Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the association
for people involved in the production of meetings, incentives, conference and
exhibitions, is returning to Istanbul - a decade after it was last in the Turkish capital.
The industry body, which has 13,000 members, has announced that its 2025 European
Meetings & Events
Conference (EMEC) will take place in Istanbul, February 22-25 next
year.
Amongst all the
industry associations, MPI, which is based
in Dallas, Texas, claims to have the largest EMEA presence with 1,000 members and 10 chapters and clubs in
the region.
Now in its 37th
year, EMEC typically convenes around 300-400 meetings and events professionals and,
according to MPI, is an event ‘designed by Europeans for Europeans’.
Paul Van
Deventer, president and CEO, said: “Returning to Istanbul after more than a
decade is not only a testament to the city’s enduring appeal but also a clear
indicator of the excitement and popularity surrounding this iconic destination. Istanbul offers a unique
blend of tradition and modernity that resonates with our international audience, and we are thrilled
to bring EMEC back to this vibrant city.”
Ismail Bütün, general
manager of the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), said EMEC’s return to
Istanbul showed it was ‘developing’
as a destination for event professionals.
As MPI expands its reach into EMEC, the organisation said it would soon be releasing a request for
proposals (RFP) for the 2026 and 2027 host destinations.
