ISABELLE SJÖVALL
Neurodesigner, University College London
“New brain researchbased knowledge can promote better business events”
MOMENTUM
WELL-FOUNDED INSIGHTS
TRANSFORMATION
INFORMATION INTEGRITY
KELLERMAN
Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre
The perfect mix of exhibitions and conferences
Rotterdam Ahoy is the place where exhibitions come to life. With a rich history of hosting major international trade fairs and a state-of-the-art event venue, Ahoy offers an unmatched combination of space, facilities, and service. The possibilities for organising exhibitions are endless, thanks in large part to the close collaboration with the Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre (RACC). This makes it possible to create a fully integrated event, from exhibition floor to conference.
Versatile and valuable exhibitions
Rotterdam Ahoy has hosted numerous successful exhibitions across various sectors and industries, including InfraTech, Europort, Breakbulk, Gastvrij Rotterdam, and Safety&Health@Work. The location of Rotterdam Ahoy is strategically perfect. Situated in the heart of Rotterdam, it offers easy access for international visitors via Schiphol, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, and the Port of Rotterdam. Additionally, there are excellent public transportation links and ample parking facilities on-site. The proximity to hotels and the vibrant city centre makes a visit to an exhibition at Ahoy particularly appealing for both visitors and exhibitors.
be flexibly arranged to meet the specific needs of any trade fair. Whether you want to organise a small-scale exhibition for a niche market or a large-scale event with thousands of visitors, Ahoy offers space, technology, and customised support. “By combining the exhibition floor and conference facilities in a single venue, visitors can easily switch from networking with exhibitors to attending informative programs. This makes an event not only more versatile but also more valuable for participants,” says Raymond Siliakus, Manager Exhibitions at Rotterdam Ahoy.
The Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre
The Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre, opened in 2021, offers additional opportunities for trade show organisers. With 35 breakout rooms, an auditorium with 4,400 seats, and modern facilities, the RACC is the ideal complement for exhibitions that want to include a conference program. It allows organisers to combine the exhibition floor with keynotes, workshops, or panel discussions in the RACC, enhancing the overall experience for both visitors and exhibitors.
However, the true distinctive feature lies in the versatility of the facilities. Ahoy boasts six large Exhibition & Events Halls that can
To read more about the exhibition opportunities at Ahoy, visit: https://bit.ly/4hd0sqm
LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE EDITOR IN CHIEF Atti Soenarso atti.soenarso@meetingsinternational.com
PUBLISHER Roger Kellerman roger.kellerman@meetingsinternational.com
9 DEI Through the Lens of Curiosity INTRO Atti Soenarso on a generational shift that is forcing companies to take DEI seriously to attract and retain top talent.
10 Isabelle Sjövall Is the First Person to Complete a PhD in Neurodesign NEURODESIGN Isabelle Sjövall believes a Neuro Design Index could be a very good basis for creating better meetings.
28 Senegal Prioritises Business Events as a Driving Force for Development LONG-TERM STRATEGY The foundations laid by the new government create a complete ecosystem to support progress.
32 Antwerp Facilitates Knowledge Exchange, Innovation and Progress KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE Universities and hospitals are essential in attracting high-level conferences, meetings, and exhibitions to the city.
38 Scandinavian Manifesto Time MOMENTUM Ole Sorang, the CEO of Optimeet Denmark, believes it’s time to create a Scandinavian Meetings Manifesto.
42 Prague Approves a New Strategy Highlighting the Importance of Developing Business Events
STRATEGIC DE v ELOPMENT This proved that politicians see the opportunity to develop this specific segment of the tourism industry.
46 The Necessity of Knowledge Transfer to Save Lives
STRATEGIC DE v ELOPMENT Professor Petra Tesarová has been trying to elevate Czech oncology to the world level throughout her professional life.
50 Prague Congress Centre: A Hub for Knowledge Exchange
STRATEGIC DE v ELOPMENT Despite setbacks, the Centre has emerged more successful than ever, with plans to expand.
54 The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe
THE POWER OF NETWORKS A network finding creative solutions to promoting Europe as a premier destination for business events.
74 A Professional Facilitator Helps to Raise the Quality of Your Meetings
KELLERMAN Roger Kellerman thinks more businesses should think like sports clubs to advance to the next division.
GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR Graham Jones graham.jones@meetingsinternational.com
TEXT Hans Gordon, Roger Kellerman, Atti Soenarso, Robin Sharma, Scott Steinberg, Mike van der Vijver
PHOTOS / IMAGES Sara Appelgren (incl. front cover), Roger Kellerman, Wim Kempenaers, Magnus Malmberg, Bimo Soenarso Kellerman, Mark Strozier, Søren Dam Thomsen
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EDITORIAL RAYS OF SUNSHINE Esi Edugyan + Miss Tokio + Pod: No Such Thing as a Fish + Granta Magazine + The Southbank Centre
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DEI THROUGH THE LENS OF CURIOSITY
We started writing about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a long time ago, studying how companies and organisations recognise the value of DEI and the challenges of incorporating key DEI initiatives into their operations. In 2022 , McKinsey & Company reported that companies with robust DEI programmes could better respond to challenges, win top talent and meet the needs of different customer bases. Today, we see that the risk of DEI washing is imminent in some companies and organisations and that some decision makers may view DEI as a buzzword or an initiative that doesn’t need their attention.
The original intention behind DEI was to create inclusive workplaces that mirror society’s diversity, reduce biases, and foster mutual respect. However, some individuals may feel that DEI efforts have become politicised. Addressing such concerns with open-ended questions shifts the focus from conflict to exploration and understanding.
one of the biggest challenges is getting everyone on board with the DEI initiatives. Because of this, diversity, equity, and inclusion may not be prioritised in the broader
organisation, leaving leaders with the least resources to get the most done. But there is hope. Leaders can tackle the most challenges and drive measurable impact by strategically leveraging their time, energy, and personnel. one solution is to prioritise DEI as a part of the company’s business strategy and highlight that DEI is about a long-term cultural change, not just a short-term quick fix.
Another alternative to overcome DEI challenges is to use curiosity. By fostering a culture that values curiosity, organisations can create an environment where diversity, equity and inclusion actions are viewed positively and every employee feels included. For example, you can foster dialogue by asking curiosity-driven and open-ended questions. Curiosity starts with asking the right questions. And while asking questions is a necessary first step, curiosity-fueled active listening is equally important, as it helps build empathy and understanding, both essential components of successful DEI initiatives.
Curiosity is a powerful tool for challenging assumptions and biases non-confrontationally. By
encouraging employees to question their viewpoints and explore different angles, organisations can foster a more inclusive environment where everyone’s experiences and perspectives are valued. By incorporating curiosity into DEI initiatives, organisations can move beyond the controversies and create a culture where every employee feels valued and included.
Curiosity-driven DEI is about asking questions, listening actively, and continuously learning principles that help build a more inclusive, respectful, and harmonious workplace. When DEI is approached as an ongoing journey rather than a checkbox, it becomes a powerful tool for positive change, benefiting not just underrepresented groups but the entire organisation.
The next generation of talent entering the workforce has shown a solid commitment to DEI’s values. In a recent discussion, one panellist noted that the younger workforce is intolerant of companies that waver on DEI commitments. This generational shift has forced companies to take DEI seriously to attract and retain top talent.
Swedish-Indonesian Atti Soenarso has worked as a journalist for over 40 years. She has worked for Scandinavia’s largest daily newspaper, was TV4’s first travel editor, has written for many Swedish travel magazines and has had several international clients. She has travelled the length and breadth of the world and written about destinations, people and meetings.
PHOTO Magnus Malmberg
ISJÖVALL
Atti Soenarso
TEXT
Sara Appelgren
PHOTOS
Neurodesign is a multidisciplinary field that combines neuroscience and design to promote human, economic, and ecological sustainability. Isabelle Sjövall is a Swedish neurodesigner, brain researcher and author with over 15 years of practical experience in high-end projects in architecture, design, and the property industry. She has an interdisciplinary educational background, having studied economics at the Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden, architecture and design in Florence, Italy, and neuroscience, psychology and mental health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London. Isabelle Sjövall is the first person in the world to complete a PhD in the new interdisciplinary field of neurodesign, which is concerned with how the brain responds to built environments and how design affects people psychologically and physiologically.
“ There is an incredible potential in neurodesign that we have not yet fully realised”
Her research is based at the Faculty of Brain Sciences, Institute for Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London (UCL), a world-leading university ranked top in neuroscience and neuroarchitecture, creating rare opportunities to conduct cuttingedge research. The research focuses on how design affects cognition, creativity, and wellbeing and what components can positively influence them. Isabelle Sjövall will investigate many elements of the built environment from a multisensory perspective, such as materials, tactility, colours, shapes, light and biophilic design. The aim is to contribute new researchbased knowledge that can be applied and used in future environments to promote health, performance and wellbeing.
PEARL, which stands for PersonEnvironment-Activity Research Laboratory, is a new world-first research laboratory in London and part of UCL’s state-of-the-art facilities. The approximately 4 ,000 square metre laboratory specialises in measuring how people react to and interact with their surrounding environment.
“our research at PEARL is important because it can generate rigorous new discoveries that change policies guiding the design for healthy cities.”
The words neurodesign and neuroarchitecture have become buzzwords in recent years. Unfortunately, when things become popular and attractive, they sometimes lack scientific basis. Isabelle Sjövall believes there is an incredible potential in neurodesign that we have not yet fully realised. It is partly because brain research has developed rapidly in recent years alongside new technologies that can better measure research results.
“one part is about increasing knowledge, and the other is about implementation. But it’s always basically about the purpose of different types of environments for different meetings. If you think about a meeting room or office, you have a different purpose than what you have in the hospital and to the end goal of your environment.”
It’s interesting to see where the industry is going, says Isabelle Sjövall, and how they are trying to use neurobiology. What is universal? What do
“We’ve become more intelligent in many ways, but we still have this biological brain with us”
others need to focus on? Be creative or social if you can use the environment to enhance that work. Research agrees that thoughtful architecture and design contribute to better physical and mental health in our living environments.
“I would say there’s a term called nudging, which you’ve probably heard of. It gave Professor Richard H Thaler the Nobel Prize in Economics at the University of Chicago back in 2017. The research on nudging shows, among other things, that we are much more gullible than we think. And that’s because we have the same brain we had when we lived in the savannah. We’ve become more intelligent in many ways, but we still have this biological brain with us.
“This, in turn, is linked to different types of behaviour. For example, if we create an environment where we can be curious, we can use biophilic design. It is very much about the connection to nature. our research shows that building such elements into different types of meeting rooms or places also stimulates curiosity to explore the environment. It becomes an effect of moving around more or
perhaps becoming more creative. It’s also related to the fact that if we create these environments and don’t fool ourselves, we can navigate in the right direction.”
Isabelle Sjövall explains that we are exposed to many different impressions and stimuli when we enter a room; these range from light and lighting to various materials, sounds, and odours. All of this simultaneously becomes an impression for the brain, which the brain puts together into a “picture” of what we experience as the atmosphere of the room.
“What we also want to do is ecological validity, which we see has been missing in the research. Ecological validity is whether social science results can be applied to people’s everyday lives and natural social environments. In research in general, things are often measured in so-called silos. You look at one single variable. For example: how light concentration affects, or how the acoustic environment affects, social interactions. But what’s so exciting and difficult about this research is that we’re looking at multiple things simultaneously.
“Ecological validity is whether social science results can be applied to people’s everyday lives and natural social environments”
“It’s well known that if you look at the medical systems, there are different diagnostic tools to make a diagnosis to see where you are. But there, we have discovered no such tool for locations. We also know that people are affected by the surrounding environment, but there is no way to measure it. There is a company called the International Well-Building Institute, and they have done an experiment and laid the groundwork. We have developed a new method that will cover all the factors that we know from research which affect the brain and different kinds of outcomes related to the environment. The method we have developed is called NDIX, Neuro Design Index.
“For example, it could be about a meeting: was it a productive meeting, did I feel included? Did I feel focused and productive? It’s always linked to different types of goals. It’s been a lot of work to base it on existing research and develop this framework and our index.
“Now we are testing it in some of the first environments. It’s great to see that we’ve got significant results when we’ve measured a standard environment, as it was before, and then we’ve brought in neurodesign. Then, we measured afterwards to
see its effects on the participants. We have also seen better creative performance using biophilic design and greenery.”
Isabell Sjövall says they have worked closely with the property company Castellum and RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden is a wholly owned Swedish government research institute that collaborates with universities, businesses, and society for innovation development and sustainable growth). They have also worked with Sweden’s Ministry of Housing and Public Health.
“It has been very interesting to work in that context. We see that there is no framework for measuring, and we think that property owners and the hospitality industry are often looking for a way to benchmark.”
In examining her research’s three most important questions, Isabelle Sjövall has been able to develop prediction models. And she believes that the Neuro Design Index could be a very good basis for creating future prediction models.
“Then we will be able to create better meetings. We will connect better with each other. This will increase productivity, and be more focused and creative. We are looking for the purpose of the different
environments and a way to quantify the quality of the design and how we can make more informed choices. I would say that’s my number one.
“Then I also think that combined with the fact that we’re looking at biomarkers in the brain imaging, you can get many new insights in realworld environments. We also do fMRI, where you bring a simulated environment inside the scan because they are enormously large. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures the small changes in blood flow during brain activity. It can be used to investigate which parts of the brain handle critical functions, evaluate the effects of stroke or other diseases, or guide brain treatment. fMRI can detect abnormalities in the brain that cannot be found with other imaging techniques.
“Wearable technology, which is computer-based technology embedded in wearable products such as clothing and accessories worn on the body, is also becoming increasingly important. The aim is to gather information directly through scanning and sensors. It shows how people experience different places, and can provide a lot of information, like what kind of environments make us stressed, and if we are too stressed for a long time
“What we see in brain research is that the relationship with nature is essential for our survival”
and start to perform worse, we tend to be less altruistic.”
The third important issue for Isabelle Sjövall is biophilic design. Biophilic design is an architectural trend that aims to integrate nature into our living environments. It is based on the idea that humans have an innate connection to nature and that bringing natural elements into our daily environment can improve our health and wellbeing.
“There has been a separate dialogue on nature and sustainability. What we see in brain research is that the relationship with nature is essential for our survival. For example, children exposed to a lot of greenery in nature have better mental health. There are also changes in brain structure and function depending on the amount of exposure to greenery and human, ecological and economic sustainability.
“I think this will play a completely different role, but if you want it to be linked to lifestyle, it could be about brain food, for example. Conference centres and hotels care about how food and drink affect the outcome of a meeting. It can also be other cultural experiences. It can be a restorative environment. Environments that support people’s wellbeing and
health, and are connected to nature. I think the demands have increased and continue to increase to make people feel better in meetings. But it also creates fantastic opportunities to create unique environments.”
Looking five to ten years ahead in her research, Isabelle Sjövall hopes we will be able to precisely determine what dose and exposure people need to live healthy and sustainably.
“Sustainable living is also linked to quality of life, performance, health, etcetera. But now we know so much from the research, that we have used this knowledge to create prediction models to predict different types of outcomes, based on the design, and how we know people are using the environment, and how they perform and feel in that environment.”
PHOTO Sara Appelgren
Hans Gordon, PhD, Associate Professor, Authorised Psychologist, specialised in Aviation Psychology. Authorised psychotherapist, since 1987 running Gordon Consulting. Has for decades been engaged by airline companies, among them SAS and Thai Airways International.
The Key to the Exit IS REALISATION
Without it, man remains trapped in the labyrinth of life.
In big cities and the media, modern man meets countless other people every day, but –precisely because of this diversity – only as surfaces and fragments. Even the people we know best – family, colleagues, friends and acquaintances – we see only fragments of their lives. These surfaces and fragments that reality presents to our senses, we join together with the help of imagination and experience into wholes with depth, into stories and contexts.”
From the introduction to Surface and Depth by Steen Visholm
Man is an animal that is usually referred to by the species name Homo Sapiens or Modern Man. In evolutionary biology, he arose as a branch of the tree Hominidae, the overall human species, with several different human types along its trunk. The trunk is more than two million years old, but the young branch you and I come from is only about 300,000 years old. So-called modern humans are a young lineage that has gradually
evolved over several thousand years. Today’s modern humans have been given a doubling of the word Sapiens; our species is thus called Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Sapiens is Latin and means wise. You and I, therefore, belong to the wise human genus within the modern human species. The term thinking man, or conscious man, is also used in literature. In the light of the past and present history of the progress of Homo Sapiens
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Sapiens, several questions can be asked: What about consciousness, thinking and wisdom?
Indeed, modern humans have a cognitively developed ability that significantly distinguishes them from other animals. It has made him a fantastic architect and designer of technological innovations in particular, which only a few decades ago were considered pure science fiction, but also of the kind of culture (art, literature, music, theatre) that has
the implanted instincts that drive us into the inner circles of belonging without always being aware of it. Together with other like-minded people, we form a We that is reinforced primarily by external attributes (clothes, hairstyles, uniforms, modernised extra expressions such as tattoos and the like) but also by internal emotional echoes that ideally emphasise our special uniqueness with community, history and culture that seem to unite. It is us in our
“ Well-founded insights often lead to relatively brutal , sometimes surprising, conclusions”
profoundly influenced and elevated human existence in a variety of previously unforeseeable, sometimes quite magical, ways. But what about consciousness? And what about the wisdom of thought, and action? The following text provides a brief discussion of these questions.
As animals, we are genetically tethered to the evolutionary patterns of experience and behaviour that are part of our genes. First and foremost, we are herd animals, where our overall social patterns belong to what all hominids prioritise for the best possible biophysical survival as a species. Belonging to a pack has always provided certain guarantees to avoid becoming food for the predators around us. A larger herd is often perceived as a single giant animal by hungry lions or sharks, who prefer hunting any solitary animal that deviates from the herd. Here, we follow
nation, it is us in our particular association, it is us in our club team, and not least, it is us in our historically rooted ethnic group with our religion and our particular connection to the land that belongs to us, and so on. Around all these groupings, we draw different kinds of boundaries: you belong to us, but you do not. our group’s members are generally more valuable than those in other groups. In some contexts, we resort to an additional argument: The Lord God has given us what belongs to us, and he has not done the same for you.
So, we gather in these circular areas, and we nominate and elect a suitable leader within their frameworks. History shows that leaders of divided nations should preferably act as aggressively charged border guards, that are both able and happy to build up concrete war machines in the form of masses of human troops
and dangerously dangerous weapons systems. If any other nation wants to confront any border, it can lead to direct acts of war. Thus, leaders are not always chosen based on the most profound criteria of talent. Sometimes, someone with a criminal background or, indeed, with a mental disorder is perfectly acceptable, as long as they have sufficient charisma to emerge as a powerful symbol of what the majority of the people want to support. It is what the animal man, through his inbuilt instincts, helps to build.
Thus, instincts belong to the human animal as a species. They are powerful, inherited, and rarely subject to contemplation and reflection. Consciousness based on insight is something else entirely. While instincts belong to the species and the group, drives belong to the individual. The drives are the individual’s fuel, and are just waiting to be released as soon as the individual perceives that he is close to an object, living or dead, that is attractive to him. It may be another human being (or animal or plant) or some material object from nature or manufactured by someone. At this point most Homo Sapiens Sapiens become hunters, often fiercely lustful ones. I want to have that, or that. I want to own it, dispose of it. It should be mine, mine, mine, and not someone else’s. Like the instincts, the drives are innate (and often unconscious in their form and character) and usually highoctane, and fuelling human activity. Even the infant is endowed with an intense drift life, with the mother’s breast being among the most attractive objects in most cases (with exceptions).
The urges do not travel through any rational levels of human consciousness. Instead, they simmer with expectation wherever they
“Instincts belong to the human animal as a species. They are powerful, inherited, and rarely subject to contemplation and reflection”
are, charged with impulsive and often unpredictable forces. Gradually, however, as the child grows up, these forces come to a head when the socially organised counter-forces set in, mainly through the strict admonitions of parents or other guardians and other educational measures. Between the urges and the oppressive efforts of the environment, there are always numerous conflicting contradictions. This is valid for everyone, with but a few relatively rare exceptions (for example, when neither parents nor others in a child’s environment care about, or are able to cope with, the child’s volcanic eruptions of urges). In typical cases, however, the child will develop a coordinating body between the life of the urges and the surrounding social control, namely the Self. And the Self is given the role of becoming as reasonably smooth an operator as possible of man’s psychic and social being. However, the Self is always under tremendous pressure, not only in the child, or during the wildly hormonal years of adolescence, but also in all adults, as long as they have any natural drives to speak of. It is always consistently exhausting and often leads to countless psychological inner conflicts in everyone. People develop
psychological defence mechanisms to mitigate or avoid these inner psychological turbulences if possible. The most common are repression, denial, regression and projecting one’s undesirable qualities onto others. When using these, people lose their awareness of themselves and their often contradictory inner forces. They do not know who they are at all. However, they are usually content to attach their imagined self-image to some idealised and superficial labels that they hope will be accepted by others in their social environment. The wise person, however, cannot be too shallow in his self-perception. Wisdom requires awareness at a deeper level, which arises through the insights that people gradually have the opportunity to provide themselves with, primarily through analysing and reflecting on conversations with other conscious people. Well-founded insights often lead to relatively brutal, sometimes surprising, conclusions such as the following:
There is no such thing as a genuinely harmonious and purely happy childhood for the modern man.
There are no wholly harmonious and conflict-free adults in our everyday social organisations.
Most modern people hide (even from themselves) their inner psychic lives behind veils of repression, denial and distortion; for example, powerful inner psychic defence mechanisms.
Welcome to the ugly world of insights.
Senegal Prioritises BUSINESS E v ENTS AS A DRI v ING FORCE FOR DE v ELOPMENT
The Republic of Senegal is the westernmost country in West Africa, also known as the “Gateway to Africa.” It is situated on the Atlantic ocean Coastline and served by multiple air and maritime travel routes. The country’s population is around 18 million, with four million inhabitants in the Dakar metropolitan area. The capital city, Dakar, has an estimated population of 1 5 million and is the economic and political capital.
The country’s new authorities have prioritised tourism as a key economic sector, with business events as a driving force. The country’s systemic transformation project, set to become a national referential, includes government initiatives to boost Senegal’s attractiveness in this field.
“Today, compared to our main competitors on the continent, we are strong in the project to host the Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar in 2026 , which will be organised in Africa for the first time,” says Dr Adama Ndiaye, Director of the Senegalese Agency for Tourism Promotion (ASPT), who has had multiple roles in academia, government and
social development to strengthen national progress in Senegal.
Being chosen by the International olympic Committee (IOC) demonstrates Senegal’s competitiveness and logistical capacity. This capacity is based on a solid foundation of hotels and event infrastructures with modern facilities that have hosted major events in recent years, such as the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan African Conference 2018 , the World Water Forum Dakar 2022 , and the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Annual Meeting 2023 .
“Senegal’s geographical position, close to the main Western markets, is a considerable asset. The same applies to the destination’s safe and secure environment. For example, Dakar is home to United Nations House, the organisation’s continental headquarters.”
The main key sectors in Senegal, when it comes to associations and meetings, are that the country’s economic and political context is favourable to the organisation or co-organisation of sectoral meetings, given the financial opportunities
offered by the destination and the many challenges the country faces in the areas of health, education, innovation, and energy.
Tourism on a subregional scale Senegal is affirming its leadership in organising tourism events on a subregional scale and structuring inter-state tours.
Agriculture is one of the country’s most dynamic sectors and has a development programme conducive to organising sectoral meetings on innovation, sustainable agricultural practices, and ways of reducing climate change.
The digital area is a priority for the Senegalese government, whose ambition is to make the country a technological and digital hub in Africa by promoting technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Energy Senegal’s status as a new oil and gas producing country is a key success factor in attracting delegates from this sector and investors attracted by the opportunities
opened up by this progress. Sustainable energies and ecological solutions are themes where meeting organisers find initiatives in Senegal and promote partnerships and experience sharing.
Culture and creative industries
Dakar is a melting pot of creativity and a cultural hub with significant
“over and above the scientific work they have carried out through a feasibility study of Senegal’s potential, their networks and knowledge of the global business events ecosystem are very useful in the programme to develop and promote this sector in Senegal,” says Dr Adama Ndiaye.
The strategic recommendations guide the roadmap for the meetings
“ Creating a National Convention Bureau and activating a strong and proactive marketing strategy should enable Senegal’s attractiveness to be fully exploited”
events like the Dakar Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition held once every two years. This status led to the luxury fashion house Chanel choosing Dakar to host its first fashion show in Africa two years ago.
Health Senegal has an internationally recognised pool of skills and experts, with a considerable number of meetings organised in Senegal, in this field.
The Institut Pasteur of Dakar, which has become a hub for the production of vaccines for Africa, is a significant asset in attracting delegates interested in the health field.
The long-term national strategy for attracting more business meetings and congresses is based on the feasibility study by the South African firm
The Business Tourism Company and its owners, Colette Taylor and Rick Taylor. The strategy highlights Senegal’s potential and keys to becoming a competitive business events destination in Africa that aligns with the best international standards.
and events sector in the country up to 2030, and the foundations laid by the new government create a complete ecosystem to support this progress. Creating a national convention bureau and activating a strong and proactive marketing strategy should enable Senegal’s attractiveness to be fully exploited, boosting foreign direct investment to support the expansion and upgrading of its offering.
To this end, the Senegalese Agency for Tourism Promotion, in collaboration with public and private stakeholders, has launched a comprehensive programme to develop the tourism offering and support the business events industry. The aim is to promote the destination’s cultural and tourism assets through packages combining business and leisure activities based on themes such as cruises, ecotourism and agritourism.
“Poles of excellence will be created with an improved leisure offering and an expansion of convention centres and hotels to meet the needs of event
organisers and host more significant international events. Establishing a Senegal business events calendar that includes business, tourism, cultural, and sporting events is also vital to this strategy. A Coastal Tourism and Cruise Fair is being prepared for the last quarter of 2024 , confirming Senegal’s leadership in West Africa and its ability to drive international sector meetings.
“one of our country’s strengths lies in its considerable network of personalities of Senegalese origin or friends of Senegal. In Europe, the United States, Asia and the United Arab Emirates, eminent Senegalese are members of networks of influence in culture, the arts, cinema, sport, science, research, diplomacy, the business world, but also in academic circles.”
A programme is being devised to celebrate these emblematic figures and make them ambassadors for the destination. Thanks to their image and international recognition, they will contribute considerably to promoting Senegal, attracting events, and strengthening relations with their market partners.
“Preconceived ideas about Africa are often based on general stereotypes that illustrate a lack of knowledge about our continent. Promoting local success stories and the continent’s opportunities is essential to highlighting African excellence and its undeniable appeal in the business event sector. organising an African event offers an authentic and immersive experience while taking advantage of natural landscapes of great beauty and a recognised ecological dimension.
“our event standards are comparable to those in the West. Cities such as Cape Town, Durban, Dakar, Abidjan, Nairobi, Kampala and Kigali are now major event hubs, with
“With hosting the Youth Olympic Games in 2026 , Senegal has a perfect grasp of its legacy”
ultra-modern convention centres and top-class hotels. In Senegal, facilities such as the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD), Dakar Expo Centre and Dakar Arena in Diamniadio and the National Theatre in Dakar, among others, offer world-class opportunities for hosting large-scale business events.”
Regarding accessibility, most business event destinations in Africa benefit from good air connections to the world’s major capitals. Dakar Airport, for example, offers direct flights to Europe and the United States, and fast connections to the African subregion.
Senegal prioritises sustainable progress and is committed to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The authorities’ new guidelines place ecology at the heart of the tourism development strategy in the tourism industry. The country’s transition to a more sustainable economy is reflected in several initiatives, some of which are unique worldwide. In Dakar, a new intelligent mobility system, the Bus Rapide Transit, comprising a fleet of 100 per cent electric buses, is a model for combating transport-related carbon emissions. Event infrastructures such as the Dakar Arena and the Parc des Expositions have been designed
to host events while respecting environmental standards and minimising their ecological impact.
“With this same dynamic in mind, in line with international trends and the behaviour and needs of organisers and delegates, we are working to integrate and promote sustainable practices in the business events sector. A Tourism Quality Charter is being drawn up to formalise the commitment of all players in the value chain involved in Senegal’s meetings, incentives, congresses, and events offerings.
“With hosting the Youth Olympic Games in 2026 , Senegal has a perfect grasp of its legacy. There is undoubtedly the opportunity to renovate, develop new facilities, and transform the region. Still, what motivates us most are the positive and lasting traces that this event will leave on society. It is the aim of all the legacy programmes we are developing with the Youth olympic Games organising Committee around the destination’s image, education and sport. This work perfectly aligns with the strategic guidelines set for tourism: to ensure the inclusion of local communities in tourism development programmes and generate equitable benefits for them.”
According to Dr Adama Ndiaye, over the next five to ten years, Africa’s business events sector is expected to enjoy a continued trajectory of success, driven by the growth of African economies and local dynamics. Most African countries are committed to national development strategies to generate opportunities, strategic partnerships, and massive investment in infrastructure, innovation and connectivity. In the search for alternative meeting destinations, Africa will interest event organisers.
“The aftermath of the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games will represent a significant breeding ground for the country as a destination. The capital drawn from it – in terms of image, legacy, new event infrastructures, and qualified human resources – will make it possible to attract significant events, and offer delegates a quality experience. Initiatives such as installing the United Nations House in Dakar give the nation hope of better positioning in the business events market by 2029.”
Antwerp Facilitates KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE, INNO vATION AND PROGRESS
The Belgian city of Antwerp has been a central trading hub for centuries and is home to Europe’s secondlargest port. It is also the capital of the diamond trade and the world’s second-largest petrochemical cluster. The city is also known for its legacy of fine art, design, contemporary architecture, and fashion, and it once was the home of famous painters such as the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. Antwerp is the biggest city in the region of Flanders, with 174 nationalities and over 510,000 inhabitants.
Tadeja Pivc Coudyser, the CEO of the Antwerp Convention Bureau, has over 15 years of experience in the meetings, events, and travel sectors. Her work spans associations, convention bureaux (CBs), professional congress organisers (PCOs), and travel companies across several countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, and Belgium. She has also served as Chairperson of the ICCA France-Benelux Chapter.
The convention bureau’s most important questions concern putting the city on the map as a premium business destination for events with 1 ,000 +/2 ,000 + delegates, especially delivering added value by attracting events in the city’s industry sectors like port, logistics, sustainable chemistry, healthcare, and more.
“We see an outstanding opportunity to attract bigger-scale events, as the city’s meeting infrastructure is highly evolved, and the city can
welcome events of different sizes and complexities. organising an event can create added value in industries where Antwerp is recognised as a leader and is deeply embedded in the city’s economy. It allows organisations to tap into local expertise and networks, creating knowledge-sharing and collaboration opportunities.”
At the same time, the destination needs to create a broader impact on the city’s community and knowledge economy, sustainably aligning and supporting city initiatives and goals. Antwerp adapts its event offerings with broader city initiatives, ensuring that events contribute to business success and the city’s long-term goals.
“This combination of personalisation and alignment with city-wide objectives makes Antwerp a standout destination for business events. All this while offering personalised and professional services to our clients. The convention bureau strongly emphasises personalised, professional support for event organisers. From tailored event management to seamless coordination with local suppliers, the city provides a comprehensive service that addresses each client’s needs.
“Business events bring prestige and recognition to institutions, where they can present themselves and their newest developments, research, and innovations to a global audience. These international events facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration and are extremely important
for universities, hospitals, and key sectors. Also, business events are key to enhancing the city’s and organisation’s profile and reputation worldwide through visibility. In the long term, increased recognition can help attract talent, secure grants, and foster partnerships necessary for continuous development and innovation.”
According to Tedeja Pivc Coudyser, universities and hospitals in Antwerp are not commercial organisations, and they aren’t aiming to create more events. However, they are essential knowledge drivers in the meetings industry. Their approach to event organising is structured around supporting research, development, education, and knowledge sharing, creating impact within their respective fields. They are not commercially driven, but their contributions as knowledge leaders and innovators are essential in attracting high-level conferences, meetings, and exhibitions to the city.
“Antwerp Convention Bureau is happy to support this. However, universities and hospitals are increasingly aware of the broader impact of meetings and conferences on the wider community. With several clients, we started working on the impact trajectory the Visit Flanders Convention Bureau developed. Through these initiatives, associations, universities and other organisations are beginning to understand how to increase the impact that can benefit the entire ecosystem beyond their field.”
When it comes to the local politicians and whether they see the potential in business events, Tadeja Pivc Coudyser says they do: “We have strong support from the City of Antwerp, Tourism Flanders, and the Flanders Convention Bureau, and they know the impact the meetings industry has on different levels like economic, social, knowledge, etcetera. Through active collaboration, we strengthen and support each other. It
with local stakeholders: “With Antwerp University Hospital, we work in relationship with structural meetings to align their research focus areas and together identify relevant events for the city and organisation. We were also invited to explain to the new Department Heads about our services and our collaboration, and the professors and doctors are also aware of our services, building recognition within the organisation.”
“ An event can create added value in industries where Antwerp is recognised as a leader and is deeply embedded in the city’s economy”
is crucial not only to position the city as a premium meeting destination but also to develop this sector in the region, as in Antwerp.”
For the city and the Antwerp Convention Bureau, the most important strategic question is to systematically bring together a local knowledge community that will allow them to strengthen their proposition on the national and international market in the key industries and leverage the expertise and network.
“This is especially important as we wish to showcase Antwerp’s USPs, attract more relevant events, and create a community where the connection between the education sector, businesses, and the government will grow stronger. It allows us to create visibility and a strong supporting network that benefits all parties.”
When it comes to the practice of building knowledge infrastructure, they are building strong collaboration
A representative of Flanders’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Voka), is a member of the Antwerp Convention Bureau Board, providing a thorough understanding of industry demands. This setup provides many industry connections and sharing of knowledge crucial to the bureau’s business.
“The team is also encouraged to visit the different institutions and organisations to understand their needs and ambitions, see how we can adapt to our acquisition strategy, and see where we can support them. For example, visiting the incubator Blue Chem to understand what is happening behind the scenes and receive first-hand information provides a better understanding of what the city can offer and also where the city is evolving. It allows us to make meaningful connections.”
Last November, the convention bureau launched its new brand and
is now actively going to the market to promote the city of Antwerp as a premium destination for more significant events. In addition to attending industry events, trade shows, and family trips, the bureau’s focus is engaging and connecting with local stakeholders to identify events that bring value and impact to the destination.
“our slogan ‘The city is your venue’ is approachable, accessible and personal. Next to supporting associations with advice on the venues and logistics, bid book, and finding the right partners, we also look into how to connect the knowledge with stakeholders in the city. We get asked for connections with certain parties that increase the experience and bring local know-how to the event.”
Antwerp Convention Bureau is pleased when local knowledge is being demonstrated. For example, delegates to Sprint Robotics events will have the opportunity to visit different local sites to gain knowledge, and at Euchems Chemistry Congress 2026 , they take interested clients to Visit Flanders Convention Bureau to explore impact trajectories.
“The International Spinal Cord Society has been a great inspiration and showed how Antwerp looks broader than only one event. In this case, we had the opportunity to bring together several stakeholders: Visit Flanders Convention Bureau, Visit Antwerp, the City of Antwerp, the Intern and our partners, in order to further the focus on accessibility and physical impairment.”
Talking about being the number two congress city in Belgium – trailing Brussels, a city that is a world hub when it comes to associations, which in turn increases the meetings and conferences business in
“We wish to attract more relevant events, and create a community where the connection between the education sector, businesses, and the government will grow stronger”
Brussels – and what this means for the convention bureau of Antwerp, Tadeja Pivc Coudyser is convinced that it’s pure positives for the cities to be so close together.
“Brussels and Antwerp are two different cities with different offerings. While Brussels is a European capital, we see more and more associations looking into organising events outside of Brussels, especially as many have already organised an event there. The associations close to Antwerp’s key sectors especially see the value of bringing the event to our city. Antwerp plays a significant role here, especially when people learn that there is a fast train connection to Paris/Amsterdam and easy reach by train to London. In addition, Zaventem, Brussels International Airport is only a 30 -minute train ride away, and Schiphol Amsterdam Airport can be reached in less than an hour by train.”
The long-term strategy for the Antwerp Convention Bureau is to focus on and align the approach with the city and its key clusters. It will support the local knowledge economy and echo Antwerp’s internationally leading position in the key sectors.
“With this, we focus not only on the short-term economic impact
but also look into a more cohesive approach and provide broader support for different stakeholders, bringing added value to delegates, associations, and the local community.”
Most events in Antwerp are corporate and national events of a smaller size. Therefore, the ambition is to position Antwerp as a destination for mid-size, and more significant, events (500 +, 1 ,000 +, 2 ,000 +) as well as exhibitions in the association market.
“We are all facing important challenges, such as sustainability and legacy, as it is essential to incorporate sustainable practices across events and balance those with client expectations and budgets. Another big topic is digitalisation in our sector. There are many rising trends in this field, and AI also plays a role in them. It’s also a fast-evolving trend, which adds to the complexity. How do you embrace the digital transformation in hospitality and event planning to provide the best service possible, while still keeping the personal touch? Last but not least, we are also still seeing a talent shortage. Retaining and gaining talent is of utmost importance.”
In Tadeja’s Pivc Coudyser’s vision, Antwerp is a premium meeting destination that continues to provide
high-level professional and personal service and where everyone feels welcome. It is a destination known for embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion and implementing sustainable practices, finding the right balance between executing the latest cutting-edge technology and continuing to be a destination with approachable, accessible, and personal service contributing to the local community. “our city’s meeting infrastructure covers all the essentials, but we strive to go beyond that. In conversations with clients, we focus on adding value and creating meaningful connections for their events. Many are unaware of Antwerp’s rich history and its current significance in the local and European economies. Highlighting these aspects helps us differentiate the city as more than just a meeting destination. Antwerp is a city with deep roots in innovation and progress, with hubs like the incubator Blue Chem, Next Gen, the Beacon, and the Centre for Evaluation of Vaccination, building towards a sustainable future.”
IBTM World 2024 to Address GLOBAL CHALLENGES AT RENOWNED ASSOCIATION LEADERS FORUM
IBTM World, the global trade show for the business events industry, has revealed the first details of its 2024 Association Leaders Forum. The Forum was created in partnership with the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE) and sponsored by the Amsterdam Convention Bureau.
The industry-leading programme will address practical and strategic issues associations face today, focusing on the need to balance executive governance and risk management with innovation and adaptation to global challenges to build a thriving association industry of the future. It will occur on day one and tie into the theme for IBTM World 2024: “People Power Potential,” which will provide a platform to explore and understand how people’s power can be enhanced by harnessing new technologies.
The Forum will also explore how to integrate AI in associations’ strategic planning and how to use the possibilities offered by digital tools to make conferences and events more impactful, engaging and financially sustainable while continuing the commitment to establish a greener future.
Additionally, The Forum will deal with understanding how to prevent burnout while equipping team members with the right tools and upskilling for them to perform in an efficient and rewarding manner, explore how associations can prepare for a year of significant electoral shifts, and
provide insights into how association leaders can guide members and staff in navigating the geopolitical environment.
Speakers will include: Martin Boyle, CEO, IAPCO; Liesbeth Switten, Secretary General at AIB-Association of Issuing Bodies and ESAE Vice-President; Dianna Steinbach, Senior Vice-President Growth, Institute of Management Accountants; Bobby Peralta, CEO, Philippine Council of Associations & Association Executives; Dennis Speet, Managing Director, Amsterdam Convention Bureau and Cecilia Delgado Molina, Executive Secretary, International Sociological Association.
The day’s sessions will be punctuated by networking sessions, during which attendees can make valuable new connections and meet with existing industry friends.
Claudia Hall, IBTM World Exhibition Director: “We can’t wait for attendees to discover the exciting programme we have planned for them at this year’s Association Leaders Forum. At IBTM World, we strive always to provide delegates with genuine value and tangible take-homes. This year’s Forum does just that, supporting association professionals to build an association sector that is not only at the forefront of advancement but prospers because of it.”
Designed in partnership with ESAE and curated from the expertise of the organisation’s members, the Forum
has become the annual meeting point for association leaders to exchange ideas, learn, and advance knowledge and best practices in a peer-to-peer setting. It empowers you to engage with, and learn from, your peers. Welcoming approximately 130 association professionals, the interactive sessions will comprise panel discussions, provocative debates, and case studies. There will also be networking breaks with peers.
“This is the second year in a row we’ve partnered with IBTM World to design its Association Leaders Forum As the beating heart of the global events community, it is the ideal location for association professionals to come together to learn, debate, feel inspired, and immerse themselves in the topics which matter most to them. This year’s programme doesn’t shy away from the big issues. It welcomes them. Together, we will create an association sector fit for the rest of the 21 st century and beyond, and the ideas and voices of our association professionals will be vital in realising this vision,” says ESAE Vice-President Liesbeth Switten.
The European Society of Association Executives is the leading organisation in Europe in bringing together association professionals. It facilitates the exchange of best practices among peers and ensures that current and future leaders understand the association’s business and strategy.
Scandinavian MANIFESTO TIME
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Atti Soenarso
Having worked with Radisson Hotels for 24 years, Ole Sorang now wants to help create a Scandinavian Meetings Manifesto. He sees significant similarities in meetings and events between Scandinavian countries, such as a focus on sustainability, democracy, engaging people in decisions, education, and adopting the new in a critical way, for example, AI and digitalisation, mirroring the Nordic Food Manifesto to what could be the potential for meetings.
ole Sorang also calls for more role models in the business events industry. He is a role model and pioneer in many ways, considering his contribution to the international meetings industry. For example, he was the man who created the Copenhagen Lecture on the last day of the ICCA World Congress back in 1996 . He also cocreated the food concept Brain Food within Radisson Hotels, which made the business event industry leap forward by
understanding the importance of food for meeting outcomes and people’s wellbeing.
Since october, ole Sorang has been the new CEO of the Danish company optimeet, one of Scandinavia’s largest meeting and event industry marketplaces. The appointment marks a strategic step for ole Sorang and optimeet, which aims to strengthen the company’s position further and expand. The company drives knowledge, value, and relationships by connecting business event buyers with suppliers and meeting facilities and providing related services such as catering, technology, and team building.
“I am delighted to enter this role when optimeet faces many exciting opportunities. We have ambitious goals to expand our business in both Denmark and internationally. I look forward to working closely with our team and partners to create greater customer value.”
MOMENTUM
With more than 30 years of international experience in the hospitality, tourism, and meetings industry, ole Sorang brings a solid foundation of industry knowledge to his new role. He has also spent almost 25 years with Radisson Hotel Group, most recently as European Marketing Director, where he was involved in
ole Sorang notes that conferences, congresses, meetings, and events are among tourism’s most lucrative business segments. Although the business area was severely shaken during the Covid pandemic, face-to-face meetings are back. Business events in Denmark account for over €5 billion of total tourism revenue. In Scandi-
“ A major statement I think should be emphasised more often is that there is no single conflict in the world that we do not solve through a meeting”
28 markets and the launch of over 200 hotels, outlets, and convention centres in Europe. Furthermore, he has served on several boards over the past 15 years, including Visit Denmark, National Tourism Forum, Meetingplace Wonderful Copenhagen and Capital Region Growth Council.
In addition to his long-standing involvement in Danish tourism, ole Sorang has served on the European and global boards of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) for several years. He is also the initiator of establishing the MSc programme in Meetings & Events, Travel and Tourism Management at Copenhagen Business School (CBS).
New technologies such as AI, the metaverse, and an increased demand for sustainable solutions are transforming the global meetings industry. optimeet looks forward to playing a central role in this development by creating a foundation for exchanging knowledge, ideas, and innovation in the meetings industry.
navia, including Finland, the figure is over €25 billion.
“At optimeet, we focus on strengthening business events and the meetings industry in general, and we help connect and match buyers of meetings and events with the most suitable facilities and suppliers through various activities. The meetings industry is undergoing exciting developments that we must respond to, and I look forward to helping our partners open up new opportunities.
“We have our own and many individual strategies in meetings and events, but we also work together to develop the overall meetings industry. A major statement I think should be emphasised more often is that there is no single conflict in the world that we do not solve through a meeting. Ukraine/Russia and Israel/Palestine are two examples. Meetings are needed. That is the power of meetings. If you know what meetings can do to people, they’re the most powerful tool you have to communicate,
share knowledge, embrace, engage, etcetera. It’s super important.”
To maintain a high level of business intelligence, ole Sorang likes to read various reports to expand all the synapses of knowledge and challenge his brain to think further.
“Is what I read relevant? It could be about sustainability, AI, legacy or digitalisation. McKinsey has published the report State of Tourism and Hospitality 2024 . Here, we can read that interregional travel is the second largest opportunity after domestic travel. So, when you take the younger generations, and interregional, for example, Scandinavian travel, we see that it is growing. But there are three different scenarios. one scenario says that travel will not increase that much. Then there’s one called The Boom, and then there’s The Buzz. It is relatively clear that travel will continue to increase over the next 10 –15 years. Whatever the scenario.
“I believe that there could be more interregional growth, even in some destinations, which are, how shall we say, secondary destinations. There are some opportunities, and that narrative must also be considered concerning the social value in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The Danish business government just launched incremental efforts to drive more international tourism and specifically focus on meetings and events. This focus has been achieved over the last 25 –30 years to create, for example, jobs, income, and export earnings.
“We believe that if we are going to solve something, we have to meet and talk together to solve what we have to solve. That is why I am in favour of a Scandinavian Meeting Manifesto. We have great similarities in our countries, which have been democracies for many years and where the meeting solves the problems that need to
be solved. That is why I see the whole of Scandinavia as a market for this meeting manifesto. Just as they did when they created the Scandinavian Food Manifesto. The top chefs created what needed to be made, and the success was total. Today, people travel worldwide to eat in our countries, and our chefs are often at the top of the Bocuse d’Or, the World Culinary Championships.”
ole Sorang is convinced that meetings and the business events industry will continue to develop over the next 25 years. But some destinations will take more initiative. We will see the second, third, fourth and fifth largest cities in many countries take rapid and significant steps forward. More and more people are also curious about cities other than the capital.
“Radisson Hotels has been an amazing chapter. Now I’m ready for the new, and this is the right time to change projects. I still love to work and am passionate about the meetings industry. I am so fortunate that it is my passion. I have 25 years of experience and 30 years in the meetings industry. I think I can make a difference here. I get a lot of respect when I talk to stakeholders about my ambitions, about what I think should be the ambitions of the meetings
“Meetings are needed. That is the power of meetings”
industry. I think we’ve lost some momentum in the very value of meetings. We are not where we should be and where we were a few years ago, but we will get there again and even further.”
one path ole Sorang wants to explore at the next Optimeet Expo 2025 , which is held on March 20 at Bella Arena Copenhagen, is to get more researchers in tourism, meetings, and events from all over Scandinavia to attend some of the parallel, bilateral meetings in conjunction with the trade fair, which is the largest business events trade fair in Scandinavia.
“We work together, stand together, and all support the same legacy, which is that the meetings industry has been important in the past for Copenhagen and, of course, even more significant for the future. So, the legacy here in Copenhagen and this sustainable cooperation should be developed and deepened. It is also essential to get the meeting industry to emphasise the importance of the agenda. It is super, super important. There has been a major development in many destinations, new places, and new opportunities. And this is a growth opportunity to put more people to work. The meeting industry
and the tourism industry are strong adapters. Let’s ensure we continue developing these opportunities.
“The global meeting and event industry is a multi-billion-dollar business. Countries and destinations invest considerably to attract events, meetings, and congresses, the most lucrative tourism segments. It is a global and very competitive market. In Scandinavia, we can think differently, develop, and design a competitive edge based on a fantastic legacy from education, sustainability, evolving and adapting innovation, and technology.”
Prague Approves a New Strategy HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF DE v ELOPING BUSINESS E v ENTS
Prague is the political, cultural and economic centre of the Czech Republic, which has 10 7 million inhabitants, while the capital has 1 4 million. A strong focus on innovation, technology, and services with high internationalisation and competitiveness characterises the economy. The city has a well-developed infrastructure and is home to many major companies and industries, in fields like biotechnology, electronics, automotive, software development, film production and tourism. Major city employers include Skoda Auto, Siemens and Honeywell.
Prague is also an innovative science hub. It excels in fields such as artificial intelligence and robotics, biomedicine, low-carbon technologies, data technologies, and selected creative industries, providing many opportunities for implementing business events with matching topics.
The Prague Convention Bureau has recently secured a new three-year contract to obtain funding for its activities. In 2022 , the City of Prague
implemented the city tax on accommodation and decided to reinvest a certain percentage of collected city tax back into the development of the tourism sector. Roman Muska, CEO of Prague Convention Bureau, hopes this will also positively impact the development of the business events industry in the long term.
“The development of meetings and business events is the core of our activities as a convention bureau. In the past decade, we could see how this segment was gaining more and more visibility and appreciation, but still not quite at the level we would like to see. It is imperative to constantly reiterate the importance and positive impacts of the meeting industry, not only from the economic impact point of view but also all the other aspects, such a knowledge transfer, investment driver, or destination promotion,” says Roman Muska.
Just recently, Prague representatives approved a new strategy for incoming tourism for 2024 –2027, highlighting the importance of
developing meetings and business events. This proved that politicians on the municipality level see the opportunity to develop this specific segment of the tourism industry.
on the national governmental level, the tourism sector falls under the Ministry of Regional Development, which manages the Czech Tourism Authority and its subdepartment the Czech Convention Bureau, which acts as the umbrella organisation for all 14 regional convention bureaux. The Ministry of Regional Development has various agendas, and tourism is just a small part of its activities. Therefore, the support and budgets are still behind the ideal-case scenario compared to other destinations.
“We are creating a new business brand for the city with Prague City Tourism as the official Destination Management organisation (DMO). As part of this process, we plan to jointly unify our corporate brand with the official DMO to communicate the new brand in 2025 .”
“Global associations are already creating their legacy by coming to the destination and bringing international know-how”
Sustainability is one of the most discussed topics in the meeting industry worldwide, Prague not excluded.
“We are glad that we can support more sustainable meetings in the City of Prague through offering free or discounted public transportation tickets to congress delegates. We can see that many local suppliers focus on sustainable aspects, including energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. The Prague City Council approved 2019 Prague’s climate commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050. The City of Prague has decided to stop supporting events in which single-use plastics and dishes are used, but is supporting events with reusable cups and plates. In 2023 , the Czech Republic was ranked 8 th in the Global Sustainable Development Index, proving that we are moving in the right direction.”
The legacy of meetings in Prague is another big topic discussed in past years, and Roman Muska comments: “I believe there is a difference between the corporate and association events. Usually, corporate events have policies where the legacy projects are more connected with their CSR strategies, so we can see various
projects supporting the local communities. on the other hand, global associations are already creating their legacy by coming to the destination and bringing international knowhow, which positively affects the development of a local community of scientists or doctors in the specific field, which benefits the local community. It must be highlighted and communicated more to the general public and politicians.”
Furthermore, we discuss the pivotal role of international congresses and conferences in professional development. These events provide a platform for networking with colleagues from other countries, potentially leading to significant career advancements, even the prestigious Nobel Prize.
“I fully agree. At international conventions and congresses, you can gain new contacts, inspiration, and new ideas that help you move further and develop your professional profile.”
When Roman Muska shares his vision of the future, he would love to see no interruption caused by global geopolitical situations, natural disasters, or pandemics.
“The two years of the pandemic showed us that we need to meet
face-to-face, so I am not expecting any significant changes towards going more online. The new technologies, such as AI, will play an important role and simplify many processes. I also wish to finally have a direct train connection from the airport to the city centre, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
The Necessity of KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER TO SAv E LI v ES
Professor Petra Tesařová has been trying to elevate Czech oncology to the world level throughout her professional life, including organising international conferences. She has worked in the field of oncology for 40 years, and her academic career is marked by significant achievements and contributions to medical oncology, particularly in breast cancer research.
Petra Tesařová is Head of the Department of oncology, 1 st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and the General University Hospital. She lectures at domestic and foreign congresses, advocates for the organisation of international conferences in Prague, such as the Gastric Cancer Congress (IGCC) 2019, and actively promotes the Czech Republic.
In addition to being proactive in the meetings and events industry, she is the chairwoman of Project 35 , which is focused on a group of young women under 35 who have fallen ill with breast cancer. Petra Tesařová also founded the non-profit organisation Dialog Jessenius, established to raise awareness about severe diseases among the general public.
The Prague Convention Bureau has recognised and celebrated her
efforts. In May, she was appointed to the Congress Ambassador Awards for the long-term contribution of Prague and the Czech Republic, an appointment she commented like this:
“Anyone who has organised a large professional congress knows how big this job is. The advantage is that a considerable part of it is carried out by Prague itself, where European and overseas colleagues come willingly and gladly. My efforts aim to establish professional relationships, raise the profile of Czech oncology and show how we fight cancer bravely and successfully in our country. I definitely have more congress plans for Prague.”
Petra Tesařová’s influence extends to international medical organisations. For example, she serves as the Secretary-General for the International Gastric Cancer Congress, demonstrating her global reach in the medical community. Her efforts have contributed to positioning Prague as a prominent destination for international medical conferences. By leveraging her expertise and
connections, she has helped attract numerous congresses to the city, enhancing Prague’s reputation in the global scientific community.
Through her work, Petra Tesařová has become an essential person in the medical field and the conference industry. She is crucial in bridging academic knowledge with international networking opportunities in Prague.
“I am also a haematologist, but breast cancer is a completely different diagnosis from other solid tumours because it is a systemic disease from the moment the cancer occurs. So I decided to switch from haematological diseases to breast cancer. My patients are the same age as my children. It’s fierce. So, what is the most important issue on my desk right now? It is some miracle treatment for my patients, that saves their lives. But that is not a reality today. We need new drugs and treatment options for these patients.
“Congresses and conferences are significant for me and all doctors and researchers in the Czech Republic because it is an opportunity to meet our colleagues in the same field. oncology is a branch of medicine that
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
is developing very fast, and because of that it is necessary to keep up to date with global oncology and prepare for oncological conferences.”
She says that medical oncology in the Czech Republic has three essential events. The first one is the traditional Czech conference; the second is her conference, Prague Onco, and
only local events. But after the Velvet Revolution, in 1989, we finally had the opportunity to visit destinations in other countries, for the first time.
“The political climate in our country is unfortunately not always stable. We may face different situations after each election. But when it comes to medical conferences, there are no
“ My efforts aim to establish professional relationships, raise the profile of Czech oncology and show how we fight cancer”
medical oncology is a special medical branch in this regard, because we can metastasise in so many other medical branches, and all other indications for treatment are not only necessary but the direct result of having comprehensive information about each patient. We can communicate and moderate our discussion with our colleagues, and we know that this is essential, and that is not only my personal opinion. I think this point is relatively modest, because we have this multidisciplinary team discussion each week, and I have to be involved in this discussion regardless of whether I’m a young doctor or an old professor.”
the third is a primarily social meeting, in Český Krumlov in South Bohemia, to meet with colleagues.
“We have very close cooperation with Slovak oncologists, not only because of our previous common Czechoslovakian history but also because we have a very similar language, so there is no problem talking to each other. However, the concept of our congress is quite different from that of other local congresses. Its main goal is knowledge-sharing and continuity. It is essential for our field in medicine.”
The Velvet Revolution was a nationwide protest in Czechoslovakia from November to December 1989. It ended more than 40 years of communist rule in the country and radically changed the conditions for Petra Tesařová and her colleagues.
“For us, the Velvet Revolution was essential, because attending congresses and conferences abroad just wasn’t possible before it took place. Up until that point, we had
changes – we can always participate in the organisation of conferences. Prague Convention Bureau is very professional and supports us, and it is possible to organise not only local meetings but also European or global congresses. In 2019, I was the scientific secretary of the international conference on gastric cancer in the Czech Republic, and it was a very successful meeting.”
Talking about the connection between conferences, congresses and the Nobel Prize, it seems you basically cannot win a Nobel Prize in medicine, chemistry or physics without attending many international congresses.
“Yes, I would have to agree with that assessment. To achieve a Nobel Prize, it is necessary to be open to different points of view, about your opinions, or your field of research, and so on. Being exposed to many different colleagues and large groups of people is very important for achieving new insight into your field. And
Regarding medical congresses, Petra Tesařová believes in face-toface meetings and meeting colleagues in person, even if modern tools like digitalisation and artificial intelligence are widely available. Moreover, she also believes that we will have access to new anti-cancer treatments, even though it may not happen within her own lifetime.
“We already have many different treatment tools today, and I am so happy that I can be part of developing these new treatment options and improving hope for many of our patients. I also believe we will see many new disease subsets in the coming years. Breast cancer today is just an umbrella term for many different types of cancer, with different causes and different treatment options, and this diversification trend will probably extend into the future.”
Prague Congress Centre A HUB FOR KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, has always been a political and cultural centre of Europe and a crossroads of the most important trading routes. The city has a long tradition of hosting significant international meetings. In May, Prague was ranked among the top five most attractive European congress destinations in the annual International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings and currently holds the sixth position worldwide.
Since March 2020, Lenka Žlebková has been the CEO of the Prague Congress Centre (PCC), and before that, she was the managing director of the Prague Convention Bureau for four years. When the Covid pandemic hit Prague in March 2020, she had only worked for a week in her new role as CEO at the congress centre. From one day to another, Lenka Žlebková had to start working as a crisis manager. on March 12 , they had to shut down the congress centre, and everything changed.
“We were supposed to have a 20 per cent increase in revenue and really good results. Instead, we went straight into crisis management. operationally, we had to cut back and rethink what we would do. We proposed to our government and the
city that we could open a vaccination centre here. And so, we did. over 110,000 people have been vaccinated here.”
The PCC management team managed to keep the company stable and retain every employee during the pandemic. They switched from face-to-face meetings to virtual ones, built a virtual studio, and focused on digitalisation and helping the city. By creating the vaccination centre on their premises, they proved their importance as a strategic partner for the city.
“And then, in 2022 , just when we thought our business would finally return to normal, the Ukrainian–Russian war started. The Mayor called me after the success of the vaccination centre and said: ‘Lenka, we need you again. We need to open a refugee centre in the congress centre.’ I said: ‘Yes, when are the first refugees coming?’ The next morning, the city’s crisis management team of 30 people arrived. They looked at me and said: ‘By tomorrow, at 8 am, the centre needs to be open.’
“The refugees were to be put in meeting rooms and areas that would not affect our business. But the following morning, 2 ,000 refugees were waiting in front of the congress
centre. And this was in March, and it was snowing. All these mothers and children, without bags, and everybody freezing. It was a very emotional and tough moment. We opened up, and put the refugees in the big congress hall. Because of this, we ended up not being able to organise any events for six weeks. We had to cancel two international events, one with over 2 ,000 participants and another with over 1 ,000.”
This year, the Prague Congress Centre finally hosted one of those big events they had to turn down in March 2022 . According to Lenka Žlebková, it was resolved very well. Today, PCC’s business is going well, with over 260 events annually. Last year, the centre achieved its best economic result ever. The goal for 2024 is to repeat this result. The long-term strategy is to be in the premium segment of high-end service providers. Last year, the PCC reported record revenues, with a 15 per cent increase, reaching €24 1 million.
“A significant part of the business events we host at PCC are political summits. After a series of political events during our EU Council Presidency 2022 , we welcomed the EU member state’s parliamentary presidents in April last year. Last october,
“Just when we thought our business would finally return to normal, the Ukrainian–Russian war started”
we hosted representatives from forty parliamentary chambers from around the world for the Second Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform.”
Furthermore, she wants to position the Prague Congress Centre among the most important European congress venues, develop the public area around the centre and push towards the construction of a new exhibition hall. She also wants to create a corporate culture that improves employee and client satisfaction and to elevate Prague’s status as a premium destination for European conventions, conferences and business events.
Lenka Žlebková is well-known in Prague’s convention industry as well as internationally. In addition to her role as CEO, she is actively involved in Prague’s convention sector as Vice President of the Prague Convention Bureau and Member of the Prague Convention Bureau’s Board of Directors. Through her various roles, she, for example, helped move the city from 19 th to 10 th in the ICCA global city rankings and played a key role in winning Prague’s bid to host the ICCA Congress 2017.
The long-term vision for the congress centre is to be among the top
ten congress centres in Europe on top of maintaining its number-one position in the Czech Republic. Collaboration with the city and other stakeholders is crucial to make this happen.
“I strongly believe in partnership and cooperation within the destination. I called it strategic partnerships when we first wrote it into the PCC strategy. You need all the partners in the city, PCOs, and suppliers. The most important thing is to bring the meeting or event to Prague as a destination.”
Lenka Žlebková has been working on an expansion of the congress centre for the last 13 years. Meetings with over 5 ,000 delegates have always been challenging because the exhibition area isn’t big enough. For those big events, 10,000 square metres would be helpful.
The Prague Congress Centre is currently owned by the City of Prague as well as the Ministry of Finance, which wants to exchange its shares for other assets. Negotiations are currently underway, at the end of which, if an agreement is reached, the City of Prague will be the sole owner of the PCC. The budget permit is ready and valid, and the funds are allocated,
which means that construction can begin once the situation is resolved.
“The new exhibition space will expand Prague’s infrastructure. The new multifunctional hall will be a place for fairs, exhibitions, sporting events, conferences and product launches. It will change the image of the whole neighbourhood. My next goal is to make this happen. All we need is the political approval.”
While waiting for a positive response from the city’s politicians regarding the expansion, work is underway to ensure that the congress centre is at the forefront regarding sustainability. All employees are working towards reducing the facility’s carbon footprint and eliminating the environmental impact of their operations. The Prague Congress Centre has undergone significant changes to enhance its facilities. For example, last year, a photovoltaic power plant was installed on its roof to support sustainability efforts by generating a portion of its electricity needs.
“When things get really bad, just raise your glass and stamp your feet and do a little jig. That’s about all you can do.”
Leonard Cohen
The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe A NETWORK FINDING CREATI v E SOLUTIONS
The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe was founded by Matthias Schultze and Eric Bakermans. The alliance is a network of national destination marketing organisations focusing on strengthening Europe’s position as a leading destination for international business events. Founded in 2014 with nine initial countries, it has grown to include 29 member organisations across Europe.
The primary purpose of the alliance is to create beneficial working relationships among European national convention bureaux and to maintain and strengthen Europe’s long-term standing as the world’s top destination for all business events. Furthermore, the alliance promotes and supports knowledge sharing among members, simplifies and strengthens approaches to key markets, and conducts comprehensive market research through joint activities.
Among the alliance’s activities and initiatives, they meet twice a year in rotating host destinations. The network has launched the joint website convention-europe.com to provide resources and communication channels for customers, suppliers, and partners. The alliance conducted research projects, such as a study on
the impact of the Covid pandemic on the European convention sector. Also, the strategic organisation has published a white paper on The Future Role and Purpose of Convention Bureaux and a white paper called How can National Convention Bureaux Leverage Their Influence for Sustainability? This document presents a collaborative action plan to guide the transition towards sustainable business events in Europe.
The alliance plays a significant role in promoting Europe as a premier destination for business events. According to IPK World Travel Monitor, Europe hosts nearly 2 .4 million international business visitors annually, and approximately 54 per cent of all association meetings worldwide occur in Europe. By working together, the members aim to enhance Europe’s competitiveness in the global business events market and drive innovation in the industry. We met Matthias Schultze, Managing Director, GCB Germany Convention Bureau, and Eric Bakermans, Director of Marketing Meetings & Conventions, Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions, in Barcelona at the PCMA Convening EMEA meeting and asked them how it all started.
“We first met in Hyderabad, India, at the ICCA Congress in 2010, and we immediately found common
ground to work from, starting with our own two countries, Germany and the Netherlands. Then we talked to Christian Mutschlechner, who was then the President of the Austria Convention Bureau,” says Matthias Schultze.
“That was the first ICCA Congress for Matthias and my 10 th edition. We started talking, and I think it was at one of the trade shows, Imex or IBTM World, that you came to me. We crossed the aisle because we were neighbours at the show,” says Eric Bakermans. “We talked about initiating or setting up a European network of national bureaux and convention bureaux because we have similar challenges, opportunities, and topics that do not necessarily relate to city bureaux but do impact the national level.”
When they spoke to Christian Mutschlechner, he said, “It’s a very good idea. We must have the first meeting in Vienna.” Later, they invited six colleagues to their first meeting, the convention bureaux of Poland, Estonia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, and Switzerland. For the first three years, the group met twice a year and just started an exchange. The network invited others to follow and join the initiative. In 2015 , the members understood that they had to formalise their meetings.
They all signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the Munich, Germany meeting in January 2015 . There, the group defined the network’s objectives and targets.
Moreover, they agreed it’s mainly about peer learning, learning from others, exchanging ideas, and discussing challenges, as they all face similar challenges. Secondly, they also decided to conduct joint market research, because they all needed
Tourism Economics and perform recovery analysis.
“When and how will business events come back? It was the question most of our partners were affected by. We all wanted to know the same thing. What was the recovery process in the long-, mid- and shortterm? our needs and interests were all aligned, and we could tap into and finance this and had the same common goal. That was a huge advantage.
“ We have similar challenges, opportunities, and topics that do not necessarily relate to city bureaux but do impact the national level”
evidence-based information, facts, and figures to make informed critical business decisions. And thirdly, they decided to jointly create whitepapers to achieve a shared knowledge base, understanding, and goal for what they, as Europeans, want to achieve together. When it comes to big challenges, it makes more sense to work together rather than having Italy, Germany, or France working individually on separate solutions to the same problems. The basic idea was simply to align their efforts on a strategic level.
The strategic alliance has faced several obstacles since 2014 one was the Covid-19 pandemic, both as individual organisations and as a group. Matthias Schultze says that the positive thing with the group was that immediately, a mere few weeks after Covid started spreading rampant, they decided to conduct joint market research in cooperation with
The pandemic was the obstacle, and working together and financing the research was the way to overcome it,” says Matthias Schultze.
Eric Bakermans explains that every national convention bureau puts up the same amount of money, but the costs are relatively small since the collaboration is project-based. If ten countries, out of the Alliance’s current 29 members, decide to work on a particular project, then those ten members divide the costs by ten. So if it’s 15 countries, the costs are divided by 15 , and if only two countries are interested, they simply divide the costs for the project by two. This makes everything run smoothly since only interested parties contribute financially, and any member not interested in a certain project need only opt out of it. There is a base fee for the membership, however, to finance operational costs or research projects, such as the Convene
4 Climate Conference, an inaugural event by PCMA, the Strategic Alliance of National Convention Bureaux of Europe, and other collaborators.
“It is a platform to bring together the business event industry and other sectors to explore future scenarios, growing knowledge and creative solutions around the intersection of climate tech and the world of business events. The event is, for the most part, financed through the membership fees. Every year, we propose this year’s membership fee, and if everybody can afford to sign off on it, we go ahead with the proposed fee. So, it’s very democratic and transparent,” says Eric Bakermans.
on the question of whether the strategic alliance is an interest association for the 29 members, and/ or a lobbying organisation, Matthias Schultze answers: “We don’t call ourselves a lobbying organisation. We are a platform where we bring together 29 European countries on a national level and where we can discuss challenges, but also discuss answers. I think this is one of the most powerful tools that we have available to us, being able to have national-level convention bureaux sitting together as one, discussing topics and challenges and jointly finding the solutions we need. As a network, we are working closely together, and from time to time some countries are invited by other countries when they organise partner events or do lobbying so that we can explain how we do it in Germany, or the Austrians can explain how they do it in Austria. So that’s the positive thing about the alliance, that we can all learn from each other. There are 29 solutions out there. There is no one-size-fits-all.
“The way we operate now, Matthias and I can manage this with a bit of extra help. And for special projects,
“This group is diverse, which makes the alliance powerful because we have so many different strengths that can drive everything forward”
we may ask members to join in and help. It’s an agile organisation, and we don’t want to put too much effort into managing ourselves. We just want to drive things forward. So, yeah, ’agile’ is a good word for it,” says Eric Bakermans.
“The glue of our organisation is that we value each other and know our strengths, but we also know our weaknesses as well. This group is diverse, which makes the alliance powerful because we have so many different strengths that can drive everything forward,” says Matthias Schultze.
Regarding future new members, the current members have all agreed that the United Nations Geo-Scheme defines who can become a member or not. The scheme counts 54 European countries, and 29 are already strategic alliance members. For example, a few smaller countries don’t have convention bureaux in place.
Matthias Schultze summarises what the alliance has accomplished so far: “The first thing we published was the white paper on the future role and purpose of the National Convention Bureaux. There, we defined eight short-term and long-term milestones. The next step was to create a white paper on sustainability and how the
National Convention Bureaux can leverage its influence on sustainability in the business sectors and ecosystems. Two concrete projects came out of the white papers: to increase awareness and sustainability in our sector in Europe. So, we joined forces with PCMA and created the Convene 4 Climate Conference. That’s a concrete outcome of our work,” says Matthias Schultze.
Now, the alliance has created the Sustainability Hub for Events (SHE). This AI-based platform feeds all relevant data from all 29 European member organisations regarding guidelines, rules, and regulations in each country. The action is a cooperation between the alliance and the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative. Eric Bakermans explains that you can interact with the AI platform by starting a dialogue like, “Can you please help me create sustainable vegan catering?” The tool then begins allowing you to build that guideline for vegan catering based on all the data available in your respective country.
“All the data collected will be tagged with its respective source, so that you can confirm it wasn’t just made up by us, the alliance, but is sourced from somewhere else.
When that is all done, we also need to ensure that all the data or content in the tool is accurate and up-to-date. For that, we also need a gatekeeper, a committee, that provides that up-todate data. But we’ll use the respective membership of each country to make sure that the data being collected is accurate and makes sense. We don’t upload nonsense. So, once all that data is fed, a tool can translate it into every desirable language. I think it will be very useful for event planners and suppliers in our sector,” says Eric Bakermans.
“The Sustainability Hub for Events platform also contains a CO2 estimator, not a CO2 calculator, but a CO2 estimator where you can put all the data on your event into the estimator, and then it calculates for you how much CO2 your event may produce and at the same time it offers concrete actions for recommendation how to reduce the CO2 footprint for your event. So, it’s a real tool that can help all event planners and event organisers optimise their CO2 emissions,” says Matthias Schultze.
IBTM World Puts Social RESPONSIBILITY FRONT AND CENTRE
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Britain’s greatest Paralympic athlete, six-time London Wheelchair Marathon winner and crossbench peer in the House of Lords, has been revealed as the opening keynote speaker at IBTM World in Barcelona. Putting social responsibility in the events industry front and centre, she will open the main stage on day one of the show at Fira Barcelona on November 19 –21
Acknowledged as one of her generation’s most gifted and courageous sportswomen, Tanni Grey-Thomson has competed in five Paralympic Games, winning 11 gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal. In 2005 , she was made a ‘Dame’ for her services to sport and, in 2010, she
was elevated to the House of Lords as a crossbench peer. once there, she used her expertise to focus on sports, disability, health, welfare, and youth development, and she has made significant contributions to debates on welfare reform, assisted dying, and sports governance. Her session, People Potential: A Conversation with Baroness and Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, will showcase the limitless possibilities that emerge when we empower people, nurture team spirit, and champion inclusivity. In this conversation, she will share her journey, revealing how fostering a culture that embraces diversity and celebrates human potential can transform events and lives. Drawing on personal
experience, she will explore how perseverance and a shared vision can unleash greatness in every individual, create experiences beyond success, and inspire lasting change.
Leading change An integral component of IBTM World ’s #PeoplePowered campaign, the social responsibility track of its curated conference programme puts into practice the message at the heart of this year’s show: the belief that what people need to succeed is other people.
With a focus on addressing some of the industry’s, and the world’s, foremost challenges and opportunities, speakers include Shani Dhanda, from Innovating Inclusion,
recognised as the United Kingdom’s most influential disabled person and the BBC’s 100 Women Laureate of 2020. Her thought-provoking session on the first day will feature a deep dive into the evolving laws that impact workforce equality. Titled The Changing Face of Accessibility, Equity and Inclusion in Meetings and Events, Shani Dhanda will draw on lived
the benefits of including children at events from a corporate and association event organiser’s standpoint. offering valuable perspectives on making events more inclusive by accommodating families, Janthea Brigden and Sammy Connell will share practical advice on setting up a crèche and creating a family-friendly environment.
“ Fostering a culture that embraces diversity and celebrates human potential can transform events and lives”
experience to discuss how the business events industry can stay ahead of these changes and illuminate where it currently stands.
As a leading global expert in biodiversity, forest design and regenerative farming, Dr Vincent Walsh, Head of Innovation at Regen Farm Co, will lead a session on The living earth (and why we should give a sh*t). Sharing his wisdom, Vincent Walsh will explore the transformative changes in the food production sector, influencing how event catering is delivered and what it might mean for future meetings and events.
Janthea Brigden, CEO and Director of Childcare at Nipperbout, and Sammy Connell, Head of Events at NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, provides tangible, takehome solutions in the Workplace Revolution. Their interactive session titled Family-friendly Events: Embracing Inclusivity and Best Practices for Welcoming Children delves into
Building solutions The first day of IBTM World, Martin Fullard, Director at The Business of Events, and Eloisa Urrutia, Head of Sustainability at Amex GBT Meetings and Events, will take to the Impact Stage to address the challenges of overtourism in the session Overtourism: a strategic solution. This stimulating discussion will focus on balancing economic benefits with preserving local cultures and environments by exploring the potential of business events as a strategic solution for ensuring sustainable tourism growth.
In one session titled Workshop: how to incorporate DEI into your event RFP? Monica Molina, DEI, Accessibility and Sustainability Consultant at DEI Consultoria, will share practical advice in Workplace Revolution for infusing diversity, equity and inclusion into every aspect of event planning. From setting clear DEI goals to selecting the right event organiser, this interactive session will teach
attendees how to make a powerful impact through their events and create events which genuinely reflect their organisation’s values.
Taking a deep dive into how technology and nature can coexist to create a thriving, sustainable world is Connor Bryant, Co-Founder and CEO of Rubbish Ideas. His session, titled A Solar Punk Future: thriving in Harmony with Nature, will take place in the Workplace Revolution and shift the focus from the challenges ahead to the positive future that can be built. Aiming to help attendees flourish in a world where businesses and consumers benefit from Harmony with the environment, Connor Bryant will explore how the business events industry can lead this transformation by embracing a circular economy and leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and IoT.
Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director at IBTM World: “Tanni Grey-Thomson is a powerhouse who has dedicated her life to creating a fairer and more just society. She has always used her platform to strive for change and has made phenomenal progress in this endeavour. We know her session will be just the start of a fascinating stream of content focused on social responsibility.
“With important sessions in this track around sustainability, accessibility, DEI, and wellbeing, as well as driving a positive social impact, we don’t shy away from asking big and difficult questions of our industry.”
Rethink
DIGITAL PRESENTATIONS
TEXT Mike van der Vijver
I’m about to start and – yes! – the eyes of the people in front of me are on me, not on the screen. They are with me, expectantly. I can tell because the heavy curtains in the room are open, and daylight is streaming in, so I can see where their eyes go. And I can also look them in the eye, for there is no need for me to focus on the comfort monitor at the foot of the stage. There’s nothing there for me to check. It’s just a holding slide, with my name and title. I can walk freely on stage, not boxed in by the projector’s light beam, and I can’t go wrong with the clicker. I have no clicker. What a joyful sense of freedom.
In a previous article, I shared what I don’t do when presenting (namely, a PowerPoint slide show). This time, let’s zoom in on what I do do. Like last time, I have one primary suggestion plus a series of attendant recommendations.
The central point is this: when preparing, at the top of a clean sheet of paper, I write down the one key message I wish to leave participants with. one sentence. It is the one thing I want them to remember, take away
and act upon. Everything in my presentation serves to ensure that this happens. The sentence says what I wish them to think, feel, believe, or do when my presentation is finished. To make that happen, I need to engage them, and engage them at a deeper level than I can reach with slides. I rapidly need to get into a genuine relationship with them. My presentation should be an agent of change. And people are induced to change their behaviour mainly due to emotions, rather than facts and data. Data may serve to illustrate a point and reinforce that what you are saying is correct. But being right is pointless unless people also internalise a conviction. only then will they act upon it. As I argued in the previous article, a slide presentation typically detracts from all that. It creates distance. It makes it harder to engage in conversation, and to overcome the distance between the stage and the floor.
From a practical standpoint, there are many ways to achieve this. Here is a non-exhaustive list of communication tools that work, at least in my experience.
Focus on the beginning and the end The first 15 seconds are crucial in establishing a relationship with your audience. Are you dedicating those 15 seconds to fiddling with your pointer or getting the tech guy in the back to wake up? or are you looking your crowd straight in the eyes, and pulling them in?
Equally, ensure your finale hammers your main message into your audience’s mind, and gives participants a clear cue on what to do with the content you just shared.
Audiences remember the beginning and end much better than any other part of your presentation.
Tell stories The human brain is fond of stories of the meaning they give to the complex world around us. And of the emotions they carry. Your entire presentation could be one extended story. In which a character discovers solutions after going through hardships. Deliver a good story instead of conjuring up visual effects on slides.
Use props In a recent presentation, I told a story involving seals – the cute, chubby cousins of dolphins
ACHIEVE NEW HEIGHTS
with those big, black, moist eyes. The day before, the event’s CSR activity brought us to a factory that produced stuffed animals for children (well, judging from the reactions of the adults, actually not just for children). one of the animals in their shop was an irresistible seal puppy. I bought it, and used it the next day on stage, and gave it to someone in the first row at the end.
I sometimes ask just a few volunteers to come forward and sit with me on stage. They then become a panel, representing the voice of the audience. Conversing with them is like talking with the entire crowd.
You can ask participants to influence your content For instance, ask them to break it up into four or five subtopics, and then allow people to
“ When people gather physically, something much more impactful must happen”
You can use all kinds of objects to illustrate your point. The more evocative your props are, the more they help you hit the right chord with your audience.
Make your participants do things
Make them actual participants: active people, who aren’t just consuming your content, but contributing to it. The easiest way of achieving this is to ask them to process some of the content then and there, together with people sitting close to them.
This line of thought opens up further options You can ask people to move and connect with new people they would otherwise not have met or talked to because networking is usually between groups of people who know each other already. You can then ask them to discuss the content with their new neighbours. It’s challenging, sure, but extremely valuable.
vote on how much time they want you to dedicate to each of those subtopics. This requires you to be flexible in dealing with your content, but achieving that is proof of mastery, which fuels your credibility.
Why not flip the time you dedicate to presenting with the time for Q&A? Instead of doing 90 per cent presentation and 10 per cent Q&A, you can do 50 –50. or even 20 –80. That way, your content will be genuinely audience-driven. If you feel that the questions asked leave some vital points untouched, then just set aside five minutes at the end to address those points.
You can create visuals as you go along This can be achieved using a simple flip chart, plus camera, or an iPad. Excellent training courses in graphic reporting are available, and
they are worth the investment to distinguish yourself.
My last recommendation is totally different It is practice. Practice your content at home. You need to discover, and develop, the delivery logic that the order of your non-existent slides will no longer dictate. You need immediate memory access to exactly the right words that you will no longer be able to read off the comfort screen at your feet. So, enrol your dog, your cat, or your goldfish, and engage them.
Presentations to share data should become a thing of the past. They are not a good enough reason to unite people at meetings and events. They are an essentially non-sustainable meeting model; you can absorb data and facts in the comfort of your home. But when people gather physically, something much more impactful must happen. And when that something involves content, it requires presenters who can move people, physically and emotionally.
Mike van der Vijver is mastering the art of designing and facilitating effective meetings. He is also a moderator, speaker, advisor, author, and in 2003 he cofounded Mind Meeting. Furthermore, he works as an executive consultant and coach, specialising in national and organisational culture.
Where moments matter.
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Where moments matter.
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Fuel YOUR MOMENTUM
I believe a calibrated morning routine is one of the most important habits for an exceptionally great life. The way you begin your day sets up how your day unfolds. of course …
… starting with MVP (Meditation, Visualisation, Prayer) is powerful.
… doing a sweaty workout while hydrating and listening to a fascinating audiobook is magic.
… speaking some mantras and reciting some affirmations is enriching.
Yet, without some time reflecting and recording in your journal, I don’t believe a morning routine is fully loaded, if you get my drift. When I write, I sip espresso while country music plays. I record my ethical ambitions, wildest visions, small wins and deepest wishes.
For the past months, I’ve also started writing a few lines in answer to the following five questions, which I share with you in the spirit of service:
Morning Question #1: What am I grateful for?
Yes, we all now know that science confirms that gratitude is the antidote to fear. And that one must defend oneself against all the negative information out there by deliberately
recognising one’s blessings. No matter how small. This question ensures you do this daily.
Morning Question #2: Where am I winning?
To fuel your momentum and protect your positive energy, it’s mission essential to constantly be celebrating your progress. Noting your microwins in your notebook is a splendid way to battleproof your hope and bulletproof your inspiration. It will help you stay on course when hard influences try to get you off it.
Morning Question #3: What will I let go of today?
To not forgive your hurters and harbour resentment towards those who have wronged you is to carry them with you through your days on your back. Forgiveness isn’t condoning their bad behaviour. Not at all, my friend. It’s simply understanding that everyone does their best based on their level of consciousness (even if their best is a mess). This question allows for some emotional healing and resentment release on the pages of your morning journal, so you don’t carry the baggage into your brighter future.
Morning Question # 4: What does my ideal day ahead look like?
Just a few lines on what a strong and wise day looks like will lock your focus into what’s most important versus keeping you busy being busy. And prevent you from climbing mountains that turn out to be the wrong ones at the end of this year.
Morning Question # 5: What needs to be said at the end?
okay. This one’s super key. Write a quick paragraph reminding yourself of what you want to be said about you, your character, accomplishments, and kindness on the last day of your fine life. This ritual trains your brain to help you live to the point. When you arrive at the end, you concentrate on the right priorities and live your life well.
I hope this five-question morning protocol helps keep you at your best.
Prevent Misinformation AND FAKE NEWS FROM SPREADING AT BUSINESS E v ENTS
TEXT
Scott Steinberg
In a time when audiences are bombarded with headlines, articles, and talking points, information spreads rapidly, and misinformation can cause significant damage. Companies must be extra-vigilant in protecting their meeting and event programs from the infiltration of fake news and false information.
Whether in-person or virtual, mass gatherings of thought leaders and audiences are prime opportunities for sharing knowledge, building relationships, and shaping opinions. But as such, they can also become prime targets for those seeking to spread disinformation. As a business event industry pro, you can employ a few simple hints, tips, and strategies to ensure the integrity of discussions
and presentations shared at your meetings and events.
Rigorous speaker and content vetting The first line of defence against misinformation in event programs is a thorough vetting process for speakers and content. Meeting planners should:
Implement a stringent selection process for speakers, including background checks and credential verification.
Review all presentation materials in advance, fact-checking key claims and statistics.
Require speakers to provide sources for their information, especially for controversial or cutting-edge topics.
Consider using a panel of experts to review content for accuracy and relevance.
Companies can significantly reduce the risk of misinformation entering their programs by carefully scrutinising who speaks and what is presented.
Establish clear guidelines for presentations Creating and communicating clear guidelines for presenters can help maintain the integrity of information shared. These guidelines should:
Emphasise the importance of factual accuracy and the use of reputable sources.
Discourage the use of unverified or sensational claims.
Require clear labelling of opinionbased content versus factual information.
Specify the process for addressing audience questions about controversial topics.
Providing these guidelines well in advance allows speakers to align their content with the company’s standards for information integrity.
Providing resources and tools for verifying information shared during the event.
Encouraging attendees to ask questions and seek clarification on presented information.
By fostering a culture of critical thinking, companies can reduce the impact of any misinformation that might slip through other safeguards.
Train moderators to identify and tactfully address potentially false or misleading statements.
Establish a process for vetting audience questions before they are asked publicly.
Prepare speakers to address common misconceptions in their field.
Have a fact-checking resource readily available during Q&A sessions.
Effective moderation can prevent misinformation from gaining traction through audience interactions.
“ Minimise the impact of misinformation and maintain the event’s credibility”
Incorporate real-time fact-checking For larger events or those covering sensitive topics, consider implementing real-time fact-checking mechanisms:
Employ a team of fact-checkers to monitor presentations and panel discussions.
Use technology solutions that quickly verify claims made during sessions.
Establish a protocol for addressing and correcting misinformation if it occurs during an event.
Real-time fact-checking can prevent the spread of false information and demonstrate the company’s commitment to truth and accuracy.
Educate attendees on critical thinking and media literacy Empowering attendees to evaluate information critically can create a more resilient audience. Consider:
offering pre-event workshops on media literacy and fact-checking techniques.
Leverage technology for information verification Utilising technology can enhance efforts to maintain information integrity:
Implement AI-powered tools to scan presentation materials for potential inaccuracies.
Use blockchain or similar technologies to verify the authenticity of presented data or research findings.
Employ sentiment analysis tools to monitor social media discussions related to the event, identifying potential misinformation trends.
New technological solutions can provide additional protection against the spread of fake news within event programs.
Create a robust moderation strategy for Q&A sessions Question and answer sessions can easily be vulnerable to the spread of misinformation. Consider the following steps to mitigate the risks:
Develop a rapid response plan for misinformation incidents Despite best efforts, misinformation may sometimes enter event programs. Having a plan in place to address such incidents is crucial:
Create a dedicated team responsible for monitoring and responding to potential misinformation.
Develop preapproved messaging templates for various scenarios.
Establish clear channels for quickly disseminating corrections or clarifications.
Train staff on how to address misinformation with attendees in a professional and non-confrontational manner.
A well-prepared response can minimise the impact of misinformation and maintain the event’s credibility.
Foster transparency in sponsored content and presentations When incorporating sponsored content or industry-funded research, transparency is critical:
Clearly label all sponsored sessions or content in the event program.
Require speakers to disclose any relevant financial interests or affiliations.
No Ordinary Venue
This is The CCD, an iconic building in the centre of Dublin, the home of one hundred thousand welcomes. When you choose The CCD for your event, you’re not just getting a venue. You will be warmly welcomed to a stunning and light-filled building in the heart of Dublin, a city steeped in history, culture and beauty. You will experience the best of Irish hospitality, with sustainable and locally sourced produce. When you bring your event to The CCD, your event is our event. Our team of experts will partner with you to deliver your event seamlessly and beyond your expectations.
No Ordinary Event
w: theccd.ie
e: info@theccd.ie
t: +353 1 8560000
“Protecting programs from misinformation requires business events industry leaders to take a comprehensive, proactive approach to combating fake news”
Provide context for industryfunded research, including information on the study’s methodology and limitations.
Transparency helps attendees evaluate information critically and maintains the integrity of the event.
Collaborate with fact-checking organisations Partnering with reputable fact-checking organisations can add credibility to your efforts:
Invite fact-checkers to review key presentations or participate in panel discussions.
Provide attendees with access to fact-checking resources during the event.
Collaborate on creating eventspecific fact-checking materials.
Industry partnerships demonstrate a commitment to accuracy and provide valuable resources for combating misinformation.
Implement post-event verification and follow-up The fight against misinformation doesn’t end when the event does. You also will want to:
Conduct post-event reviews to identify any instances of misinformation that may have been missed.
Provide attendees with access to verified recordings or transcripts of sessions.
Follow up with corrections or clarifications if inaccuracies are discovered after the event.
Solicit feedback from attendees on the perceived accuracy and reliability of information presented.
This ongoing commitment to accuracy can help maintain the event’s integrity and the company’s reputation long after the gathering concludes.
Long story short Protecting meeting and event programs from fake news and misinformation requires business events industry leaders to take a comprehensive, proactive approach to combating fake news. However, companies can significantly reduce the risk of false and misleading data infiltrating their events by adopting strategies such as implementing rigorous vetting processes, leveraging
new technology solutions, and fostering a culture of critical thinking and transparency.
Such efforts contribute to the broader fight against misinformation in society. Keep in mind: When companies prioritise information integrity in their events, they protect their reputations and set standards for responsible information sharing in professional settings. By taking these steps, firms can ensure that their meetings and events remain trusted sources of knowledge and valuable platforms for professional growth and networking, untainted by the corrosive effects of misinformation.
Roger Kellerman Publisher, business intelligence analyst, trend creator, educator and networker. Has over 40 years’ experience of the global meeting industry. Founder of Mötesindustriveckan. twitter.com/thekellerman
A Professional Facilitator HELPS TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF YOUR MEETINGS
The International Association of Facilitators (IAF ) is a global organisation dedicated to promoting and advancing the practice of facilitation worldwide. The IAF sets internationally accepted industry standards for facilitation and provides accreditation for facilitators. It fosters a community of practice, enabling facilitators to connect, share knowledge, and grow professionally. Its vision is to see professional facilitation used worldwide to address people’s challenges in groups, organisations, and communities.
Why don’t more companies, associations and organisations use trained facilitators in meeting activities? Is it perhaps too embarrassing for them to admit that their meetings are not as well-planned as they could be? or too poorly executed? or maybe the meetings have just never been followed up?
Perhaps decision makers believe that it costs too much to hire a professional IAF-licensed facilitator, but have they actually compared those costs to the costs of poorly managed meetings and events?
Today, almost everyone agrees that meetings are essential for the development of companies,
universities, colleges, associations, and other organisations. People also increasingly agree that the meetings and events industry is a meta business, since it dramatically influences, develops, and controls activities in all other industries.
Maybe we should have a comparative look at the football clubs of the world. Is there even a Division Seven club without a coach, anywhere?
As an avid sports fan, I have simply never heard of a competitive football team coaching itself, but in the meetings and events industry, a staggering amount of companies believe that they can fend for themselves when it comes to meetings and events, without the need for professional coaching.
“If you want something done right, do it yourself,” as the saying goes. Surely we can get promoted to the next division without the help of any coach. Unfortunately, history is littered with proof to the contrary. And clearly, business events are no exception, seeing as not even the most prominent organisations within the field get their own international gatherings right every time.
Imagine a Division Seven football club, that can’t afford to outright buy
the players they need to advance, and therefore need a good coach to get the very best out of the existing team. But regardless of the status of the team, no serious coach would even consider the task without first seeing proof of a desire for advancement and serious discussions and plans for how to move the team forward.
More companies, associations and organisations should think like sports clubs, and try to attract the competency needed for advancement. In sports, you are sure to find a qualified coach driving any team forward. In business, people tend to think that they can manage on their own. The result has too often been mediocre meetings, that were poorly planned, poorly executed, and never followed up on. This is no way to advance to the next Division.
Meanwhile, the International Association of Facilitators continues to grow and is now present in 65 countries. It is time to sign the talent needed and board this vessel to the future of the business events industry.
PHOTO Sara Appelgren
