In the last 12 months, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has raised a record $2.566 million through the MPI Foundation, which will use the funds — the most ever raised by the MPI Foundation in a 12-month period — to advance its goal of bringing "vision and prosperity" to the meetings and events industry, MPI announced yesterday.
"We began the year with an aggressive goal and all agreed it would be an epic achievement to get there," said MPI Foundation Chairman Ken Sanders. "In the end this challenge was met by an even more epic team of leaders like the Council and Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and the MPI Foundation team. The passion behind their collective effort led to the goal being accomplished above and beyond expectations."
MPI Foundation donors contribute in one of two primary areas: thought leadership initiatives, including research, whitepapers, tools and knowledge, and "pioneer" projects, which are projects that make a "lasting impact" on the core areas of meetings and events.
Two donors, in particular, helped MPI reach and surpass its fundraising goals this year: Freeman Audio Visual and Gaylord Entertainment, each of which donated $250,000.
"Investors are not only our clients but also our partners, and thus crucial to the delivery of the research that influences our industry," said MPI Chief Development Officer Didier Scaillet. "Through their investment, companies like Freeman and Gaylord, who are at the forefront of their fields, continue to interface with meeting and event professionals globally by involving them in the future of our industry and providing them with relevant content and education."
Additional investors include: PSAV Presentation Services, Jumeirah Group, Omni Hotel & Resorts and IHG.
The "Business Value of Meetings" research study, funded by an investment from AIBTM, and the Sustainable Event Measurement Tool, funded by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and launched at WEC 2010 as a model for environmental accountability, are two examples of projects produced by the MPI Foundation.
For more information on investor benefits, as well as an overview of the MPI Foundation's thought leadership initiatives and pioneer projects, visit www.mpifoundation.org.