President’s message – June 2023

Dear AIPC Member,

Only 2 weeks left before we meet in Luxembourg for the AIPC Annual Conference! While Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe (2,586 square kilometers), it is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union and the seat of several European institutions, including the European Court of Justice. The venue where we will meet – the European Convention Center of Luxembourg (ECCL) – was actually the first location of the European Parliament and still hosts the European Council meetings on a quarterly basis, making it the home to the construct of the European Union. 

Our endeavor at the Conference will be very similar to the one of the European Council meetings: to listen to each other, learn from each other and make the AIPC global community of convention centers grow by sharing best practices and setting our quality standards – and I hope I can put my Washington DC experience to good use in making this happen. 

The ECCL, the Luxembourg Convention Bureau (LCB) and the AIPC team have co-created a great programme, balancing lectures, interaction and networking, touching on all the topics which keep us awake at night: technology, customer experience, leadership, sustainability and much more to discuss both before, during and after the conference – which will be easy with the hotel (bars) at a five minute walking distance from the venue. 

I’m sure another topic of discussion will be the continuous search for talent and I’m very proud that we will have the second cohort of Future Shapers – the AIPC talent programme – on stage to present their view on the future of convention centres. As President of AIPC, I was privileged to have a sneak view on the concept they will present and I can assure you that they meet the very high standard set by their predecessors.  

Next to the hard work, there will also be opportunities to relax and catch up – for example during the welcome cocktail at the MUDAM – the Luxembourg Museum of Contemporary Art – which, very conveniently, is located next to the ECCL.  

Finally, the Conference will also be an opportunity to welcome new members and new business partners, while at the same time acknowledging the long time support of existing members and partners. Without you, we would not be able to deliver the value AIPC stands for and we encourage you to provide us with your input to further increase that value. 

I look forward to welcoming you to Luxembourg! 

Greg O’Dell
President of AIPC