On 1 October 2024, Ole Sorang took over as the new CEO of the Danish company Optimeet, one of Scandinavia’s largest marketplaces for the meeting and event industry. The appointment marks a strategic step for Optimeet, which aims to strengthen the company’s position and expansion further.
Optimeet drives knowledge, value and relationships in the meetings industry, connecting meeting and conference buyers with suppliers of meeting and conference facilities and all related services such as catering, technology and team building.
Ole Sorang takes over as CEO from Jacob Nedergaard, who will continue within Optimeet in a new role and with a strengthened focus as COO for Exhibition and Events.
“I am delighted to step into this role at a time when Optimeet is facing many exciting opportunities. We have ambitious goals to expand our business in Denmark and internationally. I look forward to working closely with our team and partners to create even greater value for our customers,” says Ole Sorang.
In connection with the appointment of the new CEO, Søren Kristensen, owner and CEO of Opus Group, which acquired Optimeet (formerly Kursuslex) in 2021, said: “Ole’s long-standing commitment to business tourism combined with his extensive network in both Scandinavia and internationally makes him the right driver for OptiMeet’s continued expansion.”
Experienced industry profile
With more than 30 years of international experience in the hospitality, tourism and meetings industry, Ole Sorang brings a solid foundation of industry knowledge to his new role. Ole Sorang has spent more than 20 years with Radisson Hotel Group – most recently as European Marketing Director, where he has been involved in the launch of over 200 hotels, outlets and convention centres in Europe.
In addition, Ole Sorang has served on several boards over the past 15 years, including VisitDenmark, National Tourism Forum, Meetingplace Wonderful Copenhagen and Capital Region Growth Council.
In addition to his long-standing involvement in Danish tourism, Ole Sorang has for several years served on both the European and global boards of Meeting Professionals International, the world’s largest organisation for buyers and suppliers of conferences. In addition, he is the initiator of the establishment of the MSc programme in Meetings & Events, Travel and Tourism Management at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). Within ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association) he was also the founder of the Copenhagen Lecture, after many years still the highest-rated lecture at all ICCA congresses. He also created the project: Brain Food, within Radisson Hotels, which changed the entire meeting and event industry’s view of how food affects the outcome of meetings and events.
The future of the meetings industry
The global meetings industry is facing a time of transformation, driven by new technologies such as AI, the metaverse, and an increased demand for sustainable solutions. Optimeet looks forward to playing a central role in this evolution by creating a foundation for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and innovation in the meetings industry.
Conferences, congresses, meetings and events are among the most lucrative business segments in tourism, and although this particular business area was badly shaken during the Covid-19 period, the physical meeting is back. In Denmark alone, business tourism accounts for more than €4.69 billion of total tourism revenue.
“At Optimeet, we focus on strengthening business tourism and the meetings industry in general, and we help connect and match meeting and event buyers with the best and right facilities and suppliers through a range of activities. The meetings industry is undergoing very interesting developments that we need to respond to and I am really looking forward to helping our partners open up new opportunities”, says Ole Sorang.
