The Next Generation Event reviewed by different generations

Reviewed from a student perspective:

Could you shortly introduce yourself and tell us why you attended the MPI Next Generation Event?

My name is Bas van der Meer, I am a student from Nyenrode Business School. I attended the event on the advice of a friend of mine. I just returned from an exchange program in the UK and I was looking for the opportunity to expand my network. My friend told me about the MPI Next Generation Event and I decided to clear my agenda and go.

Did you have any expectations before you attended the event?

At the start, I did not know what to expect. When I walked into the World Forum I immediately noticed that the event was much bigger than I expected. My intention was to network and one of the things I liked was the number of professionals that attended the event. This gave me the opportunity to network and to be introduced in the event industry. During the event, I have met a lot of interesting people from various different companies.

How did you experience the event?

I had a wonderful day and would definitely advise every student to go to the event. It was a great opportunity to expand my network, gain useful knowledge that I can use in my future career, like creating the perfect pitch and how to use social media as a marketing tool. Unfortunately, I am almost graduated and wasn’t looking for an internship, but if I was looking for an interesting company to do my internship, I would definitely look for it here.

Do you think MPI needs to continue organizing the Next Generation Event for students?

Definitely! The event gave me a good look into the meeting & event industry. For me it was the perfect opportunity to talk to a lot of professionals and for a student opportunities like this are rare. I have visited some network events in the past on my own but those events were very expansive. Furthermore, during those events I felt like ‘the student’. During the Next Generation Event, I felt more like the event professionals were there for me and this way networking suddenly becomes much easier.

Reviewed from an event professional perspective.

This is the first MPI event we have attended as new members of MPI The Netherlands Chapter and I was enthusiastic to see the dedication the team puts into cultivating the next generation of our industry. The students seemed interested and charged up about either finding a suitable placement and definitely about the program content. Personally, we attended to learn from industry experts as the topics fitted with our goal of expanding our profile within the Netherlands and abroad.  I was particularly impressed with the session given by David Beckett on pitching yourself.  This is great “real world” experience for both students and industry specialists alike, and I definitely plan on using some of the tips and tricks he presented with my team.

Helen George, GP Strategies Netherlands BV