FEATURE
2015
year in
V
RE IEW
Disruption due to technological innovation—Uber, drones, Bitcoin—
is among the sexier developments to challenge meeting and event
professionals this year. In this special look back, The Meeting Professional
shares updates on these topics and more.
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
MPIWEB.ORG 65
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REVISITING 2015
“Appetite for
Disruption”
T
he sharing economy, an evolutionary force affecting all
manner of life and business including the global meeting and event industry, has seen its share of coverage
and controversy this year. May’s “Appetite for Disruption” took you deep into the problems with and the potential of
tech-leveraging disruptive businesses such as Airbnb and Uber;
September’s “Alternative Accommodations” was a discussion
with industry professionals who use Airbnb; and last month you
met Chip Conley, Airbnb’s head of global hospitality and strategy,
in a personality pro ile that was a joy to create.
True to form, the sharing economy has continued disrupting the status quo and stagnant legislation. At the same
time, the companies best known in this ield have faced
mounting challenges in legitimizing their business model
worldwide.
On the surface, it sounds like it’s been a tough year for
car-share service Uber: In September, France’s Constitutional Court banned amateur drivers from providingg
rides with the service; amid protests from taxi drivers,
city councilors in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have
banned Uber for allegedly dodging local regulations;
and Uber drivers have been declared “employees”
(not “independent contractors” as the company has
always contended) by a California labor board, allowing a class-action lawsuit by drivers to proceed.
And those are just a few of the headlines. However,
analysts expect Uber to see a 300 percent revenue
increase over 2014, and some experts speculate the
company will issue an IPO in late 2016 with a valuation of between US$50-$100 billion. (In October,
CEO Travis Kalanick said Uber is nowhere near going
public: “We’re maturing as a company, but we’re still like eighth
graders.”)
All such reports as to Uber’s inancials should be taken with
a grain of salt. The private company does not readily release such information, established transportation groups (including a New York
taxi driver who heckled Kalanick during a live taping of The Late Show
with Stephen Colbert) have constantly protested its right to operate
and some in the media still hold a grudge after one of the company’s
senior vice presidents loated the notion of digging up dirt on journalists to “dissuade” the publication of negative stories about Uber.
According to travel and expense management company Certify, business travelers now use Uber more often than traditional taxi
services—accounting for 55 percent and 43 percent of ground transportation receipts, respectively. Uber’s overall market share in this
p
respect
re
p has grown almost 400 percent in the
“APPETITE FOR DISRUPTION”
UPTION””
BY PAUL CULLUM
May, Pgs. 58-61
JANUARY FEBRUARY
MPI Foundation raises more than US$13,000
for its Education Endowment, funding grants
and scholarships for MPI members in Europe
during Rendezvous at EMEC
MPI’s Industry Careers job portal
(www.mpiweb.org/portal/career) is
updated for improved search functionality
66 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL DECEMBER 2015
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TOP 5 UBER DESTINATIONS
FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS
THIS IS HOW
WE DO IT
From giving for the future of the industry to growing
San Francisco
Chicago
Seattle
Miami
Tampa
your professional education to expanding the reach
of your association, this has been another banner
year for MPI and you!
THE MPI ACADEMY
MPI introduced The MPI Academy,
which collects all professional
development offerings under a single
name. New and expanded education
and certificate programs include
Meeting Essentials, the Sustainable
Meeting Professional Certificate, the Meetings and Events at Sea
Certificate, the Experiential Event Series, the Sustainable Practitioner
Certificate, the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Refresher, the
CMP-Healthcare Certification Boot Camp and more!
Source: Certify
In San Francisco for WEC, Uber was an incredible
resource—a trip from downtown to SFO via Uber
was $15-$20 cheaper than with a taxi. And this past
September while in Atlantic City (WEC 2016 host
city), Uber drivers were like genies, at the curb
literally moments after requesting a ride.
past year. And in major cities during the irst quarter of 2015,
46 percent of all paid car rides by business travelers went
through Uber—likely due in no small part to the company’s
expansion of its Uber for Business service which allows multiple people to bill a single corporate account rather than having to
expense it later.
On the supplier side, UberEvents was announced in September.
The new service, currently in beta testing in New York City, allows planners to
provide pre-paid transportation passes to attendees—for this, Uber is running
with the tagline, “You plan the event, we’ll provide the rides.” If you’re an Uber
for Business user and working on an event in New York City, you’ve got access to
UberEvents right now (www.uber.com/events)—this is assuredly a much-anticipated evolution for the ride-share company, but one that event professionals
should be intrigued to explore.
The comment from James Spellos (MPI Greater New York Chapter) about
Airbnb (“Alternative Accommodations,” September) and the related
ated
responsibility of those in meetings and events is equally appropriiate for Uber’s new service: “As an industry professional, at the
very least we should
all know and try the
This year, The Meeting Professional’s
various resources that
editors and writers shared their travel
have an impact on our
experiences to nine destinations across
work.”
three continents. Here are select
Top
visited
e
R
Spot
updates from some of those locales.
%
53
PLAN YOUR MEETINGS
MPI acquired the assets of Plan Your Meetings, a leading, privately owned
company based in Atlanta that produces live education, networking
events, an award-winning annual meeting planning guide and a variety
of digital resources and tools for more than 90,000 non-traditional
meeting planners. (Learn more on Page 28.)
THE MPI FOUNDATION
The MPI Foundation raised more than US$300,000 for grants,
scholarships and research during the World Education Congress in San
Francisco. This is the largest amount ever raised at an MPI conference!
Follow the timeline throughout this special section
to learn about more of the exciting 2015 milestones from the
world’s largest meeting and event industry association.
The Philharmonie de Paris music
complex opened early this year in
France’s capital, adding yet another
world-class conference, exhibition and
conference space to the city’s roster.
Partnership with DMAI results in empowerMINT.com
Destination Finder tool integration into MPIWeb.org
M ti Outlook: 53% of meeting professionals
Meetings
anticipate a budget increase in 2015
The European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC)
in Kraków, Poland, provides more than 50 professional
education sessions to 300-plus attendees
MPIWEB.ORG 67
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Oh, the Places
You’ll Go!
Chances are, legislation to outlaw the use of drones over correctional
onal
facilities or to spy on private residences will not affect your implementation
mentation
of the technology at meetings and events—but it’s a briskly evolving
ing field
to which politicians, lawyers and privacy-rights activists have been
drawn like months to a flame.
I
n September, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a
bill intended to outlaw the use of drone aircraft below a
“GAME OF DRONES”
certain altitude over private property. This is a huge win
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
according to proponents of the unmanned aircraft sysApril, Pgs. 64-67
tems (UAS) industry.
In a nextgov.com op-ed piece that same month, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Associa- Drones and You
tion, and Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for The legislation of drones as used in the meeting and event inUnmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), wrote: “The dustry has not changed since “Game of Drones” (April)—enmeasure could well have led to litigation against drone users and thusiasts are still waiting on inal regulations from the FAA.
thwarted a growing and innovative industry—one that’s poised Until the proposed regulations are inalized (something not
to deliver roughly 18,000 new jobs to California and more than expected to occur until the irst half of 2016, at the earliest) orUS$14 billion in economic impact in the state over the next 10 ganizations must individually petition the FAA for the right to
years.”
Much
like
meeting profesThe FAA estimates up to 1 million drones will be sold this holiday season—that’s significant
growth in potential airspace traffic in such an immediate time frame. Before the end of the year,
sionals, the drone
a drone registration system is expected to be in place in the U.S.—new and existing owners of
industry is heaviunmanned aerial vehicles will be required to register with the federal government.
ly involved on the
advocacy front,
working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use drones in commercial endeavors.
It’s with that background that the National Football League
proactively create KnowBeforeYourFly.org, an education camrequested—and recently received—an exemption allowing it
paign designed to promote the responsible use of drones.
“We recognize the temptation of local lawmakers to move to ly drones over stadiums and arenas. The kicker (pun not acirst and impose requirements around this new technology,” tually intended): The drones can only be used over empty venShapiro and Wynne wrote. “That’s why the FAA needs to com- ues. So video production crews can capture aerial imagery with
plete its job and inalize rules on lying UAS, as mandated by this new technology, but cannot yet use it to generate gameplay
Congress. Only the FAA can regulate airspace; states and munic- footage (wired camera rigs and blimps will still ill that need).
Even with such restrictions, it’s a positive move indicative of the
ipalities cannot.”
1,000,000
MARCH APRIL MAY
17 MPI Chapters with more than 500 people participated
in the first-ever MPI Foundation Chairman’s Challenge 5K
to raise money for the Chapter Grant Program
MPI debuts the four-day Meeting Essentials training
program for industry educators, professionals and
advocates in Bangkok, Thailand
May
STEVE SEGERS
MPI Belgium Chapter
68 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL DECEMBER 2015
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TOP 10
Meeti
with a go ngs Outlook was
recog
ld 2
Research 015 AZBEE Award nized
. For a co
for Origin
m
publishin
g awards plete list of MPI’s al
from this
year, see
Pg
INDUSTRIES FLYING
COMMERCIAL DRONES
LEGALLY IN THE U.S.
General Aerial Photography
Real Estate
General Aerial Surveying
Agriculture
Construction
Film and Television
Utility Inspection
Environmental Uses
Search and Rescue
Emergency Management
. 14
Tomorrow’s
Trends
Sharing a forecast for business conditions in the coming year,
respondents to MPI’s Meetings Outlook survey have accurately
predicted a healthy, exceptionally stable environment for the
past four quarters. Welcome to the new normal!
It is expected that the proposed FAA regulations
on operating UAS will be approved in the first
six months of 2016. When that happens, the
regulations will replace the time-and-resource
heavy case-by-case exemption process currently
in place—and will immeasurably help the
growth of this thrilling industry.
ramp-up in UAS exemption approvals by the FAA: As of Sept. 1,
the FAA has issued more than 1,400 such exemptions—an incredible increase over the total of 24 exemptions granted as of
merely seven months earlier.
In an analysis of the exemptions, the AUVSI reports that
organizations—mostly small businesses—have been granted
permission to use drones commercially in 49 states, with California, Florida and Texas
leading the way. Of
exas
lead
the types of industries to
have
secured
o
ha
these exemptions, only a
few apply, tangentially,
ted
Revisi
even, to the meeting and
event industry.
Top
Spot
To read the most recent edition of Meetings Outlook—and all
archived releases—visit www.mpiweb.org/MeetingsOutlook.
Meetings Outlook is developed in partnership
artnership
with VISIT DENVER and supported in
partnership with IMEX. Research is
conducted by Association Insights.
The Texas Musicians Museum opened this July,
minutes from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport,
showcasing rare memorabilia from artists such as
Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin and Willie Nelson. Enjoy live
performances at the museum’s Music Garden and craft
beer and southern munchies at the Neon Armadillo Café.
MPI webinar series launches with “Future of Meetings: Content
in Transformation,” and has since hosted more than 15 unique
online education sessions with subject matter experts
60%
73 events—including more than 20 MPI events—
ensure the inaugural North American Meetings
Industry Day (NAMID) is an overwhelming success
Meetings Outlook: 60% of meeting professionals
expect to see an increase in live event attendance
MPIWEB.ORG 69
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NOVEMBER
JIM
WOOD
MPI NEW JERSEY CHAPTER
“The industry needs continued advocacy work about the importance
of the meeting industry, especially to our governors, mayors and
county administrators. We bring jobs, education, economic impact
and improved quality of life to our communities every day of the
year. These simple but very important truths need to be spoken
daily as a reminder so that communities will continue to invest
wisely in growing our industry.”
SEPTEMBER
JANET
SPERSTAD,
CMP
MPI WISCONSIN CHAPTER
Who We Are
“So much of our industry’s energy is put
towards what events consume instead of
on what we create. We create community.
We create experiences that offer a place
for collaboration and innovation.
Meeting and event professionals are
in the business of driving innovation
and inspiring hearts and minds to solve
problems for today’s complex world.
When we do that,
hat, we really mo
move our
profession and industry forwar
forward.”
In each issue of The Meeting Professional an MPI member shares his
or her personal story with you. Here are the peers you met this year.
JANUARY
JANUA
RICH
RICHARD
C.
HAR
HARPER
MPI AT LARGE
L
JULY
ELIF BALCI
FISUNOĞLU
MPI TURKEY CLUB
“Hybrid meetings and the interactivity they have
brought to meeting room setups and formats are
a significant advancement. It is often said that
technology could be the end of face-to-face
meetings, but it has helped the industry to reach
and attract more people. Every year the number
of players is increasing and more and more
companies are doing the same thing or
giving the same sort of services.”
“I was pretty shy growing up in a small
town iin Maine, and never dreamed I would
uld
be where
whe I am today. That’s the beauty of the
hospit
hospitality industry. It encourages you too be
social, to network and build relationships—
s—
that used to intimidate me.
three things
t
these are the three things that excitee
Now th
me thee most.”
FEBRUARY
BARBARA
CUMMINS,
CMP, CMM
MPI DALLAS/FORT WORTH CHAPTER
“Our industry has changed greatly since I started with
MPI, yet many things remain the same. The highs are
good and the lows are miserable—it’s still difficult for
some to get a seat at the company boardroom table.
But it’s exciting to have been a part of the growth in
meeting professional college curriculum and the
explosion of technology. I look forward to the day
when the CMP or CMM designation is as easily
recognizable to the general public as that of a CPA.”
thee
MPI
RISE
AW
WA R D S
JUNE
J U LY
2015 RISE Awards
recipients announced
Tara Liaschenko, CMM (Member of the Year); David Peckinpaugh, CMP (Meeting
Industry Leadership); Kinga Soćko, HMCC (Young Professional Achievement); Meeting
Industry Council of Colorado (Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas);
MPI Potomac Chapter (Community Achievement in Marketplace Excellence);
Builders Association of the Twin Cities (Organizational Achievement)
June
MICHAEL BRILL
MPI New Jersey Chapter
70 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL DECEMBER 2015
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AUGUST
RICHAD
MITHA
MPI FRANCE-SWITZERLAND CHAPTER
JUNE
JASON
CARROLL,
CMP
MPI TAMPA BAY AREA CHAPTER
“Long live the meeting industry! It
has made me understand the powerr
of meeting people face to face. This
is how most business deals are done,
e,
how we make breakthroughs and meet
future business partners, clients or
even lifelong friends. [Yet] meeting
professionals must get up to date onn
event technology and understand
how it can help them meet their
event objectives.”
“There is a reason
re
Forbes ranked event coordinator as
one of the 10 most stressful jobs of 2015. This industry
takes drive, persistence,
p
patience, smarts, social skills and
passion. I’ve managed thousands of events in my career,
and through that experience I feel that I can handle
almost anything
anyth life will throw my way. It’s made me very
quick on my feet,
f and skills like that come in handy in both
my professio
professional life and personal life.”
MARCH
MAY
CYNTHIA J.
LAMONT, CMP, CMM
JEFF
RASCO,
CMP
MPI TEXAS HILL COUNTRY CHAPTER
MPI GREATER CALGARY CHAPTER
“I absolutely love being a meeting
professional. Helping clients achieve
their goals is a gift not many people
can give to others. My job allows me the
freedom to be creative and useful every
day. Where else can you see the time
and effort you devote unfold before
your eyes in the shape of a successful
meeting and/or event?”
“[My family is] very close, and they are everything to me. Both children work
with me and live nearby, so we see them and the grandkids almost every day. Not
many people are so blessed. My family includes two generations of MPI members,
and I’d like to see us add a third. Our nine-year-old granddaughter, Abigail, is a
born meeting professional!”
APRIL
MEGAN
HIGGINS,
CMP
MPI NORTHEASTERN NEW YORK CHAPTER
“My celebrities of choice are the creative professionals
who make amazing events real. They transform empty
beaches, sparse warehouses and make dreams come
true. I am in awe of how the hospitality industry
continues to innovate and inspire us all with their
imagination and passion for events and experiences.”
DECEMBER
KARIN
KROGH
MPI DENMARK CHAPTER
Meet this month’s
member on Page 24.
At The Meetings Show, MPI and Leeds Beckett
University begin research into strategic meetings
management and its effect on the participant
experience (to be completed early next year)
In the first half of 2015, the Healthcaree
Meeting Compliance Certificate
(HMCC) is presented to 227 meeting
and event industry professionals
July
TONYA SWEETEN
MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter
STEPHEN REVETRIA
Begins term as MPI Foundation chairman
MPIWEB.ORG 71
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Buffet of Brilliance,
New Perceptions
This year saw some compelling personalities grace the pages of
The Meeting Professional and share personal insights with the more
than 2,500 attendees at the World Education Congress (WEC).
“CREATE THE FUTURE,
DON’T JUST TRY TO PREDICT IT”
BY MICHAEL PINCHER A
June, Pgs. 64-66
“DECEPTION DETECTION”
BY MICHAEL PINCHER A
May, Pgs. 20-21
PRESIDENT OF COOL
During his opening general session keynote “The Edge of the Modern Frontier,” James Curleigh, president of the Levi’s brand and executive vice president of Levi Strauss & Co., shared his strategy for
established brands to maintain relevance. Although denim is classic—and accounts for 80 percent of the company’s sales—Curleigh
envisions a 50-50 split between jeans and non-denim accessories in
the near future. That’s potentially a challenging proposition for Levi
Strauss & Co., but he says diversi ication in line with the changing
cultural landscape is essential.
essen
THE SEER
Pamela Meyer, founder and CEO of social networking site Simpatico and Calibrate, a leading deception detection training company,
called you a liar during her Flash Point session—or at least suggested as much. Before you get offended, understand that we’re lied to
up to 200 times per day—often when it comes to little things and we
don’t even realize we’re being deceptive. Do you believe that or am I
lying to you right now? With more than 11.5 million views, Meyer’s
“How to Spot a Liar” remains one of the 20 most popular TED Talks
of all time.
AUGUST
THE BIG DEAL
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2
Moscone Center North Hall E
The MPI Foundation
raises more than
RENDEZVOUS
MONDAY AUGUST 3
With 140 education sessions, the 2015 WEC attracts
more than 2,500 industry professionals to San Francisco
August
DAWN RASMUSSEN
MPI Oregon Chapter
The Fillmore
$300,000
NOT-SO-SILENT
AUCTION
NOW OPEN
for grants, scholarships and research
during WEC—the largest amount
ever at an MPI conference
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“You can never
guarantee magical
moments will happen—
but I think studying the
conditions for those moments
to take place is critical.”
“CONNECTION CHIP”
BY MICHAEL PINCHER A
November, Pgs. 72-76
—JAMES CURLEIGH
BE HERE NOW
ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHY (3)
Airbnb’s head of global hospitality and strategy, Joie de Vivre Hospitality founder and Flash Point speaker Chip Conley is all about
being in the moment and having genuine experiences. With Airbnb
for Business booming, expect a growing impact on the meeting and
event industry from this perception-altering innovator.
“What’s fascinating to me about
travel is the transformational
nature of it—we don’t just
travel to move around; we
travel around to be moved.”
—CHIP CONLEY
“COMPOSING YOUR LIFE”
BY MICHAEL PINCHER A
July, Pgs. 20-21
COMMANDING CREATIVITY
In concert with a violin solo, composer and Flash
Point speaker Kai Kight brought us along on his
personal journey for mastery and joy.
Experience or re-experience James
Curleigh’s keynote and dozens of other
education sessions from this year’s WEC
at www.mpiweb.org/wec15.
“True innovation does not always
sound great to the ear.” —KAI KIGHT
MPI Foundation Canada fundraising
events Canada Rocks and Not-So-Silent
Auction yield US$28,000
The Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate
(SMPC) launches at WEC with 14 participants
72
%
Meetings Outlook: 72% of meeting professionals expect
overall business conditions to improve in the near future
MPI collects all professional development offerings
under one name, introduces The MPI Academy
MPIWEB.ORG 73
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Meet
Marijuana?
For July’s “State of the Industry” feature we received
too many well-thought-out opinions and insights to
fit into publication. One such comment addressed the
legalization of marijuana—a topic that’s moving from
fringe to mainstream and potentially one of the next
breakout markets to intersect with the meeting
and event industry.
What’s something that you feel
has impacted the industry the
most in the past 12 months?
“The legalization and regulation of marijuana for recreational purposes in two additional U.S. states in November 2014 (Alaska and
Oregon) has impacted meetings and events.
Third-party meeting planners and caterers
are hosting professional, very sophisticated
cannabis-themed dinner parties and events,
creating an additional economic boost for
and diversifying our industry. This could be
a game changer.
“I only expect more states to begin legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes
due to the success we are seeing from the tax
and regulation models adopted by Colorado,
Washington, Oregon and Alaska.”
JIM CLAPES
Events Manager, Drug Policy Alliance
MPI Greater New York Chapter
Years in industry: 12
As Clapes predicted, the path to ending marijuana prohibition is continuing—perhaps
most curiously spearheaded by a Native
American group in South Dakota, which plans
to sell cannabis at an event venue.
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
BY MICHAEL PINCHER A
July, Pgs. 53-64
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe legalized recreational marijuana earlier this year and runs the Royal River Casino & Hotel, which has
120 guest rooms and an events center that seats up to 400. The tribe’s
original plans called for reefer sales to be limited—at least initially—to
a smoking lounge with a nightclub, arcade games and bar and food service, with the eventual addition of slot machines and an outdoor music
venue.
“When casinos were a new option for tribes, many feared that they
would bring organized crime and prostitution. This never happened,”
Kenny Weston, Flandreau Santee Sioux tribal council member, told Indian Country Today. “If you disagree with marijuana, just don’t come,
just as others choose not to frequent bars or casinos.”
Tribal president Tony Reider believes that the project could result
in monthly pro its of US$2 million. However, in November, the tribe
burned its irst legal marijuana crop and temporarily suspended its
plans—in fear of costly raids by law enforcement and/or legal pressure from state and federal agencies.
“We just felt it would be best to go in with a clean slate to look for
answers on how to proceed so that all sides are comfortable with it,”
Reider told the BBC.
This came two weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) destroyed industrial hemp crops growing on lands of the
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (there were no arrests and no
criminal charges were iled). The Menominee is one of two tribes in
Wisconsin that operate meeting and event venues and have followed
the Flandreau Santee Sioux’s lead, voting in favor of legalizing marijuana. The Menominee tribe has a casino resort with a 13,000-squarefoot convention center 40 miles northwest of Green Bay, Wis.; the HoChunk Nation of Wisconsin has six casinos throughout the state with
a variety of meeting and event space at each (including 30,000 square
SEPTEMBER OC TOBER
More than 1,000 meeting professionals now
hold the CMM designation following the
latest program in Puebla, Mexico, at which
26 people earned the designation
EXPERIENTIAL
EVENT SERIES
Meeting professionals go behind the scenes of the 2016
Miss America competition in the inaugural edition of
MPI’s Experiential Events Series
MyMPI, the online community and source for
managing your membership profile, is re-launched;
new web-optimized The Meeting Professional and
MPI NewsBrief e-newsletter debut
74 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL DECEMBER 2015
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Site Selection Side Effect
The impact of marijuana legalization in destinations was posed
to Meetings Outlook survey participants, asking if laws making
marijuana more widely available and accepted would have an
effect on their decision to book meetings or events in such
locales. Here’s what they had to say.
Money for
Nothing
88% 10% 2%
No effect
in interest
BETTING ON BITCOIN
N
BY JEFF LOYY
February, Pgs. 24-25
25
Less interest More interest
in destination in destination
S
feet of exhibit space at its Wisconsin Dells property). There’s no word
yet as to whether either of these tribes will sell marijuana at their event
venues, but that is presumed since the impetus for legalization was to
generate additional revenue.
Over on the U.S. West Coast, Portland, Ore., marijuana businesses
that could impact the meeting and event industry at large continue to
grow.
Nora Sheils, owner of wedding planning company Bridal Bliss, recently ful illed her irst client request for a “weed bar.”
“We made sure everyone was safe and provided transportation,”
Sheils told local TV station KGW. “The couple provided the product and
hired the budtender.” (This was permissible since the event took place
on private property where no liquor license was involved.)
Clearly, there’s a lot to be resolved with the variable laws from state
to state and city to city in which the modern “marijuana experiment”
is being undertaken. But this issue is only going to grow in awareness
and market potential throughout the coming year as groups in many
states aim to vote on the end of marijuana prohibition in 2016. This
action is underway, at varying levels, in Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio and Vermont. Even legalization
proponents, however, do not expect marijuana to be legalized in more
than a few of these states next year—but any number would still be a
huge increase in the market since only four states and the District of
Columbia currently have legal recreational marijuana.
At IMEX America, MPI’s 30+
education sessions attract more
than 1,200 participants
ince publishing “Betting on
Bitcoin”—a news item about
bout
Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center becoming the irst such
facility to offer a Bitcoin ATM—the digital currency’s value has remained relatively stable, luctuating between US$213 and $401 per
Bitcoin. Although that’s down sharply from its high of $1,216 in November 2013, it’s still much better than its all-time low (in 2009) of
$0.0007 when an exchange rate against the US$ was irst established.
However, Romit (formerly known as Robocoin), the company that
installed the Bitcoin ATM at the George R. Brown Convention Center,
has not sold a single Bitcoin ATM this year—much less to another
meeting/event venue. Yet, as is commonplace with the expansion of
this disruptive market, there are plenty of less expensive, equally disruptive competitors now in the market. There are hundreds of Bitcoin
ATMs worldwide, lead by the U.S., which has more than 200.
Las Vegas, however, is a leader when it comes to new Bitcoin ATMs
at meeting and event properties. So far this year, the following Las
Vegas venues have installed Bitcoin ATMs.
• Boxing legend “Iron” Mike Tyson was
on hand in September to unveil a Bitcoin ATM at Off the Strip Bistro & Bar
at the LINQ in Las Vegas. Sadly, despite Tyson’s love of pigeons, the ATM
doesn’t have an avian theme—instead
it bears his own image and iconic face
tattoo.
• The D Las Vegas Casino Hotel debuted its in-casino Bitcoin ATM
in May.
• In true lippant Bitcoin form, the cryptocurrency ATM at the Gold
Spike Hotel & Casino, which opened last December, is no longer
there—it has already been relocated to a nearby drone store.
The MPI Foundation
on raises more than $335,000
at IMEX America through
ough a private dinner and wine
auction and the 2,000-attendee
00-attendee Rendezvous
The Meetings & Events at Sea Certificate Program,
created with the Cruise Lines International Association,
launches externally at IMEX America
MPIWEB.ORG 75
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Top 10
Stories of 2015
The most-honored magazine in meetings
and events, The Meeting Professional is
understandably the industry publication the
MPI community reads more than any other.
What topics attracted you and your peers the
most this year? Following are the stories that
received the greatest online traffic from The
Meeting Professional and MPI’s email newsletters,
Pulse and Spotlight, in 2015.
The weekly MPIpulse e-newsletter provides
fresh content for industry professionals to
stay up-to-date and continue learning.
MOST POPULAR
The biweekly MPIspotlight e-newsletter
rotates between exclusive content from
The Meeting Professional and valuable
technology, social media and career advice.
MOST POPULAR
MOST POPULAR
1. How to Know When Someone
is Lying to You
INTERVIEW WITH DECEPTION-DETECTION
SPECIALIST PAMELA MEYER
2. 7 Haunted Event Venues that
are Full of Life
UNIQUE PROPERTIES FOR SPIRITED EXPERIENCES
3. How to Market Yourself (Effectively)
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER PATH AND BRAND
4. State of the Industry
MEETING PROS DISH ABOUT CURRENT AND FUTURE
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES
5. Steering Your Career
BUILDING AND MAINTAING YOUR ONLINE PORTFOLIO
6. Edible Engagement
THE TEAM-BUILDING POWER OF CREATIVE NEW
F&B OPTIONS
7. Creating Space
INCORPORATING PLANNER FEEDBACK IN
VENUE DESIGN
8. Feels So Good
THE VALUE OF WELLNESS ELEMENTS IN YOUR
PROGRAM
9. Rising Up
MEET THE RECIPIENTS OF MPI’S 2015 RISE AWARDS
10. Switching Gears
HOW FOUR INDUSTRY PROS HANDLED MAJOR
CAREER TRANSITIONS
1. Emerging Event-related Job Roles
2. Creating a Deϐinitive Event Checklist
3. One Size Doesn’t Fit All: F&B Trends
for 2016
4. Change Coming for Passports at
Year’s End
5. “Dude Food” and Other F&B
Vegetable Trends
6. Eat This, Avoid That: Attendee
Dietary Restrictions Take Center
Stage
7. Rethinking the Approach to Event
Food & Beverage
8. Hotels Pushing Back Against Unapproved Wi-Fi Hotspots
9. Taking a Deeper Look at the RFP and
Contract Process
10. Writing Favorable Contracts in a
Seller’s Market
Top
visited
e
R
Spot
1. Work/Life Balance Tips from
Industry Pros
2. 5 Steps for Evolving Professionally
3. Breaking the Cycle of Becoming
Obsolete
4. Fighting Against a Stalled Career
5. Rethinking the Role of the Mentor
6. An Improved Resource for Job
Connections
7. The Importance of Knowing What
You Don’t Know
8. Keeping Your Work Schedule in
Check
9. LinkedIn Best Practices for Event
Professionals
10. Want to Fail? Believe These 5 Things
A “mission-critical” $164 million addition was completed this
summer at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia’s Fishtown
neighborhood.
g
Sadly, another new offering in the city of
Pizzeria Vetri’s Il Papa, a pizza honoring
Brotherly Love, Pi
Pope Francis’ visit, was only available during September.
NOVEMBER
Meetings Outlook: “Disruption caused byy
technological innovation” is the leading trend
rend of
concern, cited by 31% of meeting professionals
ionals
SSoo far inn 2015, tthe MPI Foundation has
awarded
scholarships and 33 MPI
awarde
ed 142 sc
Grants—twice as many as in 2014
Chapterr Grants—
November
HALI COOPER
MPI Chicago Chapter
456 meeting professionals
received the HMCC so far in 2015,
including staff from the world’s 25
largest pharmaceutical companies
76 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL DECEMBER 2015
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