A city that bridges East and West, Istanbul is said to thrive on ideas and knowledge, so it hosted the 27th edition of European Cities Marketing (ECM) Summer School from Aug. 24-28.
The validity of the educational formula of the Summer School relies in the diversity of participants, who came from as far as Thailand in South East Asia to Finland and South Africa. This last edition of ECM consisted of 54 students from 20 different countries. They were led by 15 faculty members.
“An ascending concentration could be experienced in the classrooms during the course, with tighten rhythms of hard study toward the most important processes in the meeting business, explained by experienced professionals,” said Pier Paolo Mariotti, course leader, ECM.
Course leaders are ECM members or partners and give their time on a voluntary basis – a way of giving back to the meetings industry.
“Istanbul is a major meeting destination [and] mature, which offered faculty and students the opportunity to experience best practices for our business — a sort of meeting lab where everything could be studied, researched and tested if valid,” said Mariotti.
Making continuous reference to historical, cultural accumulation and modern infrastructure, Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau tailored the social program of the event to demonstrate what was thought during the faculty’s presentations.
“Istanbul has hosted many important international fairs and congresses in recent years due to its location as a central spot geographically and culturally functioning as a bridge between Asia and Europe,” said Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, general manager, Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I am thrilled to see that the ECM Summer School welcomed so many people from non-European destinations, and if our destination played a role in this, we are honored.”
The Summer School qualified for CMP certification, and every student getting a Summer School diploma earns 7.5 points toward their CMP.
European Cities Marketing improves the competitiveness and performance of cities in Europe by providing a platform for convention, leisure and city marketing professionals to exchange knowledge, best practice and widen their network to build new business. Its next Summer School takes place in Genoa, Italy from Aug. 23-27, 2014.
