Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has chosen the 2012 recipients of its annual Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Awards, it announced yesterday.
The RISE Awards, which include awards in three categories — individual achievement, community achievement and organizational achievement — are given to meetings industry recipients in recognition of their innovation, global transferability, impact and influence.
This year's RISE Awards — which will be presented on July 29, 2012, during MPI's World Education Congress (WEC) in St. Louis — will be given to the following six recipients:
• Jillian Schroeder, will receive the RISE Award for Young Professional Achievement for her "leadership and encouragement of student involvement in industry-related programs." According to MPI, Schroeder led the way in gaining student participation, helping develop the "MENTOR Me" program and creating the "Student Involvement" webpage for the MPI Wisconsin Chapter.
• Ray Bloom, CMM, chairman of the IMEX Group, will receive the RISE Award for Meeting Industry Leadership for his "lasting impact in changing the way the meetings and events industry conducts business at tradeshows." According to MPI, Bloom pioneered the hosted buyer concept in the 1980s and, with the development and launch of his IBTM trade shows, has "changed the way in which trade shows generate and engage business."
• MPI's Tennessee Chapter will be recognized with the RISE Award for Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas for the "Let MPI Rock Your World Road Trip." Taking place over three days and touring 440 miles of the state's three regions, chapter leaders collaborated with supplier members to host duplicate events for the purpose of advocating its "One State, One Chapter" philosophy. The events incorporated live entertainment with progressive education and business networking opportunities. According to MPI, the impact of these events includes ongoing recruitment, increased attendance at regional events and growing engagement in social media.
• Amanda Cecil, Ph.D., CMP, will receive the RISE Award for Member of the Year for her volunteer leadership in the creation of the Meeting and Business Event Competency Standards (MBECS). Cecil chaired the MPI Body of Knowledge Task Force, which was responsible for creating the MBECS, the first occupational standard for the meeting and event profession, which was adopted by the Convention Industry Council (CIC) to be used in updating the CMP job analysis and exam blueprint.
• MPI's Tampa Bay Area Chapter will be recognized with the RISE Award for Community Achievement in Marketplace Excellence for its "Connections Campaign," implemented in 2010-11 as an avenue for members to share and quantify member-to-member business connections proving the value of MPI. According to MPI, "this ongoing campaign created over 260 connections in its first year with a value of more than $6 million of member-to-member business within the chapter."
• Royal DSM will receive the RISE Award for Organizational Achievement for its "strategic and successful use of meetings and events to launch its new brand identity, 'Bright Science. Brighter Living™.' in February 2011." Specifically, MPI said, the company created the "Bright Launch" event, which took place across the globe and comprised a total of 149 events in two days that successfully helped employees understand the vision and direction of the company and its new brand.
Said Brian Palmer, chair of the RISE Awards Judging Panel, "Each year the RISE Awards offer a glimpse at the possible. MPI articulates what these people and organizations have done in ways that inspire our members and the industry to new heights."