IIEX Europe 2016 - Impressions after the Storm
The snow may have fallen, the rain consistently pelted the red-brick Amsterdam turrets and facades, hailstones scattered by the kerbside.... - inside the IIEX, in the grand buildings of the Beurs van Berlage (http://bit.ly/1KrJ2Px), the atmosphere couldn't have contrasted more strongly: bustly, upbeat, energetic.
It's the second time I've attended, with a gap last year - a speaker at both occasions, but for the first time as a supplier.
For those wondering if they should attend - and especially Clients who need to make more of an internal argument to justify the opportunity if not the actual cost - I would say definitely yes. Here's why.
First up: it was well-attended - 400 attendees I believe, upwards of 50 sessions, a mixture of the familiar and unfamiliar.....which makes networking, giving a talk, listening to start-up pitches definitely worthwhile. You can pack a lot of conversations and knowledge gathering in over 2 days.
The atmosphere was informal - helpful if, like me, you see a lot of value at Conferences in the opportunities to make connections during breaks. The relaxed buzz of the event encouraged this - walking in late for a session isn't going to get noticed at all.
There was a notable bias to business relevance - lots of companies touting their new ideas unabashedly and energetically: great! A welcome contrast to the overly academic focus of some MR conferences in Europe.
Client interaction was managed sensibly. IIEX 2016 Amsterdam had invitation-only sessions with selected clients in a separate area - an eminently sensible idea, as those clients who did walk around freely seemed to have no lack of people wishing to lionise - sorry - approach them....
The only word of caution I would have if you're thinking of attending: give yourself a focus on what you want to cover, what you'd like to take away. Consider attending with someone else from your company if you can.
The event is very broad in the topics it covers, and it's potentially easy to get overwhelmed - or simply miss something because it's in a parallel session. Oh and a final add-on: the event is strongly international, so be comfortable conversing in English.
Back to my original weather metaphor: when we get a sense of grey skies and stormy weather ahead in our industry, it's good to be reminded how many great people our industry is blessed with, how much positive energy there is for change - leading hopefully to a better, if very different MR future.
Did you attend? If so....
Curious, as always, as to others' thoughts.