Call for proposals
Meet Central Europe Conference 2025
Transformation of Translation Industry
Meet Central Europe stands out in the localization conference landscape as the event where talent management takes center stage, empowering attendees with the knowledge and tools to thrive and connecting professionals with a strong interest in talent management from all corners of the language industry.
Meet Central Europe returns in 2025 – this time in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The past years have seen shifts accelerating in our industry, and MCE changes dynamically, too.
This year’s Call for Proposals will be more open than before with multiple topics of interest
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Transformation within LSPs
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Training and Upskilling for the Future
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Talent Acquisition and Retention
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Competitiveness and Profitability
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Negotation Strategies with Clients
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Acquisitions and Mergers
We are looking for fresh ideas, engaging speakers, and interactive sessions that allow the audience to think together. We want MCE to be a conference that provides value to its participants, takeaways that shed new light to old problems, attack new challenges, or alleviate future concerns. But MCE is not just a conference, it’s also a community. Our yearly gathering is a place for learning, debating, brainstorming, networking, and getting inspired.
Bring your best ideas and share interesting insights, experiences, and stories.
Be interactive. Be provocative. Be actionable.
Target audience
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Industry professionals aiming to maintain competitiveness and profitability in a rapidly changing market.
Vendor managers and project managers seeking insights into adapting to technological advancements and market shifts. -
Freelance translators interested in understanding the evolving role of LSPs and exploring new collaboration opportunities.
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Stakeholders interested in the impact of acquisitions, mergers, and AI on the translation industry.
Session formats
Draft what suits you best!
Be mindful that MCE 2025 will have one track through two days - expect a full room! We aim at receiving proposals for 30-minute sessions. If you have an amazing idea that needs longer, let us know.
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Presentations: Duration of 30 minutes, including a Q&A session.
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Workshops: Duration of 2 hours, including a short break.
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Panel discussions
Topics of interest
1. Transformation within Language Service Providers (LSPs)
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Exploring how companies adapt to technological advancements and market shifts.
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Discussing practical examples of successful transformations and lessons learned.
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Addressing the evolving role of vendor managers in the changing landscape.
2.Training and Upskilling for the Future
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Addressing the growing skill gap in AI and other emerging technologies within the language industry.
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Exploring how LSPs and Single-Language Vendors (SLVs) prepare their workforce—translators, project managers, and vendor managers—for the shifting nature of our work.
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Discussing practical training initiatives and upskilling strategies to ensure competitiveness in an AI-driven market.
3. Talent Acquisition and Retention
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Discussing the challenges of attracting and retaining qualified translators, interpreters and/or project managers in a competitive market.
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Sharing strategies for vendor management, talent development, career progression, and creating an appealing work environment.
4. Competitiveness and Profitability
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Addressing the challenges of maintaining profitability and competitiveness in a rapidly changing market.
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Exploring strategies for cost reduction, service diversification, and niche specialization.
5. Negotiation Strategies with Clients
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Effective negotiation tactics to counter downward pressure on pricing from clients.
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Addressing misconceptions surrounding translation pricing and the impact of AI on client expectations.
6. Acquisitions and Mergers
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Examining the impact of acquisitions and mergers on companies, including benefits, challenges, and long-term outcomes.
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Seeking speakers who have experienced acquisitions to share practical insights and lessons learned.
7. Other Potential Topics
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Expanding language services from local to international levels.
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The impact of AI on the translation industry and the future of freelance translators.
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Augmented language services and their implications for the industry.
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Thriving in a globalized market: strategies for success in a globalized language industry.
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Current situation and trends in standards related to the localisation industry
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Best practice in cooperation with language departments of universities
Submission of the proposal
Please submit your proposal including:
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Title of the session.
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Short abstract (maximum of 100 words).
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Short bio (maximum of 100 words).
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High-resolution photo.
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Hyperlink to a maximum of 1 min video recording introducing yourself and your presentation (please note that uploading the video itself is not possible, only a link)
Please submit your proposal here
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Important dates
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Submission due: 6 April 2025
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Conference date: 15-16 October 2025
We are looking forward to your proposals!
Terms and conditions:
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We look forward to receiving your submissions and welcoming you to Bratislava for a conference filled with insightful discussions and networking opportunities.
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Please ensure your presentation is neither a sales pitch nor solely a success story from your company. If you wish to promote your tools or services, please contact us at sponsorship@meetcentraleurope.com for sponsorship opportunities.
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As a token of our appreciation, speakers will receive a complimentary ticket to the full conference and a €200 travel reimbursement against an invoice submitted to MCE after the conference. Please note that the travel reimbursement applies only to speakers from abroad (i.e., outside of Slovakia). MCE will reimburse €200 and provide one complimentary conference ticket per presentation, as well as a 30% discount for co-presenters, if applicable.