The education format for ESNEP will follow the pattern of previous ESNEPs, being a mix of keynotes, panels and breakout sessions. Emphasis will be put on Winning Business in Challenging Times, and on Sustainability.

Keynote Speakers

Reimagining Sales

Conor Kenny, Conor Kenny & Associates

The world has changed, customer behaviour too. A storm alters market needs, behaviour and attitudes but many businesses still trek relentlessly and aimlessly on a path already worn.

New landscapes need new thinking and a refocus on a more relevant and cheerful customer approach. This session will take you away from standard operational thinking  and into how you will influence the customer experience, your people and your future.

Reverse Thinking

André Wiringa, CXO of Performance Solutions, the Netherlands

How can we motivate our target groups to think differently and act differently? In our opinion the answer is: by reverse thinking.

A different customer experience requires different behaviour. Different behaviour requires different leadership. Our reverse thinking model shows that the desired customer/guest Xperience is leading for determining the employee behaviour and the leadership that facilitates the new and desired customer/guest Xperience.

In other words: change starts with you!

 Trends Panel

One of the most popular sessions at ESNEPs has been the Trends panel, and this year is no exception. Our international panel of industry experts will give their view on what might lie ahead and what it means for our industry. Facilitated by Martin Lewis.

 Breakouts

There will be four breakout sessions on each day, and each breakout will be repeated, allowing delegates to attend four breakouts over the two days. Topics for the breakout sessions are:

Dispatches from the Frontline of Sustainability

Guy Bigwood, MCI Group Sustainability Director, Barcelona, Spain

In this dynamic presentation, Guy will provide an update of the key sustainability and green meeting initiatives happening around the world. He will highlight trends and best practice examples from events and destinations leading the way in sustainable event management.

By the end of this session you will

• Gain a basic understanding of the four international sustainability standards under development and how they can fit together for business benefit.
• Learn how to take strategic systems approach to sustainability
• Receive fresh ideas and inspiration to help you further your csr initiatives

Green Meetings: Unleash your CSR, Build your Team

Elena Caldarelli, Kontiki Incentives srl, Milan, Italy

Green meetings are an opportunity for companies to share CSR policy, involve stakeholders, pursue new communication strategies and develop new business. They are a good chance for companies to show their engagement consistently.

Elena Caldarelli presents the process to create a sustainable event with some case histories of meetings, conventions, and team buildings designed to highlight companies CSR policies.

Social Legacy

Rob Davidson, Senior Lecturer in Business Travel & Tourism, Course Leader: MA Conference & Events Management, University of Westminster, London, UK

This session will discuss the potential of incentive trips to leave a ‘social legacy’ in incentive travel destinations. Social legacy (or ‘community legacy’ in American English) concerns the positive impacts that incentive travel participants can have on the people who live in the places where incentive trips take place. More and more incentive travel organisers are taking measures to ensure that the programmes they organise can improve the lives of local people, especially those who are disadvantaged in some way.

 Boosting the Value of Businesses and Events using Social Media

Miranda Ioannou, Managing Director, SCS Ltd, Cyprus

Senior level delegates who are or will be involved in strategic marketing decisions for their business and for events their organizations manages; also relevant for all senior executives who face the dilemma of whether to engage the organization in social media and to best navigate this area.

The explosion of use of social media as a marketing medium is a fact. Join this session to understand what can be achieved with strategic and proper use of social media for your business as well as for meetings and events your company is managing. The social web provides businesses with a largely untapped marketing channel for products and services - the trick is knowing how to take advantage of it.

How to Create the Best Possible Image for your Business – the Key to Fantastic Media Coverage

Martin Lewis, Managing Editor of Meetings & Incentive Travel Magazine, Managing Director of CAT Publications Ltd, London, UK

This session will show you how to get national newspaper, radio and TV coverage for your business and yourself, how to become an industry guru and how to maximize your coverage in the trade press and your personal status in the industry.

Smart Buyers – Sound Programmes

Mary McGregor and Matthew Wall

Multiple elements go into a successful motivational events programme. Mastering your objectives takes an organised plan and healthy relationships. This session will touch the aspects of a programme from the RFP process to destination selection to creating successful relationships with your partners.

Motivation? Let’s Talk about It!

Dr Rodolfo Musco, President, Motivation & Events, Milan, Italy

Incentive travel is the tool, while the incentive programme is the process to reach the goal of motivation. The seminar will focus on objectives of performance enhancement that may need competencies of motivation professionals. During the interactive seminar, participants will work together to identify objectives in different departments of their prospect clients.

After the seminar, participants will:

• Master the difference between incentive travels (tools) and incentive programs (process)
• Know how to identify corporate areas that can benefit from motivation programmes to enhance performance and productivity
• Have a clear idea on tracks and economic advantages and be able to specialise as motivation experts.

The Art of Sales & Negotiations - A two way street for a win-win collaboration

Tasso Pappas,TP Consultancy, Greece and Linda Pereira, Owner, CPL Events, Portugal

This educational session, using a performance - style presentation, will show you various tactics for a successful sale, and will demonstrate that sales negotiations are a two-way street from which both the organiser and the supplier must leave satisfied, having obtained fair conditions for both parties.

Good sales practices will be examined more closely, as well as ways to get closer to the potential clients without invading their space and freedom of choice. We shall try to understand the client’s point of view and reaction to the pressure of a sale; and see how we can change a hard sale into a voluntary collaboration by building a climate of confidence and trust in which the client wants to buy your product or service.

Closing a sale of any dimension implies a large amount of negotiation. During this process both parties will try to sound each other out, and will test each other’s limits and capacities. Both the organiser and the supplier will try to obtain the best possible conditions in their favour. How far can suppliers give in to the clients’ demands for closing a piece of business? Should they give away everything? How firm can they be? What are the clients’ reactions to fair conditions? When are the clients ready to accept unfavourable conditions? How can both the buyer and the supplier come out of a negotiation in a win-win situation? These and many other such topics will be examined during this educational session.