Meetings Change the World

The 2009 World Education Congress in Salt Lake will equip meeting professionals with the knowledge and support needed to excel in the current global marketplace…and beyond.

The global meeting and event industry is standing tall in the battle with international economic woes, government scrutiny and public misperception. At MPI’s MeetDifferent in Atlanta, industry forces aligned to safeguard meeting professionals and bolster understanding of the true value of meetings. The result of our community’s efforts and the ongoing reality is that the world is ready to continue meeting—and MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC), 11-14 July in Salt Lake City, Utah, will guide industry professionals into a successful future.

Now it’s time to take the next step in the industry’s evolution; it’s time to be bold, take a stand and create your own destiny.

An Extensive Education

To get attendees on track to make a profound change, the WEC Opening General Session (OGS) will immediately dive into the most essential topics affecting meetings and events, provide valuable education for maintaining a healthy industry and celebrate professional successes. Lawyer, writer, economist and actor Ben Stein will be one of the keynote speakers for the OGS, a natural choice given his recent pro-meeting industry editorial in The New York Times.

These themes continue throughout the conference in education sessions such as “Successful Partnerships in Uncertain Times,” “The New Stimulus Law and the Meetings Industry,” “Building Effective Teams in Turbulent Times” and “The Irreplaceable You.”

The WEC will offer the greatest breadth of knowledge tracks yet for meeting professionals of every discipline to expand skill sets and help solidify the value of the meeting industry. Knowledge tracks will embrace topics on all skill and experience levels.

Following the success of the speaker series design at MeetDifferent, the WEC is delivering a pair of Power Keynote sessions.

The former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Ken Schmidt, worked to build the Harley-Davidson brand back up to its previous world-class standard and re-ignited consumer demand. Monday at 08.30, Schmidt’s Power Keynote will discuss corporate recovery, specifically how to help businesses recover from downturns, mismanagement or image problems.

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton (“The Carrot Guys”), bestselling authors of The Invisible Employee and The Carrot Principle, will speak about employee motivation development and techniques. If you’re in search of the best methods to motivate your staff (and maybe even yourself) and incorporate appreciated employee recognition programs, follow the carrot to their Tuesday Power Keynote at 09.50.

CSR Endeavours

The meeting and event industry includes so many businesses and activities that meeting professionals are well positioned to help change the world through the implementation and dissemination of green and socially responsible business practices. To foster that development, the WEC will teach with professional education sessions and by example with ambitious corporate social responsibility (CSR) plans.

On Saturday (08:00), help Salt Lake Mayor Peter Corroon reach his One Million Trees for One Million People goal with the Million Tree Challenge (www.milliontrees.slco.org) project. WEC participants are encouraged to lend a hand to the campaign that will plant 1 million trees in Salt Lake County by 2017. This project not only gives back to the host city by making a commitment to provide for future generations, it’s also a fun way to network with your peers in a casual setting.

The community service project is followed by special pre-conference session “Sustaining Your Business through CSR,” led by Mariela McIlwraith, CMM, director of conferences and accommodation at the University of British Columbia.

CSR-focused professional education continues throughout the WEC with valuable sessions dedicated to people, planet and profit, such as “Green Meetings & Social Responsibility: The Legal Essentials,” “How Does My Business Get Certified Sustainable?” “Incorporating Philanthropic Elements into Events,” “Using Technology to Green Meetings,” “Planning Healthy Meetings for Mind and Body” and more.

On WEC registration forms, all attendees also have the opportunity to help offset their carbon footprints through support of the University of Utah’s Campaign for Sustainable Energy (Windpower.utah.edu), a program that puts locally produced renewable energy on the grid.

Networking for Tomorrow

Beyond the innate networking opportunities available during activities such as the community service project, WEC attendees are afforded even more chances to expand their professional networks during the conference.

• Pathable, the official WEC online social networking partner, helps conference attendees communicate before, during and after an event by establishing an interactive online community with hot topics, session wikis and more. Nearly 600 MeetDifferent 2009 attendees activated Pathable accounts, underscoring the value of participating in this innovative opportunity. The WEC Pathable community is already active, so visit http://wec-2009.pathable.com and join the conversation.
• MPI will present the first RISE Award for Organizational Achievement and recognize the MPI Community of Honorees, at 16.00 Friday. Following the presentation, mingle with friends over light hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
• MPI Foundation fundraiser Sip, Savor & Roll at Pierpont Place on Saturday gives a relaxing opportunity to sit with and connect to new professional acquaintances just a half block from the convention center. Enjoy a wide array of martinis, hors d’oeuvres, an outdoor cigar lounge and the sounds of Rat Pack favorites or head straight to the gaming tables. It’s a night of pure indulgence and investing in the industry’s future, beginning at 21.00.
• Sunday evening, The Depot, Salt Lake’s hottest new music and entertainment venue built right inside the landmark Union Pacific Railroad Station, is transformed into Rendezvous. Stay connected and meet new friends on the dance floor or at the bar while supporting the MPI Foundation and enjoying live music.
• Red Butte Garden’s outdoor amphitheater, set in the largest botanical and ecological center in the region at the base of the Wasatch Mountain Range, plays host to the Closing Night Reception 19.30 Tuesday. Go barefoot in the grass, dine on a gourmet picnic dinner and relax with your colleagues under the stars amidst the 100 acres of display and natural gardens. As you cool off in the summer mountain air, the natural outdoor sounds will turn to the sounds of one of America’s favorite recording artists.

For the latest information about the WEC, including an updated and expanded schedule and special guest announcements, visit www.mpiweb.org/wec09.

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