Five and half years with Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the last six months as chief brand officer, Drew Holmgreen knows what’s expected from the association, in theory and in practice. Joining the podcast from Dallas, Texas, Holmgreen talks host James Dickson through MPI’s method behind its live events ahead of the European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC), which comes to Brighton, Sussex later this month. The first ‘live’ iteration since post-pandemic. He looks back at the learnings, how MPI’s North American show, World Education Congress, in November 2020, was the first industry event to take place under the COVID shadow - 600 people gathered together at a venue in North Texas. And how a “dramatic focus” on safety for attendees and staff/crew resulted in zero news cases of the virus. Going on to discuss EMEC 2023, Drew Holmgreen highlights its “primary pillars”, the focus on innovation, taking design risks with the event to lead by example, and the influence of the local environment – how Brighton fortes like the arts, sustainability, and pubs, will help to shape the agenda. To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.