The Kenes Group has announced plans for the launch of a new subsidiary company, Kenes Education, to be based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This decision follows years of intense research by the company into the future of congresses and the growing recognition that clients wish to get more out of their meetings than the actual event itself. Clients have expressed the need for ongoing educational support to Share their Knowledge between members, congress participants who are not members and other stakeholders. Together with its clients, Kenes Education will develop integrated knowledge portals and appropriate knowledge management systems to service these needs. 

Kenes Group has appointed Keith Foley as Managing Director of Kenes Education, to oversee its establishment, development of services, and delivery. Foley joined the Group on March 1, from his previous position as Marathon International MD, as well as many years with Elsevier Science Publishers. Commenting on his new position, Foley said: “It will come as no surprise to many in our industry that multiple factors are gently pushing association clients to re-examine their meeting mission strategies and are looking for longer term returns from sources other than just delegates. For me, this is an exciting new opportunity to be able to broaden the scope of congress content and to even develop and repackage the content in another form.” Foley added that his many years of experience with managing scientific content from medical meetings will benefit the Kenes Group and its clients. 

Dan Rivlin, Kenes CEO, said: “Not only are we pleased to have Keith join us in this important role, but we also think this is an important strategic step for Kenes to take. We have as our mission to facilitate the exchange of knowledge of our clients, so worthy of sharing, in meetings and increasingly in on-and offline educational processes. It is a privilege to work together with a large number of outstanding medical associations whereby it has become clear that our role as a PCO or AM company is taking on new dimensions in response to our clients needs to create more value and education from meeting content to the benefit of their stakeholders.

The offices of Kenes Education will be established in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with easy access from the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport  and the Central Train Station.

About Kenes Group

A pioneer in Professional Congress Organization and Association Management, Kenes broadens its services with the creation of Kenes Education to uphold its 46-year tradition as a leading innovator in its field.

Everything Kenes does is about servicing the need of their clients to share knowledge and to build professional networks. With that in mind, Kenes organizes and facilitates the best possible opportunities allowing for the sharing of medical scientific knowledge: at congresses, in educational webcasts, with dedicated social media, applying functional meeting architecture, improving networking opportunities before, during and after events, by creating knowledge portals and providing the associations Kenes works for with the support and expertise that enable them to do so. Kenes has organized over 2,800 congresses in over 100 countries, attracts around 110,000 attendees per year, and has over 54 long-term clients. The company also provides association management and consultancy services to over 16 medical and scientific organizations with a combined membership of 20,000.

As a truly global company with regional and local presence, Kenes is able to organize congresses anytime, anywhere. The company is supported by executive offices in Geneva, London, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Madrid, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile, and Amsterdam (as of July 1, 2011). Our major asset is our staff of 400 specialists worldwide who ensure that Kenes' experience, expertise, values and ethics are upheld throughout the Group. Since 1972, Kenes has been a member of ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association) and of IAPCO (the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers).

For further information please contact:

Quirine Laman Trip,
Kenes Group BD Director
qlamantrip@kenes.com