[SPONSORED CONTENT] Graham Pope, Cvent VP of international sales, highlights what’s in store for hospitality professionals and shares details about the must-attend sessions at Europe’s leading event and hospitality technology conference.
Cvent CONNECT Europe is not your run-of-the-mill customer conference. It’s a highly engaged community of hospitality, event and marketing professionals coming together for three days of profound learning, innovation, networking and inspiration. Industry professionals attend this conference because it provides valuable insights into new technologies that can have an immediate impact on their MICE revenue and improve operational efficiency – it is a strategic investment for their business.
This year, we are excited to welcome BAFTA award-winning presenter and journalist, Claudia Winkleman, who will serve as the master of ceremonies. Our featured keynote speakers include double Olympic champion, Dame Kelly Holmes and Mike Ford, CEO and founder of Grateful Lemon. And, taking the main stage with the opening keynote address is Cvent CEO and founder, Reggie Aggarwal.
The conference agenda has over 45 sessions featuring presentations from hoteliers, event planners, industry leaders and Cvent experts. On 7 November, the conference kicks off with a full day training opportunity for Cvent Supplier Network users and team leaders from hotels, special event venues and destinations to hone their sourcing skills and get certified through the Cvent Academy. New this year is the exclusive Cvent Sourcing Summit experience – where highly-qualified event planners from across the continent get business done with top hotels and destinations.
Beyond the robust agenda and learning opportunities, a key reason we all attend events is to network with our peers and this year’s event offers more networking opportunities than ever before.
Cvent CONNECT Europe will equip hospitality attendees with valuable industry insights, fresh strategies and best practices to meet their MICE business needs. Here are just some of the sessions tailored specifically for hospitality professionals.
Wednesday 8 November: Session highlights
• Suppliers and venue services product roadmap: new releases to help you grow your MICE business: Hear directly from Cvent technology leaders and be the first to discover the new and enhanced Cvent products that will help you reach more planners and efficiently manage your daily operations. Also, gain insights into how new technologies, such as AI and automation, are transforming the industry.
• Exploring the hottest event and hospitality trends set to shape the industry in 2024: A panel of experts including Fiona Plumpton, head of convention bureau services, London and Partners, and Arjen van der Linden, banqueting sales manager, Hotel Schiphol A4, will share their insights and predictions on key trends including sustainability, technology, experiential design and more. You’ll discover how these trends will impact planning, design and how event and hospitality experiences are delivered in the future.
• Empowering planners and venues to achieve seamless event and meeting venue sourcing: Katia Sadchikova, group head of sales, Edwardian Hotels London; Yeye Ikenna, creative director, Les Luxes; and Carole McKeller, VP EMEA, HelmsBriscoe are on the panel. This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive perspective on the venue sourcing process with insights from both planners and venues. Hospitality professionals will gain a deeper understanding of the key challenges facing planners and practical tips to improve collaboration and drive more business.
• Game-changing ways to utilise automation to tackle the staff shortage challenge: With a shortage of hotel professionals and an influx of new event planners, managing RFPs, quick responses and room blocks can be a daunting task. In this session hear from Arjen van der Linden, banqueting sales manager, Hotel Schiphol A4 and learn how automation can help you manage RFPs and room blocks more efficiently.
Thursday 9 November: Session highlights
• Leveraging the latest event planner sourcing insights to make informed and strategic decisions: Hear from Katharine Kimber, venue sourcing manager, Delinian, and discover the key findings from Cvent’s latest Planner Sourcing Report Europe Edition, which offers hotels and venues insights into the sourcing requirements of planners across the UK and Europe, helping to identify the opportunities and services they can adopt to attract more events business.
• How hospitality technology helps destinations and venues meet MICE and corporate travel business goals: Technology plays a key role in destinations’ and venues’ success when it comes to attracting and winning MICE and corporate travel business. Hear directly from peers on how technology and automation has impacted their operations including insights from Paul Black, head of business events, Visit Britain and VisitEngland.
Other conference highlights:
• The Cvent Excellence Awards recognise leading organisations, hotels and hotel chains that demonstrate the powerful role technology plays in delivering more engaging experiences and driving positive results. The awards ceremony will take place in-person at the Hilton London Metropole and will also be broadcast live to the virtual audience.
• The Innovation Pavilion is the engagement hub of the conference and provides a dynamic environment for attendees to explore and interact with Cvent’s current and upcoming solutions. Attendees seeking specific technology support can visit the Cvent Expert’s Bar to get all their questions addressed. Additionally, they can meet with the team from online sourcing platform VenueDirectory.com, which is now part of the Cvent portfolio.
To register or to learn more, visit the Cvent CONNECT Europe website.
Cvent CONNECT Europe will take place from 7 – 9 November 2023 at the Hilton London Metropole, offering both in-person and virtual experiences. Cvent will also host Cvent CONNECT in Deutschland on 8 November 2023 at Frankfurt’s SPARK venue.
