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Dear ###firstname### ###name###,

The year is almost up – and what an eventful one it has been! We have marked major milestones on the road towards a new generation of business events. From our Innovation Forum to the launch of our Call for innovative projects and the publication of key research, we have been charting the road ahead together with all of you. Read on for a snapshot of the key activities.

We would like to use this opportunity to extend our warmest wishes for the festive season and thank you all for your inspiring contributions along the way. We look forward to continuing this rewarding work together with you in 2025. Let's make events shine bright!

  Highlights

A blueprint for future events: insights from the Innovation Forum

A big thank you to everyone who joined us in Barcelona on 18 November! Our highly successful BEFuture Innovation Forum brought together over 150 event experts, startups, innovators and many others. We explored new pathways for triggering positive change in the business events industry.

"Organising exchanges between stakeholders from different European countries helps us gain new insights on how to address challenges and trends from different perspectives," said Blanca Cros Moll, Head of European Projects and International Relations at the Catalan Tourist Board which coordinates the BEFuture project.

The Forum saw the launch of our much-awaited White Paper (more on that below) and the presentation of our flagship funding programme (more on that below, too!). The interactive programme featured workshops and keynotes from leading experts in their field.

→ You couldn't make it or would like to rediscover some of the day's highlights? Discover our picture coverage and presentations and access the day's agenda with speakers' profiles on the BEFuture online platform.

Ready to roll up our sleeves: the BEFuture team at the Innovation Forum in Barcelona (18 November)

Funding for innovators

Apply now and receive up to € 30 000 for your innovative project

Is your organisation working on an idea for driving innovation in the business events sector? How about a leg-up to get it off the ground? Join the BEFuture Acceleration Programme! Our Call for projects launched on 5 December 2024 and will be open until 5 February 2025.

The programme offers funding ranging from €20 000 to €30 000 per project, but also access to expertise and training, networking opportunities and visibility.

We are looking for projects promoting sustainability, resilience and inclusivity across the sector, with a focus on innovation and digitalisation.

How to apply for funding for your SME or organisation?

→ Visit our dedicated Call for projects web page
→ Join an information session in your country: dates & registration links are available here

  Knowledge base

Crossing our T's: four levers to future-proof business models

For business events, staying relevant means reinventing the profession – time and again. Developing realistic future scenarios and resilient business models is a key part of this process of renewal. The BEFuture White Paper, released during the Innovation Forum in November, was conceived as a guiding tool. It suggests focussing on four areas of action: technology, talent, thrivability and transformation – the four T's for scaling up and accelerating sustainable change.

Interested in our research? Check out our Knowledge Hub for more publications:

→ Think Tank workshops: Scenario Development Report
→ Compilation of Best Practices on the Business Events Industry

  BE the change

Innovation Hubs: giving shape to creative energy

Sow an idea, reap a plan. Innovation Hubs offer practical guidance for professionals seeking to step beyond business-events-as-usual and to contribute to the sector's future. Our sessions give shape to these contribution thanks to their unique combination of hands-on support and thought leadership.

The BEFuture Bootcamp in Hamburg, Germany (28 and 29 November), focused on turning concepts into viable products. Additionally, it provided preparation for the Captain MICE Future Award. The Innovation Hubs in Paris, France, and Maarssen, the Netherlands (both on 11 December), offered plenty of opportunities for pitching project ideas and learning form field experiences. The different sessions also aimed to facilitate participation in the BEFuture Acceleration Programme.

Interested in attending an Innovation Hub in your country? Keep an eye on our agenda of upcoming activities.

  Trend Watch

The catalytic effects of business events

What kind of broader change could the business events sector help catalyse? Social change, business opportunities, knowledge transfer, and progress on innovation or research. That's according to Sherrif Karamat, president and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). He believes that these catalytic effects are often left aside when discussing the impact of business events, referring to a study on the economic impact of the US$1.6 trillion industry as a case in point.

"We need to become more articulate and data-driven so that we understand the innovation, jobs, social change and the global issues being solved through staging business events," he said in an interview with Conference & Meetings World, speaking ahead of IBTM in Barcelona on 18 November.

Read the full article here

  Save the date

• Green Ambassadors of IDEA,, Randstad, Netherlands, 13 January 202

Find out more and discover the full agenda of upcoming BEFuture events

  BEFuture Ecosystem

Put yourself on the map

Is your organisation a reference for the business event industry's digitalisation, sustainability, inclusivity or resilience? Let us know and become a part of our stakeholder map.

It brings together associations, academics, universities, clusters, hubs and experts driving innovation and shaping the industry's future landscape.

Think your organisation should be featured here?

Fill in the online questionnaire

Any questions? Feedback you'd like to share? Write to us at contact@be-future.eu.

Your contributions help BEFuture reach new horizons.

We hope to collaborate, meet, create and dream big with all of you in 2025!

Kind regards,