At the ARGE conference in 2018, I was approached by the Secretary General, Mr. Hans Weissenböck, to see if the Czech Association could take the baton in 2020 and hold the annual conference in Prague. As we were planning a celebration of 100 years of TOKOZ and 2 events would probably be too much, I agreed, but with the proviso that we would prefer to take over in 2021. OK, Stockholm will be first, it was decided afterwards.
At the ARGE conference in 2018, I was approached by the Secretary General, Mr. Hans Weissenböck, to see if the Czech Association could take the baton in 2020 and hold the annual conference in Prague. As we were planning a celebration of 100 years of TOKOZ and 2 events would probably be too much, I agreed, but with the proviso that we would prefer to take over in 2021. OK, Stockholm will be first, it was decided afterwards.
The covid came and both the 2020 and the 2021 conferences had to be held only online. Even the celebration of 100 years of TOKOZ is postponed until 2025 (105 years 
). The decently attended conference in Sweden in September 2022 was a good inspiration for the organisation of the following year.
Already in August 2022 we agreed on the venue - after the experience from the Prague conference in 2009, when we didn't like the conference TOP hotel in Chodov, we wanted a hotel in the centre of Prague, ideally with a good view of Hradčany etc. There are such hotels, but their prices and parking options would not be very appealing. The Kings Court Hotel on Republiky Square, right next to the Municipal House, with parking in the Palladium, although also not cheap, seemed to be a good choice.
By spring 2023, Hans was already working on the program, the speakers, the professional program of the conference. We at MEZA (and especially TOKOZ) were fine-tuning the conference conditions (the Art Nouveau Franz Josef I Hall was certainly a worthy venue), a special room for the performers, for the French UNIQ meeting, catering (the idea of a Gala Dinner in the Municipal House was finally rejected, just the tables in the conference room were changed), devising a programme for the delegates' partners in order to attract as many wives and partners to visit Prague as possible. Not so many of them came, unfortunately. Half of the delegates just took it as a business trip.
We wanted to take the visitors on a tour of the National Theatre and the Petrin Lookout Tower after the official programme. However, the theatre could not guarantee that it would not cancel it, and probably not everyone would want to climb the tower on foot. So the choice was clear - Prague Castle. And in the evening by boat on the Vltava river.
The final programme can be found in the attached leaflet.
I must uncritically commend us:
Guests occupied 75 rooms at the hotel, and we had 92 people at the gala, very near the top of the estimated 75-95 range. There wasn't a single slip in the schedule, everything fell into place like clockwork. The only blemish was the crackly additional microphone we brought.
The high turnout made it possible to fund small attentions for guests - a gift on arrival, refreshments to take with us to the Castle or the car ride, even ten cents for the toilets at the Castle...
The girls were thrilled with the historic car ride, the view from the Old Town Hall or the tour of the Municipal House full of Art Nouveau art. The 1930's period music (Hot Sisters) at dinner in the hotel was very well received by some. We forgot the obligatory final coffee after dinner, but perhaps we're forgiven for that.
Those who endured the final boat ride on the Calypso with the excellent Captain Rusnak and the Jazz Blufers band (and a good buffet) did not regret. We went to the hotel in high spirits.
In a satisfaction survey, delegates rated the conference as excellent 73% of the time! According to the General Secretary, this is indeed an achievement.
A number of participants thanked us as we said goodbye, many in writing, the last time after a few months when I met some of the foreigners.
Check out the photos from the event, unfortunately we don't have many informal ones from the accompanying program. We sent a book of pictures of Prague to Mr. Holger Koch in Velbert as a thanks for the photos.
Thanks also goes to the former assistant of our association, Mrs. Monika Karhanová, who did the most. Of course also to the girls from TOKOZ and Assa Abloy, who helped us at the hotel. Our colleague Petr Neuvirt from TOKOZ also helped there. Good job!
Of course, I must not forget the help and advice of Hans Weissenböck.
What is important - we got the conference 42% cheaper than the previous Prague conference in 2009 (and we have a huge inflation), there were more people and the program was almost comparable in terms of attractiveness.
The balance of the event ended with a small surplus, and we were even able to return the deposits of those who had checked out at the last minute. And that, I think, is also important.
In 2024, the Italian association ASSOFERMA will host the conference. Fingers crossed, it's quite busy .
Vladimír Chládek
Chairman of MEZA
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