Seville, 25 September 2018. The ‘Welcome Reception by the Eurovent President’ saw the official opening ceremony of the 2018 Eurovent Summit in Seville, Spain. Through a ribbon-cutting session, the Eurovent President Naci Şahin, the organisers and the representatives of Summit supporters have welcomed close to 500 high-ranking guests from Spain, Europe and beyond to Eurovent’s biennial flagship event. The evening was opened with an official speech by Naci Sahin, which can be read below.
Opening speech by Mr Naci Sahin, President, Eurovent Association
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends and colleagues,
As the President of the Eurovent Association and on behalf of my company Friterm, it is an honour for me to welcome you to the Eurovent Summit 2018, here in Sevilla, in year 60 since the foundation of our Association.
Having accompanied the development of the Eurovent Summit since its first edition in Berlin 2014 and remembering the unforgettable activities in the Krakow salt mine in 2016, I’m very proud to see how the Eurovent Summit has evolved over the years into Europe’s major gathering for our industry.
Let me provide you with some facts:
- This year, we are happy to welcome 494 participants. 80 more than last time.
- Participants come from over 30 countries, flying in from as far as Beijing.
- Our event is not-for-profit, financed entirely by sponsorships, the Eurovent budget, and a participation fee which is very reasonable compared to other events.
- We don’t make use of an external event manager. Lead by our colleague Kirsten, the entire event including the design is developed inhouse with a high passion and awareness of the likes of our members.
The hashtag of the 2018 Eurovent Summit is “Viva La Conectividad”, and we mean it. Both in terms of digitization – as many of our evening events show – and in terms of connecting people and industries across countries and continents.
Given the evolving protectionism in some regions and the potential Brexit, we also defined this slogan to set a strong sign: The European HVACR industry family sticks and works together, defends the ideals of open markets and a global level-playing field, and acts as a reliable and trustworthy partner across the globe.
Let me express a high gratitude to all of you…
- For joining us in Seville,
- For bringing our joint industry ideals forward,
- For promoting friendship and cooperation across borders,
- For always pushing for the best in terms of sustainability, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, safety and reliability.
60 years of Eurovent would not have been possible without you: Our member associations and manufacturers, the Chairmen of our Product Groups, the many dedicated staff members of Eurovent, and many, many more.
This Eurovent Summit is not only about working hard within meetings but shall also give all of you a chance to celebrate, reflect, and look ahead.
Who wants to be a Climate Millionaire? That’s the question of this night, filled with many challenging questions. Tomorrow will see our Innovation/HUB, and the Thursday ends with our spectacular 60th anniversary celebration.
At last, allow me to already announce our Eurovent Summit 2020 in my home country Turkey, in the beautiful city of Antalya, where we are going to build bridges together.
Now, without further delay, let me wish you a productive and enjoyable Eurovent Summit 2018 in Sevilla. Enjoy!
Naci Sahin
President, Eurovent Association
