BUDAPEST, Hungary (eTN) – This was my first time to join EMEC, the European Meetings and Events Conference organized by Meeting Professionals International (MPI). The event was held at the Novotel Budapest Congress hotel in Budapest, Hungary, between January 29-31, 2012.
EMEC was a professional event organized by professionals in the meeting industry. It was very well organized, the speakers were educated and experienced, and the event included leading delegates, networking, social events, fun, and entertainment… all in the charming city of Budapest.
The opening of the general session started with the keynote speaker, Ms. Sahar Hashemi, a British entrepreneur and the co-founder of Coffee Republic, who developed a GBP30 million turnover business. Sahar spoke of the innovation in modern business enabling delegates to look for unique opportunities they can leverage in their own business.
The opening night was held at the Museum of Fine Arts located in the Heroes Square, where Hungarian cuisine, traditions, and modern innovations were presented.
Sessions were presented by speakers Pacelle Van Goethem, Christian Bitz, Rene Boender, Steven Loepfe, and Hans van Griken at the Partia Hall in 5 different rooms with different subjects to educate delegates and to give them a better understanding the meetings and events business. Visit Hungary sponsored lunch, which was followed by additional sessions. The subjects of the sessions were: Why Meeting Planners Make Mistakes, Determining the Business Value of Your Meeting, Designing Interaction for High Attendance Events, Crisis Management, Meeting Design Excursion, The Ultimate Event for Sponsors, along with more than 25 other sessions during the two days of EMEC.
The session that most attracted the interest of delegates was the Solution Room, where groups of 10 delegates each were asked to sit together at one table in a condition that they have not met before, then every delegate wrote on a sheet of paper his difficulties in his business. Then the nine other delegates would give advice on possible ways to do deal with these difficulties. This session was really fun and interactive, and showed how much the organizers took care of the delegates by offering them more education, knowledge, and solutions for their businesses.
A late evening party took place at Rendezvous Budapest on the 30th, and the closing night took place in the Hungarian Railway Museum, where delegates took the steam train to the event, with Hungarian cuisine and drinks offered, together with Hungarian folklore music and dance.
EMEC was sponsored by Visit Hungary, the Budapest Congress & World Trade Center, IMEX, IBTM Events, the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau, Star Alliance, and many others.
On the last day of EMEC, during lunch, which was hosted by the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau, MPI announced that EMEC 2013 will be held between January 27-29 in Montreux, Switzerland.
EMEC is a must-attend event for people involved in the meetings and events industry. It’s an event for professionals done by professionals. Personally, I will do my best not to miss any future EMEC, as I really learned a lot, got to meet with leading delegates, and had fun and entertainment as well.
