Among the new elements of Meeting Professionals International's upcoming World Education Conference is a four-hour breakout session.
In this age of short attention spans, that might sound like a step backward in agenda planning. In fact, it’s a pretty cool innovation designed to give attendees 10 quick viewpoints from 10 different speakers all in one place. The “Flash Point Idea Assembly” limits each speaker to 15 minutes, with (one hopes) entertaining and pithy results. The new type of session debuts at the WEC, set for July 24–27 in Vancover, British Columbia.
Seven of the 10 Flash Point speakers have been confirmed, including a futurist, a Gen-Y expert, and eco-crusader Ed Begley Jr. Attendees can stay for all 10 or pop in and out.
Also debuting at the WEC is a revised hosted-buyer program. MPI considered its first hosted-buyer outing, at MeetDifferent in Cancun in February, a success, but has made some adjustments for this summer’s event. Planners and suppliers will meet for 10-minute appointments instead of 15 minutes, and their appointments need not take place at the trade show but can be scheduled any time during the entire WEC. According to MPI, 100 hosted buyers will be attending the conference.
Using a half-million-dollar pledge from InterContinental Hotels Group, the MPI Foundation has created a corporate social responsibility measurement tool that will be unveiled at the WEC. “The MPI Foundation has decided that CSR will be one of its main pillars,” said a spokesperson.
Full information about the agenda, registration, and who’s already signed up to attend the July conference is at the MPI Web site. Registration is tracking ahead of last year, with more than 1,200 attendees registered as of late May.