Association Management Company MCI Collaborates with IMEX Group, MPI on Future Leaders Forum
MCI, an association management company, has joined up with the IMEX Group, organizers of worldwide exhibitions for the meetings, events and incentive travel industry, and Meeting Professionals International to support the Future Leaders Forum.
The forum is geared toward attracting students who would like to pursue a future in the meeting industry to take part in education days, networking opportunities and internships.
To mark MCI’s involvement, the initiative has been renamed the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forumand also will be promoted with new branding.
In 2012, future leader forums will take place around the globe, including Honduras, Korea, China, Australia, Poland and Thailand.
Around 900 students participated in the forum last year, and approximately 5,100 students now have gone through the forum since its launch in 2003.
Ninety percent of those surveyed stated they are “more likely to enter the industry as a result of attending the Future Leaders Forum,” according to IMEX Group officials.
“The Future Leaders Forum is our investment in the future of up-and-coming meeting and event organizers,” said Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX Group.
She added, “The support from MCI, in addition to MPI, will significantly strengthen our goal to support the development of talent within the industry. Through enhancing students’ understanding of the market, we are able to equip them with valuable knowledge to guide them through their career choice and help them to flourish.”
Patrick Delaney, vice president industry relations for MCI said, “We look forward to working closely with both IMEX and MPI to continue developing events that offer engaging, relevant and valuable content. Our goal is to ensure that young people come away from the event with the knowledge and experience to differentiate them from the crowd, something particularly valuable in an increasingly competitive jobs market.”
The most recent Future Leaders Forum took place Jan. 29-31 at the MPI European Meetings & Events Conference in Budapest, Hungary.
Students interacted with a former Future Leader Forum participant and MPI Poland Club President Krzysztof Celuch, CMM, CITE, during the MPI & Global Emerging Leaders part of the program.
In addition, students were able to contribute their insight into a unique focus group for a current MPI research initiative into the Future of Meetings.
IMEX also recently launched an essay competition, which invites students all over the world to contribute a piece of work as part of a new research study that commemorates the 10th anniversary of IMEX in Frankfurt.
Among other things, the prize includes flights, accommodation and attendance at the Frankfurt Future Leaders Forum in May.
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