WHEN
June 15–18, 2019
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
ATTENDEES
2,500–3,000
Planners at the leadership village, one of the redesigned concepts for WEC 2018
EVENT PREVIEW
MPI WEC 2019 The Meeting Professionals International (MPI) events team did a radical redesign of the World Educational Congress (WEC) experience in 2018 in collaboration with Denmark-based Event Design Collective, and tweaked sections of that design for 2019 with an overarching theme of “Stop Planning Meetings; Start Planning Shared Experiences.” Numbers were tracking higher than usual for the Toronto 2019 WEC gathering and Melinda Burdette, CMP, CMM, HMCC and director events for MPI, says the combination of the destination and the fear of missing out certainly helped with the draw for planners to attend. “We really threw everything against the wall last year and tore it apart, and this year is another shared experience,” Burdette explains. “We’re continuing with short, focused general sessions that are very high energy, with entertainment values mixed in with education. We really feel it’s important to bookend each day, to gather everyone together so that planners will share all they have learned that day with each other.”
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According to Burdette, the 2018 experience “was so different from any other conference [attendees] had ever been to. We’ve mixed it up so that planners can craft whatever experience they want.” Burdette understands who the audience is and the pressure to produce a meeting for meeting planners is understandably daunting. But at the end of the day, Burdette says, “planners have to make the conference work for them; you have to be there for your own professional development.” Business Events Toronto collaborated with partners to host the opening night reception at Ontario Place featuring the tastes of Canada. The closing gala featured a night at REBEL Entertainment Complex at Polson Pier, set against a dramatic summer view of Toronto’s skyline.
MPI WEC 2018 closing event in Indianapolis, Indiana
SHARE THE EXPERIENCE Scan the QR code to see how MPI redesigned WEC for 2019.
PHOTO: SOLIMAN PRODUCTIONS
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