“We are not here to play the game. We are here to change it.”
With this quote from the hit Netflix series Peaky Blinders in mind, the MPI Netherlands Chapter started the design process for the MPI European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC), to be held Feb. 9-12, 2019, in The Hague. Now that the promise has been made, it is time to live up to it.
Too often, conferences use the same design they have been using for decades: Keynote speaker on stage, delegates sitting in a ballroom listening to what is said or playing with their smartphones. Yet, there are so many ways people can learn. After all, kids do not learn how to ride their bikes just by listening to how they should. They need to get on the bike, practice, fall, get up, fall again, get help and try again—until they get it. That is exactly what delegates will experience at EMEC19. Changing the game means changing the way we learn, changing the way we meet and changing the way we experience.
Change the way you learn, meet and experience
EMEC19 allows attendees to learn the way that suits him or her best. Part of the program consists of learning journeys to explore cross-industry innovation. Delegates are taken out of the meeting room, even out of the conference center, to explore how other industries deal with the same challenges our industry faces. Another example of a changing learning method is scenario-based learning—if it’s good enough for world leaders, it’s worth testing the effectiveness on you. Are you intrigued yet?
The conference will focus on four main topics: risk management, leadership, design thinking and meeting perspectives. Specialist tracks are designed to challenge participants to dive deep into these specific topics. EMEC19 allows the delegate to become a ninja on one of the four topics or cherry pick personal favorites from the various topics addressed.
Meeting new and interesting people is high on everyone’s list. But how often do you find yourself with the people you already know? Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of time to meet with old industry friends. But EMEC19 is designed so that you will meet new people and get to know them well enough to make sure they pick up the phone when you call. Interested in finding out how that promise will be kept? There is only one way to find out…
Designing EMEC
Robbert Weddepohl, president of the MPI Netherlands Chapter, and Gijs Verbeek, the chapter’s executive director, both strongly believe in using local knowledge. After assigning a dedicated project manager, the team decided to put an enormous amount of time towards the design of EMEC19.
“When we sent out an invitation to help us in designing EMEC19, nearly 60 people showed up—fascinating, since we only sent out 45 invitations and we were hoping for a group of around 12,” Weddepohl says. “Planners, suppliers, MPI members, non-members, young, not so young—so many professionals from our industry stood up to help. We felt we were onto something and captured their enthusiasm, creativity and knowledge using the #EventCanvas. Based on this design process, we mapped over a dozen event stakeholders, which led us to create 10 design principles for EMEC19.”
Change the way you experience. Experience the way you change!
EMEC19 is an immersive experience.
“With a spoiled audience like ours, we realized that it is difficult to exceed expectations by programming yet another fantastic speaker, an exclusive historic venue or serving the best wines,” Verbeek says. “EMEC19 will change the way you experience, and by doing so, you will experience the way you change as a professional. Creating unexpected experiences that get under your skin and make you want to call your best friend to tell what just happened—that is what we are aiming for.”
How MPI Global is changing the game
As a grassroots organization, MPI is a strong believer in empowering its members and local chapters to excel. Still, it is the first time a local chapter is taking full responsibility on a flagship event such as EMEC. MPI’s International Board of Directors played an important role in activating and empowering the European meeting and event community to deliver an ineffable edition of EMEC—a clear sign that MPI keeps moving forward.
EMEC19
For more information or to register for the MPI European Meetings & Events Conference, Feb. 9-12 in The Hague, the Netherlands, visit www.emec19.com or contact seeyou@emec19.com.
