga from the Andalusian Regional Government, officially presented the Padel World Summit, which will take place in the Andalusian city on May 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2024. Both political representatives emphasized the importance of the sport-tourism combination, highlighting its benefits to society. In line with this, and before the break, Andrés de la Dehesa, President of AFYDAD, also emphasized the rise of sports tourism in Spain, a fact demonstrated in the last edition of FITUR Sports.
In the second part of the Assembly, Daniel Ramos, Project Manager of Firamunich, provided details on the upcoming edition of ISPO Padel Village at ISPO Munich, while Luigi Spera, Managing Director of Padel Trend Expo, did the same for the fair to be held in Milan in 2025.
After opening the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the International Padel Cluster, Jorge Gómez de la Vega took the floor again to announce that the IPC General Elections will be held in June 2024, where any eligible member can submit their candidacy.
Following this announcement, Alex Ponseti, Managing Director of the Padel World Summit, explained the current status of this event organized by the Cluster, and reviewed the progress of each of the five areas comprising the PWS: World Congress, B2B Expo, Investor Forum, Speaker Corner, and Job Center. The event concluded with the presentation of a 3D render showcasing the Padel World Summit and all its spaces.
After a round of questions and answers, Inmaculada Moya, Director of FYCMA Events Area, conducted a guided tour of the facilities that will host the Padel World Summit. To conclude the day, a finger lunch was held for networking, allowing attendees to share their impressions and foster synergies.
ENGLISH 
ESPAÑOL