Meeting Professionals International (MPI), a meeting and event industry association with nearly 20,000 members, partnered with Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) in an effort to help MPI members and non-members with sourcing locations for meetings and events.
MPI incorporated the Destination Finder tool, powered by DMAI’s empowerMINT.com, into its website. Through the Web portal, meeting professionals can quickly research and compare destinations as well as get connected to contacts at destination marketing organizations – also known as convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) – representing destinations, hotels and convention facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“MPI strives to help our members be more successful in their careers and to enhance the value that they provide to their customers,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO, MPI. “Destination Finder, powered by empowerMINT.com, is a great example of the type of value-added resource that MPI members have access to.”
empowerMINT.com’s Destination Finder offers extensive information on destinations and CVBs, including details on meeting facilities, CVB services, news, promotions and maps of hotels and venues. Meeting planners can also use the tool to submit questions directly to CVB sales professionals serving a particular market, and send specific meeting requests and RFPs to one or multiple destinations – all for free.
“The robust database enables me to specify properties to receive my request for proposal, and I receive timely responses from both the CVBs associated with the program and hotels contacted on my behalf,” said Terrie Rickard, co-founder, Voices of Advocacy. “I have found that I can rely on this tool for reaching new as well as familiar destinations for all my program needs. empowerMINT.com saves me time, saves me from making several phone calls, and produces great results.”
empowerMINT.com’s latest features include professionally curated news feeds from each destination incorporated directly into their profile page. The feeds keep meeting planners informed about recent renovations, new hotel or facilities development and other offerings specifically relevant to meeting planning.
“Destination sales professionals have had a long history of working with planners to find the right fit for any size meeting. The sales professionals’ unique position as a free resource with unparalleled local expertise is a tremendous asset for any planner,” said Michael Gehrisch, president and CEO, DMAI. “The newly launched Destination Finder on MPI’s website is just one way of making that expertise widely available and integral to the success of meeting professionals worldwide.”
For more information and to use Destination Finder, visit www.mpiweb.org/destination-finder.
