January Chapter Meeting
Kick Off 2026 with MPI Heartland at Hotel Indigo Omaha!
Join us on January 22, 2026, as we launch the new year with an inspiring education session featuring globally recognized hospitality strategist and educator Dr. Dipra Jha. In “Elevating the Event Landscape: From Service to Transformative Experience,” Dr. Jha will explore how meeting professionals can move beyond traditional service delivery to create immersive, personalized, and truly memorable event experiences.
Through global case studies and practical takeaways, you'll learn how to leverage design, technology, AI, and innovative servicescape strategies to deliver meaningful impact and “wow” moments for your clients and attendees. Don’t miss this opportunity to start 2026 with fresh ideas, elevated thinking, and powerful insights for the year ahead.
Location: Hotel Indigo, Omaha, NE
Book you room here: $104++/night
Offer closes on January 15th
Parking: Onsite self-parking is available in the surface lot directly adjacent to Hotel Indigo Omaha Downtown on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests must pick up and pay for a parking tag from the front desk at the start of parking and display it in their vehicle. Rates are $8 for up to 4 hours, $15 for up to 8 hours, or $20 per night for overnight parking. Additional city-operated options include metered street parking and a public parking garage across the street from the hotel.
Registration Deadline: January 15th, 2026
Session Topic: Elevating the Event Landscape: From Service to Transformative Experience
As the hospitality industry decisively shifts its focus from mere service delivery to a fully immersive experience paradigm, the mandate for modern meeting planners is clear: strategic innovation and the creation of truly exceptional, memorable events. Curating these next-generation experiences requires mastery of integrated elements, including the strategic deployment of the built environment, seamless integration of technology and AI, intensely creative personalization, intentional exclusivity, and an optimized servicescape.
Attendees of this education session will delve into cutting-edge global case studies and extract actionable insights from real-world examples. Members of the MPI Heartland Chapter will depart with practical, high-impact strategies that empower them to leverage these concepts and deliver "WOW" to their businesses and clients.
Dr. Dipra Jha
Dipra Jha is a Scholarly Associate Professor in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University, holding joint appointments in the School of Hospitality Business Management and the Department of Marketing & International Business. He has served in leadership roles as the Associate Dean for Access and Opportunity - Pedagogy for the Carson College, and as the Assistant Director for the School of Hospitality Business Management.
Before moving to Washington State, he was a faculty member at University of Nebraska – Lincoln. His signature accomplishment at UNL was The Scarlet, a 154-room teaching hotel on Nebraska Innovation Campus built through a public-private partnership.
Professor Jha is recognized as an expert in luxury hospitality and tourism strategy, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of State of Washington Tourism. In 2023, the International Hospitality Institute named him among the "100 Most Influential People in USA Hospitality & Travel." A global scholar and an innovative educator, he is a recipient of multiple awards, including the prestigious Raphael Kavanaugh Champion of Education Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) and the WSU President's Award for Leadership. He has been selected as a member of the Fulbright Specialist Program roster by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and completed a Fulbright Specialist assignment in Vietnam
At WSU, Professor Jha teaches courses in hospitality management, leadership, and international business to undergraduate students as well as for the University's highly ranked Executive MBA and Online MBA programs. He frequently collaborates with communities, government entities, and private sector organizations in the United States and overseas on training, research, and outreach projects.
A passionate advocate for experiential learning and global education, Professor Jha has significant experience developing and leading study abroad programs. He is a Fellow of the International Business Institute at Washington State University, and his global engagement efforts earned him three rare and prestigious Doctor Honoris Causa degrees conferred by universities in Ukraine for his outstanding contributions to transnational teaching and learning through virtual exchange.
EVENT PRICING:
Member: $50
Non Member: $95
Student: $30
First Time Guests: $35
Raffle Tickets: 1 for $7 and 5 for $30
Hotel Indigo
1804 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68102