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.

The Business of Meetings

The Energy of Many

By Jeff Busch

 
Sometimes unexpected blessings result from times of adversity. This period of economic uncertainty and change has put most, if not all, business sectors under the spotlight to deliver improved bottom-line returns to stakeholders. The meeting and event industry crosses paths with every business sector and can be the terminal that helps leaders quantify the everlasting value of face-to-face interaction.

In March, a group of business leaders met with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss the enormous economic impact of meetings. The resulting revitalized energy and inspiration within the business community—specifically within the meeting and event industry—can and should be infectious to all professionals.

I believe that our confidence stems from each of us working individually with perseverance, passion and the knowledge of the value of meetings that translates to business results.

In this increasingly competitive economy, the ability to create and deliver strategically focused events is a competitive business advantage. Meetings connect us to our shareholders, our customers and our employees. It is time to educate others about the value of meetings.

As personnel in organizations are asked to expand their level of responsibilities into areas unfamiliar to them, the need to search for ways to expand their knowledge and professional connections will only continue to grow in importance. Our World Education Congress (WEC) will show them that meetings and events are an invaluable and irreplaceable form of driving toward strengthening results.

The quest to demonstrate value and find solutions requires business professionals to expand their body of knowledge and hone their strategic meeting management skills. The WEC’s Knowledge Plan will offer more than 120 educational sessions to help attendees prepare to aggressively improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of their investment in meetings and events. At this year’s conference, attendees will receive tangible go-to-market solutions, share best practices through inspired conversations and bring back real-world applications to their places of work.

Additionally, the conference will help you gain a better understanding of the new legal restrictions facing our industry and discover the latest in digital technology, recent research and best practices that support business results from well-executed meetings. Most importantly, you will acquire practical informational tools to apply to your job and organization today. I’m excited to experience and witness the collective wisdom, passion and professionalism of our industry leaders and peers. I hope you will join me as we dive into speaking the language of business meetings.
I look forward to seeing you in Salt Lake!

JEFF BUSCH is MPI’s new vice president of strategic communications. He can be reached at jbusch@mpiweb.org.