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The Meetings Show’s first Pre-Show Conference has been hailed a success, with more than 350 Hosted Buyers and event professionals coming together to hear from insightful speakers on some of the hottest topics affecting the industry.

The half-day conference at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel on Tuesday 26 June, exclusively for attendees of The Meetings Show’s Hosted Buyer programme, kicked off with a keynote speech from John Straw, senior advisor to Mckinsey and Co and IBM Watson IoT.

Straw covered all things digital in his talk – from AI, AR and machine learning to Google’s recent updates for its Virtual Personal Assistant and the potential of blockchain. Following the keynote, the conference divided into separate streams for associations, agencies and corporate event planners.

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Discussions included:

  • Association: Planning for 2030 – Where will we be with Christophe Raudonat, business development & association director ICS Ltd, Finland
  • Corporate: From Stage to Engage with Chris Cook and Tom Crook of upstage
  • Agency: Creating relationships today ensures your future success! With Hector Venegas, engaging meetings Ltd

For 30 per cent of all Hosted Buyers to choose the three-day option is a fantastic testament to just how important education is to the industry.

The Meetings Show group event director David Chapple, who welcomed attendees with headline sponsor London Convention Bureau, said: “The Pre-Show Conference is one of the new initiatives for our Hosted Buyers and we are thrilled with the turnout today. For 30 per cent of all Hosted Buyers to choose the three-day option, incorporating the conference and the Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception, is a fantastic testament to just how important education is to the industry and reinforces why it is a key pillar of The Meetings Show’s offer.”

The Pre-Show Conference precedes the two-day event at Olympia London on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 June, which will officially be opened on Wednesday by James Heappey MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the UK Events Industry.

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