Steal these design concepts, Part I

The MPI Experience team spends months designing WEC. Since MPI cele­brates its 50th anniversary this year, we knew we had to up our game. We partnered with the design team from experiential marketing powerhouse George P. Johnson to craft an even richer experience for all of you. Here are some of our concepts—steal them for your own conferences!

Wellness: Infused throughout

Did you know there are actually Eight Di­mensions of Wellness? Most programs focus only on physical wellness, organizing a fitness run or yoga session as their wellness program. Taking concepts from the MPI Academy’s Event Wellness Certificate program, we’ve infused wellness elements throughout the conference. You will see stretch­ing and fitness opportunities (physical), white space and quiet areas (men­tal and spiritual), career development sessions (career) and mentoring ap­pointments (financial).

Right brain health: White space and play

One of the challenges at confer­ences is over programming, and participants can’t find time to process the learning or just mentally rest. Creating white space or quiet areas gives peo­ple time to refresh their brains, actually increasing knowledge retention. Ad­ditionally, creating areas where people can create or play ignites the right brain—our creative side—also acting like a mental booster shot. Visit our quiet areas or Playground for some brain rejuvenation!

Personalization: Curated Tech Zone

With the expansion of so many event tech platforms in the past few years, we’ve all experienced our share of ge­neric demos. Our WEC Tech Pavilion tailors the experience to your specific needs. A docent will walk you through the Tech Pavilion with a group that is looking for the same solutions as you, taking you to the sponsors that are most relevant. Make the most of your time at WEC and find the solution you need, in less time!

Participation: Smaller and more session styles to choose from

We learned from the past few years that collaboration and networking are some of the most important elements of a conference. To facilitate this connection, we created a wider variety of educational formats and prioritized participation over simply presenting. Throughout WEC you’ll find smaller sessions, giving you more opportunity to choose additional topics you’re interested in and make the connections that matter most to you.

Participation: Student-powered debates

We’re embracing more diversity of thought by having the next generation of event professionals lead us in discussions around the hottest topics facing our industry. The Cal Poly Inno­vation Lab sponsored by George P. Johnson features students from its Expe­rience Industry Management program, engaging panels around two topics: the war for talent and embracing attendee-facing event tech.