BTC 2012 education programme unveiled

The BTC 2012 professional education programme, unique in Italy in terms of accessibility, breadth and topics covered, offers content relevant to all stakeholders of the meetings and events industry. Among this year’s highlights, the findings from the new Italian Conference Market Report.

The professional education programme provided by BTC, Italy’s events exhibition, which will take place in Rimini on 21-22 June, is unique in the country, given its high degree of industry specialisation and the fact that it is completely free of charge. Again this year, the show is proposing seminars and presentations on a wide range of topics to guarantee content of interest to all “types” of participant.

One of the most eagerly-awaited presentations is that of the Italian Conference Market Report [Osservatorio Congressuale Italiano], back after a two-year absence, in the new version designed by BTC and conducted by Attilio Gardini, professor of econometrics at the Faculty of Statistical Sciences at the University of Bologna. The presentation concerns findings for 2011: the number of events hosted at Italian venues and their type, number of conference delegates in attendance, conference attendance days, market trends according to demand type, events by type of hosting venue and duration.

The programme will open with Rob Davidson, industry analyst and senior lecturer in Event Management at the University of Greenwich, who will present the most recent market trends, the new relationship between demand and supply in the sector that has emerged during this period of economic crisis, and the new behaviour of international buyers.

Alex Bellini, adventurer, extreme athlete and solo yachtsman, will then talk about personal motivation and the management of success and failure in the seminar Your adventure, a challenge to be won. The theme of how to choose destinations and venues based on the event’s objectives and content will be covered in the panel discussion The meeting planner meets Genius Loci: exploiting the destination’s “personality” for an event, organised by Enrico Rainero from BY Innovation; specialist Stefania Conti Vecchi from Eventagist will explore events and the web in the workshop Mobile applications and web tools for event organisation (participants are asked to bring their laptops, tablets or smartphones with them), and the seminar Hybrid Events: theories and techniques to extend the reach of an event.

Relevant topics for corporate professionals will also be covered in the seminar opening the second day, Corporate reputation in the digital era: listening to the market, held by Fabio Lazzarini from Cribis D&B, and in Digital PR: principles and tools of conversational marketing with speaker Michele Ficara from Assodigitale.

Operators will then find some interesting points for discussion in the seminar Association conferences: insights into associations for effective bids, with Annalisa Ponchia, Executive Officer of ESOT (European Society for Organ Transplantation).

Industry associations are also making a contribution to the programme: Federcongressi&eventi will bring the seminar Italian labour market reform: tools to promote job market flexibility, and SITE Italy will organise the session What corporate clients look for: are invitations to tender really the most effective tool to select the right supplier?

The complete seminar programme is available on the BTC website: hosted buyers, exhibitors, visitors and press who have already registered may enrol in individual seminars through the reserved area of the website.