Dallas, TX, USA, Nov. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) announced during a press conference at their WEC Grapevine event that their award-winning signature European event, the European Meeting and Events Conference (EMEC), would shift dates and locations in 2021, while reassigning a location to the event in 2022.
Recognized in 2019 by Best Event Awards (BEA) with the Best Conference Award, EMEC has long been acknowledged by the industry as the leader in progressive meeting and events conceptual design and development. Utilizing innovative design and an incubator mentality to rethink and unlearn traditional event planning practices, EMEC is critical for both the advancement of the industry in general and MPI’s European community.
Originally scheduled to take place in Brighton, UK in February 2021, MPI announced that their signature European event would move to late May 2021 and relocate to Frankfurt, Germany, taking place concurrently with IMEX Frankfurt. As a result, the event 2022 dates will then move to Brighton, UK.
“Over the past few months, given the challenges experienced by the current pandemic, we have been working diligently with many among the European community to assess plans for MPI’s signature European event, the European Meetings and Events Conference,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. “As the saying goes, ‘when one door closes, another opens’, and we feel that our renewed path for EMEC in both 2021 and 2022 provides incredible new opportunities.”
MPI plans to create a hybrid in-person and digital event, taking cues from their World Education Congress (WEC) currently taking place in Grapevine, Texas. Different from WEC, MPI plans to up the game by utilizing a hub-and-spoke format for EMEC in 2021, whereby Frankfurt serves as the hub, while the association’s eleven European chapters are able to provide regional in-person and digital experiences to ensure a wholly continental experience.
“EMEC is our testing ground for all things innovation,” said Annette Gregg, senior vice president of experience at MPI. “At EMEC in The Netherlands, we ‘changed the game’, then in Sevilla in 2020, we ‘pushed boundaries.’ Looking ahead to 2021, we’re once again upping the ante and doing something that this industry, the world over, has never seen before, bringing the entire European community together, while those unable to attend in person remain geographically apart.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021, EMEC was founded on four strategic pillars – designed by and for Europeans, serving as an incubator for ideation, providing economic and environmental sustainability and infusing local flavor. MPI’s hub-and-spoke approach provides new application for each of these pillars and the ability to once again showcase an industry that is constantly reinventing itself.
“It’s incredibly exciting,” Gregg continued. “With 2021 just ahead of us and the incredibly innovative format being developed, just imagine what 2022 in Brighton will bring us!”
Dates for EMEC Frankfurt are still in development. For more information or details related to a potential media pass for EMEC Frankfurt, please contact communications@mpi.org.
About MPI
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including 15,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 70 chapters and clubs with members in 70 countries. "When we meet, we change the world." www.mpi.org