The International Congress was founded in 1973 by William C. Byham, Ph.D., Chairman of DDI, a global organization specializing in the assessment center method, to bring together early adopters and provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge and best practices. It has attracted the world’s leading experts, scholars, and practitioners of the assessment center method to present research, new innovations and related technologies, and case studies. From the first International Congress, which set standards and professional guidelines, and identified ethical considerations for the use of the assessment center method, the event’s mission has remained unchanged: to promote and advance the assessment center method as a fair, unbiased approach for hiring and promoting people in public and private organizations, and establish the validity (accuracy) and reliability of assessment centers.