The Vanessa Cotton Memorial Scholarship has been created to send at least one student a year to the European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC).

The scholarship honours the UK event industry veteran Vanessa Cotton, who passed away in June 2010 and was an enthusiastic leader of the UK and international meetings industry.

Collaborative funding from Meetings Professionals International, Reed Travel Exhibitions, the ExCel centre in London and others will improve the opportunities for those beginning their careers in the meetings and events industry.

James Reed, director of conferences & Events, ExCel London, said: “Vanessa was extremely passionate about the events industry and encouraging new talent. This is a very fitting legacy and one that we are proud to support.”

Graeme Barnett, exhibition director, EIBTM, added: “Vanessa contributed immensely to the event industry. One of the projects she spearheaded was our future engagement with Generation Y so this scholarship is a fitting tribute in her name.”

The scholarship will be available to MPI member and non-member students and will sponsor registration, accommodation and travel for at least one student to experience the professional development and networking at the European Meetings & Events Conference.

Information and criteria and the application process can be found on the MPI UK & Ireland website. The winner will be announced at the MPI stand during EIBTM in December.