EuroConference

Another Successful EuroConference

The latest event in the conference series ‘The Challenge of Change in EU Business Associations’ held in Brussels on April 29th attracted a record number of over 150 registrations. The event, co-hosted by Professor Justin Greenwood and Ernst & Young Association Management (renamed on July 10th as Kellen Europe – www.kelleneurope.com), heard talks examining the relationship between companies and associations, stakeholders, membership service provision, and enlargement and associations. A noteworthy feature was the emergence of new measures aimed at company co-ordination of association memberships.

Speakers included immediate past AMCHAM-EU President Maja Wessels (Honeywell), Elaine Cruikshanks (Hill & Knowlton), Guido de Wit (Dow), Helmut Wagner (Amsterdam Group), Zygmunt Tyszkiewicz (former Secretary General of UNICE), and Kurt Vandenberghe (Cabinet member, Commission Busquin).

The event was sponsored by I.R.I.S DocShare, and media partners AMCHAM-EU, EurActiv, European Voice, the European Society of Association Executives, and the European Information Service.

Justin Greenwood said: “We’ve hit a successful formula. Every time we hold these events we are attracting more registrations and a new constituency of delegates. At just €100 for the day, it provides real value for money for those who want to grapple with cutting edge issues facing those who work in, and with, EU business associations.”

Planning for the next event is already under way. Alfons Westgeest (Kellen Europe) announced that “towards the second-half of 2004 some new tools will be launched aimed at bringing the audiences of the EuroConference series closer to the research papers and presentations on effectiveness of associations that have been compiled since 2001. In the first half of 2005 a new EuroConference will take place to discuss the role of associations and the best strategy to address some of the most important challenges of EU Business associations.”

In the meantime all those who are interested in learning more about the effectiveness of EU Business Associations are invited to visit the website www.kelleneurope.com/euroconference for updates.