MPI’s signature European event, EMEC, got off to a stimulating start in Barcelona, the Catalan capital, Paul Cook reports.
Even before the opening plenaries, Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI, got proceedings off to an energetic start when he revealed some 2025 successes, including a 13% rise in community growth, the launch of MPI Consulting, and major new partnerships. But he saved the best for last when he announced that the member satisfaction rate had risen to a whopping 90%.
Van Deventer reminded attendees that in an ever-changing geopolitical environment, it’s more important than ever for MPI to bring people together. Event professionals have come together to learn, connect, and co-create the future of meetings and events. This is the 37th European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC), and runs 21-24 February 2026, at the SLS Barcelona. It’s intentionally designed as a global gathering for Europeans, by Europeans. This year’s programme has a strong emphasis on human-centred topics like AI adoption, neuroscience, trust, influence, and collaboration.
The first day gave us some eye-opening plenaries from Xander Kranenburg, co-founder of Narrative, on the real advantages that AI can give us, and Ciarra Feely, president-elect of the UK and Ireland Chapter, who showed how emotional intelligence creates successful leaders.
Day 2 saw a fascinating session from Bogdan Manta, organisational neuroscientist at The Essential Experts, who introduced the science of presence and influence to an audience that hung on his every word.
Next on the schedule are the learning journeys – a key feature of EMEC Barcelona. These are engaging educational experiences that take attendees out of the plenary and breakout rooms and into Barcelona. The curated journeys are limited in size and designed to foster reflection, dialogue, and hands-on learning.
Photo: Jan Buteijn/MPI
