CONVENE Academy to put technology centre stage in Vilnius

The CONVENE Professional Academy is returning for the eighth edition of the Baltic Sea Region meetings and events industry tradeshow in February. The Academy will serve as a knowledge-sharing platform, with keynote speakers addressing top-of-mind industry topics and challenges. Technology will be the Academy’s main focus and how it can be leveraged to bring more value to meeting planners and better experiences to delegates. The Academy will consist of 11 presentations and panel discussions over two days. Academy content for 2020 will also cover the growing impact of influencers on marketing destinations. Thought leader Mariska Kesteloo from Word of MICE and industry influencer Vadim Zelenski will explain how to use B2B influencer marketing as an added value for destination and events strategies. But, with so many exciting new trends, how can you spot the one that is likely to have the most impact on your business? One big trend under discussion at the Convene Professional Acadmey is the booming Gaming and eSport events industry, which is generating billions of euros in profit and has attracted over 2.5 billion gamers around the world. Florian Masuth, an experienced gaming industry professional and developer of Game On, the Baltic’s largest gaming event, will share his knowledge and experience with the Convene Academy audience. Attendees will also get insights into the inevitable impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on personalising experiences, predicting sentiments, and real-time data analysis. Go Vilnius Director Inga Romanovskienė says she is excited to put forth such a diverse set of topics. “The Professional Academy runs sessions about business challenges and opportunities in this ever-evolving sector so that delegates leave motivated to apply learnings to their own exciting events. The line-up of speakers is sure to inspire attendees and introduce them to new best practices, technologies and innovations. Education is an important part of CONVENE and we encourage everyone to attend as many sessions as they can.” CONVENE’s eight edition takes place 12-13 February 2020 in Vilnius and organisers are expecting 165 hosted buyers from Europe and beyond who will take part in 2,600 pre-scheduled business meetings with 80+ exhibitors from across the Baltic Sea Region. Detailed CONVENE Professional Academy agenda.