Brussels, Belgium (24 September 2009) – Kellen Europe has organized an executive lunch seminar yesterday with Rohit Talwar on “Associations next: surviving the downturn and securing the future!”

“For associations in Brussels, it is critical to think hard about what the implications of increasingly nationalistic and protectionist governments and further economic uncertainty will be for the EU. We need to challenge our assumptions about alternatives to the current EU structure and policies. For example we need to think both about the possibility of an enlarged EU and of an EU ‘light’ where it breaks into smaller entities comprised of members whose economies and policy priorities are more closely aligned. The biggest risk is to assume that nothing will change. ” said Rohit.

Introducing Rohit to the audience, Maria Teresa Scardigli, Vice-President, Kellen Europe said “Rohit’s speeches are always very inspirational and this is why Kellen decided to bring him back to Brussels for a follow up session of his key note address at the EuroConference last April.

In the speech he gave today for about 65 Association and Corporate Executives at the Martin’s Central Park Hotel in Brussels, he identified the critical trends that will shape the association environment in the next 10 years and highlighted strategies that associations can adopt to ensure long term health of their organization. Rohit stressed that although the downturn may be coming to an end, we should expect the economic environment to remain turbulent for the next 5 to 10 years.

James Lovegrove, Managing Director of TechAmerica Europe commented: “I very much enjoyed Rohit’s perspective on various trends impacting not just TechAmerica Europe but any Association which wants to keep growing regardless of the downturn. What I thought was particularly comforting was whether Rohit was addressing future changes in lifespan (5 generations in the same workplace) or population explosion in China/India or climate change or nano-science or accelerated on-line education … indeed any aspect of change… I saw the high-tech sector as being a key enabler/solution in every possible aspect. Despite this fact, his advice concurs with our board’s decision to use the downturn positively so as to focus even harder on the value-add for the member as well as the EU decision maker such as being the catalyst for technology debate or connecting the value chain regardless of geography, and, then internally, keep exploring alternative business models beyond the classic dues structure as well as keep it fun, personal and engaging - keep energized…!”

Rohit Talwar is an award winning futurist speaker, entrepreneur, specialist advisor and strategic change agent and the founder of the research and consultancy organization Fast Future.

This Executive Lunch Seminar was organized by Kellen Europe and sponsored by Brussels International and EMIF – Easy Fairs.

About Kellen Europe

Kellen Europe provides association management, strategic advice, communications, government affairs, benchmarking studies, internet services and other professional advice to associations and corporations worldwide. Over the last 15 years, Kellen Europe has gathered considerable expertise that enables the company to rapidly anticipate the needs of emerging or existing associations and to provide tailored organisational solutions. For more information, please visit www.kelleneurope.com and/or www.kellencompany.com.