Matthew Marcial is Senior Director, Events, with MPI (Dallas).
What influenced MPI to select Atlantic City for the 2016 World Education Congress?
There are many reasons. The destination is easily accessible to the Northeast corridor, which has a very high concentration of our members and attendees. Philadelphia International Airport offers many direct flights and we have arranged complimentary ground transportation for all attendees. We are also looking forward to showcasing the new Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Center. Finally, the destination offers great value, along with the many amenities that our attendees have come to expect.
What does “reinvention” mean to MPI, both in designing the event and for Atlantic City itself?
The theme of this year’s WEC is all about reinvention and unconventional thinking. Throughout history, Atlantic City has continued to reinvent itself and is currently experiencing its own transformation. Throughout the WEC design process, my team and I consider how to balance all conference elements with the event theme. Decisions on everything from sourcing speakers and educational content to redesigning our general session experience were made based upon staying true to that “reinvention.”
How do you foresee 2016 WEC contributing to Atlantic City’s ongoing turnaround and transformation?
I am certain that this year’s WEC will have a positive impact on Atlantic City as a meeting and event destination and contribute to its ongoing turnaround and transformation. We have over 1,000 planners in attendance at WEC, many of whom have never experienced the destination from a meetings perspective; they will take away new ideas that they can apply directly to their own events. Our data also shows that 75 percent of attending planners are more likely to book an event with our WEC destination and venues.
