Unique speakers, world renowned innovators, business gurus join annual event
Luxembourg and Dallas, TX – European business professionals looking to approach the market with renewed energy and leading-edge ideas should look forward to “Selling Ice Cream to Eskimos,” “Technology Zombies” and “Brain Food” at the European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC) set for 29-31 January 2012 in Budapest, Hungary. While the mix of speakers’ topics may seem unusual, each presentation provides attendees a unique perspective on innovation in the face of an evolving business landscape that they can leverage in their careers to excel.
Serving a diverse European audience with a demanding appetite for learning and networking, EMEC 2012 will connect inventive thinkers inside and outside the industry at this annual conference held by Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Event delegates will experience, and experiment with, new meeting design formats and educational opportunities as never before. This enables them to take the time to explore new ideas and theories in a risk-free environment with colleagues before putting innovative new strategies into action.
Those delegates needing to channel their entrepreneurial spirit will enjoy hearing from Sahar Hashemi, a British entrepreneur and the co-founder of Coffee Republic, who developed a £30 million turnover business. She first introduced the tea-drinking British market to U.S.-like coffee consumerism, has started innovative venture Skinny Candy and advises thousands of new business start-ups each year. But it’s Hashemi’s outlook on innovation in modern business that will prove most insightful for delegates, enabling them to look for unique opportunities they can leverage in their own business and leadership practices.
Hashemi won’t be the only innovator on the main stage. Catch ground-breaking, Hungarian musical innovator Balázs Havasi—fresh from performing for 200 million at the Shanghai Expo. A TED global presenter and Guinness World Record holder, Havasi is known for his “most piano key hits in one minute” set at the Academy of Music Budapest and is described as an ambitiously thoughtful pianist and songwriter with a unique perspective when it comes to “re-imagined innovation.”
Delegates who aren’t regular members of MPI will have a unique opportunity to experience some of the programming that takes place at the chapter level. MPI capitalises on its chapters’ exceptional programmes, and has selected two from its “Best of the Best” competition to appear at EMEC. MPI France presents Mike Clanton and “Don’t Let Your Event’s Technology Zombie Control You!” focusing on successfully planning and executing technology-dependent events. Meanwhile MPI Netherlands brings Dr. Xander Kranenburg and “Beyond Digital Creativity – Mashup all your ideas,” with insights on techniques and tools that help professionals work more efficiently and enhance creative events.
EMEC 2012 also brings to Budapest MPI’s FlashPoint programme, which presents exceptional speakers in a showcase of rapid-fire presentations on forward-thinking topics that have broad-reaching impacts on events and business. The programme is very popular due to its ability to give attendees a variety of concepts they often would not have encountered by focusing just within our industry education set, which in turn expands their business knowledge and enhances professional development. This year’s line-up of speakers comes from Denmark, The Netherlands and Switzerland:
“Selling Ice Cream to Eskimos.” Dr. Pacelle van Goethem: Author, coach and researcher in the field of persuasion, voice and influence
“Brain Food.” Christian Bitz: Uses charisma and humour to revolutionise approaches to health and healthy eating
“Hasn’t someone thought about this before?” Hans van Grieken: Expert on strategies that highly competitive companies (Samsung, Lego, Intel) use to source innovation efforts globally “The Secret of the Pareto Mindset.” Steven Loepfe: A Swiss entrepreneur and strategic coach explaining how the upper echelon of entrepreneurs tick
EMEC not only delivers content; it excels at some of the most talked about networking opportunities in the industry. The opportunity for individuals to break from learning, relax and share ideas often enhances traditional networking scenes. The camaraderie and fellowship at EMEC often enhances the development of long-term business relationships for attendees. EMEC’s local Hungarian partners are presenting delegates with exceptional experiences within the city of Budapest, and both main events at the Museum of Fine Arts Budapest and the Hungarian Railway Museum will provide unforgettable memories and invaluable contacts.
