The Convention Industry Council is partnering with the Professional Convention Management Association, the International Association of Conference Centers, and Content Management Corp. to launch CMP International Study Day—an initiative to help meeting professionals study for the upcoming Certified Meeting Professional exam at live events held simultaneously across North America.

CMP International Study Day will be held July 18 at nine IACC-certified conference centers in the U.S. and Canada, including BMO Institute for Learning, Toronto; Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center, Bethesda, Md.; Pacific Palms Resort, Los Angeles; Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco; Renaissance Denver Hotel and Conference Center, Denver; St. Louis Executive Conference Center, St. Louis; Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, Atlanta; Hamilton Park Hotel and Conference Center, Florham Park, N.J.; and Summit Executive Center, Chicago.

The half-day event will begin with an introductory webinar at 11 a.m. (EDT), 10 a.m. (CDT), led by Amanda Cecil, PhD, CMP, professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Janet Sperstad, CMP, program director, Madison Area Technical College; and Glen Ramsborg, PhD, senior director, education at PCMA. After the webinar, participants at each site will convene their own study session, facilitated by a site host and one or two CMP facilitators. However, through PCMA’s online community for CMPs, “CMP Connect,” participants can ask questions of online facilitators and correspond with other participants virtually. “The blended learning approach, utilizing face-to-face and online elements, is the best solution for such a large-scale event,” stated Ramsborg, who came up with the idea, along with Sperstad.

CMP mentors will also be available to answer questions at each of the sites. Current CMPs who would like to serve as mentors are invited to participate at no charge.

The primary purpose, aside from giving candidates an opportunity to study for the exam, is to create connections among participants so that they can help one another prepare. “We are helping to build community among CMP candidates,” added Erin Peschel, CMP, director of marketing at The Conference Center at NorthPointe and IACC representative to the CMP Board of Directors.

“We feel this study program will be hugely beneficial to CMP candidates as they prepare for examination day,” said Keith Sexton-Patrick, chair, CMP Board of Directors. The exam will be held August 9.

The cost for the program, which includes breakfast, refreshment break, and lunch, is $49. Interested participants can find more information at www.pcma.org/CMPstudyday. Registration opens on June 23. Officials hope to make this an annual event.