Rob Davidson the esteemed expert of Meeting Industry, from University of Greenwich, made his decision! Among hundreds of Essays, choose the 20 best ones, giving to 20 people, working in the meeting industry (under30) the possibility to attend one of the most appealing training of the industry – Forum for Young Professionals, Barcelona 2011. Invitation to these elite training was the prize in a competition for young professionals (under 30), whose task was to write an essay on one of the four themes proposed by the organizers. This year Poland doubled the success! Two participants, Agata Walczak-Ziller, Gdansk Convention Bureau and Davide Odella, Trip Group Warsaw (DMC and PCO) are going to attend the Forum. The 2011 Forum for Young Professional organized and sponsored by ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association) and EIBTM (international exhibition of tourism business in Barcelona).
FYP is an incredible few day meeting of young professionals from different countries and continents. Delegates have seminars with world-renowned experts in the meetings industry, such as Corbin Ball and Miguel Neves, Graeme Barnett and many others who will share his experiences with the group. During the workshops delegates’ task is to prepare a BID. They will have an opportunity to test their presentation skills. The training also allows to look at meetings industry from different perspectives: venues, destinations, associations.
In 2010 among the winners there was Polish representative – Marta Wisniewska from Gdansk Convention Bureau: ‘FYP was an absolutely fantastic experience! The meeting gave me a valuable chance to build personal and professional network. I had the honour of working with world famous experts and learning from their experience. The training helped me to identify new trends in meetings industry, expand my world view and basically let me see new possibilities. I encourage everyone to apply for it.’
Does it mean Poland focus on Generation Y? First of all Poland is fast growing convention destination in Europe. Just to mention few rising stars of eastern Europe: Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow. What’s the key to the success? They simply follow international trend – Generation Y is a future of meetings industry. Polish PCOs, Convention Bureaux, DMCs, Venues, Suppliers – they employ young professionals to develop business faster than competitors. Can Generation Y lead the polish meetings industry on their own? Of course not. They still need the support of more experienced colleagues but they can give fresh breeze to eastern European market. Young professionals implement new technologies faster, they are loyal, dedicated, creative and enthusiastic. That is the core of polish model. Professional, enthusiastic team is the key factor of success of every company.
