Right now, I’m on a plane from Budapest back to Athens. That’s one of the many things I love about working at INTRASOFT International, a by all means international company. A company that takes me to new places. Well, I’ve never been to Budapest but that’s not the point here. For the past 2 years I’ve working at INTRASOFT International’s Marketing & Communications department and, business-wise, it has taken me to new places and paths.
On Saturday, September 28 I attended MEUS’ preparatory meeting that took place at the Central European University, in Budapest. Model European Union Strasbourg was established in 2007 and is a week-long conference that takes place every spring at the official seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, inviting roughly 200 students and young professionals to debate EU legislation. The conference is organized by an international Organizing Team of over 70 volunteers with 32 nationalities represented.
Let’s head back to November 2018 for a moment. Me and Yiannos, my Director, were attending TedXPatras and, as part of our sponsorship we had the chance to give 2 workshops on all the facts that add value to a brand. That’s when we met Tasos and had our first interaction with MEUS. It took a short meeting at our offices in Athens with him to proceed with sponsoring MEUS 2019 and supporting their initiative.
A couple of months later, in February 2019, MEUS invited us to join their preparatory meeting in Brussels. I had the chance to meet the whole group of MEUS participants and perform a workshop on Branding. I must admit I had a great time and the fact that I could pass on my everyday experience to them felt really fulfilling. From what they participants told me, the workshop turned out to be really helpful, in terms of helping them communicate in a more substantial way with their stakeholders.
A few months later, on July 2019, Tasos contacted me once again and suggested that we arranged another workshop in September, so that I could help them structure a communication plan for the MEUS 2020. RSVPing yes was an easy choice.
We all met in Budapest on September 28, 2019. What I witnessed is that I saw a group of students from all around Europe, full of energy and willingness to learn, evolve and dominate in the EU institutions over the next years. Our workshop turned into a brainstorming marathon, with tons of interesting ideas, valuable debates and concluded into a solid communication strategy plan. Apart from the people themselves who really freshened my mind up with their positive attitude and modern ideas, the place itself was breathtaking and really added value to this unique experience.
It was my first time in Budapest, my first time to help structure a communications plan for an EU initiative and my second workshop in English; not bad. It’s a real pleasure to share knowledge and experience; it’s an even greater pleasure to be admired and appreciated by a group of talented people who might take play a crucial role in the EU over the next years. Looking forward to our next meet-up!
#WeAreIntrasoft
Author: Dionysios Gournas.