As I write this in early April, we are fresh off an invigorating 11th-Annual European Compliance & Ethics Institute (ECEI) held in Amsterdam. ECEI was an in-person-only gathering of more than 300 people representing 30 European countries, as well as many others. It was the largest ECEI we’ve ever held, and the excitement of being in person after missing out on this event for three consecutive years was evident.
ECEI was an excellent reminder of the virtues of in-person versus virtual events, oddly because of all the “problems” we had. For one, speakers sometimes lingered long after their sessions, occasionally interfering with the set-up for the next sessions—but that’s because the audience was so highly engaged that they had numerous questions and issues to address with the speakers after the sessions ended, and speakers patiently tried to address all of them.
Some speakers likely found it challenging to get through their presentations. The questions from the floor and the in-session conversations were vigorous. People clearly liked having the opportunity not just to listen but to ask questions and speak up.
Attendees were late getting to their next sessions—but that’s because the networking in the hallways was tremendous. There was such a wonderful mix of people from different regions, industries, and people who were simply reconnecting with colleagues they hadn’t seen in years. You could see how hard it was for them to break off these great discussions after so many years of not having the opportunity to connect.
The conference attendees wouldn’t leave either. More accurately, they didn’t want to. The networking reception went long after its scheduled end time, and the final half-day of sessions on Wednesday was exceptionally well attended. People clearly wanted to remain connected and enjoy the conference right up to the end.
The agenda caused conflicts. People were seriously conflicted about which session to attend at any given time. There were so many great topics and speakers to choose from.
These were great problems to have, and we hope to have more of them. I hope you will join us in person soon and cause some additional good problems of your own.
[View source.]