Top DMCs and Meeting Planners Build Relationships, At GEP 2006 Summit
More than 100 Meeting Professionals Join GEP in Salzburg for a One-of-a-Kind Professional and Cultu
AALZBURG, Austria, September 14, 2006. Global Events Partners (GEP), the leading partnership of destination management companies worldwide, welcomed meeting professionals and GEP Partner DMCs from more than thirty countries, five continents and more than twenty U.S. cities to its annual Summit Meeting, held in Salzburg, Austria.
Clients, about half of whom came from the U.S. and half from Europe, were treated to a no holds-barred discussion of issues impacting the DMC and meeting planning industries, including: the importance of creativity in planning and executing events; impeccable client service as the cornerstone of event planning success; and the most effective models for pricing DMC services. These topics and more were discussed in a series of intensive workshops and educational seminars, networking opportunities, and at social and cultural events designed to reflect the location of the Summit in historic Salzburg, Austria.
Beyond the issues, the Summit focused on what GEP does best: Creating, reinforcing and expanding relationships among meeting and event planning professionals, who work together to create and execute successful programs in the most important destinations around the world. In the words of one event participant, "The atmosphere at the Summit was filled with infectious, positive enthusiasm . . .I get the feeling I will always be welcomed as a friend in more than 70 of the world's leading destinations."
Chris White, Global Events Partners Chairman & CEO, echoed the sentiment, stating, "The worlds of event planning and meeting management are vastly different than they were 30, 15 or even five years ago. But it remains true that the business turns on one-to-one relationships and direct contact among professionals - that is what our company, and our Summit gatherings, do best."
White concluded, "Salzburg was our most ambitious and exciting Summit ever, with planners traveling from every corner of the globe, to exchange ideas and professional experiences in open sessions, but also in unique cultural settings such as an historic Austrian fortress. We are proud to offer the only truly international, interactive, educational forum for DMC and meeting planning professionals worldwide."
Planners in attendance at the 2006 GEP Summit came from diverse industries and leading companies such as Deloitte & Touche; General Reinsurance Company; Bankers Life and Casualty Company, The Castle Group, and other leaders in the banking, insurance, pharmaceutical and meetings industries. Plans are currently under development for GEP's 2007 Summit meeting.
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