Educational Tracks

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The CSR track has been designed upon the model that CSR includes three levels: Basic (green meetings), Measurement (carbon footprint, economic and social issues) and Strategy (using CSR to increase brand awareness, increase profit, increase effectiveness). Through sessions at WEC, we will reinforce your knowledge of basic green meetings. Then we'll explore other CSR elements such as measurement and strategy, increasing your level of CSR awareness and competency. While we will review green meeting design, the majority of the content in this track has been created for intermediate to advanced level professionals that are ready to take the next steps in CSR.

Strategic Meetings Management (SMM)

The SMM track includes content that will reinforce your understanding of SMM and higher levels of knowledge, awareness and skills related to implementing, growing and managing a SMM program. MPI’s SMM content focuses on disciplined approaches to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event activities, processes, suppliers and data in order to achieve measurable business objectives that align with an organizations’ strategic goals/vision, and delivers value in the form of quantitative savings, risk mitigation, and service quality. This track will cater to the intermediate to advanced level meeting professional but will provide support for novice meeting professionals, as well.

Value of Meetings (VOM)

The Value of Meetings track will include sessions addressing the effectiveness of meetings and what value meetings bring to attendees through advanced meeting design and effective adult learning practices. With the growing need to prove the value of meetings, we will highlight session information that makes a strong case for meeting and business events. MPI’s Value of Meetings content revolves around proving the value of meetings and business events and output measurement. The focus of VOM content will hone in on key points of interest, such as: how organizations use meetings and business events to drive business performance, ways organizations measure the effect of meetings and business events as business drivers, the various measures and benchmarks used to weigh the value of media and virtual events, and the integration of environmental impact assessments into evaluations. The sessions in this track will cover information best suited for all levels of meeting professionals.

Future of Meetings

This track will focus on emerging issues facing our industry. As our industry is constantly evolving, we are dedicated to providing the latest and most cutting-edge information to our attendees. This track will examine trends in meeting design, content delivery and effective measurement. We will provide you with the information and tools needed to achieve success as we evolve toward the inevitable future of meetings. In order to remain relevant and valuable strategic assets to your organization, meeting professionals need to consider the meeting architecture and strategic meeting design (both of your specific meetings and your combined meeting portfolios.) Intermediate to Advanced level professionals will benefit most from these sessions. Some topics to be addressed at WEC include:

• Social Media trends
• Technology trends
• Virtual Meetings/Webcasting
• Reaching customers through Social Media
• Trends in meeting design and adult learning

Core Meeting and Event Skills

The Core Meeting and Event Skills track will provide information and instruction regarding core competencies of meeting professionals. These sessions have been designed for the novice to intermediate meeting and business event professionals and will offer a wide variety of information on specific topics to help improve and enhance the necessary skill set of industry planners. Some topics to be addressed at WEC include:

• Meeting and Event Budget Planning and Management
• Site Selection and the RFP Process
• Trade Show Management
• Implementing Green Meeting Practices
• Volunteer Management
• F&B Selection
• General Session Production
• Adult Learning and Training
• Global Meeting Considerations

Contracts and Legal Concerns

The Contracts and Legal Concerns track will offer sessions that will help attendees answer legal questions as well as outline regulations and rules that are imperative to meeting and business event professionals. Led by leading industry experts, these sessions will alert you to recent changes and updates in legislation and legal issues affecting our industry. These sessions will include some basic information for novice meeting professionals but will focus heavily on intermediate to advanced level information for meeting professionals. Some topics to be addressed at WEC include:

• Intellectual Property
• Managing Contracts
• Tips and Guidelines for Small Business Owners
• Implementation of Green Meeting Practices in Legal Documents
• Crisis/Risk Management

Personal/Professional Development

The Personal/Professional Development track contains sessions that focus on improving personal wellness and professional development. The information provided will allow you to focus on certain areas of development that interest you and will help you as you progress in your career. The sessions will offer valuable information for all professionals and will span all experience levels. The topics to be addressed at WEC include:

• Leadership Skills
• Personal and Professional Branding
• Career Management
• Public Speaking Tips
• Sales and Networking Tactics
• Communication Skills

Small Business Owners

The Small Business Owners track has been designed to provide useful and timely information for independent meeting professionals and those working on opening a small business. Using industry research and what we’ve learned over the past 18 months, the sessions have been created to provide helpful information for entrepreneurial meeting professionals from how to open a business to effective management of your business portfolio. These sessions will cover material appropriate for all levels of meeting professionals. Some topics to be addressed at WEC include:

• Tips for Independent Meeting Professionals
• Starting Your Own Small Business
• Effective Sales Skills
• Building a Brand

One+

“You’ve read their thought-provoking columns, learned their likes and dislikes and gotten to know them on the page. Now get to know them in person. The One+ Columnist Series presents some of the magazine’s most inspiring and educational writers, including Douglas Rushkoff, Katja Morgenstern, Jon Bradshaw and Dawn Rasmussen.”