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MPI Shares WEC 2025 Highlights, Announces Strategic Growth and New Offerings at Annual Press Conference

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St. Louis, MO, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the world’s largest meeting and event industry association, hosted its annual press conference today at the World Education Congress (WEC) 2025 in St. Louis, celebrating the success of this year’s signature event and outlining key updates from across the organization.
Speakers included:

Strategic and Business Updates: Paul Van Deventer
MPI President and CEO Paul Van Deventer shared key updates on MPI’s business performance and strategic direction, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to innovation, inclusion, and industry leadership.

Community Growth & Engagement
With more than 13,000 members in the MPI community and nearly 6,500 planner members projected by year-end 2025, MPI’s influence continues to grow. The buying power represented by its members exceeds $26 billion annually. The organization reaches its members through more than 40,000 chapter events, 14,000 MPI Academy class participants, digital platforms, publishing, social channels, and in-person gatherings.

New Global Partnerships
MPI continues to expand its reach in Latin America, and this is the fastest growing region. Over the past five years in Latin America, our community has grown more than 50% and we have 9 chapters and clubs in the region. MPI is partnering with FIEXPO Latin America and WMF Brave Meetings to deliver education and meet-ups.

MPI is pleased to welcome 104 international attendees to WEC, including 59 from Canada, 24 from EMEA and APAC and 21 from Latin America.

Strong Financial Outlook
MPI remains on a solid financial trajectory, showing continued year-over-year improvement. According to MPI’s 7-year consolidated cash and financial trend data, the organization continues to deliver operational excellence and invest in new capabilities while maintaining a balanced budget and financial health. These gains allow MPI to remain agile in responding to the needs of its global community.

Strategic Focus Areas for 2025: Rob Adams
Rob Adams emphasized six strategic focus area guiding MPI’s future. Established by the International Board of Directors during the 2024 board retreat, these priorities aim to drive sustainable growth through revenue and EBITDA efficiency, strengthen member loyalty through community engagement and advance the industry by investing in member education and professional development.

Advancing Social Responsibility
MPI continues to lead the industry in promoting ethical practices and social responsibility. This year’s initiatives include required training for staff and volunteers on anti-human trafficking, anti-harassment, and conflict resolution. MPI also introduced “HEAR:” Help, Equity, Action, Resolution, a support framework that fosters psychological safety for members facing difficult issues. Further efforts include neuroinclusion training in partnership with ASAE and research into workforce development with IMEX Group.

New MPI Leadership
MPI also announced its incoming 2025 leadership:

WEC 2025 St. Louis Recap: Rachel Benedick
This year’s WEC brought together approximately 2,200 registered attendees with 1,900 in person. More than 45% of attendees were meeting planners and 984 first time attendees to WEC. Curated by MPI Academy, WEC attendees had the opportunity to participate in more than 113 educational sessions and 165 speakers and facilitators, attendees earned up to 13 CE hours.
Keynote highlights included:

Evening Events Showcase St. Louis Hospitality
WEC attendees enjoyed one-of-a-kind experiences throughout the city, including:

The digital experience, hosted by The Amani Experience, delivered content to virtual attendees around the globe. It featured livestreamed general sessions, LinkedIn Live interviews, plus more than 30 exclusive interviews with speakers, executives, partners and members. Additionally, 11 featured and general sessions were available for digital attendees on-demand, providing more opportunities for MPI members to take part in meaningful education.
New this year:
WEC attendees were treated to off-site experiences in real-world environments through MPI Learning Journeys. These immersive experiences combine education with a strong sense of place. This is a popular event at MPI European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) and MPI is excited to bring Learning Journeys to WEC attendees. Learning Journeys included:

The St. Louis Legends Series offered an opportunity for WEC attendees to learn from St. Louis thought leaders —from entrepreneurs to creatives—who bring outside-industry insights to inspire cross-sector leadership and innovation

MPI partnered with Bishop-McCann to bring the JOY Index to WEC, an innovative, AI-powered platform that measures real-time attendee engagement using facial analytics and biometric data. With the JOY Index, MPI captured authentic emotional responses during the keynotes, offering a new dimension of insight into what truly resonated with participants. Unlike traditional surveys that rely on memory and subjective recall, the JOY Index tracked physiological responses, including changes in blood flow correlated with joy-related neurochemicals, without collecting any personal data. Over 2,500 attendees had the opportunity to opt in by scanning a QR code and downloading a companion app, which paired with wearable tech and Zenus facial recognition software to anonymously collect engagement data. The JOY Index opens the door to smarter, more meaningful event design.

MPI is engaging with local organizations to direct social sustainability efforts where they’re needed most, from planting trees for carbon offset to tackling food waste through pre- and post-event audits. This includes a robust food waste audit during MPI, in partnership with ReFED, WWF and the U.S. Food Waste Pact. The food waste audit included pre-event training at the venue and an audit during the event with real-time adjustments. We will be using our WEC experience as a case study and developing tools for industry professionals later this year.

MPI unveiled a variety of education options at WEC, including shorter post-lunch “micro-sessions,” deeper dives in the afternoon and Bonfires within the WEC Marketplace, allowing attendees to explore education that fits their needs.

MPI Academy Updates: Rachel Benedick
MPI unveiled several key advancements from the MPI Academy, reflecting MPI’s commitment to leading-edge education, professional development, and industry innovation.
Reimagined Learning Platform
The MPI Academy has launched a new Learning Management System (LMS), designed with a user-generated content framework to empower members to contribute and share knowledge more easily. The new platform also enhances accessibility and interactivity, allowing for more engaging and flexible learning pathways.
Innovative Certificate Programs
To support career growth in an evolving marketplace, MPI introduced a suite of self-paced certificate programs that address emerging industry needs. These include:

CMM Program Relaunch
MPI is relaunching the Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) program with a modernized curriculum that reflects today’s business challenges and learning preferences. This process included:

The updated CMM experience is designed to deliver elevated leadership training and a stronger return on professional development investment.
These updates reflect MPI Academy’s mission to equip meeting and event professionals with the skills and strategies needed to lead in a fast-changing industry. With a focus on innovation, accessibility, and personalization, MPI Academy continues to shape the future of learning in the global events community.
MPI Consulting Officially Launches
MPI also announced the full launch of MPI Consulting, the only consultancy powered by over 13,000 MPI community members. MPI Consulting provides tailored, data-informed solutions for both meeting planners and suppliers, combining MPI’s unparalleled access to industry expertise with a focus on strategic event transformation.

Led by Executive Director Jessie States, MPI Consulting offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to elevate event strategy and participant engagement. For meeting planners, services include live event strategy consulting, customized focus groups, and expert speaker and facilitator sourcing. These services empower organizations to align events with business objectives, uncover attendee insights, and deliver content that resonates.

For event suppliers, such as destinations, venues, and technology companies, MPI Consulting provides facilitated focus groups, customized client surveys, and speaker solutions for customer events, all built to help suppliers better understand planner expectations and enhance value delivery.

Built on MPI’s global network and trusted brand, MPI Consulting stands out as a high-impact, insight-driven solution for any organization looking to optimize its meeting strategy, measure success more meaningfully, and foster authentic connections.

MPI Foundation Updates: Rebecca DeLuca

For more than 40 years, MPI Foundation (MPIF) has been celebrating the power of good in the industry and providing significant contributions to the meeting and event industry. Since its inception in 1984, MPIF has distributed more than $14.6 million to the industry, various chapters, and over 25,000 individual members. Additionally, MPIF has facilitated $115,000 in scholarships for more than 100 attendees to participate in WEC St. Louis, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to supporting industry professionals.

During WEC St. Louis, several fundraising activities are underway to support the foundation’s initiatives. These activities include an MPI-hosted silent auction, a pickleball event hosted by Visit Seattle and Chicken ‘N Pickle, and a live auction at the Presidents Dinner. The highlight of the fundraising efforts is the Rendezvous event, sponsored by Explore St. Louis. Collectively, these events are forecasted to raise more than $200,000, underscoring the community’s strong support for MPIF’s mission and future endeavors.

MPI Events Updates: Rachel Benedick
Upcoming MPI signature events include:

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