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.

A very special (Irish) welcome goes out to all MPI Members in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Reflecting the topical and highly relevant nature of content published by MPI, the third issue of One+EMEA discusses how to identify the traits and characteristics of thought leaders and features how social media is reshaping the meeting industry.

While not actually a new concept (as online forums, for example, have been in existence in some content domains for generations), social media (otherwise known as user-generated content) is clearly an idea whose time has come. Social media tools (e.g., blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, to name only a few) enable traditional content consumers to leverage their passion, expertise and knowledge to publish for themselves at little or no cost.

This new paradigm has significant implications for advertising or subscription driven business models for publications, and for the conference and meeting industry that must be carefully considered. MPI is actively leveraging social media to engage with members, including those who cannot attend industry conferences in the current economic climate.

Anyone active in the meeting and event industry will already have been affected to one degree or another by the current challenging economic climate. While some markets such as South Africa, for example, continue to be less affected at present (due to a strong portfolio of national annual events and more conservative banking traditions), MPI members in most countries across EMEA are likely to be concerned about prospects of cancellation of events. While paying toward opportunity costs incurred by venues due to cancellation (e.g., meeting or exhibition space) might be justifiable, paying for F&B not actually incurred is less easily justified from an ethical perspective, irrespective of what a standard contract might say.

Share your views by contributing to the fourth issue of One+EMEA Edition, and by sharing your views of the importance of thought leaders, experiences of how social media have made life more interesting or more challenging and how through careful scrutiny of contracts and greater flexibility in negotiations, suppliers and planners can protect their interests as well as those of their clients.

I would like to thank my colleagues on the EMEA Advisory Council and the EMEA professional team for their commitment. As a member of the International Board of Directors, I look forward to continuing working with you and the EMEA Chapter Leadership to increase the value proposition of MPI Membership across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Slán agus Beannacht

Paul Cunningham

president & CEO

IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd.

E-mail: paul@iimg.com