Intl students essay competition for meetings industry

The 'Power of 10' study is designed to commemorate the 10th anniversary in 2012 and give students, who wish to work in the industry, a valuable opportunity to get themselves and their ideas noticed.

The competition is open to full and part-time students over the age of 18 studying at an academic institution anywhere in the world. It invites them to submit either their ideas or visions of how the meetings industry will evolve over the next ten years or a real life case study detailing how a particular destination is already preparing in an innovative way for the next decade.

International recognition

Two winning submissions will win free travel to IMEX in Frankfurt, Germany, 22-24 May 2012, two nights accommodation and participation in the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum during the show, where they will take the stage to present a summary of their findings. Their winning submissions will also be published on the IMEX in Frankfurt website and shared virally via social media.

IMEX Group chair, Ray Bloom, will present each student with a Certificate of Special Achievement, with coverage in the show's daily paper, which is read by thousands of exhibitors and buyers attending the trade show,

The ten best entries will also be published as part of the final 'Power of 10' research report, the findings of which will be presented during IMEX in Frankfurt and also circulated globally thereby giving students an unparalleled international platform and further strong incentive to participate.

'Power of 10' research

The competition picks up on the objectives of the 'Power of 10' study, which will take a look back ten years and take a vital look forward over the same period by interviewing 100 meetings and non-meetings industry professionals, be they established and known leaders or personalities, rising stars or influencers.

Rohit Talwar, project director of the 'Power of 10' study and CEO of Fast Future Research, says, "This is a very exciting time for the business meetings and events industry. The pace of innovation is picking up globally as the sector responds to emerging opportunities and a rapidly changing business climate. Young talent is being given an ever greater voice in the sector and the future of the industry lies in the hands of these young innovators - we look forward to seeing their ideas on how the industry might evolve in the decade ahead."

The research study will be conducted by Fast Future Research, which runs the Convention 2020 study on the future of business events.

All essays must be presented in English only and should be no more than 1500 words long. Entries must be received by midnight GMT 9 March 2012.

For more, go to www.imex-frankfurt.com/studentcasestudy.html.