In the world of an event planner, one of the phrases that makes alarm bells start to ring is “we should organize a congress.” Those who know this scene know everything that is behind an event of this kind. First, we must make sure that “our bosses” are really thinking about a congress. Because not everything that looks like a congress is actually a congress.
What is it and what is not a congress?
Let’s go find the definition of congress in the Oxford Dictionary:
1. A formal meeting or series of meetings for discussion between delegates, especially those from a political party, trade union, or from within a particular sphere of activity.
2. A national legislative body, especially that of the US. The US Congress, which meets at the Capitol in Washington DC, was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
3. (often in names) A political society or organization.
4. mass noun The act of coming together.
Keep calm, number 4 is in disuse! ; – P
It would be almost universally agreed that the first meaning is the one that best fits what our bosses have asked us. But we wanted a more specialized definition so we have consulted Spanish web protocolaldia.com and found this:
“A congress is a meeting of technicians in a certain subject to exchange information and knowledge. Lasting several days, usually three, it does require considerable organization work by a large team of people, as there are many bases to cover.
It is still an event, but a complex one, and one that cannot be rehearsed beforehand. In spite of that, if we compare it to the classic parts of a formal event, it has them all, albeit in a much longer form: the participants are greeted, they are sorted and the congress’ goals are explained to them. There are keynote speakers, meetings between attendees and farewells. Framed in a work environment, and with its own requirements, but definitely similar.”
Therefore, we can conclude that a congress is not:
- A presentation of a new product by our company
- A meeting of workers fromthe different delegations of our company
- Ateambuilding meeting
- An incentive trip
Very soon we will be talking about the key aspects to keep in mind so that your congress is a success. If you want us to supply more information, or if you want to tell us about your experiences, please do leave us a comment.