MPI Returns as Strategic Partner and Premier Education Provider for IMEX America 2017

DALLAS, July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the seventh consecutive year, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) will deliver educational programming during IMEX America in Las Vegas this fall. The association will present the daily keynotes as well as power the Smart Monday program on October 9, 2017. Also, the MPI Foundation will present its largest fundraising and networking event of the year – Rendezvous, the IMEX America Night.

Smart Monday powered by MPI will feature nearly 30 education sessions covering topics such as risk management, medical meetings, contracts, strategic communications, and behavioral science. In addition, the association will offer education sessions in its booth facilitated by Jessie States, CMM, manager of professional development at MPI, who was recently recognized by Successful Meetings magazine as one the "25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry for 2017" and by Meetings Today magazine for their "2017 Meetings Trendsetters" list. Most of the sessions are aligned to CMP International Standards and attendees can earn up to five clock hours.

"The feedback we have received on our educational program for IMEX America continues to be overwhelmingly positive year after year," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "If you have not attended our Smart Monday program before, I encourage you to join us as we will present a variety of timely and powerful education sessions designed for meeting professionals of all levels." 

"Year after year MPI works closely with our team to find superb speakers across a wide range of subjects for both the education program and their daily morning keynotes," said Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. "This year's keynote speakers are particularly outstanding, industry leading experts who'll be covering hot topics and emerging issues including purposeful meetings, current economic challenges and opportunities and creating immersive experiences. We're delighted with the program and are sure attendees will find it stimulating and a valuable contribution to their personal development."

Each morning, MPI will present the following four inspirational keynote speakers during the show.

Monday, October 9
Janet Sperstad, CMP – Purposeful Meetings – Driving Deeper Meaning and Insights
Sperstad is an internationally recognized meeting professional, teacher, and speaker, who founded and currently leads the Meeting and Event Management Associate Degree Program at Madison College. In her keynote presentation, she will leverage industry research to explore the five characteristics that define purposeful meetings: behavior science, meeting design, technology, health and wellbeing, and leaving a positive legacy.

Tuesday, October 10
Juliet Funt – Activity Is Not Productivity
Funt is the CEO of WhiteSpace at Work, a training and consulting firm that helps organizations, their leaders and employees flip the norms of business in order to reclaim their creativity, productivity and engagement. She will present a high-energy session where attendees will learn about the "WhiteSpace culture" and how to bring positive changes to the workplace by examining the critical difference between cramming in more tasks and selectively choosing to dive into the right ones with thoughtfulness.

Wednesday, October 11
Todd Buchholz – Prosperity Ahead – or Not?
Buchholz is a best-selling author, former White House director of economic policy, and co-founder and CEO of Sproglit, LLC, which develops software to teach mathematics to children. During his keynote presentation, Buchholz will examine the forces that determine US and world economic growth to help the audience develop a timely vision for the economy, the financial markets, and the political challenges ahead.

Thursday, October 12
Brent Bushnell – Creating Innovative Experience through Interactive Experiences and Immersive Entertainment
Bushnell is the CEO of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company building a network of permanent micro-amusement parks. He will review some of the latest approaches to creating innovative events and discuss what's working and what needs work.

In addition, the MPI Foundation will present Rendezvous, the IMEX America Night on Wednesday evening, October 11, at Drai's, a lavish indoor and outdoor club located on the rooftop of The Cromwell hotel, which is a Caesars Entertainment property. Funds raised from the signature event are invested in scholarships, grants and pan-industry research – all of which help secure the future success of the meeting and event industry. Last year, the MPI Foundation awarded 268 scholarships – five of which covered conference attendance for IMEX America 2016; the foundation will award five scholarships for this year's show by August 1st. More details on Rendezvous will be published online soon.

To learn more about MPI programming at IMEX America, visit www.mpiweb.org/Events/imex-2017/.

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 more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 19 countries. "When we meet, we change the word." www.mpiweb.org

About the MPI Foundation
The Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Foundation fuels the growth and advancement of MPI members by providing professional development and career opportunities through grants and scholarships. The not-for-profit organization also propels the meeting and event industry forward by funding important and quality research initiatives. For more information, visit www.mpiweb.org/foundation.

SOURCE Meeting Professionals International

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