Van Deventer, a former vice president in the health and wellness division at Walgreens and a former senior director of multinational sales and operations for American Express for 22 years will be responsible for managing MPI’s budget, as well as overseeing all of its membership programs and services, working closely with its board of directors. He will also serve as a liaison to the MPI Foundation.
Successful Meetings recently had the opportunity to speak briefly with Van Deventer and Kevin Hinton, MPI’s chairman and executive vice president of Associated Luxury Hotels International, about the new appointment and MPI’s future goals for continued growth.
SM: Mr. Hinton, can you tell us about the process that was involved in choosing Mr. Van Deventer to lead MPI?
Hinton: “It was a broad search. We used a company that we knew would help us with this , that had a lot of experience in our industry and adjacent industries and had a global reach. We wanted to find someone who could help us with our business around the world, so they cast a very wide net. We talked to folks who were household names in our industry, but also with people who were lesser known. Our focus was finding the best possible leader.
Our strategic planning committee identified some critical factors: We knew we had strong brand and chapter structure, and we knew we needed a new leader to help us build upon our strengths and help us grow our business whether in North America, Europe, or beyond. We needed someone with global experience and someone who is very client- and member-focused. Engagement was really crucial.
All of that stood out to us with Paul. His experience in engaging with people that he worked with but also with clients and members is a really critical part of our business. Also we needed someone who could be a credible leader in the meetings and event industry — someone who really cares about this industry. We know that he has a passion for travel and also for the meetings and events industry. In his role, he needs to help us be a better advocate for the meetings and events industry. We really felt we had the best person with Paul.
SM: Mr. Van Deventer, how did you feel when you found out you were appointed as CEO and what do you hope to accomplish in your new role?
Van Deveter: I can probably talk more about the process than where I’m going at this point. I was approached by a former colleague and I began to speak with several members of the search committee. From day one of this process, I began to understand that passion and commitment that the members of the board and the MPI membership overall had for MPI. I recognize the strength of the brand and the opportunities we have to expand MPI’s reach and advocacy. With my experiences and the passion that I have around the travel industry and the customer focus and the employees, I felt like it would be a great chance for me. With regard to what I intend to do: the beginning is a lot of learning right now. While I have experience in business travel and meetings and events, I want to re-acclimate myself to the industry. I want to spend time with the board members and our membership to develop a strong vision that enhances or builds on what already is a very good strategy in place.
SM: Can either one of you elaborate on that future strategy for MPI?
Hinton: Our strategy is very solid. We spent some time as a board before we launched into a CEO search, thinking about it. Basically, the core of our business is constructed around three pillars — professional development and education that helps meeting planners build their skills; establishing a sense of community — a professional home for meeting planners; and a place where planners can find people to do business with. We need to be a marketplace where people see the opportunities to do business together and they see MPI as a place to go to find what they need. Those are the core missions of our association and they haven’t changed much. That’s what people are looking for. It’s an industry that continues to evolve. There’s always an evolutionary path that we’re on.
One thing that we did uncover during this CEO search and within the past year, and something we want to more effectively cover going forward is advocacy. We want to help our industry find its voice in a way that is important and impactful. That’s not outside the core mission of MPI, but it’s something we intend to find ways to find a more effective way of leading in that area.
I do think that the meetings industry needs more meaningful definition in the marketplace and we need to help people understand what we do and why it’s important. We’re going to help members help tell their story. They expect that from us because we are one of the largest organizations in the country. We want to make sure we address various audiences that are crucial to our success.
More than anything, we just want to provide value to our members. We need to make sure that we are delivering on that. If we can do that, it can help us enhance what were already doing well but also help us advance the industry.