IAPCO 2022 Annual Meeting: the meetings industry rises again
The most qualified event organizers, gathered in Rome for the IAPCO General Assembly and Annual Meeting, discussed about the recovery of the market and the most important drivers that will shape the future of the industry.
The IAPCO 2022 Annual Meeting and General Assembly took place for the first time in a hybrid format from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 February. The event gathered almost 150 IAPCO members, the most qualified events organisers, in Rome (Italy), as well as 50 attendees online, from 34 countries.
The design of the programme and management of the event was the work of a group of 3 Italian PCOs, members of IAPCO: AIM Group International, ega Worldwide, and OIC Group.
Keynotes and panel discussions reflected on the fact that ‘There is no future without History’, a topic that strongly resonates with many business events industry organisations around the globe all of which had to drastically adapt their activities in the past 2 years.
‘Human connections’ were central to all the messages conveyed by the exceptional panel of keynote speakers and expert panelists lined up: Attendees discussed the future of leadership with Paolo Gallo, Futurist, who triggered the audience to reflect on the qualities of a good leader. They heard Adolfo Fernandez, from Global Head of Product Strategy di Google, how to translate very digital data – Google searches- into the very human needs behind them. Juli Ferre Nadal, sport marketing expert, shared the learnings of the sports industry journey into the pandemic: the human need for live experiences. Participants spoke with Serena Porcari, the Managing Director of the Dynamo Foundation, a camp for sick and disabled children and their families. She shared with them the inspiring story of the camp and the empowerment of evolving in an adapted environment. We met Neha Shukla, a Gen Z innovator and changemaker who shared insights of how next Gen sees the future, and what they want to change – bringing the conversation back to sustainability and inclusion. On the last day, the audience was confronted to their own – very human – contradictions by Mark Stevenson, reluctant futurist. Finally, all had the honor to speak with Bebe Vio, a Paralympic Gold Medalist, who shared her journey of resilience and adaptation. The delegates then discussed the most current issues for the sector in plenary and interactive work groups.
The social program also included a Glam Night at Villa Miami, inspired by the Dolce Vita leitmotif, a typical dinner at an historic restaurant in Rome city center and some trips and activities in the city, including a treasure hunt to discover the destination in an engaging way. The reduce food waste, the extra food was donated to a local charity organisation.
‘Our members are eager to get back together, and emotions ran high in our community these past days as we met for our Annual Meeting in Rome. We received exceptional insights and inspiration from the keynotes and engaged the community present in enlightening discussions that will help us reflect and craft innovative solutions for the future of the meetings industry’ said Ori Lahav, IAPCO President.
“We are extremely satisfied with the IAPCO Assembly held in Rome, which represented a real restart for the sector. Rome has shown that it is ready to compete internationally for major events with the support of institutions and quality partners. “Italy is back, Rome is back”, the Mayor of Rome told those present. And event professionals are here ready to take on the challenge and play their role in tomorrow’s market” says Patrizia Semperbene Buongiorno, vice president of AIM Group International.