Navigating Fear & Finding Calm
Before Convening EMEA: A trip to Rotterdam, A City Built for Connection
Rotterdam’s forward-thinking spirit is reflected in its bold architecture, its world-class port (it’s after all Europe’s gateway to global trade) and its thriving ecosystem across innovation, sustainability, and the creative industries. For event organisers, this translates into a destination that’s not only dynamic and accessible but also deeply committed to shaping the future of meetings.
Rotterdam’s “make it happen” ethos is tangible in every venue, every street, and every conversation, which Boardroom Chief Editor Remi Deve experienced first-hand during a short fam trip organised by Rotterdam Partners right before Convening EMEA.
After a get-together breakfast at Haven Rotterdam Hotel, where all participants comfortably stayed, the exploration of the city began at de Doelen ICC Rotterdam, a cultural and conference landmark in the city centre. Combining concert halls with versatile event spaces, it can host up to 3,500 delegates and is known for its strong sustainability credentials and integration with the city’s music scene – something we experienced firsthand during a musical tour.
From there, we visited Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility. Its striking mirrored façade and rooftop restaurant make it an unforgettable setting for exclusive events.
At Rotterdam Ahoy , the scale shifted again. With capacities ranging from intimate meeting rooms to a 16,000-seat arena, Ahoy embodies flexibility at its best, hosting everything from international congresses to live entertainment. The sustainability tour also revealed how RACC’s approach to sustainability goes well beyond operations, weaving local sourcing, regional partnerships, and community-focused initiatives into every event – ensuring each one leaves a meaningful mark on the city.
The evening was equally inspiring: from networking at Hotel New York, an emblem of the city’s maritime history, to a memorable culinary experience at Matroos en het Meisje, where local gastronomy took centre stage. Together, these encounters painted a vivid picture of Rotterdam: a city that balances big-city capability with human-scale creativity, and where every meeting can be truly unexpected.
The next day, some guests attended Convening EMEA, hosted at the Postillion Hotel & Convention Centre, a city-centre venue which can seat 1200 in its largest plenary.
The opening keynote, “Economic Horizons: Navigating the Tides of Global Change,” delivered a stark warning that more than half of European and North American executives expect worsening economic conditions within months. This forecast is shaping behaviour, spending and connection.
The concept of the “escape economy” captured this perfectly. People are seeking calm through comforting experiences and soothing aesthetics. For the meetings industry, this signals a new need to create spaces and programmes that offer psychological safety as well as professional value.
This sense of unease is particularly acute among Generation K, the young professionals entering the workforce with unprecedented levels of anxiety and loneliness. They have grown up in a state of polycrisis – economic shocks, digital saturation and environmental threats. Research cited during the session revealed that 40% of office workers feel lonely daily, while one in five Gen K individuals lacks a single close friend. Events are now expected to serve as places of belonging. Reverse mentoring, communal spaces and authentic storytelling were presented as practical ways to restore community within both workplaces and events.
Innovation with Empathy
In discussions, innovation emerged not just as technological advancemnets but as a discipline of empathy. In the Micro Lab on Intentionally Utilising Innovation to Drive Growth and Sustainability, Nicola Alexander of Destination Toronto and Tanya Popeau, PCMA’s Head of Global Sustainability, reframed innovation as a cycle that begins with identifying challenges, not chasing tools. Their examples ranged from circular-economy projects to inclusive initiatives such as the Purple Pound, worth an estimated £274 billion to businesses addressing accessibility needs. Successful innovation that balances profitability with social and environmental responsibility.
Other conversations around trust, empathy and mental health reinforced this idea of innovation grounded in humanity. Behavioural expert Thimon De Jong spoke of the Return on Connection, a new measure of success that values emotional well-being as much as financial outcomes. Rather than resisting technology, he encouraged cultivating digital etiquette, suggesting that mindful phone use and intentional disconnection can strengthen relationships. The so-called “mental health economy”, he argued, will reward organisations that embed empathy into their culture and event design.
Artificial intelligence appeared through the discussions as both a breakthrough and a frontier to be managed with care. In AI Event Integration: Boots-on-the-Ground Experience Stories, associations such as EORTC and ESOT illustrated how AI can enhance accessibility and efficiency through multilingual chatbots, real-time translation and automated transcription. Yet each case study came with a reminder that without human oversight, data lacks nuance and meaning.
Reconnection & the Human Future
The question of how to align technology with human purpose came into focus in Bridging the Gap Between Emerging Tech, Real-World Value and Human Centricity. Keynote speaker Asma Shabab described a world of systems that “work perfectly in pieces, yet collapse in union.” Her call for “integration by design” resonated widely, urging organisations to bring people, purpose and technology into harmony. She envisioned new professional roles for the sector (coordinators of systems, architects of participation and experts in continuity) each focused on aligning engagement and impact.
A different kind of integration, between intellect and emotion, shaped Riki Dackén’s Deal or No Deal: Mastering the Art of Negotiation. Drawing on behavioural economics, he reminded participants that most decisions are emotional long before they are rational. Techniques such as anchoring and tactical empathy can turn negotiation from confrontation into collaboration. For association leaders, that meant that empathy is now seen as a strategic skill.
Another highlight was the C-Suite workshop “Why Work Here? Cracking the Code of Workforce Attractiveness”, led by Sarah Clayton-Jones, Founder & CEO of Read to Lead, and Avinash Chandarana, Chief Learning and Transformation Officer at MCI Group. The discussion tackled the industry’s ongoing talent challenge, urging leaders to rethink how they attract and retain the next generation of professionals. Beyond pay and career progression, participants explored the deeper drivers of engagement – purpose, culture, and belonging – leaving with tangible ideas to strengthen their organisations’ appeal in an evolving world of work.
The conference concluded with thoughts on resilience and hope. In The Great Disconnect, Joseph Oubelkas recounted his 1,637-day wrongful imprisonment in Morocco, a story of endurance sustained by the smallest gestures of kindness. His testimony, alongside that of young professionals Naomi Arnaudova and Alger Leon, urged the industry to look beyond metrics and rediscover meaning through mentorship, inclusivity and purpose-driven collaboration.
The next edition of Convening EMEA will take place on 13-15 September 2026 in Lisbon.