Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is pleased to announce that the call for speaking proposals is now open for its 2018 World Education Congress (WEC) event. The conference is scheduled for June 2-5, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN. Proposals will be accepted through Monday, October 2, 2017.
WHO IS MPI?
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. Founded in 1972, the organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 24 countries. For additional information or to join, visit http://www.mpiweb.org.
WHAT IS WEC?
The World Education Congress is MPI’s signature event through which it delivers premier education, business and networking opportunities. The conference attracts more than 2,000 attendees including corporate, third party, and association planners, suppliers, students, and industry faculty.
SPEAKER PROFILE
MPI events aren’t typical conferences. The audience has very high expectations of the speakers and the event experience, since organizing meetings and events is their core business. The MPI speaker team works with speakers well in advance of the conference to shape presentations that will succeed on the MPI stages. WEC is not your everyday conference!
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
Engagement is more than a buzzword at MPI, it's an approach to adult learning that is proven to enhance the educational experience. When you're submitting your proposal, imagine that it is for an audience that has a minimum 10 years of experience in the industry and aim for providing content that is relevant to people with more than 20 years in the industry. Our audience loves peer-to-peer learning, knowing what's next, staying ahead of the competition and being given opportunities to apply their knowledge.
When you enter your session topic, you'll be given the option to let us know what educational format you'll be using. We don't want you to be a "sage on a stage," and our team will coach you through the process of shaping your content to the delivery method that interests you, so feel free to choose something new and unfamiliar. We'll help you master it! Here are your options:
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Edu-Labs: Opportunities for participants to try their hands at new methods & techniques whether individually or in small groups
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How to: Step by step processes to implement approaches shared for others to use or adapt
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Idea Hackathon: Rapid fire brainstorming sessions where 39 ideas are generated to solve single problems. The solutions are shared with participants
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Learning Autopsy: Deep Dives into why learning interventions/innovations failed or resulted in unanticipated outcomes
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Edu-Labs: Opportunities for participants to try their hands at new methods & techniques whether individually or in small groups
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How to: Step by step processes to implement approaches shared for others to use or adapt
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Idea Hackathon: Rapid fire brainstorming sessions where 39 ideas are generated to solve single problems. The solutions are shared with participants
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Learning Autopsy: Deep Dives into why learning interventions/innovations failed or resulted in unanticipated outcomes
Speaker types include the following:
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Professional speakers who share expertise and subject matter passion through unique delivery styles
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Faculty who share specific, industry knowledge and information through adult learning experiences
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Subject matter experts who share specific knowledge and expertise in the industry
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Meeting and event professionals and suppliers who share stories, case studies, best practices and personal experiences
KEYNOTE SUBMISSIONS FOR GENERAL SESSIONS
We are looking for keynote speakers who will deliver TED type talks followed by an opportunity for participants to learn more in a follow-up Master Class. Are you going to be our next keynote speaker who receives a standing ovation?
We are also planning to give the main stage to members of our community to share their amazing stories in two possible exciting new formats:
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Pitch perfect - This is a general session where our keynote speaker will kick off with a talk about how to give the perfect pitch. This TED type talk is followed by the opportunity for FOUR sponsors and wild card holders to present their pitch from main stage. The audience votes for the best pitch at the end of the session and the Pitch Champion will be known. Do you want to keynote this Pitch talk and coach the 4 Pitch speakers to success OR do you want to win this wildcard and pitch your product or service from the main stage, then act now and apply for pitch perfect!
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Storytellers - This is a general session where our keynote speaker will kick off with a talk about the power of Storytelling followed by two to three 12 minute talks from members of our community who will get coaching in order to deliver their most amazing stories on how you re-charged the meetings and events you design and produce. From the epic tale of the industry’s progress, to individual anecdotes about the meeting, event or incentive experience or an exciting new innovation you are part of. Who better to share those stories than YOU? So, are you a professional storyteller and coach, then we want to hear from you OR do you want to get on the main stage and share your amazing story, then react now.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Presentation proposals will be accepted through Monday, October 2, 2017. Only sessions submitted via MPI’s online proposal form will be considered for the World Education Congress. We encourage speakers to submit multiple proposals for multiple topics. Notifications of status of submission(s) will start in November 2017.
Proposals will be reviewed and scored on a scale of 1-5 stars based the following criteria. Each criteria’s’ total weight is 25% out of 100%.
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Interest and Value to Conference Participants Session Format Incorporates Adult
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Learning Techniques for Thinking, Connecting and Applying Learning Learning
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Outcomes Are Clear, Specific, Immediately Applicable, and Supported By The
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Content Provided This Session is a Current and/or Cutting Edge
For additional information on becoming a speaker for WEC 2018 please visit the WEC speaker submission page.
