Q1: Cankarjev dom is the only Slovenian member of the international association IAPCO to have hosted this important and high-profile event in 2024. This year, the Annual Meeting’s host was Taiwan. Do the participants still remember the event in Slovenia, and what impressed them the most?
Cankarjev dom hosted the Annual Meeting of the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers, and even in Taipei, the buzz still surrounded the outstanding organisation of the 2024 event. Every member was unstinting in their praise of Ljubljana. Participants were impressed by the innovative approach to the social programme and the fact that, compared to the large PCOs, such a small-scale venue as Cankarjev dom could execute the event so superbly.
Q2: Did hosting the event bring any new business opportunities?
Every meeting that is innovative and professionally implemented brings new opportunities, and IAPCO25 proved to be just such a meeting. Cankarjev dom received approximately six new requests for PCO services.
Q3: The main theme of this year’s event was “We Are of a Tribe”. It sounds very interesting and a bit mystical. What was the idea behind the slogan?
This slogan refers to the spirit of the Taiwanese culture, a community whose common goal is respectful cooperation among the members of the IAPCO family, as well as integration and personal growth in line with these goals.
Q4: At last year’s event, among other things, you focused on sustainability. For the first time in the history of IAPCO, the carbon footprint of the event was measured using the Planet Positive Event tool. The organisers in Taiwan also used the same tool, so we are all eagerly awaiting the results and the comparison with last year. But how did the organisers in Taiwan go about reducing their carbon footprint? Which activities were at the forefront?
Taiwan is a destination where you can hardly use any means of transport other than a plane. One of the speakers presented a remarkable bicycle transport project that covered a large part of Asia, stressing its success in conjunction with the bicycle manufacturer. They are putting a lot of effort into adopting sustainable methods that are already well established in Europe, but awareness about sustainable approaches is still rather low in the Asian world.
Q5: What kind of hosts are the Taiwanese? Did they exceed your expectations? How was the turnout compared to last year?
The Taiwanese are very friendly hosts. However, as the organisers of last year’s event in Ljubljana, we were critical observers, and they did not exceed our expectations. The annual event attracted 140 members and partners of the Association, and the attendance was lower by 30% compared to last year’s in Ljubljana.
Q6: Why are such meetings important for professional congress organisers?
As professional congress organisers, we always need to be ahead of the times and spot opportunities that still look futuristic at that moment in time. That’s why socialising with like-minded people and exchanging views and messages at the right time is so important.
Q7: What are the main challenges facing PCOs around the world?
The main challenge is anticipating every single step to professionally implement an event and derive benefits from financial, promotional and organisational points of view.
Q8: What is the most important thing you learned from this year’s IAPCO meeting?
The main purpose of an international association’s general assembly or annual meeting is not learning. This is where agency directors endorse annual reports and outline strategies for the future, where good practices that members can apply to their work processes are exchanged. There is also a strong emphasis on the individual’s personal growth.
Learn more about Cankarjev dom’s services as a PCO and venue here.
