Why Now?

The meetings and events industry depends on millions of people being flown around the world to meet in temporary settings. The consequence is a substantial carbon footprint. We see our necessary response as twofold; first, the industry must actively engage in reducing the carbon footprint of congresses and events. Second, the industry has an obligation to unfold the full potential of the meetings.

To woo clients, attract the brightest talents, involve citizens, and work with the best research partners in the future, progressive companies need a stronger purpose than merely generating short-term profit for their shareholders.

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the global economy, and the meetings and events industry is transforming permanently as a consequence. The focus on health risks has increased both for the delegates attending in-person events and also in terms of the implications it may have on their place of employments.

The rapid development of new tech solutions, that can facilitate large and effective virtual meetings worldwide, is becoming cheaper, more advanced, and more real in its ability to transmit human communication and interaction. This will increasingly challenge the need to bring large numbers of geographically dispersed people together in one location for a given period of time.

We live in a time, where the forms of knowledge production are undergoing massive changes due to the abundant availability of data, information, and knowledge. We are moving towards an era characterised by collaboration, internationalisation, interdisciplinarity, cross-sectorial alliances, openness, and problem-focused research. In this era, meetings will become even more important as platforms for disseminating and sharing information and networking.

Global circumstances, such as political instability, war, and recession can lead to new and unforeseen situations. Thus, the industry must be ready to adapt, create sustainable business models, and use congresses and events as catalysts for positive change.