About

The Event Planners Talk was initiated in 2014 by Irina Graf, founder of The MICE Blog. It began as a weekly Twitter chat (#eventprofstalk), to discuss industry-related topics, and enable industry professionals to reunite online for learning and networking. The Twitter chat was founded with the aim of sharing knowledge and progressing industry standards across multiple disciplines.

Since its inception, these online encounters have been sustained to enable subsequent business relationships to develop. As the Twitter chat grew, so did the desire to facilitate more opportunities for face-to-face knowledge sharing between event professionals.

Recognising that there is an additional need to facilitate face-to-face interaction and networking, the Event Planners Talk event series was launched in 2015 to enhance the online experience and extend the event life cycle. To date, regional events have taken place in London, Frankfurt, and Berlin in collaboration with iconic venues, leading industry trade shows, influential industry associations and visionary sponsors. 

Inspired by the success of these regional events and an ambition to offer increased value to our online and offline community, we wished to expand the current format to a multi-day business festival, providing a platform that delivers tangible learning outcomes, fosters and improves industry standards and delivers a high return on investment (ROI) for our attendees, while at the same time extending the event life cycle beyond the multi-day live event throughout the online engagement. 

And so, the idea to stage an international, multi-day conference was born. Recognising the changing shifts in the way we work, learn, network and conduct business, it was clear to us that this will not be the usual 9–5 conference programme. Instead, we know that we need to offer a format which will allow you to maximise your time away from the office, and offer targeted learning and networking opportunities, while at the same time allowing you to be in control of your time and design your own programme. 

International business festival in Bern, Switzerland. 

Our focus is decidedly international in scope, and we want to bring you the most thought-provoking, innovative content that will help you make progress personally and professionally while being inspired by the environment and the venues where the pre-conference programme and conference will take place. 

We are beyond excited that our very first international and multi-day conference will take place from 27–30 August 2020 in Bern, Switzerland. 

Bern is the ideal destination for our first gathering, owing to its location in the centre of Europe, with ease of access, proximity to top leisure attractions, and an international and multilingual economy. A compact city, where most of the venues are accessible on foot, or within a short ride by public transport, we also set focus on sustainability and mobility, so we will ensure that while you are there you will see and experience the destination to its fullest. 

The educational part of the conference is planned to take place over the weekend, but there will be additional pre-conference leisure activities to allow you to become familiar with Destination Bern, network with other attendees and local partners and learn new skills at the pre-conference workshops.

Programme

Forget the traditional 9–5 conference programme and get ready to become involved with hands-on workshops, participative discussions and learn in the most inspiring environment! 

The event will start with a 2-day beleisure programme, for you to arrive relaxed and inspired, build first rapport with other delegates and explore the Bernese region. The weekend will be dedicated to education and will take place across multiple venues to keep you inspired and active at all times. 

At a time of ‘information overload’, we believe that less is more. Therefore, sessions will be carefully designed to meet your needs. Knowing that each topic will be covered only in a 1-hour instalment, we will get straight to the point, taking a hands-on approach for applicable outcomes. Our goal is to foster the growth of your business, your personal development and improve industry standards by bringing together key stakeholders under one roof. There will be only one conference stream, and all sessions will have a common thread so we ensure that there is no repetition but instead each session will complement each other; so, by the end of the two days, you have a steep learning curve and comprehensive approach to the industry’s key issues.

Get involved

This conference is for you! You can become involved already now leading up to the conference and share your thoughts on topics which you want to discuss and which concern your daily jobs. 

Follow the latest news on our social media on Twitter @themiceblogHQ and Instagram @eventplannerstalk and use the hashtag #EPTBern20 to share your views. 

We have only a limited number of tickets, so make sure to secure yours and be part of shaping the future of the events industry!!