This year’s MeetDifferent, which concluded in Cancun Feb. 23, may be the last one, although no official announcement had been made at press time.
Kristen Kouk, MPI’s public relations specialist told Meetings Media via Twitter than MPI “is still evaluating plans.” No hotel or site has been announced for an international conference in February 2011. A decision is expected in the next 30 days.
Some 1,100 attendees gathered in Cancun to network and soak up knowledge at MeetDifferent, held Feb. 20-23 at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort.
The numbers were just “slightly less” than expected, according to Bruce MacMillan, MPI’s president and CEO.
“The hospitality here in Cancun has been off the charts,” MacMillan said. “And we're very pleased that out of the 1,100 attendees, 100 are from here in Mexico.”
Following what MacMillan said is MPI’s intention of taking “meetings outside of the room,” MeetDifferent stayed true to form by unveiling some innovative meeting options, including a Hosted Buyers Program in which planners and suppliers met one-on-one to discuss business during set appointments. If successful, the Hosted Buyer Program will be part of future MPI gatherings. Early indicators are that it has been a success, with more than 1,500 appointments taking place on Monday alone, according to MacMillan.
Instead of the typical trade show in a hotel ballroom, this year’s conference featured the first-ever TradeDifferent, an outdoor evening event during which planners and suppliers met and mingled in a beachfront setting at the resort.
MeetDifferent also showed the increased power of social media, particularly during the keynote session, with trends expert Jeremy Gutsche, author of Exploiting Chaos, who had the crowd tweeting madly. Reflecting the MeetDifferent theme, Gutsche drove home the point that the willingness to be innovative and take risks is the only way to succeed in today’s chaotic, fast-changing environment.
Speaking just before Gutsche, Ann Godi, MPI chairwoman and president of Benchmark 360, delivered a similar message, adding that perception concerns are fading and that planners are focusing on delivering business results at meetings--and communicating those results--as never before.
“Things are improving this year [for meetings], but everything is different,” she said. “We must embrace the changes. It’s all about speaking the language of business. You will see that the language of business is woven throughout this meeting.”
MacMillan and other MPI leaders announced several major investments that will bolster the organization’s commitment to education and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). They include $500,000 from InterContinental Hotels Group that, according to MPI Foundation Chairwoman Margaret Moynihan, will help “MPI to develop a sustainable meeting and event training program and a recognized CSR meeting and event measurement platform for industry professionals everywhere.”
