MPI Taps Longtime AMEX Exec for Top Post

Prescription for MPI:  Former Walgreens Exec Named CEO
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has appointed Paul Van Deventer as president and CEO, effective on April 29. In his new post, Van Deventer will oversee a global staff, including MPI offices in Europe and Canada. He will also manage MPI’s operating budget, oversee all membership programs and services and work with MPI’s board of directors to guide the association’s vision. “Our primary focus was to find a high-caliber, globally-minded leader with exceptional communications skills, brand-building experience and the ability to drive incremental growth and engagement. Paul was that person,” said Michael Dominguez, chair of MPI’s CEO search committee and senior vice president of sales at MGM Resorts International.

The new MPI chief executive has long experience in travel, having spent 22 years with American Express. Most recently, Van Deventer served as a vice president in the Health & Wellness Division of Walgreens, where he oversaw revenue generation and client retention for the firm’s employer-focused healthcare solutions. Before that, Van Deventer served as senior director of multinational sales and operations for American Express, where he led a team that managed $8 billion in global corporate card relationships with large multinational customers. In a previous post at AMEX, he led a $350 million global business unit, with responsibility for more than 50 business travel customer service centers, and a meetings/events groups focused on the automotive industry.

Van Deventer said he feels fortunate to be stepping into a strong organization. “I am excited to be returning to my meetings and travel roots to help leverage MPI’s strong brand and vibrant chapter network to invigorate and engage MPI members and expand MPI’s global reach and role as an industry advocate.”

Online Event Attendance Is Up
Meeting attendees increasingly are turning to their screens to engage with organizations, according to a report by the Virtual Edge Institute, which consults on virtual and hybrid meetings. The inaugural Digital Event Benchmark Report details results of a survey of more than 200 event producers. Among its key findings:

•    67% of respondents said online attendance is trending up;
•    50% want to make money with their online event activities;
•    40% hope to leverage online events to drive participation in face-to-face events;
•    35% said average attendees spend more than three hours in online events;
•    Fewer than 25% charge money for live access to online events.
 
Is Your Content Going to Waste?
Event producers are searching for sponsorship opportunities and new ways to earn revenue from content captured during events, but many event producers are failing to promote that content to prospective customers after their events conclude. According to the Digital Event Benchmark Report, 33% of event producers do not have an ongoing marketing strategy to build awareness of on-demand educational content.

“Engaging people using online meeting and event technology has never been more important,” said Michael Doyle, executive director for the Virtual Edge Institute, which produced the report. “You can have the greatest content and experience built out for your online attendees, but if you don’t get the marketing right, it’s all for naught. The report has a section devoted to just this topic.”

PCMA Survey Shows Modest Meetings Growth
Attendance at large meetings in 2012 increased by nearly 4%, according to the recent Meetings Market Survey from the Professional Convention Management Association. The survey of 462 association, independent, and corporate planners, conducted in late 2012, found that planners project an additional 2% growth in attendance at their 2013 annual meetings. As for exhibitors, their numbers rose by 2.5% at respondents’ largest 2012 conventions; they anticipate nearly the same increase in 2013 over 2012.

Vegas Reigns as Top U.S. Host for Trade Shows, Conventions
Las Vegas continues to reign as the leading conventions and trade show host destination in the U.S. According to TradeShow News Network, in 2012 Las Vegas hosted 53 shows that were among the top 250, as ranked by square footage. The Las Vegas Convention Center hosted four of the Top 10 shows, including the country’s largest show, the Consumer Electronics Show. It’s the 19th straight year that Las Vegas has retained the No. 1 ranking.