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  • Posted by Theresa Davis at
    12:00AM 02/07/2012 • 0 Comments

    A look back at how we re-imagined innovation

    More than 300 meeting and event professionals joined us recently in Budapest, Hungary for the European Meetings & Events Conference, and the experience left me enchanted with the city and inspired by the delegates.

    A powerful opening general session with couches and yoga balls amidst chairs for delegates to watch dance, live music, dynamic speakers and experience facilitated networking - all coupled with keynote speaker Sahar Hashemi who explained the importance of being clueless and taking leaps - was riveting.  A lady sitting next to me shared that we'd just "blown away 17 years of General Sessions" in her estimation.  And as I know that my feeble attempts here to explain what we experienced can never replace sitting in the room and feeling your hair tingle in excitement you can experience via video the general session online at http://bit.ly/WatchEMEC12 .

    As well as the opening session set the tone for EMEC 2012, each element along the way seemed to just get better.  The sustainability measures put into place through the Novotel Congress Center and the planning team were noted on many occasion from recycling efforts (battery drop offs at the elevators, back of house sorting of all bins) to the locally sourced foods the delegates enjoyed during their meals and breaks. Not to mention the great work delegates were able to do with Budapest Underguide to help feed the homeless within the city.

    Oh and the breaks!  Talk about putting innovation into practice.  Advised by Danish celebrity nutritional expert and chef Christian Bitz on catering choices, the event team in collaboration with the Novotel built out three really unique "coffee breaks".  Themed around Vitality, Brainfood and Artisanal each break transformed the MPI Cafe while the delegates were attending concurrent sessions.  When the delegates adjourned they were greeted with unique displays of unique food and beverages in a variety of choices around each theme. In the case of the Artisanal break - delegates opened session doors and entered into a vintage Hungarian marketplace to explore.

    As these unique elements blended together through the conference I feel confident saying that the delegates were truly able to experience innovative ideas being re-imagined as they learned.  And it is that experiential learning that can catapult them into activating many of these concepts, ideas or practices.  That was certainly the goal with the closing session known as "The Solution Room".  Facilitated by Ruud W. Janssen  and Mike van der Vijver (who made an early appearance at the OGS- see above), the Solution Room was a hit with more than 175 participants. Designed as an attendee-led session where each individual walks away with an actionable plan to implement towards their goals after experiencing EMEC, the Solution Room is an exceptional example of why face-to-face meetings can never completely be replaced.  Ruud has done an exceptional job of crafting a video that depicts what we experienced in Budapest.



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 07/02/2011 • 0 Comments

    MPI @ AIBTM Recap

    Photo courtesy of TNOC (http://tnoc.ch)

    In the lead up to the inaugural AIBTM exhibition in Baltimore, MPI headquarters were full of anticipation for the reveal of Business Value of Meetings research. At the end of three days, our expectations were met and exceeded by the sheer volume of connections that were made and the feedback from the industry on the results of the groundbreaking study.

    The crowd of more than 60 professionals, who included both media and planners eager to find out the latest news on meeting measurement, listened as Bill Voegeli of Association Insights explained the detailed report, how it affects business and the next steps. The buzz on the report, which was available free specially for AIBTM attendees, extended beyond the floor of the Convention Center, as media, bloggers and experts broke down the results and discussed what this means for our industry.

    Upcoming deliverables from the BVOM research include webinars (June 30 and July 6) as well as a toolkit for planners and suppliers in September 2011.

    While on the exhibit floor, MPI team members Randy Crabtree, Amanda Miller, and Miranda Van Bruck were able to make connections with hundreds of attendees, signing up new members, renewing the connection with previous members and sharing the value of MPI with all. On-site professionals were able to experience Professional Development On Demand, the 24/7 content library where members have unlimited and free access to audio and video from conferences as well as the weekly queue of webinars from some of the top subject matter experts in the industry.

    MPI education, Global Training on the Road, brought together a diverse group to learn from the GCMBE III program, part of the education that prepares professionals for industry certification. Ruud Janssen facilitated the program, which included several accredited Global Trainers both in person and via satellite, and the three hours of training were a success.  Not only does the information presented help professionals gain the skills necessary for CMM, but it is based on the recently release Meeting & Business Events Competency Standards, which MPI had a central role in developing. 

    You can view photos of Randy, Miranda and Amanda with attendees, as well as Ruud's Global Training education group on the MPI Flickr account. Thank you to everyone who attended the BVOM global debut, interacted at the MPI booth and attended the Global Training session!