The IMEX exhibition’s Future Leaders Forum (FLF) has an important new partner. Alongside the association Meeting Professionals International (MPI), MCI, a world-leading live communication company, is now also supporting the education programme of the global leader exhibition for the congress, meetings, incentive travel and events industry. The global FLF programme is an initiative designed to encourage the best and brightest students to enter the meetings industry as an attractive career opportunity. Top-performing students are given a chance to build up a professional network, find internships and learn about industry trends and developments at education days. To mark the new partnership, the initiative has been renamed the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum and will now be promoted with new branding.
The FLF consists of a series of special events hosted around the globe. In 2012 locations includeHonduras,Korea,China,Australia,PolandandThailand. In 2011 alone 900 students participated in the programme and around 5,100 students have now passed through an FLF since its launch in 2003. 90 percent of them said they were “more likely to enter the industry as a result of attending an IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Forum”.
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, comments: “The Future Leaders Forum is our investment in the future of up-and-coming meeting and event organisers. The support from MCI, in addition to our previous partner MPI, will significantly strengthen our goal to support the development of talent within the industry. Through enhancing students’ understanding of the market we are able to equip them with valuable knowledge to guide them through their career choice and help them to flourish.”
Patrick Delaney, Vice President Industry Relations at MCI, added: “We look forward to working closely with both IMEX and MPI to continue developing events that offer engaging, relevant and valuable content. Our goal is to ensure that young, talented people come away from the event with the knowledge and experience to differentiate them from the crowd in an increasingly competitive jobs market. The initiative offers the mentoring and educational opportunities that will help to secure the future of the industry by producing a new generation of motivated leaders.”
IMEX also recently launched an essay competition inviting students all over the world to contribute a piece of work as part of a new research study commemorating the 10th anniversary of IMEX inFrankfurt. Among other things, the prize includes flights, accommodation and attendance at the Frankfurt Future Leaders Forum this May.
