MPI to Deliver Smart Monday Education and Keynotes at IMEX America for Sixth Consecutive Year

DALLAS, July 18, 2016 -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) will return to Las Vegas this fall to deliver educational programming during IMEX America. As the strategic partner and premier education provider for the show, MPI will present the daily keynotes as well as power the Smart Monday program on October 17, 2016. In addition, the MPI Foundation will present its largest fundraising and networking event of the year – Rendezvous, the IMEX America Night.

Smart Monday powered by MPI will feature nearly 30 education sessions covering topics such as crisis planning, medical meetings, contracts, Wi-Fi, strategic communications, and the sharing economy. Education designed for senior-level meeting professionals include the Senior Meeting Executive Group Therapy, Hotel Contracts Boot Camp for Experienced Planners and Legal Tips and Practical Guidelines for Meeting Professionals sessions. The majority of the education sessions are aligned to the CMP International Standards and are eligible for clock hours.

"Our Smart Monday program will have a variety of education sessions designed for meeting professionals at all levels, and this year we added more sessions for mid to senior level planners," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "Over the past few years, MPI has consistently received high satisfaction scores – 90 percent and higher – on education we deliver at our signature events and IMEX America, and our goal is to keep that momentum going."

"We are proud to be working with MPI once again this year to deliver key education on Smart Monday as well as their daily morning keynotes. These sessions have become an integral part of the IMEX America week," said IMEX CEO Carina Bauer. "MPI continues to deliver sessions that are fresh, relevant and impactful on important topics like innovation and personal development. We know that attendees are in for another great week of both business and professional development."

Each morning, MPI will present the following four inspirational keynote speakers during the show.

Monday, October 17

Jonathan Bradshaw – Meetology®: The Fascinating Science Behind Connecting with Others

Bradshaw is founder of the Meetology® Lab and leads the company's team of scientists in collecting and sharing behavioral research on how humans can connect, interact and communicate more effectively. He will discuss how people are wired to connect with each other and present insights and practical tips on how to improve performance by communicating more effectively.

Tuesday, October 18

Jay Samit – Disrupt You! Strategies for Billion Dollar Success in this Era of Endless Innovation

Samit is a serial entrepreneur and digital guru that helped launch eBay, Linkedin and iTunes. He will show how the strategies that help the world's fastest growing companies flourish can be applied at the individual level to achieve success.

Wednesday, October 19

Pablos Holman – Innovate or Die Trying – From the Mind of a World Renown Hacker

Holman is a notorious hacker, inventor, entrepreneur and technology futurist. He will explore what it means to innovate and how to make wild ideas a bit more practical and vice versa.

Thursday, October 20

Tami Evans – Half Full of It - Activating Optimism and Other Hard-Core Soft-Skills

Evans is an author and motivational speaker with a broad professional history that has included working as a university professor, communications specialist, professional actress and fashion designer for Banana Republic. She will share tools to help increase engagement, create communication cohesion, and elevate self-confidence for leadership and a more productive life.

MPI will also present education in its booth once again this year. Attendees are encouraged to stop by to network and learn more about MPI membership and volunteer opportunities.

In addition, the MPI Foundation will present Rendezvous, the IMEX America Night on Wednesday evening, October 19, at Drai's, a lavish indoor and outdoor club located on the rooftop of The Cromwell hotel, which is a Caesars Entertainment property. Funds raised from the signature event are invested in scholarships, grants and pan-industry research – all of which help secure the future success of the meeting and event industry. More details and ticket information will be published soon online.

To learn more about MPI programming at IMEX America, visit www.mpiweb.org/Events/imex-2016/.
 
About MPI

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) 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 more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 24 countries. For additional information or to join, visit www.mpiweb.org.

About the MPI Foundation

The Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Foundation fuels the growth and advancement of MPI members by providing professional development and career opportunities through grants and scholarships. The not-for-profit organization also propels the meeting and event industry forward by funding important and quality research initiatives. For more information, visit www.mpiweb.org/foundation.

CONTACT: Sonya Thorpe Cobb
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