IAPC 58th WORLD CONFERENCE
9-12 November, 2025 | Punta Cana
Leading political consultants, pollsters, analysts and public affairs experts coming from different countries compared and contrasted issues that influence politics and democracy in their region.
THE CONFERENCE VENUE
The Westin Puntacana Resort is part of the 15,000-acre Puntacana Resort and Club, which boasts 3 miles of white-sand beaches. Nearby are two championship golf courses, a range of water activities, a shopping village and world-class restaurants.
THE GALA DINNER VENUE
Situated in the pristine surroundings of Punta Cana, our premier destination stands as the model of a Caribbean golf and beach resort. Expanding over 15,000 acres, this exceptional retreat features a pristine spa, two championship golf courses, an Ecological Reserve with 15 natural springs, and a comprehensive marina.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
2025 Theme: Politics on Fire
Keynote Speaker: President, Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader
Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona is the current president of the Dominican Republic, known for his decisive leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his focus on economic revitalization and anti-corruption initiatives.
In 2015, Abinader emerged as the presidential candidate for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and quickly established himself as a formidable political force. Despite the challenges of running against an incumbent government, he secured over 35 percent of the votes in the 2016 election. His perseverance paid off in 2020 when he was elected president. Under his administration, the Dominican Republic received international acclaim for its recovery efforts in tourism overall economic management and significant contribution to democracy in his country and the region.
A leading figure in international politics, his diplomatic efforts insisted in various international forums on the need for intervention by the international community to bring peace to Haiti, until the United Nations Security Council recently approved a resolution to intervene to eliminate the criminal gangs operating in that country.
In 2023, Abinader announced his re-election bid and won the PRM primaries with over 90 percent of the vote. On May 19, 2024, he was re-elected with more than 57 percent of the presidential vote and obtaining for his party and allies a more than qualified majority in both chambers of the national congress. However, despite being able to do otherwise, President Abinader used his majorities to strengthen democracy in his country, making the judiciary independent and limiting the exercise of power to only two consecutive terms, starting with himself.
President Abinader studied economics at the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo and pursued postgraduate studies in project management, corporate finance, and advanced management at institutions like Harvard University and Dartmouth College.
Keynote Speaker: Vice President, Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña
Raquel Peña was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on September 10, 1966. She studied Business Administration at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, as well as Education, Business, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. In 2002, she received a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) with a double degree from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada.
She began her working life at a young age in the family business, rotating through all areas. As a professional, she assumed the responsibilities of general manager in her family's commercial and tobacco companies.
Without leaving her business role, in 2000 she formally began her other vocation, parallel to business: education, as a professor at PUCMM at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She also joined the administrative area as director of the Business Administration program and director of the International Center for Innovation in Technology and Administration (CITAM), in addition to founding the PUCMM-Emprende center. Between 2015 and 2020, she served as Vice-Rector of Administration and Finance at this university.
On March 10, 2020, Luis Abinader, presidential candidate for the opposition PRM party, announced on national television that Peña had been chosen as his running mate[] to run for the presidency of the Dominican Republic. [
As Vice President of the Republic, on behalf of the president, she has led various areas of government management with recognition from all sectors for her ability and good performance, such as the Health Cabinet, which she currently heads, where she demonstrated her ability in managing vaccination during the Covid pandemic.
Keynote Speaker: Former President of Ecuador
Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt
President Mahuad Witt (born July 29, 1949) is an Ecuadorian lawyer, academic, and former politician who served as the 41st president of Ecuador. Previously, he was the 17th mayor of Quito between 1992 and 1998.
Born in Loja, Ecuador, of German and Lebanese descent, Mahuad studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and later graduated with a law degree from Harvard University, where he is now a professor emeritus.
Mahuad entered politics in 1988 when he ran unsuccessfully for the first time in a presidential election. Later, in 1992, he became mayor of Quito, where he carried out important government management that led him to run again in the 1998 presidential elections, defeating Alvaro Noboa, father of the current president.
Conference Chair: Mauricio De Vengoechea
Former president of IAPC, Mauricio De Vengoechea runs his own company, Devengoechea & Partners, with 18 senior consultants specializing in research, strategy, innovation, crisis management, digital communication, and politics.
Since 1982, he has advised 23 presidential candidates and more than 300 candidates for senators, deputies, governors, and mayors in 16 countries. De Vengoechea was the strategist for the first presidential elections in the Americas held during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Dominican Republic, and since then, he has been the main advisor to President Luis Abinader.
He has been a government strategist advising on several of the most important political crises in Latin America, which have been successfully overcome.
Visiting professor at prestigious universities in Spain and Latin America, he is the author of the books “7 herramientas para apagar una crisis de gobierno” and “33 Recetas de poder.” Also a regular analyst for CNN and NTN24, among others. He has been awarded more than 30 international prizes and is a member of the Latin American version of the Campaign and Election Hall of Fame.
Carlos Fara, IAPC President, Argentina (Moderator)
Francisco “Paco” Abundis, Parametría, Associate Director, Mexico
Hugo Haime, Hugo Haime & Associates, President, Argentina
Daniel Ivoskus, Cumbre Mundial, President, Argentina
IAPC President Carlos Fara of Argentina moderates a panel discussing the changing political sphere in the Latin American region with leading experts Paco Abundis of Mexico, Hugo Haime of Argentina, and Daniel Ivoskus of Argentina. All panelists have extensive experience across the region.
Case Study: 2024 UK General Election: Changing the Political Landscape
Dr. Spencer Pitfield OBE, SPL Strategies, Founder and Director, UK
Dr. Pitfield will present a case study explaining how Populism and Reform UK changed the political landscape in the 2024 UK General Election.
Panel: Politics in the Age of AI
Dr. Pedro Valle Javier, Partner, 303.Digital (Moderator)
Lauren Devoll, Head of Growth, Numinar, United States
Connor Masterson, Powers Interactive, VP of AI & Automation, USA
Travis Worl, Voter Phones / BobbAi, Founder / President, USA
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Conference Registration includes:
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Welcome Reception at the Westin Outdoor Pool
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3 day seminar attendance at the Westin Punta Cana Resort
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Breakfasts (for Westin hotel guests)
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Coffee breaks
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Lunches
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Gala dinner at the Punta Cana Clubhouse
CONFERENCE RATES
*Members, log-in to access your 30% discount. The discount will show at checkout.* Not a member? Click here and join today for USD $250.
IAPC Member
$769.30 USD
Non-Member
$1099.00 USD
Member's Spouse/Guest
Includes evening events. Does not include attendance at conference sessions or lunches.
$489.30 USD
Student/Faculty Member
Includes lunches and conference access. Does not include evening events, social events, or Gala Dinner.
$199.00 USD
Non-Member's Spouse/Guest
Includes evening events. Does not include attendance at conference sessions or lunches.
$699.00 USD
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