As
the doors open today for the second annual edition of IMEX America at
Sands Expo in Las Vegas, IMEX 2012 Week was already underway 8 October
with Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) Smart Monday Day of
Education getting proceedings going.
The day of MPI education
focused on boosting professional and industry leadership. Ray Bloom
(pictured), Chairman of The IMEX Group, said attendees “would not lack
for inspiration or a sense of value” during the programme. A thousand delegates participated in an eight-hour line up of free education sessions, brainstorms and ‘deep dives’.
The
Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and MPI also announced a new
joint venture to co-create new industry-leading education and training
opportunities.
“This is the first and only broad association partnership that GBTA has entered into since forming the GBTA Academy. GBTA
believes MPI is the right partner to reach the meetings management
industry and marketplace,” said GBTA Executive Director and COO, Michael
W. McCormick. “Our collective members will be reaping the benefits of
this partnership for years to come.”
A corporate structure (LLC)
is being formed with an executive steering committee to operate and
manage the new curriculum which is expected to be available in 2013.
“We
continually hear from the community that they want associations to work
together and provide opportunities for improving their career skills.
The collaboration with GBTA will deliver the single most essential
management training program in the industry, creating a new standard for
excellence,” said Cindy D’Aoust, COO and interim CEO for MPI. “The
result is enhanced value for both our members and the industry.”
GBTA’s
5,000-plus members manage over US$340bn of global business travel and
meetings expenditures annually. MPI is the meetings and events
industry’s largest global community comprised of more than 21,000
members representing 84 countries worldwide.
IMEX America attendees can drop by the Conference and Meetings World stand (110) and say ‘Hello’ to the team this week at Sands Expo.
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