Meeting Professionals International's 2016 World Education Congress was in full swing in Atlantic City and the destination as well as Harrah's Waterfront Conference Center shined.
"The visibility MPI has brought Atlantic City has been invaluable. It has become an endorsement of sorts," said Jim Wood, CEO of Meet AC.
Altogether, MPI reported 2,000 suppliers and meeting professionals in attendance.
"The conference has been everything we thought it would be and then some," said Michael Massari, senior vice president of national meetings and events, Caesars Entertainment. "We are hearing comments like we can't believe this is Atlantic City and it is amazing what you can do for meetings and events."
According to Paul Van Deventer, MPI's president and CEO, the association is in a particularly strong position, with revenue up for the first time in eight years.
Highlights of the conference thus far have included a performance of industry parodies by the Water Coolers, a keynote discussion with Mike Shea, executive director of South by Southwest, and a presentation by Shiza Shahid, social activist and cofounder of the Malala Fund.
Makiko Yamamoto, the MPI Japan Chapter president, as well as senior vice president and head of Japan event marketing for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, was honored with the 2016 Chair's Award during the opening general session.
"Although the majority of our chapters are in North America, we are a global association," said MPI Chair Fiona Pelhman, pointing out that Yamamoto is the first female chapter leader in Japan. "For over 20 years we have had a chapter in Japan. It's traditional in Japan for older men to chair associations. ...we are very proud of our strong female leaders."