Changing the Game for EMEC 2019

There’s an air of confidence and enthusiasm among members of Meeting Professionals International’s The Netherlands Chapter and a commitment to present a fresh, new approach to MPI’s 2019 European conference.

MPI said Sunday that it would collaborate with The Netherlands Chapter on next year’s European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC), MPI’s annual European event.

The announcement was made during the closing plenary session of the SITE + MPI Global Forum in Rome. MPI and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) had agreed to a joint conference this year to bring together two key industry associations. As SITE’s 2019 conference will rotate to Thailand, EMEC will return, taking place at World Forum The Hague, Feb. 9-12, 2019. The last EMEC took place in 2017 in Granada, Spain.

“We already have a theme,” said Gijs Verbeek, executive director for The Netherlands Chapter. “Changing the Game.”

“We have had a lot of game changers in The Netherlands. As a small country, we always need to be very creative and innovative to stay competitive. This is going to come from the grass roots.”

As part of the agreement, The Netherlands Chapter will organize and host EMEC, becoming the first EMEC to be planned and led by the local host chapter.

Darren Temple, chief operations officer for MPI, said the global office will work collaboratively to support The Netherlands Chapter with the conference.

“We are excited about working with The Netherlands Chapter on this event,” he said.

Babs Nijdam, director at Sequoia Partnership and vice president of education for The Netherlands Chapter, said creative change is a key element the chapter wants to include in the conference.

“We have some very high goals,” she said. “We’re going to be innovative in the education and it’s important to experience different destinations.”

Three other cities are easily accessible from The Hague—Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht.