About us

ICMA, the International Classified Marketplace Association, is an international non profit-making trade organisation that represents the global players in the international classified industry. ICMA is dedicated to promoting excellence through co-operation and networking, market leadership, and innovation and information-exchange at every level amongst its growing membership.

One of the biggest benefits to membership is participating in the conferences. Attendance means you’re plugged in to the worldwide network of publishers, many of whom are dealing with the same issues you are tackling every day. At the meetings, you can discuss these challenges with your fellow delegates and then build relationships certain to benefit your business, especially in these challenging times.

In addition to our conferences, we make it a priority to update you on relevant industry information through our e-newsletters and blog posts. Our members also have the opportunity to share product info, press releases, and general best practices with our database of members and non-members.

About ICMA

History

In 1986 a small group of visionary free-ads paper publishers founded a trade association, FAPIA (Free Ads Papers International Association), dedicated to the sharing of information and creative ideas to benefit the classified media publishers and their companies. This visionary group decided to extend their ground-breaking business model to the international sphere, and developed an advanced electronic system to offer international advertising services to their local readers, in the beginning, entirely free of charge.

It was a revolutionary concept: “I’ll publish ads from your customers if you publish mine.” From this basis of friendly cooperation, a brilliant international advertising service was established in December 1986 and is hosted on a new web-based platform called PHOENIX.

FAPIA offered its members the opportunity to provide their readers with a service to place, electronically, classified private and commercial ads worldwide, and to work together to help each other do better business.

A large number of major classified paper publishers from all continents of the world joined this dynamic association. The Association has developed far beyond its initial ad-exchanging remit and has evolved into a networking hub which holds conferences, meetings and workshops, conducts bench-marking studies, and acts as a significant resource of classified media expertise.

In January 2002, the members voted to open up the Association to accept other types of classified advertising publishers rather than just traditional free ads papers. This includes online classified sites, online marketplaces, niche publications… any kind of legal entity publishing at least one periodical whose main purpose is primarily and predominantly to provide classified advertising.

In April 2003, this was underlined by the change of the name of the Association to ICMA – International Classified Media Association, which celebrated its 20th anniversary at the General Meeting in Munich in November 2006.

ICMA was then further rebranded to include online marketplaces and got the name it has today: International Classifieds Marketplace Association.

At the Amsterdam November 2007 conference the dedicated “Sharing Best Practice” session was implemented and has expanded to cover Sales and Technology along with the ever popular Business Leaders session. Sharing Best Practice dedicated sessions are continuously the highest rated of the conferences, allowing members to benchmark themselves directly with their competition in a relaxed and open environment which results in many stimulating and animated discussions.

ICMA continues as a democratic, international non profit-making association of companies operating websites carrying classified advertising and online marketplaces which is dedicated to promoting excellence, co-operation and networking, market leadership, and innovation and information-exchange at every level amongst its growing membership.

ICMA Head Office is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and the Honorary President is Mike Abbott, founder of the Buy & Sell paper in Vancouver, Canada.

Mike Berger, – Chairman

Head of Marketplaces – Styria Media Group AG, CEO – Styria Digital Marketplaces GmbH, Styria Group, Austria
Press Release

Lucian Luncan

Head of Classifieds, Russmedia, Romania

Joonas Pihlajamaa

Director Oikotie Työpaikat, Schibsted

Sang-Woo Pai

Expert Advisor

Branimir Gajic

CEO and Co-Owner Infostud grupa, Serbia

Board of Directors

The ICMA Board of Directors consists of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and 4 other members, elected by the members every 2 years. Our Board members who are either Owners or Managing Directors of member organisations, work with ICMA on a voluntary basis. The Board represent members interests, provide information on the classified marketplace industry to Head Office, and are responsible for the strategic direction of the association. They meet at the bi-annual conferences and as necessary throughout the year,