Meeting Professionals International, the premier global association community for meeting and event professionals, believes in the unequalled power of events and human connections to advance organizational objectives.

Knowledge Sessions - Monday, 2 March 2009 

11.00 - 12.30

Building and Sustaining an Engagement Culture: Unlocking Talent Potential
Avinash Chandarana
People are critical to business success. They will bring the vision alive; they will implement the strategies. And they will contribute their intelligence, skills and creativity - as long as they are engaged.

In this session, you will be introduced to several elements essential to any talent initiative to increase employee engagement and positively impact business performance. Organisations that build effective processes into their talent management strategy cultivate an environment that not only attracts, but also engages talent - fostering satisfaction, loyalty, and improved productivity and profitability.

Avinash Chandarana is group director of Learning and Development for the MCI Group.

Meeting 2015: Rethink or Replay
Rohit Talwar
In the middle of a downturn, when all our thoughts are focused on ensuring short term survival, it may seem an unnecessary luxury to think about the long term. However, the actions we take today will cast a long shadow and have an impact far into the future. Hence, we need to ensure that we are also thinking about and positioning for the long term in all our decisions. In this session, industry futurist and award winning speaker Rohit Talwar will draw on his latest research to provide insight on the following questions:

• What could the meetings industry look like in 2015?
• How might our world have changed and what could the implications be for our industry?
• How might environmental considerations and changes in the transport sector affect the shape of the industry?
• How deep an impact will the Internet and technology have on the events industry?
• What are the implications for what we do the day after tomorrow?

Rohit Talwar is the CEO of Fast Future. Rohit is an industry futurist, consultant award winning speaker and author - his latest book Designing Your Future provides a roadmap for navigating turbulent times.

The Great CSR Debate
A facilitated panel discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility. Panelists: Hugo Kimber, Fiona Pelham, Guy Bigwood and Martin Lewis.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reached its tipping point of awareness in the meetings and events industry about 12 months ago. Today, many people are familiar with the term and its three pillars of “people, planet and profit.” But questions remain.

• With the downturn in the global economy, will CSR take a back seat to economic recovery – or is it an integral part of that recovery?
• Demographics tells us that The War for Talent has reached global proportions – what role does CSR play in the success of organizations to “win” this critical war?
• As a consumer, what is important to you?

In The Great CSR Debate, you will hear what leaders in the meetings and events industry have to say as well as share your own vision of the future of CSR.

Technology for the SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) and Road Warrior: How To Make It Work for You
Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball Associates
Are you working in a small or home office and feel frustrated by technology? Do you want to learn tips that will make it all work more effectively and at a lower cost? Then this interactive workshop is for you. The session is taught by the leading meeting technology consultant, Corbin Ball, who has learned from experience managing his own small office and traveling about 130 days each year.

Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, MS is an international speaker, consultant and writer helping clients worldwide use technology to save time and improve productivity.

Take a look at Corbin's video message: Technology Trends

Property Operations & Site Selection
Eric Rozenberg
This session is designed to help young professionals gain knowledge on the site selection process by identifying the key elements involved, including: goals and objectives, historical data, physical requirements, stakeholders, needs assessment, property operations and meeting facilities, meeting specifications, review and evaluation of potential sites, and final site selection.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the key elements of meetings that impact site selection
• Develop more thorough site selection criteria and widen the scope of elements to evaluate
• Compare and contrast different types of meeting facilities

Eric Rozenberg, CMP, CMM, is president of Ince & Tive.

Leading Tomorrows Workforce in Today’s World
Paul Bridle, Leadership Methodologist. Kindly provided by Speakers with Content
In a world that is fast becoming more and more global, leaders around the world face issues based on the history of their country or organisation and their current situation. The demands on leaders vary, but the style of leadership has to be able to respond to the needs of the times. The challenge of leaders is to know the best way to lead in an increasingly competitive world. Discover yours at this insightful session.