Global Certificate in Meetings and Business Events I
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For those who are just getting started in the industry (0-3 years of experience), MPI offers the Global Certificate in Meetings and Business Events I . This certificate is based on an internationally consistent body of knowledge and is easily transferable. The Global Certificate in Meetings and Business Events I course equips students and early career professionals with basic proficiency to organize the logistics of meetings and events.
Through an interactive case study you will learn the terminology and basics of:
The Business of Meetings & Events
Meeting Planners must be strategically involved in the construct, design, and layout of the programming process. This process starts with a basic understanding of the meeting industry worldwide. In this initial course, participants will be introduced to the various areas of programming and the initiatives involved in successful planning and management. Discussion will focus on global examples, corporate strategies, and industry methods that make major contributions to a successful meeting planning experience.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Acquire an understanding of the major components of meeting or convention programming.
- Consider due diligence initiatives involved in basic programming and meeting management.
- Demonstrate ability to construct a meeting timeline.
- Analyze and defend an organizational chart.
- Recognize the relationship between effective programming and Return On Investment (ROI)
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Budgeting Basics
Meetings and events cannot be held without money to finance them, so understanding where the money comes from and where it goes is essential to the practice and profession of meeting management. Meeting planners must understand whether a meeting’s financial philosophy is break-even, profit, or deficit in order to identify categories of appropriate income and expense items that form the building blocks of a meeting budget. Breakeven analysis helps guide decision-makers in understanding the budget. In this hands-on session, participants will build a basic budget appropriate for a specific type of meeting’s financial objective.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Describe the different types of financial objectives for meetings—break-even, profit, and deficit
- Illustrate categories of income and expense items for meetings
- Calculate the break even point for a meeting
- Create a basic meeting budget
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Property Operations
Knowledge of the various types of meeting properties and how they operate is an essential component of the planning process. The location and venue must not only support the objectives of the program but also provide maximal ROI to the various stakeholders. As a planner, you must not only be familiar with the environment within which you will be organizing the program but also with the various members of the facility staff with whom you will be working during the planning, implementation and post-meeting closeout phases.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Identify and differentiate various properties with regard to size, type of management, operations and personnel.
- Describe the different departments in a particular meeting facility and their relationship to each other.
- Identify key personnel in a particular property, with regard to department, function, responsibility and relationship to the operational effectiveness of your meeting plan.
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Site Selection
Effective site selection takes into account the objectives of the meeting, the attendee profile, the program's space requirements, food and beverage needs, audiovisual and technology requirements and a host of other criteria, including accessibility, infrastructure and, of course, cost. Beginning with a comprehensive understanding of the event's specifications and a well written Request for Proposal (RFP), the planner must then be able to evaluate the responses benefits and drawbacks of each available property according to a variety of criteria.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Develop meeting specifications and site selection criteria for an RFP.
- Evaluate RFP responses according to the strengths and weaknesses of each potential property
- Define the core components of a site visit and understand its role in the site selection process.
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Contracting Basics
Meeting contracts serve two main purposes. First, they are a way to confirm the understanding between two parties. Second, they serve to allocate risk among the parties. For these reasons, negotiating favorable contract terms is one of a meeting professional’s most critical responsibilities. In this session, participants will review and suggest revisions to key terms in a sample facility contract. Although the law varies among countries and regions, basic contract principles are largely universal. Emphasis will be placed on how to review and revise contracts to create a clear and specific roadmap to a successful meeting/event.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Explain the role of the RFP in the contract process.
- Discuss the process of allocating risk through careful negotiation of contract terms.
- Describe effective contract negotiation tactics.
- Give examples of legal issues/concerns that could arise in connection with a meeting.
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Registration and Housing
The first impression of a meeting is often made during the registration process and the attendee’s impression of this process can affect his/her response to the rest of the meeting. A professionally designed and managed registration and housing system is both important for attendee comfort and critical for attendee safety. Obtaining accurate information from attendees is not just a hospitality issue, but rather an issue of safety, security and liability protection for the planning organization.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Describe a registration process that is comfortable and convenient for attendees, while providing all necessary information to the meeting organizer.
- List the components of a registration and housing form or website that meets all legal, financial and insurance requirements of a meeting organizer.
- Distinguish various methods of providing hotel accommodations for attendees, according to the type, size and location of of the meeting.
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Food & Beverage
Everyone has to eat, and meeting attendees are no exception. Food and beverage served throughout the day and evenings provide not only required nutrition, but also an important respite from structured business activities. Well planned food and beverage functions that please the eye and palate also stimulate networking and conversation among the attendees, providing an additional and equally important environment for learning. Knowing how much to order and what type of service to request is as important as knowing what to order for a particular group at a particular function.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Plan food and beverage functions within budget both effectively and creatively.
- Avoid common financial and legal liabilities often associated with poorly planned or managed food and beverage functions.
- Understand and work effectively with internal catering documents such as functions sheets and/or Event Orders.
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Risk Assessment
Before any crisis and contingency planning can begin for your meeting, a risk assessment must be conducted. Otherwise, how will you know where to allocate your already-scarce time and resources? In this session, participants will walk through the steps of risk assessment, using a sample meeting or convention as an illustrative example. Participants will brainstorm risks by meeting features, engage in a probability-consequences analysis, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of their organization’s preparedness. Examples from the real world will be used to emphasize the importance of each step. Participants will also be asked to share ideas, experiences, and lessons learned from their own lives and careers.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Identify the steps of risk assessment that must precede the stages of risk planning, mitigation, response, and recovery.
- Explain how the general principles of risk assessment and contingency planning apply to meetings.
- Apply probability-consequences analysis to a specific meeting.
- Choose risk management strategies to address specific meeting risks.
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Meeting & Event Design
Planners must be strategically involved in meeting design and they must ensure that the marketing efforts of the planning team are both consistent and branded. At the same time, they must remain focused on the objectives of the stakeholders to ensure an acceptable Return On Investment. This baseline marketing session will provide participants with an overview of marketing strategies that can be used to increase the visibility of a meeting or event. It will also provide tips and secrets used around the world to reach targeted audiences. This session includes a hands-on design assignment that will be incorporated into the final Application Project Presentation.
After participating in this session, you will be able to:
- Define event marketing and describe the effects of event marketing on meetings and events.
- Identify the core objectives and messaging needed to successfully design and market an event.
- Design a marketing program for a meeting while integrating brand consistency.
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Course Dates and Locations:
The Global Certificate for Meetings and Business Events - Level I will be available to the students in Meetings and Events Management at the Global Training Centers. Please contact us should you wish for more information or should you be interested in attending this program.
Course Duration: Five (5) Day Training Program
Language: Sufficient proficiency in English is required.
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Fees and Conditions:
Fee includes: - Five (5) day training program
- Access to MPI's international trainers
- Delegate course material
- Refreshments, coffee breaks, and daily lunch
- Student assessment and knowledge review
- MPI Certificate upon successful attendance and completion of the student assessment
Fee does not include:
- Travel
- Accommodation
- Extras and incidentals
- Breakfast & Dinner
A confirmation letter and invoice will be sent upon receipt of your registration. Please note that full payment must be received prior to the event.
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Cancellation Policy
MPI must be notified in writing of all cancellations and transfers. If you are admitted to a program, but find that you are unable to attend, you have the following cancellation and transfer options:
- Up to six weeks before program start:
- Cancellation: You receive a full refund of the program fee.
- Transfer: You may transfer to the next available session with no transfer fee.
Note: MPI programs tend to be fully booked well in advance. Space may not be available in a later session.
- From six weeks to up to 11 days before program start:
- Cancellation: You incur a 50% cancellation fee.
- Transfer: You incur a 20% transfer fee.
- Within 10 days before program start:
- Cancellation: You incur a 100% cancellation fee.
- Transfer: No transfer possible at this point.
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Substitution
A participant can be substituted on the same program session without incurring any fees. The subsititute needs to apply and be admitted.
Note: Once you have paid the program tuition fee, if you do not attend another program within 12 months, the program fee will be forfeited.
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