The official convention bureau for Cambridge celebrated its 25th anniversary by hosting a panel discussion to address some key challenges facing the business meetings industry.
‘Events: Matters Arising’, organised by Meet Cambridge, saw 100 event professionals gather at King's College Cambridge to hear from a panel of industry experts on the issues facing the industry.
The panel consisted of Nick Milne, domestic bursar of Robinson College; Chris Skeith, OBE, CEO of the Association of Event Organisers; Madalina Marincas, director of Opening Doors & Venues; Martin Fullard, associate director of The Business of Events; Sandra Eyre, director of business development at The Meetings Industry Association; and Emma Cutting, community manager at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
With sustainability, impact and legacy top of the event agenda, the panel discussed and responded to audience questions on how each saw these matters affecting the meetings industry and those working in it.
Recommendations included: the importance of tracking the carbon footprint of an event using a carbon calculator; the need for greater awareness of career opportunities in the sector among young people to solve the skills gap; and how event organisers should review programme content to ensure greater diversity and inclusion, involving local speakers where possible.
Meet Cambridge, owned and funded by the Cambridge Colleges, was established as Conference Cambridge in 1998. Gavin Flynn, senior bursar at Downing College and chair of Meet Cambridge said: “Congratulations to the team at Meet Cambridge, not only on achieving 25 successful years, but in orchestrating this high-profile event that takes a forensic look at the industry today and how we can adapt our offering going forward.
“After the challenges of the pandemic when the events industry was badly bruised, it’s wonderful to see that Meet Cambridge and its member venues have not only weathered the storm but that interest in Cambridge as a destination for business events has soared to greater levels than pre-COVID.”
Judith Sloane, head of Meet Cambridge added: “Our role as the convention bureau is constantly evolving and we can’t rest on our laurels. Organisers approaching us today are not only requiring help with finding a venue, many need additional support with running their events.
“There’s been a huge change in how conferences are organised. Today they often have a second online audience or remote speakers and the logistics have become more complex, so we now offer event management services to complement our existing venue-finding service, which has proved very popular.
“Sustainability is pivotal. As part of the business events industry, we have a responsibility to do all we can to mitigate the negative impacts on our environment that events held in Cambridge can have by encouraging all those involved to create opportunities at their events to deliver a positive impact."
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
