The now traditional Round Table Europe event of the Union of International Associations (UIA) will be held in the Prague Congress Centre on November 18 and 19. The 14th Round Table, hosted by the Prague Convention Bureau, is planned to take place in hybrid format, providing comfortable option for those delegates that are not able to attend the event personally in Prague.

The UIA Round Tables are organised annually by the Union of International Associations, the research institute and documentation centre established in 1907 and based in Brussels. The Round Tables, that are the core of UIA’s education project, provide an opportunity to learn through networking and through practice, to meet other international associations and share experience and knowledge to help run the organisations better.

The Prague Convention Bureau won the candidacy for the 14th Round Table Europe back in 2018. Due to the global pandemic, the event has been postponed to November 2021 and will be held in hybrid format.

“Thanks to Prague being one of the leaders in the field of hybrid meetings and co-founding city of the Hybrid City Alliance – the global initiative launched by the Prague Convention Bureau and three other destinations in 2020 – we were able to offer UIA the opportunity to organise the event both for delegates onsite as well as for those connected remotely. Thanks to this decision, even delegates that are not able or willing to attend in person have the chance to join the event in real time and network with their colleagues. We are also preparing a special workshop focused on organisation of a hybrid event for attendees to present them the benefits of such type of events. We want to share best practices already published in the Hybrid City Alliance’s whitepaper with them, along with recent experience and observations from the IUCr Congress that was held in Prague in hybrid format in summer 2021,” says Roman Muška, Managing Director of the Prague Convention Bureau.

Except the above-mentioned workshop focusing on hybrid events, which will be led by Roman Muška, Bas Schot (Head of the Hague Convention Bureau, co-founder of the Hybrid City Alliance), and prof. RNDr. Radomír Kužel, CSc. (the IUCr Congress Ambassador), another four in-depth workshops will be organised during the two-day event:

  • Nina Gabatan, World Steel Association: “The Road to Membership Retention Is Engagement”
  • Sara Polak, prg.ai: “AI: The Next Revolution and Evolution of Society”
  • Cyril Ritchie, President of UIA, First Vice-President of CoNGO: “The United Nations and Civic Associations”
  • Marc Mekki, Inspire Limitless: “Innovation Through Design Thinking”

The onsite delegates will also have a chance to join the site visits at selected Prague hotels and venues, and explore the Czech capital during the three-hour morning city tours.

Jacques de Mévius, Secretary General of UIA: “The Union of International Associations is happy to see Round Table Europe finally happening in Prague on 18 and 19 November. The hybrid format, which has been made possible by Prague Convention Bureau and its technology partners, gives any association in Europe and beyond, the opportunity to be part of this learning and networking event for associations. We look forward to working with Prague Convention Bureau in order to make Round Table Europe 2021 a successful and a joyful event: for associations delegates, and not less for Prague Convention Bureau and for UIA.”

Registration to the event is available on the UIA Round Table website.