MPI recently received criticism from meeting and event planners after announcing a new Meeting Fundamentals certificate program for the “non-traditional planner.” The first course took place at MPI’s Dallas headquarters April 25.
Some planners were concerned that six hours (the length of the course) was not a sufficient amount of time to learn the ins and outs of the industry and that MPI was essentially watering down the CMP certification by offering lower-tier versions of the program in an effort to gain more paying members among its ranks.
However, these views, like any other, are not universal (many industry vets have voiced their support for the program), and MPI says it is keeping a finger on the pulse of its core clientele.
Meetings Today reached out to MPI President and CEO Paul Van Deventer to get his take on what the new effort entails. His remarks follow:
“Part of our mission is to provide education for everyone engaged in our industry, which includes non-titled corporate meeting planners, as well as those exploring event planning as a career,” Van Deventer said. “Our new Meeting Fundamentals course is just one offering on the MPI Professional Development Roadmap, which provides a variety of educational offerings depending on people’s interests and career goals. After attending the course, participants receive a ‘certificate of completion.’ The course does not pretend to be a certification or designation program, but simply covers the basics of meeting planning that both beginner planners and untitled planners, who have been organizing meetings and events as part of their jobs for years, can benefit from.
“It is a continuation of the strategic direction we’ve taken to evolve and transform our association. Some of the negative chatter that arose on social media recently about our new course was unprofessional and also cast a negative light on our industry,” Van Deventer continued. “As a community, we should band together to promote the value of all meeting professionals—not just certain groups—and support educational growth for everyone, which elevates our industry as a whole.”
