Meeting Professionals International (MPI) leadership provides a recap of WEC, EMEC, and the past year, discussing future global strategies, innovative programs, partnerships, and the MPI Foundation.
Speakers:
• Paul Van Deventer, President and CEO, MPI
• Rachel Benedick, Chief Revenue Officer, MPI
• Cleo Battle, MPI International Board of Directors Chair and President, Louisville Tourism
• Jennifer Beatty, MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees Chair and Director of Partnerships, TIAC
Moderator:
Drew Holmgreen, Chief Brand Officer, MPI
World Education Congress Recap
World Education Congress (WEC) is the signature annual North American event for Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Now in its 27th year, WEC, which has three times been awarded a top global event by Eventex, typically attracts upwards of 2,500 event industry professionals and has most recently been held in the following locations:
• 2018: Indianapolis, IN
• 2019: Toronto, ON (Canada)
• 2020: Grapevine, TX
• 2021: Las Vegas, NV
• 2022: San Francisco, CA
WEC continues to be sought out by destinations, as it allows each to showcase their venues and ability to deliver top-flight events. The event continues to take transparent, calculated risks to help showcase how event professionals can deliver top-shelf experiences for their participants and businesses, while providing the best possible education and networking opportunities.
In a time of industry resurgence, MPI chose a destination that has shown exciting signs of growth. The MPI community in Mexico has grown 60% since 2019, also welcoming two new chapters (Caribe Mexicano and Colombia) as well as two new clubs (Argentina and Ecuador).
This year’s WEC23, held at the all-inclusive Barcelo resorts in the Mexican Caribbean, showcased how business learnings and connections can successfully take place in non-traditional settings, creating an event of many “firsts.”
WEC23 was the first WEC held in Mexico, the first large-scale industry event held at an all-inclusive Mexican resort and first WEC to feature enhanced programming, boasting five general sessions and four keynotes.
WEC23 had nearly 1,500 total participants with the large majority – close to 1,400 – attending live, in-person along with almost 150 virtually. Of the in-person attendees, more than 600 were event planners and the Latin American community represented over 100 in total. More than 120 planners participated in the hosted buyer program, totaling 2,300 appointments spread across 140 suppliers.
Carrying forward MPI’s WEC promise to “refresh” and “embrace change in an ever-changing industry,” participants accessed general sessions and concurrent education across the three-day event. General sessions specifically focused on topics that would connect peers to knowledge and inspiration to help them stay ahead of the curve and continue to grow personally and professionally.
| Gaby Natale is a global media entrepreneur with a unique story. Owner of the Global Agency, she is the first Hispanic woman to win three consecutive daytime EMMYs and has created TV shows and documentaries that celebrate female empowerment. She inspired the WEC23 audience with her powerful talk: “Utterly Unique You: Breaking Barriers and Redefining Possibility.” |
| Elatia Abate is an entrepreneur, futurist and educator who has held esteemed positions such as global director of talent acquisition for Anheuser-Busch InBev and vice president of human resources for Dow Jones & Company Inc. At WEC23, she discussed strategies to prepare for the rapid transformation ahead in her talk, “The Future of Now: Three Strategies to Prepare in a Period of Accelerated Change.” |
| Hamza Khan is a multi-award-winning marketer, bestselling author and global keynote speaker whose TEDx Talk, “Stop Managing, Start Leading” has been viewed more than two million times. He shared his insights on traversing the road ahead at WEC23 in his keynote, “Human 9000: Navigating the Future of Work with Attunement, Resilience and Creativity.” |
| Pauline Nguyen is an inspiring speaker who escaped war-torn Vietnam as a child before building a successful career in Australia. She is the co-founder of the world’s most-awarded Vietnamese restaurant and author of “The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur.” At WEC23, Nguyen shared her experience and insights in “The Four Essential Ingredients for Evolving Leadership.” |
Evening events continued to carry forward the WEC tradition of providing destination-specific activity that brought the entire MPI community together in an engaging and fun environment for networking and fun at spectacular local venues.
• June 13, Opening Celebration: Xcaret Mexico Espectacular Show
• June 14, President’s Dinner: President’s Dinner at Hilton Tulum honoring Kitty Ratcliffe and MPI Chapter Presidents
• June 15, Closing Celebration: Rendezvous at the Barcelo Maya Riviera beach
Future WEC locations were recently announced, including:
• 2024: WEC Louisville, May 21-23
• 2025: WEC St. Louis, June 17-19
• 2026: WEC San Antonio, June 2-4
For more information visit https://www.mpi.org/foundation.
