Climate activist to deliver keynote at IACC Europe Knowledge Festival

International Association of Conference Centres, IACC, has announced climate and environmental activist Nic Balthazar as keynote speaker at its 2019 IACC Europe Knowledge Festival, to be held 4-6 October at Dolce La Hulpe in Brussels, Belgium. The session will form part of an event programme focussing on the theme of Sustainability. Balthazar’s session, ‘Change climate change!’, will aim to inspire attendees to transform the conversation around the topic from one of protest to one of creativity and fun. Mark Cooper, IACC CEO, said: “Our goal for this year’s event is to provide our attendees with the relevant tools and takeaways to create exceptional meeting experiences. With year’s event focus being sustainability, Nic Balthazar is the perfect voice to inspire our attendees to take action towards preserving our environment, promoting a healthy, inclusive society and supporting thriving economies and communities that their events directly impact.” To ensure it delivers a sustainable event itself, IACC has entered a review process with Events Industry Council (EIC) using its Knowledge Festival as a case study to attain the EIC Sustainable Event Standards certification. The certification body will be looking at various aspects of event planning and performance of the event in Brussels, including innovation in operations, F&B offering and waste management. The 2019 event is designed to educate and inspire through engaging workshops, ranging from open forum debates, to campfire session, experiential learning and cultural education. Topics will include wellness, food and beverage, technology and digital trends, meeting room design and marketing in the events industry. Attendees will also witness some of the industry’s most skilled chefs in action as they compete in the European final of IACC’s traditional Copper Skillet culinary competition, during which chefs have 30 minutes to prepare a stand-out dish and present their creations in front of to a panel of judges. Delegates can also join a Study Tour to Belgium’s port city Antwerp, which will conclude with a trip to the Chocolate Nation Museum and a reception and dinner at host venue, Dolce La Hulpe. IACC Europe Knowledge Festival brings together over 130 delegates from IACC certified conference and meeting venues. Last year’s event registered record numbers of first-time attendees (over 40%), with attendees from 58 IACC venue members throughout Europe (UK, Sweden, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal), as well as Americas and Australia. To view the event programme and to register, visit iacconline.org/events/iacc-europe-knowledge-festival.