Not for Clock Hour Credit 

Join Puzzle Break for a live-action escape-the-room experience and unlock a series of clues and puzzles using wits and teamwork to escape in just 45 minutes. Then, debrief on what makes a great team-building experience and what can set your engagement apart from the typical—and often uncomfortable—all-staff activities.

Learner Outcomes:

• Unlock the clues and escape the room while networking with your peers.
• Experiment with an escape room activity.
• Learn what creates a memorable team-building experience.

1 Clock Hour | Domain I: Marketing 

Social Media for your business and events is no longer an option. Whether it's tweeting, live streaming, or snapping (if you don't know these terms this is a required session for you) everybody is getting in on it. It's hard to know what social media trends are just a flash in the pan and what has staying power. During this session we will analyze the data and you will learn what's new, what's hot, and what trends you need to know about for your event?

Learner Outcomes:

• Analyze current social media trends that will influence the way you engage your attendees online.
• Discover social media best practices you can implement immediately based on current trends.
• Demonstrate knowledge of current social media trends to your event's stakeholders and decision-makers.

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning

Share best practices and problem solve beyond the basics on current issues relevant to senior meeting planners. Conversation will be focused around more advanced challenges and applications. Participants will choose from a variety of topics and engage with those most relevant to them. Senior meeting planners also include:

• Senior Planner Strategists
• Academy Senior Planners (aligning with the MPI Academy)
• Executive Meeting Directors
• Executive Meeting Planners
• Executive Director of Meetings

Learner Outcomes will be dependent on the topics and the degree to which participants engage in the discussion.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management 

Risk management continues to be a hot topic in the events industry, but the focus is always on reacting to a catastrophe or disaster. While catastrophes and disasters are horrific, they are the responsibility of governments not event professionals. There is very little information on how to understand, and create, risk management plans. In this session you will get the chance to apply the Robson Risk Management Model to real events. You’ll walk away with an understanding of risk management and with an approach to creating a personalized risk management plan.

Learner Outcomes:

• Learning to identify resources that can be used for risk management.
• Get hands on experience applying the Robson Risk Management Model to events.
• Learn how to effectively identify, assess, and apply strategies for a variety of risks.

1.25 Clock Hours | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design 

Michael Cerbelli’s: The Hot List™ is the definition of inspiration. It exists to provide not only the urge, but the ability to accomplish creative greatness. This incredible presentation has become a ‘can’t miss’ annual event in and of itself. In The Hot List™, Michael takes the hottest, newest and most inspiring event and entertainment insights and showcases them for the producers in a breathtaking, head-spinning romp. A word of advice; have your espresso ‘on board’ and don’t blink, you might miss something!

With The Hot List™, Michael identifies fresh trends in the ever-changing marketplace and showcases acts and innovations for enhanced experiential marketing. It’s more than education in the direction of event production, it is Michael’s way of giving back to the industry which has given him so much.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management 

Although performance clauses like attrition and cancellation are challenging, it is sometimes the other clauses that create the biggest challenges. And beware to the group that overlooks them! Addressing issues like indemnification, construction and remodeling, conflicting in-house groups, surcharges and fees, assignment, and more, this session will help prepare you for trends that are affecting meetings and, by extension, meeting contracts.

Learner Outcomes:

• Know what to ask for and how to deal with pending construction and remodeling that may not have been on the radar at the time of contracting.
• Assess the effects of the current environment on contract negotiations—including everything from drone photography to the latest surcharges and fees being levied by hotels.
• Learn how to address in the contract the environmental and altruistic issues of concern to the meeting organizer and its attendees.

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design 

There are some really cool science-based strategies we can use to make our meetings more meaningful, magical, and memorable. In this highly interactive, fun, example-filled session you will learn about specific tools, tactics, and technologies for stimulating senses, stirring-up emotions, and activating brains to fall in love with your brand. You will learn the basics about how the human brain works, how our attention is activated, and what role our senses play in creating emotions. As a result, you will understand how to craft novel, multi-sensory, emotionally-diverse 360˙ experiences that will be much more attention grabbing than typical meetings.

There is a science and pattern to how human beings remember things (from working memory to short and long-term memory), knowing more about this process will allow you to utilize specific strategies to craft unforgettable moments in your meetings and events. After learning how other industry professionals are taking advantage of these neurological sensory activation strategies, you will leave armed and inspired to implement this knowledge to design future events which will leave a positive lasting impression on your target audience.

After learning how various industry professionals are taking advantage of these neurological sensory activation strategies, the participants will leave armed and inspired to implement this knowledge to design their next events to leave a positive lasting impression on their target audience.

Learner Outcomes:

• Participants will learn the basics about how the human brain works, how our attention is activated, and what role our senses play in creating emotions.
• Participants will understand the science and pattern to how human beings remember things which enable them to deploy strategies to craft unforgettable moments in their meetings and events.
• Participants will discover how industry professionals are applying these neurological sensory activation strategies knowledge to design their events to leave a positive lasting impression on their audience.

1 Clock Hour | Domain F: Stakeholder Management 

As a meeting planner you are constantly negotiating with and influencing your clients. Learn how to nurture these business relationships and the approach you take with negotiations. It will determine whether you have loyal, long term clients or whether they will look elsewhere for their next solution.

Learner Outcomes:

• Participants should be able to: demonstrate an important negotiation and/or sales principle as it applies to a meeting planner situation and identify ways that non-verbal communication can assist as they sell, negotiate, and work with clients.
• Participants should be able to: Recognize the importance of using stories to connect with and sell to meeting planner clients. Feel inspired to be better people, recognizing that the little things make a big difference in life.
• Participants should be able to: Identify a principle or technique to get past gatekeepers and connect with the decision maker in organizations and recognize how this may apply to meeting planner sales.

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning

Do you ever feel you are in the Goldilocks syndrome? Do you feel you are providing: too much, too little, or just the right amount of information in your response to your client’s Request for Proposal (RFP)? Do you suspect you are unable to make a compelling sales pitch via digital responses required for the eRFP process? During this session, suppliers will have the opportunity to step inside the mind of meetings planners in order to understand their decision making process when evaluating your meeting RFP responses. Once you are aware of some of the less obvious criteria utilized for evaluating proposals, you will be better prepared to understand the “why” behind your potential client’s needs. As a result, you will be able to customize your RFP response in order to improve your odds of winning the business.

Learner Outcomes:

• Ensure that you are sending the planners the responses they need.
• Learn how to differentiate your response from others.
• Discover questions to ask that can shift a potential decline to a signed contract.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management 

Business travel can be aggravating, stressful and potentially dangerous. Constant flight delays, security challenges, changes in time zones and climates play havoc with body and mind. With changes in diet, poor eating habits, little exercise, changes in sleep patterns and a grueling pace, you risk the potential for illness and careless behavior. Not only is this true for business travel, but also for group and incentive travel you company may sponsor. Proper training in travel safety helps you and your organization mitigate liability.

In most cases it is the legal responsibility of the organization to provide “Duty of Care” to ensure the safety of their travelers. Organizations need to safeguard personnel and/or customers when traveling by providing detailed safety information, education, and training.

Learner Outcomes:

• Avoiding traps that can ruin a program, result in a jail sentence, cause injury or worse; death.
• Thief avoidance - it's more than just your luggage! How to protect yourself and your belongings.
• Building your network and resources - know who to trust at your destination.
• Danger signs - awareness of your surroundings is your best defense