Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the world’s largest global association for meeting and event professionals, convened its 37th European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) at SLS Barcelona, gathering more than 250 senior-level industry leaders from across Europe and international markets.
EMEC is MPI’s annual European conference designed to deliver regionally relevant education, global collaboration and leadership development for the meetings and events industry.
Over four days, EMEC Barcelona provided immersive education, strategic dialogue and curated networking experiences focused on innovation, influence and the future of the European meetings and events landscape.
A European Conference with Global Reach
Drawing on MPI’s global reach, EMEC is purpose-built by Europeans for the European market, ensuring relevance at every level. EMEC moves beyond conventional session hopping in a multi-track conference model to instead deliver intentionally progressive learning experiences, with more than 18 breakout sessions that connect and build upon one another to advance leadership capability, strategic influence and innovation.
Keynote speakers included:
- Xander Kranenburg, Co-Founder, Narrative: The True Instrument is You: How AI Becomes Powerful in the Hands of the Curious
- Bogdan Manta, Organisational Neuroscientists, The Essential Experts: The Power of Choice: Exploring the Neuroscience of Influence or Experience
- Bárbara Agudo Friedmann, CSO & Co-Founder, Inusual Group: Leading with Heart: Using Emotional Intelligence to build Events with Legacy
Learning Journeys: Experiential Education in Barcelona
MPI transformed Barcelona into a living classroom with its Learning Journeys, a signature experience at EMEC. Attendees were taken out of the conference room and into Barcelona for an immersive educational experience designed to foster reflection, dialogue, and hands-on learning.
EMEC Barcelona Learning Journeys included:
- Casa Bellesguard: Art, History & Hands-On Creativity:Hosted at Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Bellesguard, blending architectural exploration with a mosaic workshop inspired by Gaudí’s trencadís technique.
- Barcelona Marina: Innovation, Blue Economy & Waterfront Regeneration:A real-world case study of sustainability, environmental stewardship, and cross-sector collaboration along Barcelona’s waterfront.
- 22@ Innovation District Architecture Tour: Exploring how urban design, public space, and architecture influence creativity, collaboration, and attendee experience.
- Alta Alella Winery: Leadership, Place & Sustainable Stewardship:A reflective learning experience set within a Mediterranean vineyard, connecting leadership, sustainability, and sense of place.
Networking, Business Development and Industry Investment
EMEC Barcelona kicked off with an opening reception that highlighted the city’s historic and modern influences while fostering connection among attendees. The closing reception celebrated the community and supported the MPI Foundation which, since its inception in 1984, has distributed more than $14.8 million to the industry, every MPI chapter and more than 25,000 individual members.
EMEC Barcelona also offers an elevated Hosted Buyer Program, fostering powerful business connections between event planners and global suppliers.
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