DALLAS, April 5, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has enhanced both its professional development and live events portfolios with new offerings designed for the non-titled corporate meeting planner segment. This month, the MPI Academy is launching the new Meeting Fundamentals certificate program with its first class scheduled on April 25th at the association's Dallas headquarters. The course teaches participants how to create meeting blueprints, develop meeting budgets, prepare requests for proposals (RFPs), conduct site inspections, and more. It was created with the support of developmental sponsor InterContinental Hotels Group and is pre-approved for CMP certification credit, granting six clock hours upon completion.
In addition, MPI has developed a corresponding training program to be held during its 2016 World Education Congress (WEC) called the Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals. Scheduled for June 13 – 14, this special educational experience will include the new Meeting Fundamentals certificate course, a private networking reception, and admission to the WEC 2017 Preview Lunch and WEC 2016 Closing Night Celebration. Participants will also have time to visit WEC's MarketSquare for more networking and to research products and services from a wide variety of suppliers.
"MPI recognizes there is a significant population of the workforce who may not carry the title of 'Meeting Planner' but they plan and manage meetings as an important part of their responsibilities and they are hungry for education to help them do their jobs better," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "We believe our new Meeting Fundamentals certificate program will not only help this audience demonstrate to management they are serious about the meeting planning aspect of their jobs, but it also validates the importance of the meeting profession with influencers outside of our industry."
The Plan Your Meetings (PYM) branch of MPI has also added another PYM LIVE regional event to its 2016 schedule with a program slated for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in October. Powered by the MPI Academy, these events provide experiential education about new event technology and meeting design trends as well as speed-networking opportunities to meet potential vendors and destination representatives. Following is the PYM LIVE schedule for the remainder of this year.
April 21, Ivy Room, Chicago, IL
May 26, AT &T Executive Education and Conference Center, Austin, TX
June 21, (Location TBD), Charlotte, NC
June 22, Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, Raleigh, NC
July 21, Hyatt Regency at Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO
Aug. 25, (Location TBD), New York City, NY
Sept. 22, Topgolf – The Colony, Dallas/Frisco, TX
Oct. 13, Crowne Plaza Fort Lauderdale Airport/Cruise, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nov. 9, JW Marriott Houston Downtown, Houston, TX
Admission to MPI's PYM LIVE events is complimentary for meeting and event planners. Check out www.planyourmeetings.com/events to review event agendas and register.
For detailed information on the Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals program, including course dates and pricing, and other MPI Academy education offerings, see www.mpiweb.org/ProfessionalDevelopment.
WEC 2016 is scheduled for June 11 – 14, at the Harrah's Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. To learn more and register for WEC 2016, visit www.mpiweb.org/wec16.
About MPI
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry association. 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 membership includes approximately 18,500 members belonging to more than 80 chapters and clubs in 22 countries. For additional information or to join, visit www.mpiweb.org.
About Plan Your Meetings @ MPI
Plan Your Meetings (PYM) was founded in 1995 to serve and educate the non-titled corporate meeting planner — the person who was hired at an entry-level admin position and then tasked with planning sales incentives, training seminars, holiday parties and conferences in addition to everything else they did. PYM @ MPI produces regional PYM LIVE Events and an award-winning PYM Annual print and digital publication. It provides education and advice from its PlanYourMeetings.com website, social networks and live events to a community of more than 100,000 meeting and event planners. Plan Your Meetings is a branch of the largest and most prestigious association for meeting professionals in the world — Meeting Professionals International.