The OFFICIAL daily publication of MPI’s MeetDifferent 2010
ONSITE
Hall ‘n Quotes
Monday keynote Monica Harrington
said companies shouldn’t be afraid
to take risks. How do you see risk
taking in your business?
“We take risks all the time to improve service to our
clients. We just make sure we are prepared always
with a backup plan in case something goes wrong.”
Carlos Mederos
Moon Palace director
JSAV
“Many people are tightening their belts and dealing
with smaller budgets. We offer design and production
in one company, which is a very new concept, where
we create and produce events. We have to teach
people to do business differently, to take the risk.”
Carvie Gillkin
Sales and marketing director
Fourth Wall Events
“Landry & Kling just took a huge risk by launching
online what we had been doing for years. It can be
very gratifying to take risks. It’s OK if sometimes things
don’t go right.”
Karyn Altman
Vice president of business development
Seasite.com
Learning
Fiestas
Take part in a series
of unconventional
sessions tomorrow
from 3:30-5 p.m./
15.30-17.00. See your
conference guide
for details!
Welcome to
Your Future
Meeting with Success
partners and gain knowledge about current
With more than 1,100 delegates experitechnology solutions and potential venues.
encing MeetDifferent as of today (official
“I’m grateful for the opportunity it
numbers will be released after the conference closes), this year’s event is truly a suc- provided for me to attend MeetDifferent
cess. And one of the best examples of that and hope even more suppliers and planners participate in
success is the Hosted
the future,” said
Buyer Program,
Schultz, a strategic
which has generated
events manager
more than 1,500
for Impact
one-on-one business
Associates.
meetings.
“It is the greatDuring the proest thing MPI
gram, planners rotate
has implemented
among scheduled
“The Hosted Buyer Program is the greatest
appointments with
thing MPI has implemented for the benefit of for the benefit
of both planners
suppliers stationed
both planners and suppliers’ time and ROI.”
and suppliers’
at designated tables.
— Eduardo Chaillo, CMM, CMP
time and ROI,”
Each appointment
said Eduardo
lasts 15 minutes, with
Chaillo, CMM,
a total of five apCMP, director
pointments per day.
of the Mexico
“The first two
Tourism Board’s
days have been
strategic business
great,” said Kristen
unit.
Przano, exhibits manSupplier One
ager for MPI. “The
Smooth Stone created a 15-minute exroom setup makes it easy for navigation,
perience that is memorable and stands
and we’ve been excited and impressed
out.
about how well people have stayed on
“We focus on four areas that are key
schedule. The FaceTime Appointment
Scheduler provided by EliteMeetings.com for our company,” said Bethany Johnson,
associate producer for One Smooth Stone.
powered the entire appointment-setting
process. The technology enabled planners “As planners came by, we put aprons on
them and had them select a paint that
and suppliers to schedule appointments
corresponds to those four focus areas, and
with each other, and was critical to the
then they created spin art. Their pieces are
program’s success.”
delivered to their rooms after they dry.”
Julee Schultz, CMP, says the program
Being able to vet and research beforewas a wonderful opportunity to meet future
hand helps make the program
successful, Johnson says.
“Overall, it was great value
for our money. We’ve been
Don’t miss comedy, music and parodies at lunch
meeting with the right people.”
today with The Water Coolers, a troupe of New
York City performers who will celebrate the crazy,
funny, maddening and yet somehow universally
comforting insanity of every day life. Sponsored
by Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment.
Lunch & Laughs
“I’m fortunate to work in an organization that wants us
to take risks. It was a positive affirmation for me when
Monica Harrington said that failures often lead to the
creation of amazing products.”
Carlos Pelham, CMP
Meetings manager
Solar Energy Industries Association
Tuesday, February 23
See Page 3 to
learn more.
A new era dawns today as the MPI
Foundation joins with Reed Travel
Exhibitions (RTE) trade show AIBTM to demonstrate the business
value of meetings
and events and
provide industry
professionals with
the performance
tools they need to
design, implement
and measure event
portfolios. The Value of Meetings
initiative is introduced today at
MeetDifferent.
This initiative is a culmination
of a broad scope of initiatives that
will focus on studying and understanding the appreciable business
value of meetings, so that community members can go to their
stakeholders, their clients and their
senior execs and demonstrate the
value of face-to-face meetings for
business success.
continued on page 4
The Official Vancouver Olympic Viewing
Lounge was rocking on Sunday night
as fans from the U.S. and Canada
cheered on their respective hockey teams.
Join MPI in the Olympic host city for
the World Education Congress, July 24-27.
General Session
Wherever “they” go, you need to go
elsewhere. Find out why, and learn how
design and differentiation hold powerful
roles in successful business, from 9-10
a.m./09.00-10.00 during the General
Session with Marty Neumeier.
See Page 6 to learn more.
One+ ONSITE
General Session:
Thriving in a
Culture of Risk
Invest time in programs that advance
company objectives and don’t be afraid
to take risks, business strategist Monica
Harrington told a rapt MeetDifferent
audience Monday morning during the
event’s second General Session. But don’t
take chances if your
company’s culture
and resources don’t
support it. And don’t
be afraid to fail.
“I don’t think we
talk about failure
enough, what it’s
like when you’re
going through it,”
Harrington said, as long as you learn
from that failure and apply it to future
products, ideas and services.
Harrington was a communications
director for Microsoft
when it launched
desktop interface
Microsoft Bob, which
resulted in an initial
influx of positive
press followed by
universal panning by
tech critics. Harrington recalled the
backlash in which the pundits appeared
to be in competition to out criticize each
other. Internally, an unusual (to some)
atmosphere was developing. There was
no finger pointing. Everyone had been on
board with the launch—including an enthusiastic Bill Gates.
“We had tried something, and for a variety of reasons, it didn’t work,” Harrington
said. Instead, Microsoft staff examined
the failure and moved forward with an invigorated
approach to new risks,
which led to the launch
of online travel site
Expedia.com (previously
scheduled for CD-ROM
release). It never would
have happened without the
failure of Microsoft Bob.
“When you’re doing something innovative, lots of people will tell you you’re
crazy,” Harrington told the crowd, but
if you take a calculated risk knowing the
passions, backgrounds and
homework of the people
involved, it’s worth the
possibility of failure.
As far as getting the
attention of the C-suite:
The easiest way to get your
voice heard is by advancing the goals of your
business, not your own,
Harrington advised. Work through your
chief marketing officer, make sure your
meetings enhance business strategy and the
C-level will take notice.
General Session:
Building
Foundation
Sunday night’s Rendezvous benefiting
the MPI Foundation raised more than
US$50,000 for the MPI Foundation,
according to Chairwoman Margaret
Moynihan, CMP, who shared the success
with a full house at Monday morning’s General Session. Performances by
Beyonce, Kiss, Madonna and Queen (impersonators) highlighted the IHG-spon-
sored event. Rope acrobatics, a dancing
wait staff and enough confetti drops for
a ticker-tape parade lured attendees to
the dance floor.
Meanwhile, the MPI Foundation collected much-needed funds toward its $2
million goal, which will support industry
research, grants and scholarships—
including a U.S. economic impact study
for meetings and events. In addition to
Rendezvous, the MPI Foundation has
recently received several sizeable donations from the MPI Northern California
Chapter ($30,000), Reed Travel Exhibitions ($250,000 for the Value of Meetings initiative) and IHG ($500,000 for
corporate social responsibility).
The Best
of the Tweets
from Monday
@speakersue in dealing
w/”Dealing w/ Difficult People”
suggest that u never use but
or however. Always start w/Yes
then add ur truth!
—@Panicroom10, 8:21 a.m.,
from UberTwitter
great yoga session this morning- thanks Canada and your
partners
—@TCRAGGGATO, 9:14 a.m.,
from UberTwitter
nugget from both gen sessions
at #md10: crazy idea/gambling
fund worth pursuing
—@marykathleenth, 9:51 a.m.,
from mobile web
Go to your boss with solutions,
not just challenges and you will
be heard.
—@escholes, 9:59 a.m.,
from Twitterrific
Closing Reception:
The Colors
of Mexico
Kick off your work attire, feel the cool
breeze of the Mexican Caribbean and enjoy
the beautiful nights of Cancun just a few
steps from your room tonight from 7-10
p.m./19.00-22.00 at the closing reception.
Come and experience the colors and flavors
that make Mexico one of the world’s top
destinations. From its beautiful turquoise
waters and whitepowder beaches to
its historic colonial
towns and sophisticated cities, you
will be submerged
in the beauty of
Mexico. Stay and dance the night away with
the World Classic Rockers. Casual attire:
shorts, T-shirts, sandals, flip-flops.
Note: Microsoft planners and
marketers don’t bother with this
ROI nonsense.
—@mshap, 10:03 a.m.,
from TweetDeck
What?!?! Microsoft has to collect
information for ROI. They had
the first BS8901 event. That is
based on measurement and
ROI.
—@MtgRevolution, 10:03 a.m.,
from Echofon
Lead Different - “I don’t surround
myself with troublemakers. I
want problem-solvers.”
—@willindc, 11:16 a.m.,
from TweetDeck
Brain hurts again - all for good
reasons
—@WynnEncoreNSM, 11:29 a.m.,
from UberTwitter
Join the discussion
or just follow the latest
news and insights
at MeetDifferent on
Twitter at #MD10.
Lunch
& Laughs
with The Water Coolers
Lunch & Laughs with Las Vegas Meetings
by Harrah’s Entertainment will include a
tasty lunch accompanied by the musical
comedy observations of The Water Coolers,
today from noon-1:15 p.m./12.00-13.15 in
the Universal Ballroom. This Broadway-style
troupe provides non-stop laughs and topical
entertainment that everyone in the meetings
and events industry can relate to. Simply
put, it’s your world . . . but killer funny!
MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23 ONE+ ONSITE
3
One+ ONSITE
Crafts and Cares
IHG Commits to
MPI delegates clipped and pasted with their peers
Monday, creating huge banners celebrating family and
values for children at 11 local ludotecas (toy libraries). The play centers, sponsored by nonprofit Save the
Children, cater to youths ages 6-12 who are “temporarily abandoned” each day while their parents work.
In addition to the posters, volunteers sorted arts and
crafts supplies for the different centers, paid for by
the Cancun CVB and online and onsite MeetDifferent
donations.
According to project volunteer Irma Yeo, CMP,
group and incentives sales manager for Palace Resorts,
these children often end up on the streets or alone at
home. The ludotecas provide safe environments for
more than 1,000 children that stimulate psychomotor
skills and social and intellectual abilities and develop
emotional intelligence.
“The ludotecas offer a home atmosphere with a
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has agreed to
a new five-year, US$500,000 investment in the MPI
Foundation for thought leadership research and the
development of CSR content and standards.
The investment will allow MPI to develop a
sustainable meeting and event-training program and
a recognized CSR
meeting and event
measurement platform. It supports
the development of
a Global Reporting
Initiative and a CSR research agenda that will source
and develop sustainable techniques and educational
content.
“The MPI Foundation is proud of the support
from IHG to drive CSR thought leadership,” said
Margaret Moynihan, chairwoman of the MPI Foundation. “This investment will allow industry professionals to change their old practices by providing
them with the latest CSR principles demonstrating the
positive difference on their businesses.”
IHG has supported the MPI Foundation for years,
and company leaders have long been impressed by
the organization’s products and research, according
to Stephen Powell, senior vice president of worldwide
sales for IHG.
“CSR is a big part of our corporate strategy and
this program fits in perfectly,” Powell said. “David Jerome, senior vice president of corporate responsibility
for IHG, and I look forward to being an active part
of the MPI Foundation team to develop the meeting
industry’s CSR platform.”
CSR Investment
for Save the Children
kitchen and reading rooms where they are taught
about their rights to a name and a home and food as
well as values such as gender equality, ecology and
hygiene,” Yeo said. “The students have been looking
forward to this event. It helps them understand that
the values we are teaching them are universal.”
Attendees said
Rendezvous at
Coco Bongo was
the best in the
event’s history.
The title sponsor
of Rendezvous
was IHG. The VIP
sponsor was the
San Antonio CVB.
Top Security
Beginning
the day with
balance.
Welcome to Your Future
continued from page 1
“Through this alliance, meeting and event professionals will gain access to critical data and resources
to more effectively design, implement and measure the
business value of their meetings. We see our relationship with RTE as a prime driver in highlighting
our commitment to content and thought leadership
around the world,” said Bruce MacMillan, MPI President and CEO.
With recent studies from the U.S. Travel Association, Forbes and MPI, the data exists to back up an
industry that has long tried to prove its ROI. The
Meetings Deliver white paper makes it easy for meeting industry professionals to prove their worth and
the worth of the entire business event sector. Take
these numbers to your boss, your clients and your
CEO, and make the case for events—not just for you
4
and your career, but as a strategic imperative that has
now proven a source of business success.
But that’s not all. MeetDifferent welcomes another
product of this pioneering alliance with AIBTMsponsored research that focuses on the appreciable
business value of meetings through key findings. The
research findings will culminate at AIBTM, June
2011 in Baltimore. The trade show—together with
the signature America Meetings Week—will raise
the profile of the meeting and event industry to the
wider business market and political community across
North America, focusing on the economic contribution which meetings and events make to the economy,
the number of jobs supported and the positive benefits
that effective meetings and events bring to business
development and communication.
ONE+ ONSITE MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23
You may have noticed long customs lines at Cancun
International Airport. You may have also noticed
heightened security in the city. For good reason. The
city is playing host to several Latin American and
Caribbean leaders through Feb. 24 as part of the 2010
Rio Group
Summit. The
congress is being held just 10
minutes from
Moon Palace.
Preeminent
leaders in town
include presidents Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Felipe
Calderón of Mexico, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Lula da Silva of Brazil, Alvaro
Uribe of Colombia and Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay,
to name a few.
Fernando Cervantes Mondragón, groups and conventions director for the Cancun CVB, says the city is
honored to host the Rio Group Summit, a prestigious
congress for the Latin American region.
“There are 20 or more heads of state in Cancun as
we speak, “Cervantes said yesterday. “It is very unusual to have delays in customs and so much security,
but this is a very important conference.”
One+ ONSITE
Schedule
at-a-Glance
General Session Preview:
Viva la Business
Revolution
Tuesday, February 23
Registration
7:30 a.m.-Noon/07.30-12.00
MeetDifferent keynote Marty Neumeier will show you
that wherever “they” go, you need to go elsewhere from
9-10 a.m./09.00-10.00 during today’s General Session.
His simple ideas prove design and differentiation hold
powerful roles in successful business, and they’re yours for
the taking. One+ editor Michael Pinchera asks Neumeier
about his innovative business ideas.
MP: What is design thinking?
MN: Design thinking is a way of apprehending the world
that favors synthesis over analysis. Western thinking favors
analysis, which calls for breaking the whole into its parts
in order to understand how something works. But when
you’re trying to invent something, analysis is a little like
cutting a kitten in half to see why it’s cute.
Whether your goal is cuteness, usefulness or desirability, you need the synthesis that comes from design thinking. The design process is about addressing the whole, not
the parts, to improve how something works by imagining,
prototyping and testing new models in the real world.
When the models start to show promise, you then arrange the parts as necessary to reinforce the purpose of the
model.
The reason this is important to business is that design
can be applied to much more than “toasters and posters.”
It can be applied to operational processes, strategies, business models, brand differentiation and more.
MP: Why is it so important to differentiate yourself,
especially in business?
MN: Customers have too many choices, and they need
help deciding what company, product or service is right for
them. In this situation, me-too companies have a decided
disadvantage. You need to differentiate yourself from the
competition, not in an arbitrary way, but in a way that has
real meaning for your customers.
Global Village
7:30 a.m.-6 p.m./07.30-18.00
Tuesday General Session
speaker Marty Neumeier
Google is not just a search engine, it’s the only search
engine that aims to organize all the world’s information.
The Prius is not just a hybrid car, it’s the only hybrid car
that symbolizes concern for the environment. The meaning
of the car is more important than the practical benefits. The
key concept of differentiation is that you can’t be a leader
by following a leader. You have to strike out on your own.
In other words, when everybody zigs, zag.
MP: Can you take the concept too far?
MN: Sure. You could be so different that your audience
doesn’t have any frame of references, and therefore rejects
you. Or you could be different but not good. It’s important to be both different and good when you’re building a
brand. The reason the Aeron chair was so successful is that
it was not one or the other, but both at the same time.
MP: What tips would you provide for a company just starting to use design thinking?
MN: Don’t settle for the usual response to any important
challenge or decision. Spend more time in the mental gap
between “what is” and “what could be.” Try to invent new
ways of addressing challenges, so you don’t sacrifice one
type of good for another. And remember to zag. There’s
always a better way if you’re willing to resist the usual way.
Session Preview:
Meeting the Critical Challenge
Corporate leaders and travelers estimate a 28 percent drop
in current business should they nix in-person meetings,
according to Oxford Economics. Forbes reports that
84 percent of executives prefer face-to-face meetings over
technology-enabled meetings because the former build
stronger, more meaningful relationships (85 percent). But
6
ONE+ ONSITE MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23
what does the future show for meetings and business
events?
Kevin Olson of One Smooth Stone will find answers to
this and other critical industry questions when he facilitates “What’s Next for the Meeting and Events Industry”
from 1:30-3 p.m./13.30-15.00 today. Panelists will include
Margaret Moynihan of Deloitte, Ken Sanders of Freeman,
Angie Pfeifer of Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
and Richard Harper of Mandalay Bay.
The meeting industry has come a long way in the last
12 months. But the battle is far from over. Get the information you need to survive and thrive during this in-depth
MeetDifferent session, and read One+ article “Meeting the
Critical Challenge” at www.mpioneplus.org.
Ideas Exchange
7:30 a.m.-6 p.m./07.30-18.00
Breakfast on the Beach
Presented by Tourisme Montréal
7:30-8:30 a.m./07.30-08.30
General Session Day 3:
Viva la Business Revolution
9-10 a.m./09.00-10.00
White Space & Ask the Expert
10-10:30 a.m./10.00-10.30
Hosted Buyer Program
Appointments
10:30 a.m.-Noon/10.30-12.00
Knowledge Sessions (computer
labs are an additional fee)
10:30-Noon/10.30-12.00
Lunch & Laughs with
The Water Coolers
Noon-1:15 p.m./12.00-13.15
Knowledge Sessions (computer
labs are an additional fee)
1:30-3 p.m./13.30-15.00
Knowledge Sessions (computer
labs are an additional fee)
3:30-5 p.m./15.30-17.00
Closing Night Reception
7-10 p.m./19.00-22.00
One+ ONSITE
Virtually There
MeetDifferent 2010 Sponsors
Education and inspiration have never been more
important for members of
the meeting industry as the
market surfaces from its
worst economic challenge
since the slump of the 1980s.
Now, you can take MeetDifferent education home with
you with the MPI
Virtual Access Pass.
Re-watch broadcasts of
your favorite sessions (or
catch some of the content you
missed) from the comfort of your home office with just a click of
your mouse.
Attend 15 live webcasts including the OGS, and access more
than 100 classes through video, audio-synchronized PowerPoint
and presentation handouts. The pass also includes access to
social networking tools and OnSite digital dailies. Visit www.
mpimeetdifferent.org.
Diamond Sponsors
Cancun CVB
Freeman
J&S
Moon Palace
Chapter & Verse
Gold Sponsors
Content Management Corp.
Elite Meetings
Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort
Reed Travel Exhibitions
Tourisme Montreal
Silver Sponsors
Blue Sky
Canadian Tourism Commission
Tourism Toronto
Tourism Vancouver
Travel Alberta
Vancouver Convention Center
Centre des Congres de Québec
Ottawa Tourism
Caesars Windsor
Calgary-TELUS Convention Centre
Harrah’s Entertainment
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Intercontinental Hotels Group
Mexico Tourism Board
Showcare
SmartSource
Tradeshow Multimedia Inc.
News from the MPI Community
Find an Expert, Be an Expert
Members looking for guidance or looking to guide need look no
further. The MPI Chicago Area Chapter has launched its new
Subject Matter Expert (SME) program to serve as a resource
database for members. The tool connects those with questions to
those with answers. Chapter members can search the online SME
Catalog for experts in a variety of categories including the CMM
and CMP designations, hotel contracts, marketing and more.
Researching technology vendors that offer RFID-embedded
printing onsite badges? Simply search the online SME Catalog for
experts in the area. Planners can contact suppliers via e-mail or
phone to get advice and direction. It provides for more short-term
feedback in a very specific matter.
Reasons We Meet
Earlier this month, MPI North Florida Chapter members answered the question, “Why are we having this meeting?” Led
in discussion by Daphne Meyers, CMM, attendees uncovered
the real reasons to bring groups together, articulated the business case for meeting and identified key talking points for the
value of events. Meyers asserts that industry professionals must
learn to speak business, as most don’t normally hold official
public relations positions.
Out In the Open
MPI Wisconsin Chapter members will embrace the Open Space
concept with facilitator Terri Breining next month, as attendees discuss the use of meetings as an essential business tool.
Open Space is an emergent trend and dialogic method where
a facilitator convenes from 10 to 2,000+ delegates for participant-driven dialogue. The concept can be used to unite an
entire company to highlight emergent issues and opportunities
before strategic planning, idea generation and resource sharing.
Participants facilitate their own discussions.
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ONE+ ONSITE MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23
Bronze Sponsors
Amstar
AVI – SPL
CTA
Frontera Group
Global Incentive Management DMC
Gran Melia
Hard Rock International
Intermar Incentives
IVI Destination Management Co.
Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa
Loews Hotels
Maritur
Marriott International
ME Cancun
MGM Mirage
Olympus Incentives
Omni Cancun Hotels & Villas/Omni Hotels
Paradisus Riviera Cancun
PC/NAMETAG
PSAV
Swank Audio Visual
Thayer Productions
The Westin Resort & Spa Cancun
Tourism Vancouver
Tropical Incentives
Contributing
3D Destinations
Accor Hospitality
Allied PRA
AM Resorts
Arcaneo Inc.
Aria Resort & Casino
Aruba Convention Bureau
Associated Luxury Hotels International
Atlanta CVB
Atlantic City CVA
Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas
Black Ticket’s Secret Society
Bloomington CVB
Blue Man Group
Bus Bank
Cancun Center Conventions & Exhibitions
Continental Airlines
CVent
Dallas CVB
Davenport Hotel, The & Hotel Lusso
Destination Winnipeg
Detroit Metro CVB
Dynami Group
Exhibitor Media Group
Fairmont Raffles Swissotel Hotels & Resorts
Felcor Lodging Trust
Fort Worth CVB
Freeman AV
Galveston Island CVB
Greater Houston CVB
Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce/CVB
Hilton Worldwide
Hotel Marina El Cid Spa and Beach Resort
House of Blues Orlando
Hutton Hotel
ImageThink
International Group Sales
Kansas City CVB
Krisam
Las Vegas CVA
Louisville CVB
Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus Las Vegas
Madden Media
Mandalay Bay
Maui Jim Sunglasses
MeetingMetrics
MyMobileMeetings
NYC & Co.
Omni Hotels
One Smooth Stone
Orlando CVB
Park City CVB
Pathable
Posadas/Fiesta Americana
PRA Destination Management Las Vegas
Presidente Intercontinental Cozumel
Resort & Spa
Proforma MaKay Print and Promotions
Quick Mobile
Radisson Our Lucaya Resort - Grand
Bahama Island
Reflections Event Photography
Rosen Hotels & Resorts
Royal Caribbean International
Salt Lake CVB
San Antonio CVB
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego CVB
SignUp4
Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau
Snowmass Tourism
Spotme
Starwood Hotels
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau
TBA Global (see Kuoni Destination Management)
The Bahamas Tourist Office
The Bellagio
The Conference Publishers
The Mirage
Toronto CVB
Travel Alberta
Travel Portland
Ungerboeck
Visit Denver, The CVB
XCaret
One+ ONSITE
Word Find
Moon Palace
Facts >>
BUSINESS
CEO
CSR
CUSTOMIZED
DESTINATION
ENVIRONMENT
MARKETING
MEASUREMENT
METRICS
ORGANIZATION
RESEARCH
RESPONSE
ROI
VENUE
Answers on page 14
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ONE+ ONSITE MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23
Recognized as one of the top meeting
resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean,
the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort
features several meeting facilities. The
Universal Ballroom—with 55,850
square feet of flexible meeting space—
has a capacity for up to 5,000 attendees
and the option of 40 breakouts. On the
second floor, another 36,000 square
feet of conference space accommodates up to 3,600. Spacious elegance
dominates the Galactic Ballroom
with unobstructed views for up to
3,000 people, 30-feet ceilings and
permanent staging. A high-tech Board
of Directors room and a business
center help make these conference
facilities suitable for groups and
functions of any size.
Worth a Thousand Words ...
All conference photos by Reflections Photography Inc.,
www.reflections-photo.com.
MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23 ONE+ ONSITE
13
One+ ONSITE
What’s New at MPI
Thoughts + Leaders
Canadian Meetings
One on one with IMEX Chairman Ray Bloom.
Yesterday you announced a significant change in your
expected hosted buyer numbers for IMEX America (Oct.
11-13, 2011, in Las Vegas). What is that going to mean
for the event?
Bloom: It doesn’t shock me completely that there’s been
an increase, but how quickly it’s happened is not what I
anticipated. This increase is occurring because the demand
we’re finding already for participation in the hosted buyer
program is so strong that we see we could easily bring
2,000 hosted buyers—I’m sure the demand is so strong it
could even be more—but nevertheless, 2,000 is the figure
we feel comfortable committing ourselves to at this stage.
So that’s the rationale.
The difference it’s going to make is very significant:
There will be no show in North America that is working
with this model—a hosted buyer program of this scale.
And it’s all about the scale of the program. From our
experience with IMEX in Frankfurt, it’s the hosted buyers
who are so committed and make so many more appointments with the suppliers who are at the show. As an
example, we have 5,000 non-hosted buyers in Frankfurt
who make 1,500 appointments and we have 3,700-plus
hosted buyers who make over 40,000 appointments. So
there’s no comparison.
Do you think the possibility exists for IMEX America to
surpass IMEX in size and scale?
Bloom: I would say one day it could, but we’re anticipating it’s approximately one-third the size of IMEX. That
means, by the numbers, pro rata, per exhibitor, per square
foot there are far more hosted buyers coming to IMEX.
Two thousand against one-third the size in Frankfurt tells
you that the numbers pro rata are much greater, so this is
a major commitment.
What this really is: It’s a major investment and a show
for the entire industry. You’re looking at a significant
number of buyers—hosted particularly but also nonhosted—from the corporate sector, motivational events
and the association sector. So it’s truly an exhibition or
trade show for the entire industry. And we’re thrilled to be
working with MPI as our strategic partners because that
is going to enhance what we’re doing in Las Vegas very,
very significantly, with all that brings with membership
and the educational programs.
Thanks to ImageThink (www.imagethink.net) for their dynamic
graphic representations captured during MeetDifferent sessions.
New data shows that business meetings not
only burgeon a cross-section of industries, they
provide a steady contribution to the Canadian
tax base and GDP, according to an exhaustive
research study released by the MPI Foundation
late last year. The Canadian Economic Impact
Study Update 2007-2008 builds on groundbreaking research from 2006 and provides
an ongoing examination of how the industry
shapes the nation’s economy and workforce.
To wit, meetings and events generated more
than CAD$14 billion in tax revenue and supported more than 550,000 jobs in 2008, and
the industry’s direct, indirect and induced output totaled more than $71 billion. And while
2008 numbers represent a relatively small
decrease from prior years due to the slumping
economy, the research makes clear the value
of meetings to the Canadian economy—a
message crystallized by the industry’s share
of national GDP, which topped 1 percent in
2008. For a full copy of the update, visit www.
mpiweb.org/research.
Certified Professional
MPI played host to the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) exam on site at MeetDifferent
on Saturday in cooperation with the Convention Industry Council (CIC). The collaboration comes just months after MPI pledged to
invest in the CMP program. The CMP is an
important component of MPI’s new Knowledge Plan, which details plans to support the
development needs of industry professionals
through the course of their careers.
With more than 14,000 meeting professionals carrying the designation in 35 countries
and territories, the CMP is the most widely
recognized certification in the meeting sector.
With the industry’s rapid globalization, the
demand for the CMP standard in markets such
as Europe, the Middle East, Africa and AsiaPacific continues to escalate, and the investment by MPI will expand access to the CMP
internationally.
Today’s Word Find Answers
ER
W
MONDAYG’S
S
N
A
M
A
CRYPTO R
e
Hello, C-Suit
IF WE WANT TO GET C-SUITE SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, WE HAVE TO GET INTO THE
GAME NOW. IT HAS TO BE PART OF THE PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS OUTLOOK AND PLAYBOOK THAT
MEETING AND EVENT PROFESSIONALS DEPLOY ON A REGULAR BASIS. —BRUCE MACMILLAN
14
ONE+ ONSITE MeetDifferent 2010 • Tuesday, February 23