Huge news hit the meeting industry today. And how do I know this? Because I wrote the press release, ha!

In all seriousness, I would like to introduce an extremely intelligent MPI staff member, Marj Atkinson. Marj is our resident statistics expert. Marj, MPI’s Manager of Research, is instrumental in developing all of MPI’s research studies (hence the title).

The most recent MPI report, with 48% of respondents being planners, tells us that WEC attendees benefited from a 300+% return on investment. I sat down with her recently to discuss what this major performance measurement announcement really means…

Why is it important that MPI undertook this study?
The Business Value of Meetings is now more important than ever. To actually prove a positive ROI as a result of attending an educational conference like WEC (or any meeting) is tremendous. It shows the purpose of holding a conference and educating attendees is all worth the effort.

What do the results mean to you? Are you surprised?
The 300+% return on investment indicates overwhelmingly that the experience attendees take from WEC is positive. Attendees measured cost savings and revenue generation and included intangibles along with the measurements such as the value of networking and learning from peers. I am not surprised that there was a positive ROI from attending WEC, but I was a bit surprised and very pleased at the incredibly large ROI average.

Did you receive any personal feedback from respondents?
Yes, I got very positive feedback from a number of people that were glad we were doing this and that they couldn’t wait to see the results. One independent planner told me they got an immediate positive ROI by connecting with someone at WEC that brought them business.

Some other responses were:

“2010 was my first WEC. While I have attended other large national meeting industry conferences, I was truly impressed by the energy at the entire conference. I attended ASAE in August and really felt it didn't compare to WEC.”

 “Honestly, the networking is the best part. Meeting vendors and having the opportunity to meet face-to-face with them and fellow planners is great.”

 “The hosted buyer was a great way to network and gather leads. This was the most beneficial aspect of the conference for me.”

“I used what I learned from sessions to plan various events this year that have been successful.”

Do you have any ideas on how to improve the study?
Yes. We enlisted the help of about ten MPI members to be a part of a feedback group. They provided great insight on how to improve the email communications related to the MyROI program, the timing of the survey, the questions on the survey and how to handle those that couldn’t answer the entire survey (not everyone could calculate cost savings or revenue generation just yet as they hadn’t planned another conference since WEC). We also learned to notify attendees ahead of time that the MyROI program will be available and to plan ahead for it as they’re picking their sessions at the next WEC.

WEC 2011 – here we come!

Would you like to learn more about the ROI of events? Connect with world-class MPI content covering ROI and event measurement here.

Though MPI headquarters is located in Dallas, we are constantly connecting with different countries and customs to bring world-class content to our more than 23,000 members. Needless to say, we get to meet some extremely interesting individuals and learn more about cities that we never get to visit as individuals. For me, one of those locations is Düsseldorf, Germany. Düsseldorf has been a pleasure to work with over the past couple of months and I decided to learn a little more about our next host city via Edita Blaha, Director of Marketing and Communications for the DüsseldorfCongress.

What was the first major event planned in the city?
Well that’s a difficult question as Düsseldorf was appointed a city in 1288 and has since become a centre of commerce, services and communications renowned all over the world. Since the mid-19th century important industrial exhibitions have taken place in Düsseldorf on a regular basis.

Every year Düsseldorf hosts a constant stream of first-class events. Be it the carnival celebrations that are traditional to the Rhine region, the largest fun-fair on the banks of the River Rhein, the Japan Day, the Christmas Market or concerts, shows, sports events and international conferences.

Our city is very unique. Düsseldorf is the capital of the most populous of the sixteen German states and marries considerable economic prominence and excellent infrastructure with the flair of an extremely diverse, experience-packed lifestyle city.

What is the coolest feature of the conference center?
Since 2009, the CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf passed through a comprehensive programme of modernisation and alteration. We now boast a variety of new features resulting from this refurbishment. We have two ultra-modern charging stations for mobile phones, a business lounge and a garden lounge. The business lounge offers meeting facilities, eight fully equipped PC workplaces, further Internet connections and a fixed plasma screen. Combined with the garden lounge, this provides visitors with an agreeable balance between efficient work and relaxing recreation.

And what are you looking forward to experiencing during EMEC?
For us, the conference is an outstanding platform to highlight Düsseldorf’s merits as a destination for all the event planners participating, and indeed all the members organised in the global association, and hence to generate further conventions, meetings and events for our city. We are confident that MPI guests will feel very much at home here. We invite all meeting professionals most cordially to join us in Düsseldorf at EMEC 2011 and experience the Rhinelanders’ proverbial hospitality live for themselves.

Looking forward to learning more about our host city in 2011? Looking to register? Find more information here.

Who would you nominate for an industry award? Your friend? Your boss? Maybe a competitor you admire? I would nominate a colleague. Someone I work closely with, so I could adequately describe the intense passion the individual has for the meeting and events industry.

What do you consider nomination worthy? Well, here is the official word from the RISE Awards Judging Panel as to what they seek in a community, organization or individual … “The award program recognizes exceptional performance and best practices within the context of MPI's vision, mission and strategic objectives. The awards have an emphasis on transformational change, innovation, global transferability and industry impact and influence.”

Have someone in mind that deserves recognition? Nominations opened today. You can find details on past recipients and the seven awards from three categories (Community, Organization and Individual) here.

For insight on how it feels to have your contributions highlighted, listen to a podcast from previous recipient Kris Celuch.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Krzysztof Celuch prior to WEC 2010 regarding his RISE Award nomination process. Believe me, it took awhile to pronounce Krzysztof's name and after multiple attempts the cubicle mates started to take notice of my inability to pronounce the Polish language... But, I think we produced something pretty insightful.

Since we've almost come full circle - yes, we are prepping for WEC 2011 already - I thought it would be timely to post Celuch's podcast in order to encourage others to nominate a peer for the RISE Awards. 

Not sure what to do? Here is all the information you need. Nominations open on November 1.

Congratulations (again) to Krzysztof and the community of honorees. 

Well, it all started when Joann saw something on Facebook... No, it wasn't a nasty office rumor. It was the idea to compete in the United Way's Back to Football Friday competition. Joann then pitched the idea to our CEO and through the tireless work of a funky bunch of MPI employees, Back to Football Friday came to fruition. The day included football movie quizzes, an obstacle course, tailgating lunch and office decor competition.

Our creative department recently got a little clever (read: mischievous), but for a good reason! The United Way and the NFL teamed up to create Back to Football Friday. This event was planned to not only kick start the NFL season but to also benefit the United Way. Every Dallas-based MPI employee was encouraged to wear their favorite NFL jersey, compete in the obstacle course and decorate their cubicles.

Needless to say, our creative department went over the top. Literally. In an effort to be chosen as the ultimate Dallas Cowboys fans – the winning office gets an official NFL football party with an NFL player – the creative team designed and manufactured a mini version of the Cowboys Stadium (aka the Death Star).

The MPI Death Star includes, turf, a Miller Light sponsorship package and a working JUMBOTRON.

What many may consider a waste of productive work time in the office, turned out to be a creative project for our office which increased morale and sense of community. We look forward to bringing you additional team building ideas in the future, but for now keep your fingers crossed that Troy Aikman will be making a visit to headquarters.

 

We’re ramping up our video skills in headquarters and I recently found a gem of a testimonial from Marika Rasmussen. She had recently received her CMM and spoke to the incredible education she found through MPI. She was able to immediately take the skills she had learned during the CMM exam and apply them to her position in her organization. Click above to hear from Marika about her experience.

Also, we have a CMM course coming up in the Big D and you can see photos from a recent CMM program here.

It is with great pleasure that we offer a ‘sayonara’ to the MPI Japan Club. Why the happy goodbye? The MPI Japan Club has officially become an MPI Chapter.

With more than 30 members and an inaugural board, the MPI Japan Chapter is set for success in one of the most prolific Asian markets.

Hoping to greet some of our newest members to the MPI community? Click here to see some of the charter members involved with the chapter. Also, feel free to give your advice on what it takes to have a well-rounded chapter in the comments section below.