Journalists from seven countries gathered in Copenhagen this September to ‘walk the talk’ with Meetovation, a Danish meeting design concept. The trip was intended to inspire international meeting planners and showcase the many good reasons to attend the EMEC conference held in Copenhagen on 7-9th February 2016.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
We are on the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel and the room buzzes with words like “Meetovation” and “Happy Danes”. Present are journalists from seven countries, and the enthusiasm for Denmark and Copenhagen is felt, despite some fatigue after a fun bike ride and a canal cruise in the Danish capital. We are right where MPI’s European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC) is to be held in just 5 months. The foreign journalists are in Copenhagen to get a taste of what the destination has to offer EMEC delegates on the EMEC2016 pre-tour to Copenhagen – implementing Meetovation from A-Z. And something right the Danes must be doing, because it is in fact the third time that Copenhagen/Denmark is selected to host the annual educational conference, organized by the trade association Meeting Professionals International (MPI) – the world’s largest networking organization for meeting providers and planners.
MPIs choice of Copenhagen to EMEC 2016 is a recognition of the Danish meeting industry’s efforts to develop strong meeting products and an important signal that the international meeting industry looks towards Denmark for inspiration, says Steen Møller, Head of Business Events Denmark.
EMEC will get a lift with Meetovation
Although EMEC is being held for the third time in Copenhagen, this is the first time that the Danish meeting concept Meetovation will implemented at the conference. Meetovation is based on a range of basic principles including active involvement of participants and focus on the physical environment, local inspiration and sustainable mindset – and the Danish hosts of the conference – MPI Denmark, Business Events Denmark, Wonderful Copenhagen CVB and Radisson Blue Scandinavia Hotel – promise that if attending EMEC participants will get the strategic meeting design concept under their skin. And it is not only MPI, who is excited about implementing the Danish meeting concept.
After the introduction to Meetovation the visiting journalists have high expectations for the EMEC 2016 in Copenhagen too: “It has enlivened and excited us, and we’re not even meeting planners – we’re just journalists. I think that participating meeting planners will be at least as enthusiastic, motivated and full of ideas to deliver meaningful content to their next conference after the EMEC 2016″, says British journalist for M&IT Magazine, Emma Channon, who has experienced Meetovation concept as a true eye-opener.
On the whole, the present journalists agree that participants at the EMEC 2016 are bound will get more out of next year’s conference due to the active involvement and inspiring content with references to Danish culture and a sustainable mindset.
“It will be a true highlight for MPI and a big step in the right direction for the entire meetings industry. There are so many conferences that do not have a focused and clear content, and it is a clear challenge for the entire meetings industry. But here you get usable tools to move from strategic thinking to real projects and implementation”, adds Slovenian editor of the KONGRES magazine, Gorazd Cad, who like the others participating journalists expects to use Meetovation in own meeting contexts.
EMEC 2016, is expected to present the latest trends in meeting the world with up to 500 participants. The MPI conference takes place from 7-9th February 2016 at the Radisson Blue Scandinavia Hotel in Copenhagen. The press trip was organized by Business Events Denmark and Wonderful Copenhagen CVB.
