Call for Presenters

Meeting Professionals International, Potomac Chapter’s (MPI Potomac) mission is to build a rich global meeting industry community in the Maryland, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia areas. To further this mission, MPI Potomac hosts a regional conference, called ReConEx, to facilitate experiential learning and meaningful connections.

MPI Potomac is an inclusive community of meeting professionals who embrace learning, collaboration and development. The MPI Potomac Chapter strives to consistently reflect the diversity of our members. Thus, all backgrounds, such as, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, and individuals with disabilities must be considered in all education content presented.

Established in 1978, MPI Potomac empowers its members to increase their strategic value with education, networking, and business growth opportunities. It is one of the largest chapters in MPI representing over 600 members in the Washington DC Metropolitan area. Our membership consists of 63% Meeting Professionals (including association/non-profit, corporate, government, and meeting management), 35% are supplier meeting professionals, and the remaining 2% are student members.

ReConEx

MPI Potomac’s ReConEx Conference is our chapter’s premier education event, providing the opportunity for our members to reconnect each year in an innovative and immersive environment. Our goal is to provide a fully experiential immersive event. As meeting professionals, it is our duty and obligation to provide education and experience that meets the needs of our members right now. In that regard, we are looking for presenters that are most interested in providing in-person instruction. This conference needs to provide learning objectives, experiential elements, and opportunities for attendees to truly understand how to do hybrid events safely and successfully. 

ReConEx sessions are to be no more than 60 minutes and should be complete learning experiences with specific outcomes and learning objectives. We will accept proposals from individuals, collectives, and industry partners. Proposals should focus on innovative strategies, tested tools, and best practices based on real world experience. ReConEx is particularly interested in sessions that engage attendees in unique ways that reach beyond the standard presenter/PowerPoint model that will help shape the future of meetings. Session formats may include, but are not limited to:

• Facilitated Discussions - present an issue or trend as a conversation among experts followed by Q&A.
• Case Studies - describe a program or project in-depth, focusing on innovative solutions to clearly defined challenges and their implications for the field.
• Skill-Building and Hands-On Learning Experiences - encourage participants to use professional skills to explore a scenario and to teach and learn new tactics.
• Experiential - introduce participants to a topic or issue through a creative presentation followed by reflection, discussion, and questions.

Please note that submitting a session idea or speaker does not mean that session will be selected for ReConEx. If two session proposals are similar, presenters may be contacted to determine if they will be willing to collaborate on the session. An important note regarding funds: acceptance of your proposal does not obligate MPI Potomac beyond assuring you of a meeting space, audio/visual support, and inclusion in the printed program. ReConEx registration is not waived and MPI Potomac will not reimburse session organizers for expenses. Anyone participating in any capacity in a session must be registered. Organizers are responsible for making these facts clear to persons they invite to participate. A small honorarium may be available for select speakers traveling from outside of the greater DC Metro area.

We invite you to submit a presentation for any of our educational programs. We are very interested in innovative presentation formats including case studies by meeting professionals, panel discussions, and other cutting edge adult learning formats. We welcome all new ideas and encourage forward thinking presentations.

Scoring:

The submissions will be peer-reviewed based on:

• Content
• Session Format, Design, Creativity, Innovation and Delivery
• Expertise and Experience with topic and presenting to a hybrid/virtual audience
• Integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Including consideraton of diverse learning styles)
• Clarity of Message

Social Media:

It is requested by MPI Potomac that contracted speakers provide their social media information to the Chapter for promotional purposes, and that they promote the contracted event on their own channels, in advance. If available, MPI Potomac will also request that contracted speakers provide essays, articles, blogs, etc., for promotion on MPI Potomac's social media channels.

Disclosure:

All submissions must reflect original work and must adequately document any overlap with previously published or simultaneously submitted presentations from any of the authors. If authors have any doubts regarding whether such overlap exists, they should contact the MPI Potomac Board Director for ReConEx prior to submission. If submitting multiple proposals for review, you must fill out this form for each proposed program. Please use the appropriate Proposal Form below and follow the instructions provided.