Meeting Professionals International and the Convention Industry Council announced September 24 that they are partnering on the Certified Meeting Professional designation to make it more relevant to today’s planner—upon whom there are increasing demands for proof of a meeting’s effectiveness and return on objectives and investments—and to bring the CMP to a more global level. While 14,000 meeting professionals in 35 countries and territories have earned the designation, a statement from CIC and MPI cites an escalating demand for the CMP standard in markets such as Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific as an important reason for partnering on the designation at this time.

“The goal is to preserve the integrity of the designation, so it is not about radically changing it, but rather to evolve the application and some of the content to better reflect a global meeting industry,” says Didier Scaillet, MPI’s chief development officer. MPI’s role will be to give greater visibility to the new training, application, and testing process through its network of more than 24,000 members in 71 chapters and clubs worldwide, Scaillet adds. “We are also looking at potentially making it computer-based, which would ease the process.”

The CIC, an umbrella organization of 34 meeting organizations, founded the CMP program in 1985 to increase the proficiency of meeting professionals in key components of the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry; recognize and raise industry standards; and, increase the value of these practitioners to their employers and individuals to whom their services are provided.

In the statement, Bruce MacMillan, president and CEO of MPI, said, “Enhancing the relevance and global availability of the CMP program is a critical next step in the ongoing development of the meeting and events industry. As meeting and event professionals face increasing challenges to deliver elevated performance results, MPI believes it is imperative to invest in the future of our professionals and the contribution they make to global business, with the CMP positioned as a major element in our Knowledge Plan.”

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