Dallas, TX, July, 18, 2023: Meeting Professionals International, the world's largest industry association for meeting and event professionals, convened nearly 1,5000 community members June 13-15 during its in-person and digital World Education Congress – the first major industry event of its kind at an all-inclusive resort.

WEC23, which took place at the all-inclusive Barceló Maya campus in the Mexican Caribbean, showcased how business learnings and connections can successfully take place in non-traditional settings, creating an event of many “firsts.” This year’s WEC was the first to be held in Mexico, the first large-scale industry event held at an all-inclusive Mexican resort and the first WEC to feature enhanced programming, boasting five general sessions and four keynotes.

“WEC23 in the Mexican Caribbean was an exciting, celebratory time, full of many ‘firsts’ that were designed to rejuvenate business and personal connections,” said Paul Van Deventer, MPI President and CEO. “We are seeing positive growth within the MPI global membership, in particular in Latin America, and look forward to continually innovating our signature events like WEC and EMEC in ways that recognize our vibrant, diverse membership and embrace the future of our industry.”

Carrying forward MPI’s WEC promise to “refresh” and “embrace change in an ever-changing industry,” participants accessed general sessions and concurrent education across the three-day event. General sessions specifically focused on topics that would connect peers to knowledge and inspiration to help them stay ahead of the curve and continue to grow personally and professionally. Keynote speakers were Elatia Abate, Hamza Khan, Gaby Natale and Pauline Nguyen.

There were over 100 concurrent sessions and local resources were leveraged, including MPI’s Mexican chapters, to source education and events. MPI’s Hosted Buyer program took place a day prior to WEC, with speed networking, a new element of the program, that was an opportunity to bring more planners together.

“WEC was designed to create opportunities for professionals to make new business connections and learn together,” said Rachel Benedick, Chief Revenue Officer “We sought to deliver an experience people expect from the award-winning WEC format – namely, top notch education powered by the MPI Academy and business-building networking through Hosted Buyer and onsite events.”

Evening events continued to carry forward the WEC tradition of providing destination-specific activity that showcase local culture and attractions, while bringing the entire MPI community together in an engaging environment for networking and fun at spectacular local venues:

• June 13, Opening Celebration: Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show
• June 14, President’s Dinner: Hilton Tulum honoring Kitty Ratcliffe and MPI chapter presidents 
• June 15, Rendezvous (Closing Celebration): Barcelo Maya Riviera beach benefitting the MPI Foundation
  

This year’s event was well received among attendees, boasting 91% education satisfaction and 87% overall satisfaction. The Digital Experience saw 86% overall satisfaction featuring live streaming of MPI’s general sessions and its annual membership Business Meeting and Town Hall on LinkedIn.

“We offered our participants a refresh perspective, personally and professionally using formats and educational techniques that focused on social learning, network-building and peer-to-peer engagement,” said Jessie States, vice president of the MPI Academy. "From our pre-conference certificates to our new general session format, we leveraged our relationships with industry leaders and experts to deliver an exceptional learning experience for everyone.”

Throughout the duration of WEC, the MPI Foundation raised over $130,000 through the all new G3 Golf Tournament, President’s Dinner, the annual Silent Auction and Rendezvous. The funds go to support MPI members, chapter grants and industry research.

Future WEC locations and dates will include the following.

• 2024: WEC Louisville, May 21-23
• 2025: WEC St. Louis, June 17-19
• 2026: WEC San Antonio, June 2-4
  

Christa Schelter, MPI Marketing Manager 
communications@mpi.org

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