mpi

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has named Darren Temple as its new chief operations officer (COO). Temple previously served as the association’s Chief Business Development Officer leading strategic business development and global sales planning. He will continue to report to MPI president and CEO Paul Van Deventer.


As COO, Temple is charged with driving strategic business plans and execution, established operational excellence, revenue growth and brand consistency throughout MPI. He will manage the Education & Events and Marketing & Communications teams and maintain oversight of the association’s global sales organization. Temple will also continue to lead the MPI Foundation as Executive Vice President, Ex Officio.

“Darren is a strong and seasoned leader. He is well-respected within our industry, and has been an invaluable member of our senior leadership team the past few years,” said Van Deventer. “I am confident Darren will excel as our new COO and look forward to partnering with him further to advance our strategy to increase member value and grow the MPI community.”  

Temple has made significant contributions since joining the MPI Global Team in September 2014 and as a past member of the MPI Board of Directors (2012-2014). His accomplishments include developing a revenue strategy that has resulted in sustained revenue growth, implementing significant process improvements, and driving efforts that increased fundraising for the MPI Foundation by more than 25 percent. Prior to MPI, Temple held leadership positions with Visit Dallas, PSAV Presentation Services and Freeman.

“MPI is in a very strong position, and I am bullish on our future. We have made tremendous strides in expanding our portfolio of education offerings, reimagining our live events, collaborating with industry partners and advocating for our community over the past few years. I am excited about what’s next for MPI and it is truly an honor to serve as this association’s COO,” said Temple.

In addition, MPI has promoted Bernie Schraer to Sr. Vice President, Global Business Development, reporting to Temple. Schraer previously served as Vice President of Revenue & Channel Development. In this new role, he will assume responsibility for the association’s Global Sales Team and continue to manage the Strategic Alliance, Hosted Buyer, Publishing and Plan Your Meetings teams.

Join our newsletter!

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay up-to-date with the latest updates from Kongres Magazine.