MPI 2006 & Beyond
Mark S. Andrew
2006/07 Chairman of the Board
2006 GoWEST Conference
October 27, 2006
2006
A Year of Transformation
for MPI and the Meetings
Industry
State of the Meetings Industry

Third consecutive year of growth projected for 2006

Move to a sellers’ market/demand outpacing supply
 Procurement entrenched across corporations

Focus on demonstrating impact of meetings on business
objectives
 ROI, Strategic Meeting Management—Platinum
Programs

External lack of awareness of meetings management as a
profession
Impact of Increased Demand
• Jan D. Freitag, V.P. Smith Travel Research (STR)
“expects the growth rate of available rooms to come in at about 0.4
percent, well below the historic average of approximately 2
percent, ‘which is great news for the hotel owners but not so great
news for the meeting planner who has to negotiate rates in '06 and
'07.’” (Davidson, MeetingsFocus.com)
•Tom Maguire with Eventcom International by Marriott
“Planners will be making concessions in the current business
environment. Availability no longer is the only requirement, as buyers
must meet revenue requirements to book hotel space.”
Impact of Procurement
“…it has become vital for meetings professionals to learn the basic
principles that procurement officials apply to the supplier selection
process, whether the supply in question is paper clips, office furniture
or hotel rooms. Knowing the process could well make the difference
between a slashed budget and a cooperative effort to do right by
meetings.” (Sturken, Meetings & Conventions Online)
MPI
Accomplishments
“Why I should be a part of MPI”
Accomplishments
Events
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MPI’s second largest WEC in Dallas – Over 3,600 registrants
from 28 countries
PEC-NA in Charlotte - over 2,300 registrants from 18 countries
featuring a live Talk Show with corporate executives—their view
of our profession
Revitalized Chapter Leaders Conference
 Upfront Collaboration, Balance of content, ROI
Regional Conferences are gaining in popularity and value
offering.
Accomplishments
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Public Relations
Fortune
 Forbes
 Wall Street Journal
 New York Times
 European CEO
 MONEY magazine
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Accomplishments
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Global Corporate Circle of Excellence
Defining a Strategic Meetings Management Program:
How Meetings Drive Business in PartnershipFocused Companies
 360 Degrees of Partnership: Uniting Planners and
Suppliers through Collaborative Business Processes
within a Strategic Meeting Management Program

Accomplishments
‘Reference products’
 Research
Influence Study
 2005 Event View
 2005 MPI Meeting Planner Salary Survey
 2005 MPI Member Satisfaction Survey
 2006 FutureWatch

Membership
‘Networking’
 Membership
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Over 21,000 members
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Growth
after early revisions to delinquent member policy
68 chapters—three new chapters
Finland
 Spain
 Atlantic Canada
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The future…
 MPI
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Foundation
Invested $1.3 million in MPI programs and initiatives
Raised $1.4 million
MPI Foundation Europe exceeded goal and raised € 600,000
MPI Foundation Canada met goal of raising $1 million
Individual Giving campaign year end projection to be
$110,000 or 150% of goal (8% of members up from 4%)
Chapter Grants—approaching $150,000 to 30 chapters
Women’s Leadership Initiative Scholarship Program awarded
$50,000
Member Solutions:
A Suite of Products
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Today
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My MPI
MPI Professional Pathways
MPI Resource Center
CultureActive Tool
Next generation of solutions based on
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Evaluation of current offerings
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Content strategy
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Internally and Externally
Specific member/profession body of knowledge
Research & Development
CultureActive Tool
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Newest Product within Member Solutions
Web-based cross-cultural analysis
Accessed on a global basis by members
24/7/365
Enable MPI members to improve ability to
understand and communicate with other
cultures
Critical factor in doing business and managing
across cultural boundaries
WLI Integration
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Staff included women-centric programming or
planning throughout the 06-07 Business Plan
References include “use of women-centric data,
marketing and product development”
Referenced in plans for Membership,
Professional Development, Publications,
Research, Chapter Relations, Brand Management
among others
Multicultural Initiative
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No longer an initiative managed by the MPI
Foundation
Integration has begun—targeted for completion
June 30, 2007
CultureActive Tool
Economic Impact Study later this year
Looking ahead…
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The Future of the Industry…
The Future of Business…
The Future of the Member…
Membership’s future…
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Recruitment for a new Chapter Relations
Director
Partner with chapters in new ways to improve
promotion efforts
Measure members’ satisfaction with MPI in
order to hit on key drivers of member
satisfaction in all marketing materials
Use faculty to increase membership and
influence with students
Professional Development
Knowledge Management
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Utilize MPI Member Solutions (aggregate skills
assessment data) and meetings industry research
to identify trends and needs for meeting
professionals and develop relevant
content/resources
Build educational content based on 13 Skill
Families developed through MPI Professional
Pathways
Publications
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Establish TMP brand identity as #1 provider of
meetings industry education and professional
information
Increase marketing of TMP to non-members
Reach untapped and non-traditional advertising
markets
Research
‘For future decisions’
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Complete Influence Study
Satisfaction/needs studies
Department-specific studies (Readership Study,
Education Needs Assessment, etc.)
Tracking/benchmarking report(s)
Enhanced use of existing research (FutureWatch
and the GPJ EventView study)
Budget Focus
4 - Major items
1.
Organizational Design/Structure
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Investment to support Member Solutions
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2.
3.
4.
today and tomorrow
Capital Investment to sustain progress and position
for optimal functionality
Position for growth in the future
Contribution to Reserve.
Innovation
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Blue Ocean Strategy
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Value Innovation methodology
Create innovation AND
 Eliminate efforts not aligned with strategic
direction—DISCIPLINE
 Corporate vs. Association

Key Takeaways

Be proactive – communicate with senior management/owners
about how meetings drive business
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Scrutinize your business model to ensure efficiency and strategic
effectiveness
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Do not work in silos – collaborate with peers company wide
from procurement to travel to marketing
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Focus on strategic, not just tactical aspects of meetings
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Become fluent in the language of business and know what to say
when you get a seat “at the table”
Where Do We Go From Here?
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Stay on top of what is happening in the world.
Understand the importance of ROI & ROO.
And Remember:
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It is not a Buyer’s Market.
It is not a Seller’s Market.
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It is a Partner’s Market.
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Questions and Answers
Thank you!