IACC and Meeting Professionals International Form Global Alliance

IACC and Meeting Professionals International Form Global Alliance

CHICAGO and DALLAS, April, 2017 – IACC, the only association to certify conference and meetings-focused venues on a global basis, and Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the leading global association for meeting professionals, have announced a five-year global partnership for the mutual benefit of their members. The two associations will share event and learning platforms, including education delivered at annual conferences, regional events, and online as well as research initiatives.

In the last year IACC has delivered education at European and US MPI events, including more recently at the Southern California Chapter Conference and MPI Philadelphia Area Chapter Education Institute, and the two associations are exploring opportunities for additional MPI chapter events. In addition, MPI presented two workshops at the IACC-Americas Connect conference this week in Los Angeles.

IACC’s CEO Mark Cooper commented, “The leadership teams at MPI and IACC have been collaborating on several successful initiatives over the last two years and now seems the perfect time to bring all this great work together under one strategy to allow us to seize more opportunities and provide more for our respective members. Just as MPI is passionate about designing great meeting experiences, IACC is passionate about venues delivering an exceptional meetings experience. It’s the perfect marriage”.

One new project slated to roll out in 2017 will entail MPI conferences streamed live to IACC venues, where MPI members can come together, learn and experience valuable networking. The venues will all be IACC certified and capable of delivering a quality event with live streaming of content, supported by IACC member staff. MPI’s 2017 World Education Congress (WEC), which takes place June 19-22 in Las Vegas, will be the first conference featured.

“One of our top priorities at MPI is to continuously enrich our portfolio of professional development offerings and this collaboration with IACC will certainly help us deliver more value to our membership community,” said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. “We are especially excited about the opportunity to live stream WEC to members that are unable to make it to the conference this year and in an environment, that encompasses peer-to-peer engagement and networking.”

MPI will also take part in the next phase of the IACC Meeting Room of the Future™ research project, which aims to transform the meeting experience through a global collaboration of leaders in conference and meeting space design, technology, hospitality, delegate collaboration, experience and conference management. The first phase surveyed meeting planners, including MPI planner members, and was published in 2016, and the second phase will focus on the venue buyer community and look to draw parallels with the initial research.

The results will be unveiled at MPI’s WEC 2017 this June, with IACC conducting a Research Showcase at the conference. A full copy of the initial report and infographic can be downloaded from the IACC website here.

Alex Cabañas, IACC president and CEO of BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, comments, “This is the perfect project to use as an example of the power of the alliance, as it combines venue innovation and entrepreneurialism with the expertise of meeting industry professionals”.

Education, Education and More Education
With IACC leading the field in representing the top one percent of small-to-mid-size meetings-focused venues in 25 countries over four continents and MPI representing the largest community of meeting professionals worldwide, this alliance is a natural one and comes following many years of working together.

This is an era where the industry sees a significant increase in the number of part-time meeting planners, who with busy jobs look at professional development a little differently. IACC certified venues, which host smaller conferences and meetings, has a large number of part-time planners booking space and one objective of this alliance is to provide relevant education to this important group.

Additionally, IACC venues consist of many individ

 

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Sharing Ideas That Matter – IACC Americas Reinvents Its Annual Meeting

Sharing Ideas That Matter – IACC Americas Reinvents Its Annual Meeting

IACC-Americas Connect is First of Innovative Multi-Venue Conferences That Are Shorter, More Affordable and Designed to Drive Meaningful Change

New York, November 2015 – In its 35th year, the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) is reinventing its annual meeting with an array of new learning formats and a theme of “Sharing Ideas That Matter.” Renamed IACC-Americas Connect, the former IACC Americas Annual Meeting will be held in New York City from April 19-20, 2016. The event will feature multiple venues, top speakers, a shorter timeframe and a wide choice of lodging accommodations in the city. Networking events and highly focused workshops have been designed to attract new attendees, share global meetings experiences and address issues facing the industry. The event will be held at different New York City locations, including Convene Midtown East, Pier 60 and locations around Chelsea Market.

IACC-Americas Connect is the first of a new breed of IACC conferences purpose-designed to drive real and meaningful change in the meetings industry, according to IACC CEO Mark Cooper. “IACC’s mission is to connect people, sharing meaningful ideas and enabling positive change,” Cooper says. “We have created an event that is educational, affordable and focused on the most innovative and effective trends in the industry.” IACC tested this model with great success at its European-members event in Milan, Italy, this past October.

“New York is the perfect place to launch this revolutionary project,” Cooper asserts. A goal of the event is to offer different venue experiences, as these are one of the most important take-aways for our members who attend. We are delighted to include Convene Midtown East in our venue line up.”

IACC Members have indicated a preference for shorter, more impactful conferences with good accessibility, affordable registration and dynamic collaborative learning opportunities. To make the conference effective and affordable, the time has been shortened to two days and IACC members can attend for one day or for the entire event.

In another break from tradition, members can stay at the accommodation of their choice. “There is no obligation to stay at recommended hotels.” TJ Fimmano, IACC-Americas president says. “New York offers a wide choice of accommodations and price points.” Pre-conference tours and culinary experiences in the Big Apple will also be part of the line-up.

IACC expects many delegates to combine IACC-Americas Connect with business meetings and client contacts, adding further value to their conference investment. “We want our members to make the most from their attendance next year, including coming together and exploring ways to shape the industry and deliver innovative meetings experiences,” says Jason MacEachen, chair of the planning committee, noting that IACC created this new paradigm to encourage junior managers to attend.

The introduction of new exciting meeting environments and embracing the changing way people want to meet is one of the main themes, which April’s event will carry. “Our members come together to address challenges and create opportunities in a very open way. The mantra, ‘Together we are Stronger’ describes IACC’s members perfectly!” Cooper points out. “Today’s conferences should not only deliver education but also encourage exchanges that produce real workable solutions.”

IACC will also continue its successful partnership with host-city universities. Working with NYU School of Professional Studies, Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, IACC will give scholarships that enable students to attend as well as contribute to the Conference Planning Committee.

“If you are passionate about meetings and want to be surrounded by the best in the meetings business, don’t miss this event!” says Alex Cabañas, recently-elected president of IACC and the CEO of Benchmark Hospitality International. “IACC-Americas Connect will break the mold this year introducing new concepts and innovations while remaining true to the benefits of networking and education which have been a part of IACC since inception. The industry is changing at a rapid pace – you must ask yourself, are you changing fast enough to stay relevant? At IACC, we are, so come join us!”