The Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP), a national association for individuals involved in planning government meetings and for the companies that provide facilities or services to those planners, announced it has awarded its Certified Government Meeting Professional (CGMP) designation to 23 new governments meeting planners, bringing its total CGMP count to 600.
“Education and certification is the primary focus of SGMP,” Rob Coffman, president, SGMP. “Our CGMP designation is a crucial step in the career development of government meetings professional. It is an important way to verify a command of the key elements that comprise successful meeting planning and a commitment to the highest professional standards in the industry.”
Increasing scrutiny of meetings by the federal government has improved interest in the CGMP.
“Our CGMP certification is a key part of the solution in helping establish benchmarks for cost savings and professionalism for government meetings,” said Rob Bergeron, executive director and CEO, SGMP. “Moving forward, SGMP will continue to expand our educational offerings, which will lead to better government meetings. With the increased growth of our CGMP designation, we believe over time that it will become an expectation that all government meeting planners become certified.”
Designed for planners and suppliers, SGMP’s CGMP certification is for those whose work is governed by the rules and regulations of the federal government. Planners must have worked in the meetings industry for a minimum of one year, have a basic understanding of industry terminology and acronyms, and be an SGMP member in good standing for at least six months to be eligible for the certification. The designation, which must be renewed every three years, is given upon successful completion of a three-day course and an exam.
For more information, visit sgmp.org/certification.
