Trade & Technology Council – EU/US – Faculty Club, Leuven.
Client: European Commission (DG Trade & DG Connect) and FPS Foreign Affairs
Location: Faculty Club, Leuven
Date: April 4-5, 2024
The EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) serves as a forum for the United States and the European Commission to coordinate approaches to key global trade, economic, and technology issues, and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations based on these shared values. It was established during the EU-US summit on June 15, 2021, in Brussels. The 6th ministerial meeting was hosted in Leuven on April 4 and 5, 2024. In addition to the 2-day conference, the program featured a VIP visit to IMEC and a VIP dinner at Park Abbey in Leuven. The event brought together more than 250 international participants on both days, primarily delegates from the European Commission and European member states, alongside US delegates, policymakers, and members of the press.
The key figures included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Trade Representative and Ambassador Katherine Tai, US Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and European delegation leaders, including EVP Margrethe Vestager, EVP Valdis Dombrovskis, and European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton. They were welcomed by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Hadja Lahbib.
As a result of the 2-day conference, agreement was reached on the following points:
- Promoting transatlantic cooperation in the fields of AI, 6G, and critical and emerging technologies.
- Promoting simpler, more sustainable, and safer trade within the transatlantic market.
- Defending human rights and values in a changing geopolitical digital environment.
TMAB was responsible for the entire coordination of this event. Our tasks included:
- Benchmarking and venue selection;
- Organization, participation, and reporting of preparatory meetings with all suppliers;
- Personnel and security management;
- Contact and follow-up with all involved suppliers and partners, including staff responsible for security, personnel, technical equipment and services, catering, transport, venue, printed materials, promotional items, furniture, and photography;
- Design and management of visual and printed materials (posters, backdrops, brochures, programs, templates, etc.);
- Administrative and logistical support: catering, setup, decoration, branding, etc.;
- Full on-site organization and follow-up of activities and protocols;
- Organization of reception and registrations (badges, cloakroom, etc.);
- Assisting and guiding speakers and participants;
- Setup and teardown of the meeting, including all logistical elements.
Why this reference?
- TTC was launched just 6 weeks before the event date, which meant TMAB had to work 24/7 to get all logistics and security aspects ready on time.
- Organizing this major political event with so many important participants was a huge challenge in terms of protocol, security, timing, transportation, etc.