Join MPI

Join Meeting Professionals International Increases Your Influence

Join MPI

You and your meetings are strategic components of your organization’s success ... that’s the vision of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), a global community of over 21,000 meeting and event professionals. Pathways to Excellence is MPI’s plan designed to elevate you and the role of meetings to new levels of professionalism by:

• Creating professional development levels to evolve member careers to positions of strategic understanding and influence
• Influencing executives’ understanding about the value of meetings
• Intensifying business opportunities for suppliers
• Join this dynamic group to exponentially increase your own internal value with education, leadership development, and business networking at dozens of local chapters worldwide or at major international gatherings and education forums.

Local Community

So, where do you start? Join MPITBA, then maximize your investment by getting involved. At MPITBA, you’ll benefit from:

Leadership – Ensure a lifetime of enriched personal and professional development opportunities by getting involved as a chapter board member, committee chair, or volunteer. Or, move on to international leadership.

Chapter Events and Communication – You can stay in the know about what is happening with colleagues through chapter events and communications. Besides monthly education and networking programs, your chapter will keep you informed with regular e-mails, newsletters, Web sites and more.

Education – MPI chapters provide excellent education for all experience levels, including special “Platinum Series” education programs taught by the industry’s most highly recognized experts.
Recognition – MPI recognizes superior contributions to the association and industry through outstanding events, chapters and individual accomplishments. Take the opportunity to be recognized for your achievements or to work with others to make your chapter an award winner.

Lifetime of Education

Whether you have three or 30 years experience, you can look to MPI for a lifetime of content-rich adult learning. Our 360-degree approach to education is a commitment to deliver knowledge through an array of mediums to varied member touchpoints. You can tap in from your home or office, attend local or regional programs, go to an international conference … or choose points in between. Many offerings focus on Business Skills for Life®, core competencies such as financial management, marketing and leadership development, to enhance the strategic role meeting professionals play within their organizations.

• Chapter Events – Get the local perspective on issues and opportunities, and access education and business networking at the grassroots level.
• Corporate Platinum Series – In the near future, MPI will come to you with a customizable corporate professional development program for meeting planning departments.
• World Education Congress (WEC) – This convention has an extensive group of educational programs focused on global industry trends and best practices, plus much more. The MeetingPlace exhibition showcases exhibitors and services from around the world.
• Institutes – Learn the latest in meeting management with these residential immersion courses in a resort-retreat setting.
• Global Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) – This certification is focused on strategic thinking and executive management skills for meeting professionals with 10+ years experience.

Global Resources

MPI has a wealth of global resources available to you. MPI has members throughout the world available to do business with you, assist in local market research, and help you do business effectively and efficiently.

Communications and Programs
As an added value, you will receive a variety of communications to stay connected to the international meeting industry:

• The Meeting Professional – MPI’s award-winning monthly magazine features comprehensive coverage of MPI members, chapters and the industry.
• MPIWeb (www.mpiweb.org) – MPIWeb provides breaking news, research, career resource information, conference registration, chapter tools, online forums and more to your workplace.
• Community NetNews – Weekly e-newsletter delivering quick-read association and industry updates.
• Meeting Europe and Canadian Communiqué – Quarterly publications tailored to members in these regions.
• FutureWatch –Annual report on trends and business projections from planners and suppliers.
• MPI Store – Online bookstore stocked with resources to assist in your professional and personal growth.
• Multicultural Initiative – This Initiative addresses the needs of, and provides leadership opportunities for, untapped markets (currently African-American, Asian and Hispanic) in the meeting industry. Its about doing business in a changing world where multicultural markets are economically viable.
• MPI Foundation – The MPI Foundation focuses on research, program development and tools to prepare meeting professionals for the future.
• My Groups – MPI's members-only online community is the place to learn, network and share... globally.

Joining MPI will be one of the best personal decisions you make about your professional growth and development. You will find a local community of colleagues who have the same career and business goals as you and you will benefit from a wealth of global resources unlike any others in the industry.

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New MPI Member Categories (effective September 15, 2006)

1.1       Corporate Meeting Professional – a person who is primarily employed by a corporation to plan and/or oversee the strategic and financial management and/or logistics of that corporation’s meetings.  (downloadable brochures will be available soon)

1.2       Association/Non-Profit Meeting Professional – a person who is primarily employed by an association or not-for-profit organization to plan and/or oversee the strategic and financial management and/or logistics of that organization’s meetings. (downloadable brochures will be available soon)

1.3       Government Meeting Professional – a person who is employed by a government agency or public university to plan and/or oversee the strategic and financial management and/or logistics of that government’s meetings. Individuals serving as faculty in a university should join as an Academic Professional.  (downloadable brochures will be available soon)

1.4       Supplier Meeting Professional – a person who provides and/or sells products and services to the meetings industry, such as a destination management, hotelier, audio-visual, florist, transportation, production or convention and visitors bureau company. This classification of membership is not limited to the groups listed.  (downloadable brochures will be available soon)

1.5       Meeting Management Professional – a person who is a sole proprietor of, or is employed or engaged by, a meeting management company. They provide meeting services including strategic and financial management and/or professional meetings management services to multiple clients. The applicant must specify whether their job responsibilities are primarily planning or supplying based on where they spend 51% or more of their time.   (downloadable brochures will be available soon)

Existing Section 1.3, Retired Group; Section 1.4, Student Group; Section 1.5, Faculty Group; and Section 1.6, Life and Honorary Membership, will be renumbered accordingly.

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Join MPI Online

If you want to join the MPI - Tampa Bay Area Chapter, we have made this process very easy.  Simply click the button below to let us know about your interest.  Congratulations for taking this pivotal step toward joining the world's premier association for meeting professionals.  We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.  Once you complete the simple form below, a chapter representative from our Membership department will be in contact with you.

Click Here To Submit Your Interest In Membership

If you would like more information or would like to speak with our Vice President of Membership, Jill Manthey at jmanthey@yachtstarship.com or 813-471-1536.