As meeting and event professionals continue to grapple with the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Event Leadership Institute—the long-time leader in professional development programs for event & meeting professionals—has developed a new online certificate course in partnership with Meeting Professionals International, the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide.
The first six-week Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Certificate course begins on Sept. 1 and is eligible for 20 CMP hours. With curriculum jointly designed by ELI’s and MPI’s education experts, experienced event and meeting practitioners, and industry-leading instructors, the course will provide planners with the strategies, tactics and resources needed to re-think on-site event strategy, design, execution and evaluation.
Participants complete self-paced coursework each week, join weekly live Q&A class meetings to discuss real-time updates, and have access to a peer-based community forum, supplemental handouts and course updates as new information becomes available for one year.
Understanding the tremendous amount of pressure planners are facing to adapt to the continually changing pandemic industry situation, a special live pre-course introduction class on Aug. 25 to provide a forum to start discussing how to move forward with modified in-person events.
The new course is a companion to the Virtual Event and Meeting Management certificate course ELI and MPI launched earlier this year, already with more than 1,200 alumni. Both were designed to address the twin challenges suddenly placed on all event and meeting professionals: how to pivot to virtual successfully, and how to move forward with modified in-person events.
“According to exclusive research ELI and MPI conducted earlier this summer, a whopping 96 percent of in-person event attendees expect organizers and planners to have a clear health policy statement and precautions in place when in-person events resume,” says Michael Granek, ELI president and COO. “We’ve created this course to help planners elevate their strategies to meet the needs of a post-pandemic environment and develop a sustainable model for the future.”
“We’re proud to launch this course with ELI as it directly addresses questions and concerns we hear each day from our members,” says Jessie States, director, MPI Academy, Meeting Professionals International. “We understand the urgency planners face to understand areas impacted most by the pandemic, including risk management and reduction, new venue protocols, contracts and safer event design.”
For more info about the course or to register, visit ELI’s website at https://eventleadershipinstitute.com/pandemic-meeting-event-design-certificate/.
Since 2010, the Event Leadership Institute has provided expertly designed online education, training and professional development programs for event & meeting industry professionals. ELI’s extensive catalog of instructor-led certificate courses, webinars, on-demand video class library and other resources give planners, small teams and large organizations the knowledge, practical insights and skills to succeed professionally and personally. For more info, visit eventleadershipinstitute.com.
Meeting Professionals International is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals, including 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has members in more than 75 countries and 70 chapters and clubs. “When we meet, we change the world.” For more info, visit www.mpi.org.
