World Trade Centers Association to Hold 2026 Global Business Forum in Philadelphia

World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), an international trade organization connecting 300+ World Trade Center® (WTC®) locations across nearly 100 countries and territories, has announced that it will bring its annual Global Business Forum (GBF) back to the United States for the first time in nearly a decade. In an important year for global trade, WTCA and World Trade Center Greater Philadelphia will host the 56th annual WTCA GBF from April 19 to April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The event’s return to the U.S. comes amid a rapidly changing global economy, with businesses navigating new trade dynamics, investment shifts and international economic fluctuation. Hosting the Forum in Philadelphia will provide an important opportunity to bring global business leaders together to explore trade partnerships, investment opportunities, and cross-border collaboration. The “City of Brotherly Love” was chosen for its direct access to major U.S. and international markets, and the opportunity to highlight key sectors ripe with innovation today, including food and agriculture, higher education, life sciences, manufacturing and technology.

In 2025, the event was held in Marseille, France, and in 2024, in Bengaluru, India, where hundreds of leaders connected to establish business partnerships across industries. The WTCA GBF (formerly called “General Assembly”) last took place in the U.S. in 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The annual Forum rotates among host cities across the five regions where the Association is active — Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, and North America — reinforcing WTCA’s role in linking international markets with local opportunity and highlighting the incredible work of its individual WTC businesses in their local market areas.

“I am delighted that the United States was selected to host this year’s Forum and play its role as a vital hub for global commerce and innovation. The annual GBF brings leaders together to exchange ideas, find common ground, and strengthen the partnerships that drive global trade. This is the essence of WTCA’s mission: ‘connecting businesses, globally’ and creating opportunity through collaboration. Convening in Philadelphia, the birthplace of America, will energize our mission and advance timely initiatives that directly benefit our membership,” said John E. Drew, WTCA Board of Directors.

This year’s Forum will offer a range of programming and feature speakers from business, government, political leaders and high-profile figures, providing opportunities for insight, discussion and networking on timely global and domestic trade issues. A preliminary agenda for the 2026 WTCA GBF is available here, with individual speakers to be announced in early spring.