MicroCapital: European Microfinance Week (EMW) 2021 – like in 2020 – will be virtual. How is it possible to make an online conference a success?
Christoph Pausch: Like last year’s successful first virtual conference and in the years before it, EMW2021 remains primarily a member-led event, and the programme is developed based on what members propose and consider important. This is as true as ever. There are things we learned from last year’s event, and there will be some changes based on what we observed – and based on feedback from attendees, of course. But fundamentally the idea remains the same: a programme covering a wide range of topic streams and presented via a whole array of different session models, chosen depending on the subject matter, the audience and the objectives of the session. That means plenaries, traditional panels, workshops, topic lounges, publication launches and Action Group meetings – among others. As much as possible, we help our members put together sessions that are current, relevant, important and interactive. Beyond this, there are other improvements in the online conference platform which will make networking more accessible and meaningful: attendees will be able to join different groups of attendees based on their role or region or subject focus – or set up one-on-one meetings as well. So, we will replicate that richness of the in-person conference as much as we can.
MC: What choices of sessions can attendees expect?
CP: The conference will have four plenaries this year, focusing on: climate change post-COP26 and its implications for the financial inclusion sector; three approaches to facilitating access to inclusive health care (the topic of the European Microfinance Award 2021), including the launch of the e-MFP Award publication; the impact of the pandemic and the response of investors; and a closing plenary that is both retrospective on the past 18 months and looks to the changes that will endure.
Alongside these plenaries are almost 50 other sessions covering diverse themes such as smallholder finance; climate and green finance; social performance, with a strong focus on outcomes and impact management; digital financial inclusion; COVID-19 and financial inclusion; health care; and women’s financial inclusion. Other topics covering the most relevant issues of the sector include remittances, WASH, child labour, capacity building and youth – among others. As always, we have lined up top experts – practitioners, academics, investors, TA providers and others – to lead these sessions and extensive Q&A and audience engagement activities as well. Finally, e-MFP’s incredibly active Action Groups all will be hosting sessions during EMW2021.
MC: The European Microfinance Award ceremony was virtual last year; will that stay the same?
CP: On Thursday, November 18th, there is – as every year – the European Microfinance Award ceremony. This year it will use a hybrid model, with an in-person ceremony at the European Investment Bank live-streamed to an international audience, plus live feeds from the three Award finalists – CRECER IFD from Bolivia, Dreamlopments Ltd from Thailand and Fonzoke from Haiti – as well as short films on their health care initiatives. And, of course, the ceremony will include the announcement of the winner of the EUR 100,000 prize.
MC: And there is a major new addition to the programme this year, correct?
CP: Yes, for the first time, on November 15th and 16th, EMW2021 will include two Training Days, with fee-based online trainings hosted by several e?MFP members on a range of topics: digital transformation, new business models for the post-COVID world, building customer-centric institutions, social impact management, risk management and organisational resilience – among others. The trainings are open to anyone who wishes to register, but the initiative is intended as a benefit particularly for the hosts’ fellow e?MFP members, so they’ll receive a discount – as will attendees from low-income countries. e-MFP is inviting, registering and co-ordinating the participants, but the trainings themselves are all conducted by the subject-matter experts. This first Training Days event is a sort of pilot initiative; if the demand is high, we plan to develop events like this even outside of the annual conference.
Christoph Pausch serves as the Executive Secretary of e-MFP.
This notice is part of a sponsored series on EMW, the next iteration of which will occur online from November 17 through November 19, 2021. This event is held annually by e-MFP, a Luxembourg-based network with approximately 130 members. MicroCapital has been engaged to cover the event each year since 2012.
Additional Resources
Registration for EMW 2021
https://registration.european-microfinance-week.eu/website/27793/
MicroCapital coverage since 2012 of European Microfinance Week, including each European Microfinance Award
https://www.microcapital.org/category/european-microfinance-week/
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