EFAPCO’s European Observatory research and educational programmes are set to take a series of major steps forward at the Federation’s 6th Congress taking place on January 17 and 18 in the bustling meetings-minded Mediterranean resort of Malaga.
It’s appropriate that the event is taking place in a SMART city with an accompanying SMART programme. The European Observatory programme (EUROBS) has already sparked considerable interest within the European Parliament, using the EFAPCO relationship with MEPs in Brussels to explore ways in which PCOs can secure greater recognition of the ways the meetings industry impacts across a vast range of the European Parliament’s interests – from tourism and transportation to cultural, social, scientific, commercial and economic development.
The EUROBS three-pillar programme embraces research into event management, professional education and the economic and employment benefits generated by the PCO sector, all aimed at making EFAPCO an increasingly powerful voice within the meetings industry and helping to ensure that Europe continues to be the world’s finest meetings destination.
The Education survey, driven by the EOROBS programme’s overall architect Sam van de Kerckhof and Lenka Zlebkova from the Czech Republic, has already been circulated to educational institutions across Europe. The aim is to compare how education in Event Management (and allied areas such as MICE) is provided in different countries and in turn to encourage the development of specialist education and improve the employment prospects for graduate students.
BAPCO, the very proactive Belgian Association of PCOs, has developed on on-line questionnaire system aimed at getting national PCO associations to collect comparable data about their members’ activities. BAPCO’s past president, Anne de Smet, is currently co-ordinating a pilot project across Belgium which should eventually be distributed to all EFAPCO members.
Much of this research work is being undertaken by two students: Irina de Formanoir de la Cazerie from Belgium and Mariona Triola Villambrosa from Spain. They have both undertaken internships with Belgian PCOs.
An update report on progress will be presented at the next EFAPCO Board meeting during EIBTM in Barcelona. And the results, once collected across all member countries, will give the Federation a powerful analysis of the meetings industry’s economic impact.
Meanwhile the Congress SMART programme, specially devised by EFAPCO’s Spanish members in OPC Espana, will feature the Mayor of Malaga Francisco de le Torre showcasing the SMART city concept, followed by Antonio Lopez de Avila from SEGITTUR, the State Company for Tourism Technology and Innovation Management, posing the question The SMART Congress: What about it?
One of several interactive sessions will compare the SMART experiences of major European destinations including Copenhagen, Nice, Barcelona and Malaga-Costa del Sol. Another will focus on the use of APPS, tablets, smartphones and other SMART solutions within the congress sector.
“Even the networking lunch will be a SMART gastronomic and ecological experience,” said EFAPCO President Luisa Ahrens Teixeira. “I’m sure the programme will generate great interest among our own members and with PCOs from non-member countries who are interested in forming their own national associations so that they in turn can become part of the EFAPCO network.
“I know there will be many Spanish specialists wanting to also see how Malaga performs. And the EUROBS programme is all set to attract students and their tutors from the fast-expanding number of Event Management courses now offered within higher education,” she added.
San van de Kerckhof, who will be moderating the EUROBS programme said: “We will be examining progress in all three pillars – education, employment standards and economic impact across a series of brief presentations and interactive workshops with an emphasis on maximum input from all of our delegates.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
