MPI Conference
Houston Event Challenges Attendees To ‘Meet Different'
On-Site Report By Ashley Wright
The theme was "Meet Different" and the message was clear: ignite unconventional thinking and challenge "inside-the-box" thinking. So, who was listening? More than 2,000 meeting professionals who convened in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center Feb. 2-5 for Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) annual Professional Educational Conference-North America (PEC-NA).
"Meet Different is all about looking at meetings and events from new perspectives, turning the traditional conference models upside down and sideways to see what we can discover and explore to make our attendees more successful as strategic thinkers and professionals," said MPI President and CEO Bruce MacMillan.
Tim Sanders, author of the soon-to-be released book "How to Save the World at Work," kicked off the conference with a presentation on how meeting differently means meeting responsibly. He made a clear call to action: join the "responsibility revolution" or be left behind.
Sanders explained more about the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement and how it is having an impact on the business world through stringent, industry-specific caps on emissions of pollutants. He said these caps will soon be mandated and the government is becoming more lenient toward companies with sustainable practices—such as expanding cap and trade systems like the ones mandated by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
He connected the relevancy of these standards to the meetings industry by showing the ability planners have to use their meetings as a platform to teach the rest of their organization CSR practices.
"If not you, then who?" he asked. "The only reason to have a meeting is to change the world."Sanders added that CSR goes beyond saying you are "green" and includes adopting real environmentally minded practices, being a good employer and giving back to the community.
According to an MPI survey, 80 percent of its members agreed or strongly agreed that the industry has a moral obligation to practice CSR, 71 percent agreed or strongly agreed that CSR is important to the meetings industry, and 86 percent of MPI members who responded believe that more organizations will practice CSR in the future.
Many meeting planners put voice to what they took away from PEC-NA's messages through podcasts on the MPI website. A renewed commitment to giving back to their community on a regular basis, to not be afraid of changing traditional ways of conducting meetings, and to always look forward and look outside of the box were among the insights posted by planners. You can listen to these podcasts at
www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/25996/mpiweb/recent.
Also keeping in tune with the Meet Different theme, MPI announced a new collaboration with The Masie Center and Learning Consortium, which encompasses a worldwide membership of more than 1,000 "Learning Leaders" from corporations such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target, American Express and 3M. The partnership allowed attendees to participate in a think-tank session to discuss the future of meetings. And, students from Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., were on site to design and develop an online game with the mission to teach users how to make meetings more sustainable.
MPI's FutureWatch 2008, an industry outlook based on a member survey, was released during the conference. "This year's study showed that while meeting and event professionals are embracing technology, its greater role is in enhancing events, not replacing them," MacMillan said.
Key findings of MPI's FutureWatch: • Meeting planners and suppliers generally predict a steady market in 2008.
• Planners predict a steady increase in attendance.
• Increased workloads and financial constraints are some of the most critical challenges
planners are facing.
The conference was also a time to recognize MPI chapters that contributed positively to the overall goals and life of MPI. The Award of Excellence's Achievement in Education and Achievement in Special Projects recognitions both went to the Georgia Chapter.
