A new CFO, board member changes, the acquisition of a Canadian event industry show and new certificates and initiatives for MPI Academy, including one for meeting planners using artificial intelligence, were highlights of MPI’s press conference at IMEX America 2023.
Tim Boobar Named CFO
MPI announced that Tim Boobar would become its new CFO. Boobar will assume the position on October 30 and will oversee all financial aspects of MPI, including budgeting, financial planning and ensuring the organization’s fiscal health through developing and executing financial strategies for the group. Meetings and events industry veteran Boobar previously served as CFO of The Expo Group and worked 13 years at Freeman.
“I am excited to join MPI and contribute to an organization that plays such a vital role in our industry,” Boobar said in a press release regarding the appointment. “MPI has a rich history of supporting meeting professionals, and I am eager to work with the team, and their exceptional Board Members to ensure the organization's financial strength and stability as we move forward.”
[Related: MPI Names WEC Destinations Through 2026]
EVENT (Canada) Acquisition
Continuing the expansion of its international reach, MPI announced it is acquiring “the EVENT,” a Canadian event industry show launched by the Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal/Quebec chapters of MPI and founded by Ryan Young, Marie-France Watson and Tim Whalen in 2018.
With the first MPI-branded event set to premiere in 2024, MPI says it hopes to harness its Canadian community and industry insights to place emphasis on innovative approaches, connections and creativity that EVENT has cultivated in the past few years.
[Related: MPI Continues Global Growth at Its First WEC Event in Mexico]
“We are excited to bring ‘the EVENT’ into our MPI portfolio of global signature events,” said Drew Holmgreen, Chief Brand Officer of MPI, in a press release. “Paired with our Canadian chapters and their exceptional leadership, who have driven this experience for a number of years, this acquisition is a testament to MPI’s commitment in creating a strong, global presence for face-to-face professional development.”
New MPI Academy Certificates
MPI also announced new initiatives from its MPI Academy, including the launch of three new certificate programs. These include:
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AI for Events Certificate: MPI Academy announced a partnership with Reposite, an event technology platform, to develop a certificate in artificial intelligence (AI) best practices and how to use AI for the meeting and event industry. Launching in January 2024, this hands-on certificate program will equip meeting professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to harness AI’s potential for designing meaningful and immersive experiences.
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Encore AV Fundamentals Certificate: MPI Academy announced it is partnering with Encore and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education to offer Encore’s internal employee training programs to the MPI community. The training intends to help meeting professionals understand the basics of AV terminology to better communicate with their AV technicians. The on-demand courses will include topics such as audio fundamentals, microphone basics, lighting fundamentals, projection fundamentals, video fundamentals, entertainment rigging and power distribution.
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Event Welfare Champion: MPI plans to partner with The Neu Project and EventWell in 2024 to offer a certificate that helps meeting professionals become welfare champions and become better equipped to identify and respond to signs of distress, provide appropriate support and make a positive impact on the overall attendee experience.
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