One of my favourite moments from the past 12 months was standing on stage in Seville, Spain, for the 2020 MPI European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC). Richard Allchild and I spoke about our excitement of bringing EMEC 21 to Brighton, England, and Sam McNeil of SongDivision rocked out with “let’s all go to Brighton” as our host committee danced onstage, Albion scarfs in the air. Forty-eight hours later we were on a site visit in Brighton with the MPI staff and COVID-19 felt far away, even though cases were popping up throughout Europe. The scope of what was to come was unimaginable.
Just eight short months later we had to come to terms with postponing our event. We had spent so much time on productive calls with our host committee coming up with ways to make this EMEC the best yet (which is a big task after the past events) and dreaming up ways to get our incredible European community to engage, connect, learn and network. As COVID-19 overtook our industry and our world we realised we couldn’t move forward with the EMEC we wanted to build and made the difficult decision to postpone to 2022. I am proud to say that our task force remains focused on making 2022 an incredible event and we are working with MPI on EMEC in Frankfurt in 2021.
What has stood out to me is the deep commitment the European Advisory Council and MPI have to our European chapters.
Throughout it all I was dialling into our European Advisory Council (EAC) calls. In 2019, we had launched our giving campaign focused on “Leaf a Legacy,” giving back to the MPI Foundation after all it has done for us. This year we were excited to continue our growth and to commit further resources to our European chapters, and work on ways to unite us across Europe. When COVID-19 hit, it meant our council had to pivot as well, but really what has stood out to me is the deep commitment the EAC and MPI have to our European chapters. While this has been a difficult year, our resolve has remained strong and the council is continuing to work towards advising MPI Global on what our European community really needs to continue to grow and connect.
This past year has been difficult mentally, emotionally and financially for us. It has taught us resilience, the power of connection, the importance of face-to-face and, more than anything, the sheer power that people coming together has on our heads and our hearts.
I was able to attend the virtual C2 event this year, and the CEO of Steelcase, James Keane, did an interview on what’s next, where will we be when this is all over. The part that has stuck with me is how much spontaneity means to us as humans. How the two-second connection you have with someone at the coffee shop can change your entire outlook on the day, how petting a dog as you walk home from work or a smile across a subway car changes how you view yourself and your mindset. He spoke about intentional space, how we must provide events (and offices) that give even more ROI, that connect with our attendees (and colleagues) and that make people think. We need our attendees to trust us, that our events are worth leaving their houses and families for—travel is not something we will take for granted ever again.
MPI European Meetings & Events Conference: 23-24 May, 2021
Watching MPI’s World Education Congress as a hybrid attendee really solidified this for me; MPI was able to give live attendees a safe (and creative!) experience, and many of us were able to feel a part of the action through our screens. I know this will be our challenge as event professionals over the coming year, but if anyone can rise to this occasion, it’s our events community.
I have hope that we will be able to meet again soon, and I have faith that our European community and our industry will only come back stronger and more committed to what we do. When we meet, we change the world, and I can’t wait to meet each and everyone one of you at EMEC in Frankfurt in 2021 and at EMEC in Brighton, England, in 2022.
