The European Federation of the Associations of PCOs has compiled an ambitious educational programme for its fourth Congress which takes place in Europe’s “Capital City” from January 7 to 9, 2010.
It will be one of the first major international conference events to take place in the brand new SQUARE, Brussels Palais des Congres, a venue showcasing Europe’s future in the meetings business
The Congress is set to tackle two of the hottest challenges currently facing the future of the events sector: “Sustainability and Competitiveness in the Meetings Industry”.
EFAPCO President Nicolas Le Brun said: “I am confident that our schedule of interactive debates and parallel sessions, featuring some of the world’s leading personalities in this sector, will attract delegates from across our ten membership countries and PCOs from further afield as well. I also hope that European MEPs and some EU officials with an interest in our sector will also join us.
“Many associations and leading trade shows within our industry are also examining the many issues covered by “sustainability”. But with keynote speakers like Jan-Christoph Napierski, the man responsible for the sustainable organisation of December’s UN Climate Change Conference in Denmark and David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability for London’s 2012 Olympic Games, the EFAPCO Congress is destined to deliver a pivotal start to 2010.”
They are set to address a plenary session on “Sustainability: How to Implement it in Your Meetings”. And they will be joined by another industry personality, Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the World Conference Center Bonn.
The first major session focusing on “Meetings in 2020”, will be driven by Professor Ricardo Petrella, the initiator and former president of the Lisbon Group, which tackled both the overly optimistic and overly pessimistic visions of economic globalization.
Meanwhile, Padraic Gilligan, Managing Director of MCI Ireland and Vice-President of Ovation Global DMC (who served as President of SITE in 2008) and Eric Everard, founder of ARTEXIS, organiser of trade shows, manager of exhibition halls and a retail communications specialist (active in ten countries) will be examining: “Opportunities Emerging from a Crisis Environment”.
This session will range wider than just tackling the current global economic difficulties to look at how the industry is answering the challenges posed by reducing travel and event carbon emissions and about ways in which the industry in different quarters of the globe are, like the USA, answering ill-informed government criticisms about the industry’s economic benefits.
An intensive series of parallel sessions, featuring similarly prominent personalities will look at: PCOs, their clients and their suppliers; VAT in Europe for meetings prescriptors; Technology and new social media: who is in the driving seat? and Standardisation in the meetings industry.
Nicolas Le Brun added: “It is certainly the most comprehensive and challenging programme EFAPCO has organised to date. We have had tremendous help from our member associations and in particular from BAPCO, the Belgian Association of PCOs – indeed its President Sam van de Kerckhof is joining me as a joint chair of the Congress.
“I hope the Congress will help to kick-start our industry’s global thinking and activities through 2010 and beyond.”
All the up-to-the-minute information about EFAPCO 2010 can be found at: www.efapco2010.eu
