CityDNA Summer School Widens its Scope to Regeneration and Diversity

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More than 15 experienced professionals will lead newcomers and recent employees through the most advanced professional protocols for a successful introduction to the industry
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23rd May, 2022
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In difficult times, it is crucial to keep values high and stay one step ahead. Living up to this principle, the City Destinations Alliance will once again hold the renowned and now freshened ECM Summer School in Turin on 27-31 August 2022, contributing to the resilience of the meetings industry and education of newcomers.

After two years of holding this flagship event online, CityDNA launches a refreshed programme containing the most advanced issues of the industry, explained by the best experts on the market.

More than 15 experienced professionals will lead the newcomers and the freshly-employed professionals of the institutions belonging to the global Meetings Industry through the most advanced professional protocols for a successful introduction to the industry, complimented by hands-on workshops. There will also be a challenging hackathon among the students coming from all over the world, in order to seed the principles of an effective network in a very efficient competition.

One of the most important changes in the new programme is the addition of a session on sustainability and regenerative destinations. Led by Guy Bigwood, Chief Changemaker of the GDS-Movement, this session will focus on giving the newcomers in the meetings industry all the necessary tools to implement a strategy in their destination with sustainability and regeneration at its heart. This session will also be followed by a more hands-on workshop where students will discuss all the practical details and collaboratively look for ideas and solutions.

A new session this year will also focus on diversity, inclusion and equity strategies in destinations. City Destinations Alliance commits to encourage a meetings industry where everyone is welcome and to ensure that systemically overlooked voices and perspectives are finally heard and respected.

The faculty are all members/partners of City Destinations Alliance and give their time on a voluntary basis – a way of giving back to the meetings industry: Tamara Bernstein (ICCA), Guy Bigwood (Global Destination Sustainability Movement), Prof. Tommaso Castroflorio (European Aligner Association), Barbara Jamison (London & Partners), Sam Johnston (Dublin Convention Bureau & Convention Bureaux of Ireland), Catherine Kalamidas (Rotterdam Partners), James Latham (The Iceberg), Cain Leathem (GB Fitness & IMEX Group), Heike Mahmoud (CCH - Congress Center Hamburg), Sabrina Meyers (Sabrina Meyers Consultancy), Christian Mutschlechner (Congrex Switzerland & former Vienna Convention Bureau), Mathias Sondermann (SAP), Stéphane Talboom (K.I.T. Group) and Daniel Waigl (CIRSE) led by the course leader Pier Paolo Mariotti, CMP CMM (EURAC Research Bolzano).

“Since 1987, the ECM then CityDNA Summer School gives a thorough introduction to all the necessary bases to start off a career in the Meetings Industry on the right track but also state-of-the-art practices, brought by the most experienced European professionals. The format of the Summer School also guarantees students will meet with as many counterparts as possible whether challenging and interacting with speakers and peers in plenary sessions, group work, networking or socialising.” said Pier Paolo Mariotti, CityDNA Summer School course leader.

“It’s a crucial task for top management in each organisation, whether it is a Convention Bureau (CVB), tourist board, congress centre, airline, hotel, DMC, PCO or meeting planner, to train every employee continuously. This has never been more important than in these very fast changing times.” added Pier Paolo Mariotti.

Turin is a natural choice of destination to introduce sustainability and destination regeneration. Since 2017, Turin has been granted many awards in this field; in 2020 the city arrived among the four finalists to obtain the title of European Green Capital 2022. Over the years, the Municipality demonstrated a strong commitment to face the challenges of sustainable development and showed important results in achieving future policies for a sustainable and resilient city, capable of offering a better quality of life to its citizens. The Turin 2030 Action Plan of the Municipality of Turin designs the future city: the vision, principles, strategic objectives and structural actions to build a sustainable and resilient Turin.

Register now here and learn for your future success in the Meetings Industry!

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