As a continuation of its commitment to content, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) launched a major research initiative with the assistance of Association Insights to bolster MPI’s Business Value of Meetings campaign.
The announcement of the project and several substantial progress updates were made during MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC). These developments were made possible by an investment in the MPI Foundation by AIBTM, The Americas Meetings & Events Exhibition, a new international tradeshow for the meetings and events industry.
Association Insights will produce a comprehensive research study on meeting and business event performance to be presented by MPI at AIBTM in Baltimore in June 2011 as part of America Meetings Week.
MPI’s progress in the Value of Meetings initiative include 16 educational sessions during 2010 live events, four chapter events featuring the Strategic Value of Meetings & Events presentation, complimentary webinars and five education sessions at WEC 2010.
The selection of Association Insights as the third party researcher coincides with a co-creation session held with WEC delegates.
“This research product will be a culmination of our extensive, multi-tiered approach to studying and understanding the appreciable business value of meetings,” said Vicki Hawarden, MPI vice president of knowledge.
MPI’s Value of Meetings initiative also produced a Meetings Deliver whitepaper and subsequent user guide and PowerPoint for meeting planners. The Meetings Deliver whitepaper proves the effectiveness, and the business value of meetings and events by utilizing newly provided business tools and research. With research from the likes of the U.S. Travel Association, Forbes, the National Business Travel Association, Harvard Business Review and MPI, the data exists to back up an industry that has long strove to prove its return on investment; and now, through Meetings Deliver, that research is compiled into a packaged approach that is easy to access and communicate.
“As an exhibition organizer of major meetings events around the world, we are committed to being at the forefront of driving the growth of businesses around the world,” said Steve Knight, project manager with AIBTM. “This initiative with MPI will provide definitive research that will do exactly that; providing up to date information that will enable the industry to have a better understanding of the value of meetings. WEC is just the starting point of the research initiative culminating at AIBTM June 21-23, 2011 in Baltimore.”
