Event tech giant Cvent is set to welcome hundreds of industry professionals to the second annual Cvent CONNECT Europe conference – which will feature a keynote from a former White House Director of Events.

After its inaugural event in 2017, the conference will nearly double in size this year and will be hosted at the Business Design Centre in London, 1st – 2nd October 2018.

Cvent also announced that Laura Schwartz, former Director of Events at the White House during the Clinton administration, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s event.

Cvent CONNECT Europe will provide attendees with more than 50 educational sessions covering the latest industry trends and best practices in addition to offering a hands-on experience in the Innovation Pavilion where Cvent’s latest product enhancements and innovations will be showcased in a live-demonstration setting.

The Power of Live

The theme of this year’s conference is “The Power of Live” which will focus in on the positive impact that live events have on the business world. The conference will offer joint sessions for both event and hospitality professionals to enable further networking opportunities among attendees and will also feature a Supplier Showcase to connect event organisers with top venues and destinations.

Laura Schwartz

As the former White House Director of Events, Laura Schwartz created events that represented a nation and inspired the world. At just 19, she arrived at the White House with no political connections and volunteered answering phones in the press office, quickly climbing her way up the ranks as a Staff Assistant, the Midwest Press Secretary, the Director of Television and ultimately the White House Director of Events. As the keynote speaker, Laura Schwartz will share the secrets to building powerful, effective partnerships through live events.

“We had very powerful positive feedback on the quality of content and networking that took place at the inaugural Cvent CONNECT Europe last year,” said David Chalmers, Senior Marketing Director, Cvent Europe.  “As a result, we are taking our event to the next level with more industry expert speakers, enhanced networking opportunities, and additional sessions dedicated to hands-on training across the Cvent platform. We are looking forward to another incredible conference in October.”

“Last year, more than 450 meetings, events and hospitality professionals gathered at Cvent CONNECT Europe, and now we are planning an event for nearly double that number,” said Patrick Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of Cvent. “The increase in attendance speaks to the value that Cvent CONNECT delivers.   It’s a can’t-miss opportunity for our attendees to learn how to harness the true power of events to meet their organisational goals.”