Latin America News Q3 2018

22 LATIN AMERICA NEWS / Q3 2018 , MPI Enlists the MPI Mexico Chapter as an Education Partner for Mexico and Spanish- Speaking Countries Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has engaged theMPI Mexico Chapter to serve as an authorized training partner for theMPI Academy, extending the association’s education capabilities inMexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. This partnership is the first of its kind forMPI and will entail the delivery of both in-person and online educational offerings slated for launch in the first half of 2019. The news was announced by Darren Temple, MPI’s chief operations officer, during a keynote presentation at the 25thNational Congress of theMeetings Industry in Zacatecas, Mexico. Earlier this year, MPI and the MPI Mexico Chapter partnered on a research initiative to ascertain educational needs of meeting professionals in Mexico, which led to the development of the new training partnership. The research revealed the need for relevant certificate-based programs delivered locally and in Spanish. In addition, the research highlighted education topics of interest among local meeting professionals, which include strategy and innovation, event design, executive education and event production. “Our new partnership with the MPI Mexico Chapter will be a game-changer in advancing the event planning profession in the region, and we believe it will serve as a successful blueprint for expanding our global reach in other geographies as well,” said Melissa Majors, director of the MPI Academy. “We couldn’t be more delighted to partner with such an incredibly capable and driven team of industry professionals.” “We feel very proud of this agreement with MPI Global and for being the first authorized chapter to serve as a training partner outside the US. This strategic alliance is a great opportunity that will certainly help us achieve our main goals, which are to strengthen the professional capabilities of all meeting industry players in Mexico and to become a vehicle for encouraging greater MPI engagement from our friends throughout Latin America,” said Michel Wohlmuth, president of the MPI Mexico Chapter. “The MPI Mexico community is strong and rapidly growing. Our team at MPI Global is dedicated to fueling this growth and we look forward to partnering with the local chapter to deliver our cutting-edge education and event planning certificate programs,” added Temple. Currently, MPI is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 19 countries.