Exploring Berlin | Highlights from the Easyfairs Academy Summit

This week, Berlin was the vibrant city where the Easyfairs family reunited for the Academy Summit 2024. This annual summit provided us with three valuable days to reflect on the past year, reconnect with our Senior Leadership colleagues, and look forward to a bright future.

The Easyfairs Academy Summit was a tremendous mix of content, networking, and fun—one of our core values. Like every year, the Academy Summit is the perfect place for sharing best practices and celebrating our collective achievements. Over 100 colleagues from the Senior Leadership Team gathered to engage in insightful discussions and collaborative sessions.

Reflecting on a Year of Growth and Innovation

The past year has been a period of significant growth and strategic development for Easyfairs. One of the major highlights was securing a strategic investment from Cobepa and Inflexion, marking a crucial step in our journey. This partnership will enable us to drive faster organic growth through new event launches and geo-cloning of existing events, extend our geographic and sector footprint, enhance our position as a frontrunner in big data and artificial intelligence technologies, and unlock further strategic M&A opportunities.

Unleashing the Power of AI: A Deep Dive

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword, but what does it really mean for us? At the summit, we dedicated a full day to exploring AI's transformative power. The keynote speech by Lieven Scheire and the "Fast & Curious" sessions showcased the concrete results of our AI pilots within sales, marketing, and business development.

One of the standout applications discussed was AI's ability to answer thousands of questions raised by exhibitors and visitors through chatbots. Additionally, AI can generate insightful content, perform accurate translations, and transcribe discussions with customers. These practical examples demonstrate AI's potential to significantly ease the workload of our team members, save time, and achieve better results. Instead of merely talking about AI, we aim to become pioneers in implementing and testing new AI solutions.

Exploring Berlin

Berlin is a city deeply scarred by wars and the division caused by the Berlin Wall, which cut through it for 30 years. The city's architecture is a fascinating mix, shaped by the destruction of World War II and the subsequent political influences that left their mark.

I had the opportunity to take a street art tour in Kreuzberg, a part of the city known for its vibrant cultural diversity and rebellious spirit. During this tour, we saw incredible murals, including the famous mural by Os Gêmeos and the Cosmonaut mural by Victor Ash. These artworks not only showcase the city's creative energy but also its resilient and dynamic character.

Embracing Fun in Berlin

Having fun is one of the core values of Easyfairs, and it was a crucial part of our three days in Berlin. We truly embraced this spirit, starting with our disco grooves during the "Rooftop Disco Grill & Groove" night. It was a great opportunity to unwind and connect with colleagues in a relaxed and lively atmosphere.

The excitement continued with the photo challenge, where everyone brought their creativity and competitive spirit to the forefront.

The highlight was the "Burning Glam Night Out." And glam it was! The evening was filled with sparkle, glamour, and unforgettable moments.

Conclusion

Conclusion

The Easyfairs Academy Summit 2024 in Berlin was an inspiring and rewarding experience. From insightful discussions about AI and strategic growth to exploring Berlin's vibrant culture, we had an unforgettable time. We look forward to implementing the ideas and innovations discussed, continuing to grow, and achieving new milestones together as a team.