EMEC
Striking a chord
MPI’S EUROPEAN MEETINGS AND EVENTS
CONFERENCE ASKED DELEGATES TO PUSH THEIR
BOUNDARIES IN THE HOME OF FLAMENCO
milio, the old flamenco
master, is sitting on stage in a
loose suit jacket, his
weather-beaten face almost
concealed behind a straggly, grey beard.
We’ve come to meet him at the
headquarters of the Alala Foundation, an
NGO based in the Poligono Sur district of
Seville, Spain. He is teaching us the
rhythms of flamenco hand-clapping, and
explaining how the Alala Foundation uses
the power of music to bring communities
together in this underprivileged
neighbourhood.
Flamenco, Emilio explains, has 73
different styles of clapping. He runs us
through three of the most simple, but our
group still manages to lose the rhythm as
it increases in complexity. Emilio remains
tolerant, and gives us an impressive
performance as a reward for our efforts.
Our music lesson with the Alala
Foundation is one of several learning
journeys offered across the three days of
Meeting Professionals International
(MPI)’s European Meetings and Events
Conference (EMEC) 2020. It is an
example of the hands-on approach to
event design which has come to define
EMEC: after our lesson, we have a go at
designing our own social impact
experience with the Alala Foundation and
travel company Authenticitys.
Other learning journeys at EMEC
2020 saw delegates testing their
communication and management skills in
a virtual reality flight simulation, and
visiting an Andalusian horse ranch to
learn leadership skills. They are all part of
a drive to get outside of the conference
centre as much as possible, and immersed
in the culture of the host destination.
gathering in the sun-drenched courtyard
of the Plaza de España, where we received
a series of cryptic clues from MPI
employees dressed in mysterious hooded
outfits.
These clues set us on a scavenger hunt
through the park, collecting keys and
chests in groups of five. Our clues
encouraged us, subtly but effectively, to
get to know our teammates with a series
of networking prompts. Our final
destination was a ship, which took us
onwards to the opening ceremony.
This scavenger hunt was put together
by Amsterdam-based company
Sherlocked, which provides ‘escape the
room’ and other immersive experiences.
Jesse Kroon, Project Lead for Sherlocked
Above:
Flamenco on the
steps of Seville’s
Plaza de Espana
A cryptic scavenger hunt
This year’s EMEC host was Seville, the
capital of the autonomous community of
Andalucia in the South of Spain. Our
introduction to EMEC 2020 saw us
Left:
Main: Dear World
presenter Keshia
Hannam. Inset:
EMEC 2020’s
closing lunch
Right:
The entrance
of EMEC 2020’s
opening ceremony
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