Meeting Professionals International (MPI) formally introduced during the opening general session of MPI’s 2015 World Education Congress (WEC) in San Francisco August 2, the new MPI Academy, an entity that encompasses and connects all of the education and learning experiences MPI delivers within the meeting and event industry and beyond. In addition, the association unveiled enhancements to its professional development offerings, including a variety of new certificate programs and experiential events.
The MPI Academy aligns with the Meeting and Business Event Competency Standards (MBECS) and is designed to provide multifaceted learning opportunities for meeting professionals at all levels. Its portfolio is comprised of training courses, certificate programs, streaming sessions from MPI events, webinars and tools such as the new MPI Professional Development Roadmap, which helps individuals map out their career, pursue continuing education and supplement their professional development.
“Our objective with the new MPI Academy is to centralize all of our educational programs and bring focus to the diverse career tracks available,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. “As we refine the way we deliver both our proprietary and partner offerings, we believe the academy will soon become the most reputable and valued source for growing one’s knowledge base and advancing one’s career.”
New and Expanded Programming
Earlier this year, MPI began launching new education programs and has more planned in the coming months — most of which are eligible for clock hours and are designed for both planners and suppliers. Recently launched programs include the following and the latter two were offered as pre-conference sessions prior to WEC 2015.
New programs slated for release later this year include the following.
“We have put a lot of thought and effort into strengthening our professional development offerings and look forward to expanding the depth and reach of the new MPI Academy as we continue to evolve and transform our association,” said Van Deventer.
Future WEC Locations
At the general session, Paul Van Deventer also announced MPI’s WEC future locations and dates for its annual conference: WEC will be held in Las Vegas in 2017, followed by Indianapolis in 2018 and Toronto in 2019. “We are excited about each of these destinations and believe WEC attendees will enjoy them as well,” said Van Deventer. “Each year, MPI strives to enhance the education and programming we deliver at WEC, so we look forward to working with our host city partners to enrich the attendee experience in the coming years.”
Starting in 2016, MPI will hold WEC during the June to early July time frame. This strategic decision was made based on membership feedback regarding scheduling conflicts with summer vacation plans, school breaks, Canada’s Civic Holiday and other industry events. As previously announced, WEC 2016 will take place June 11–14, at Harrah’s Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center, Atlantic City, NJ.
For more information about the MPI Academy, visit www.mpiweb.org/ProfessionalDevelopment.
For more information about WEC and other upcoming MPI events, visit www.mpiweb.org/events.
To view live and recorded sessions from WEC 2015 in San Francisco, visit www.mpiweb.org/wec15.