Dallas, TX, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The meeting and event industry will ‘Reunite for Recovery’ both in-person and virtually at World Education Congress (WEC) Grapevine November 3-6, 2020. As the signature annual event for Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide, WEC has been rescheduled to new November dates from its original June timing, in order to accommodate travel guidelines and attendee safety resulting from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
The award-winning event, which boasted a 95% high-satisfaction rating from its more than 2,500 attendees in Toronto this past June 2019, will continue to evolve its education and networking opportunities. Consistent with previous years, WEC Grapevine will feature an innovative format with multiple education tracks highlighting topics of interest among the community. MPI’s 2020 edition will feature a new focus on learnings, lessons and initiatives related to COVID-19. This ensures the format offers benefits that are insightful, meaningful and immediately actionable.
“We are excited to announce our new dates for WEC Grapevine in November. This experience will be a rallying cry for our meeting and event community to Reunite for Recovery,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of Meeting Professionals International. “The desire to meet, reconcile business opportunities, assist in the economic rebound and learn from peers and experts on COVID-19 response, among dozens of other topics, has been building. Historically, our industry has been the platform to accelerate economic recovery and our focus is to aid in pushing our global community and society forward.”
Working with the destination’s host hotel, the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, a Marriott property, attendee Duty of Care will be a critical priority by creating a safe, secure and healthy environment for all involved. Marriott plans to use WEC as a means to showcase their enhanced commitment and focus on guest wellness.
For those who are unable to attend in-person, WEC Grapevine will also carry a high quality, uniquely formatted virtual offering with the intent of providing a parallel experience to onsite. Registration for in-person attendees, which now includes a ticket to MPI Foundation’s Rendezvous, is completely risk-free; attendees are eligible for a refund in their event fees, with flexibility in applying them to WEC Las Vegas in 2021, among other options.
“The timing for our industry to reunite in November is momentous to say the least,” said Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau. “As the host destination for WEC, the entire Grapevine community will demonstrate just how important this industry is to spur recovery at local, national and global levels. We see this as a case study in the next generation of meetings and events by incorporating hybrid learning and truly unique Texas hospitality for both virtual and in-person attendees.”
For more information on WEC Grapevine visit mpi.org/wec.
About MPI
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. 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 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 70 chapters and clubs with members in more than 75 countries. "When we meet, we change the world." www.mpi.org
Media Contact: Drew Holmgreen, communications@mpi.org