Meeting Essentials

MPI’s Meeting Essentials offers novice and mid-level meeting and event professionals a way to enhance their skills and competencies. 

The course is aligned with the MBECS (Meeting and Business Events Competency Standards) and represents a foundation of knowledge that every event professional must have to execute and deliver high-quality, relevant meetings. 

Meeting Essentials Outline

Module 1: Determine Stakeholders
Module 2: Outline Objectives & Set Metrics
Module 3: Budget
Module 4: Design
Module 5: Marketing
Module 6: Measure ROI, ROO
Module 7: Professionalism
Module 8: Administration
Module 9: Business Communication
Module 10: People Management

This program is worth 28 CMP-IS Clock Hours in Strategic Domain A: Strategic Planning

Going Local Certificate Program

The Going Local certificate course is designed for meeting planners who intend to meet the needs and desires of their attendees who want to learn more or incorporate elements from the destinations where their meetings take place.  It is ideal for organizations involved in hosting, organizing or planning a meeting or event for themselves or others.  Going Local is applicable to any organizational meeting from board meetings and training sessions to annual conferences and global conventions.

Meetings and Events at Sea

1. Identify the advantages of cruising and hosting events at sea
2. Compare meetings and events at sea to traditional venues
3. Explain the planning process for a meeting or event at sea
4. Describe what to expect before, during, and after your meeting or event at sea

• Have a basic understanding of planning a meeting or event at sea
• Source information and know where to get additional resources for next steps
• Have the tools to match client need with cruise ship experience

At the completion of the 4-hour course, students receive an electronic certificate of completion as well as 4 CMP-IS clock hours.

This course does not have a test and there is not pass/fail. The focus is on education of current meeting and event options at sea.

4 Clock Hours available

Strategic Domain: Meeting or Event Design

Sustainable Meeting Professionals Certificate

Meeting Professionals International is recognized for providing premier education and professional development opportunities to its members and the meeting and event industry at large. Now MPI is proud to bring this commitment to the growing number of organizations within our industry who are making event sustainability a priority by offering the Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate (SMPC).

Every organization is subject to the demand for sustainability in its operations. Organizations that care about their sustainability impact are taking measures to ensure their meeting and event planners implement sustainable practices to reduce the negative impacts and increase the positive impacts. The intensive 3-hour SMPC course provides those who plan, organize and host meetings and events, the education, tools and applicable instruction to immediately begin practicing sustainable meeting planning. The Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate will indicate that the holder is capable of planning an event compliant with ISO 20121 and APEX/ASTM standards and is able to meet the criteria for GRI reporting.

The SMPC course is built around learning and using the Sustainable Meeting Planning Program®, SMPP®. This is the only sustainable meeting planning tool independently certified by iCompli Sustainability, BPA Worldwide, the premier sustainable meeting planning audit firm in the USA for ISO 20121 and APEX/ASTM compliance.

SMPC holders adopting the SMPP® policies and procedures will be able to self-certify that they comply with both the ISO and APEX/ASTM planner standards. And this can be done through the Sustainable Meeting Planning Program (SMPP®) tool.

The Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate is designed for those who make sustainability a priority and wish to improve sustainability in planning meetings and events in accordance with industry standards. It is a perfect fit for organizations involved in hosting, organizing or planning meetings and events for themselves or others. Sustainable planning is applicable to any organizational meeting from board meetings and training sessions to annual conferences and global conventions.

The Sustainable Meeting Planner Certificate, issued with this course, will be an indicator that the holder is capable of planning an event compliant with the Sustainable Meeting Planning Program®, SMPP®. Those businesses that adopt and use the SMPP® are able to self-certify that they comply with industry standards ISO 20121 and APEX/ASTM planner requirements and meet the criteria for GRI reporting.

SMPC PROGRAM DETAILS

This Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate course is designed for those who make sustainability a priority and wish to improve sustainability efforts in planning their meetings and events. It is a perfect fit for organizations involved in hosting, organizing or planning a meeting or event for themselves or others. Sustainable planning is applicable to any organizational meeting from board meetings and training sessions to annual conferences and global conventions.

The Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate course can provide your organization with a set of policies and procedures to plan a sustainable meeting and event. A key benefit of participating in the SMPC course is learning about the comprehensive nature of the SMPP® system. Knowledge of the SMPP system will help you plan sustainable events immediately. It provides education, training and implementation steps to begin planning.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Adopt a comprehensive system of sustainable planning policies and procedures
• Plan an event that meets ISO 20121 and APEX/ASTM sustainability standards
• Plan an event with the required criteria for GRI EOSS reporting
• Demonstrate they are implementing sustainable policies and procedures
• Demonstrate transparency by listing in the SMPP® Directory
• Self-certify to the ISO 20121 standards
• Self-certify to the APEX/ASTM standards
• Meet the criteria for SMPP® 3rd party Certification by iCompli
• Meet the criteria for ISO 20121 3rd party Certification by iCompl.

The SMPC course presents the following educational material from the SMPP® on-line system. The course instructs and prepares students to implement the Sustainable Meeting Planning Program® upon completion of the course.

• Sustainability Policy for Meeting Planning
• Sustainable Meeting Planning Standards: ISO, APEX/ASTM & GRI
• Sustainability Impacts of Meetings and Events
• Sustainable Meeting Planning Guidelines, Goals and Objectives
• Compliance, Measurement and Reporting
• Sustainability checklists and scoring forms
• Organizational Implementation of Sustainable Meeting Planning Program
• Sustainability Purchasing, RFP/Contract Clauses and Data Collection
• Event-Specific Sustainability Requirements and Procedures

In order to receive their certificate and clock hours, students must begin scoring a meeting or event and list it in one of the SMPP® directories as evidence of completing the course requirements. MPI is a CMP Preferred Provider so the course has met the criteria to be pre-approved for CMP certification credit and clock hours will be transmitted to CIC automatically. The SMPC course does not have a test, however, students are expected to read the SMPP® Manual and score one meeting in order to achieve certification. Students using the SMPP® system are authorized to use the SMPP designation behind their names. The SMPC course is built around the Sustainable Meeting Planning Program®, SMPP®. This is the only sustainable meeting planning program independently certified by iCompli Sustainability, BPA Worldwide, the premier sustainable meeting planning audit firm in the USA for ISO 20121 and APEX/ASTM compliance. SMPC holders will be able to obtain the SMPP® Certificate from iCompli upon completing the application and audit.

You will learn to:

• Make better planning decisions to improve the sustainability impacts of your meetings and events.
• Implement the Sustainable Meeting Planning Program® immediately and effectively in your organization.
• Operate your business transparently in hosting and organizing meetings and events.

MPI has partnered with Avila Government Services, Inc. (Avila) to bring you the Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate. Avila is the first company which is third party certified by iCompli BPA Worldwide to the ISO 20121 standards for sustainable meeting planning. The SMPP® system is also endorsed by the Convention Industry Council, which partnered with Avila to provide the SMPP® tool for planners to meet the APEX/ASTM level 1 planner.

3 Clock Hours available

Strategic Domain: Strategic Planning

Venue Sales Certificate Program

Maximize Leads, Change the Way You Sell and Create Proposals that Win!

Meeting professionals have changed the ways they buy, but have you changed the ways you market your venue? It’s not about how you want to sell; it’s about how planners want to buy. Discover what meeting professionals need to hear in order to help them say “yes.” Planners use your sales tools to help them make decisions. Are your tools up to the job? Focus on the three foundational areas of your sales process—your pitch, your positioning and your proposal—and discover how to turn them into big impact, power sales tools that position your venue for more wins.

Module 1: Your Pitch

What can you say in order to get more direct conversations with decision makers? Discover the killer questions to ask in order to uncover what meeting professionals are really buying and what will help them pay your rates. Planners need to go through certain steps in their buying processes in order for them to say “yes,” and you have to get a “yes” at each step in order to convert their business. The pitch is your first step in making that happen.

Module 2: Your Positioning

Discover how to position yourself in the marketplace, and how to stand out and sound different.

Module 3: Your Proposal

Your proposal is the biggest conversion sales tool any company can create. Learn three main areas (proposal structure, content and presentation) to master in order to write proposals that win, and take the focus off your rate.

Delivery: You will receive immediate access to all three modules upon payment. It is on demand and can be accessed at any time from any device via short training videos, case studies, cheat sheets, worksheets and real life examples.

Program participants generally see a return on investment of US$50,000+ within a few months of implementing these steps.

VENUE SALES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM FAQs

Why should I or my company participate in the Venue Sales Certificate program? This certificate will help sales professionals learn consultative selling and align themselves as experts and true partners, rather than suppliers. You will receive direct mentoring and support throughout as you learn to implement the programs key modules.

Competitive advantage by speaking the language of meetings and asking the right questions.

• ion as someone who understands the needs of meeting professionals.
• Recognized leadership by example.
• Ability to immediately implement a new buying experience for clients.

Do I need prior knowledge and experience? Yes. This course is for industry sales professionals who work in venues, convention centers or hotels.

How much time do I have to be away from the office?

You may enjoy flexibility in attending the class. The Venue Sales Certificate program can be completed on-demand over the course of several weeks.

What is the format of the class?

The class will be both self-taught and led by trained and experienced faculty and will include interactive activities.

How do I receive a certificate?

The certificate will be awarded to participants upon completion of the course and post-course requirements.

Are there specific organizations that would benefit from the certificate?

All organizations that have staff who sell meeting space will benefit from this program.

• Hotels
• Convention Centers
• Purpose-built meeting facilities
• Performing arts centers
• Arenas
• Festival grounds
• Museums
• Special event centers

8 Clock Hours available

Strategic Domain: Marketing

Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals - Part 1: Sourcing & Strategy

Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals was designed with the working professional in mind. Whether you have the title "meeting planner" or not, if you plan meetings, this boot camp in the fundamentals will help you get more strategic and feel confident sourcing destinations, vendors and creating your meeting blueprint.

Learner objectives:

• Define meeting goals and SMART objectives
• Identify meeting stakeholders
• Develop a meeting budget
  
• Create a meeting blueprint
  
• Manage the RFP process
  
• Conduct site inspections
  
• Assess potential risks
  
• Select vendors
  
• Develop contracts
  

Course overview:

• Module 1: Define Your Meeting
  
• Module 2: Create a Blueprint
  
• Module 3: Develop the Budget
  
• Module 4: Prepare the Request for Proposal
  
• Module 5: Site Inspections
  
• Module 6: Vendor Selection
  
• Module 7: Contracts
  

This course is worth 3 clock hours in CMP-IS Strategic Domain A: Strategic Planning. After completing this course and evaluation, learners will receive a certificate in Meeting Fundamentals: Sourcing & Strategy.

Part 1 and Part 2 are offered in a package deal here!

Basics Boot Camp was developed in partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals - Part 2: Design & Logistics

Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals was designed with the working professional in mind. Whether you have the title "meeting planner" or not, if you plan meetings, this boot camp in the fundamentals will help you feel more confident making meeting design decisions, managing program schedules and content, selecting speakers, arranging audiovisual and transportation, and executing onsite logistics.

Learner objectives:

• Understand how elements of meeting design help you achieve meeting goals and SMART objectives
  
• Manage speakers and conference content design
  
• Design room sets
  
• Plan menus
  
• Work with audiovisual teams
  
• Design a technical plan
  
• Arrange transportation and attendee movement plans
  
• Oversee pre-con/post-con meetings and onsite logistics
  
• Conduct program evaluations
  
• Communicate success metrics to meeting stakeholders
  

Course overview:

• Module 1: Design Your Meeting
  
• Module 2: Program Content
  
• Module 3: Manage Speakers
  
• Module 4: Plan Food and Beverage
  
• Module 5: Manage Audiovisual and Event Technology
  
• Module 6: Arrange Transportation
  
• Module 7: Supervise Onsite and Post-Event Activities
  

This course is worth 3 clock hours in CMP-IS Strategic Domain G: Meeting or Event Design. After completing this course and evaluation, learners will receive a certificate in Meeting Fundamentals: Design & Logistics.

Part 1 and Part 2 are offered in a package deal here!

Basics Boot Camp was developed in partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).