Show review
Convene delivers
another solid show
Vilnius’s LITEXPO Exhibition and Congress Centre hosted,
for a seventh time, the tradeshow for the Baltic region’s
meetings and events industry, as Convene came to
town, 13-14 February.
Hosted buyers came from 30 countries, joining
exhibitors and 80 specialist suppliers representing various
parts of the Baltic Sea Region.
A large contingent of this year’s 165 hosted buyers
were representing the UK market, which has seen LOT
Polish Airlines recently announce it will be launching its
direct route between Lithuania’s capital and London
City Airport in May.
A welcome move, no doubt, as airlift was identified in
more than one of the education sessions as a weak
point in an otherwise attractive destination for MICE
events.
Buyers took advantage of Convene’s post-show
familiarisation tours, including invitations to explore Vilnius
and Kaunas in Lithuania, the capitals of Latvia (Riga)
and Estonia (Tallinn), and Poland’s seaside city Gdansk.
Nineteen speakers touched on the industry’s hottest
topics and trends, and organisers also brought back
Convene’s Professional Academy. CMW editor Paul
Colston joined agency owners at the Academy
delivering a session on the UK market as part of a
workshop for suppliers.
New person in charge of the show, Inga
Romanovskien , Director of Go Vilnius, the city’s official
development agency and umbrella organisation to the
Vilnius Convention Bureau, said she was “thrilled” to be
welcoming meeting industry professionals back to an
event that had proved to be of great value to the entire
region.
“When it comes to the meetings and events industry,
the Baltic Sea Region is ripe for significant growth, with
meeting planners from across Europe and the globe
continuing to show interest in many of its destinations.
Convene is able to strategically position Vilnius as a
regional leader and give people the opportunity to
experience what the city has to offer first-hand,”
Romanovskiene said.
Visit www.convene.lt
ISSUE 99
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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