Copenhagen/Dallas | Meeting Professionals International (MPI) announced significant details of its new global strategy March 18 at Professional Education Conference-Europe in Copenhagen. Attending the event was HRH Crown Princess Mary of the Kingdom of Denmark, patroness of the conference.

The global strategy, approved by the MPI International Board of Directors in February, has six tenets to be implemented over the next two years:

  • New Professional Education Conferences,
  • More regional offices,
  • CultureActive Tool
  • Web Portals that centralize community knowledge and business opportunities,
  • Trade missions to build relationships and
  • Global Workshop Program.

“The Global Strategy Committee created a vision that positions MPI as a truly global community for our members and sustains its industry leadership role,” said Mary Casey, MPI Global Strategy Committee member and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide vice president of strategic account management.

The first element in the strategy is the launch of a Professional Education Conference-Middle East (PEC-Middle East) in April 2008 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, immediately preceding the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM). PEC-Middle East is expected to be financially self-sustaining in its first year.

“As meeting professionals, our job is to connect people to knowledge, networks and marketplaces,” said Bruce MacMillan, MPI president and CEO. “The expansion of our community will make it more valuable for everyone—more knowledge to access, bigger and more diverse networks of people to tie into, and more marketplaces from which to derive business opportunities.”

“Pursuing its global strategy in Asia later this year, MPI will open an office in Singapore,” added Didier Scaillet, vice president, global development. “A strong presence in the global marketplace will provide a community platform to support our members who have an interest or desire to expand their business into other regions of the world.”

Updates on MPI’s global strategy activation will be released during the MPI World Education Congress July 28-31 in Montréal.

About MPI | Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the leading professional community for the global meetings industry, is committed to delivering success for its more than 22,000 worldwide members through innovative professional development, networking and rich marketplace experiences. Founded in 1972, the Dallas-based organization works in partnership with its 68 chapters and clubs in 20 countries around the world. For more information, visit .

Kathryn Goldstein
972-702-3071
MPI