Closing out the year, MPI’s EVENTalks podcast is joined by two planners—Laura Kesselman and Molly Marsh—for an informed and fun conversation, looking back at the year that was and exploring expectations and hopes for 2024.

MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter's 50th anniversary

Nov 14th, 2023 27m 58s

The Haunted Episode

Oct 19th, 2023 44m 21s

Exploring the intersection of events and the paranormal through four interviews.

Food and Beverage Pros Dish on Trends in the Event Industry

Sep 14th, 2023 37m 37s

Tracy Stuckrath and Chef Murray Hall join EVENTalks in conversation about event food and beverage trends with a keen eye on sustainability, inclusivity and flavorful mocktails.

Sanctioned Discrimination and the Meeting Industry’s Future

Aug 15th, 2023 32m 3s

In light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision (303 Creative v. Elenis), MPI members Janet Sperstad and John Ehlenfeldt discuss the immediate and growing threat posed by sanctioned discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and what this mea

Make the Most of Your Host Destination

Nov 30th, 2022 14m 59s

The importance of planners working with DMOs early in an RFP process and expansions and new concepts for meetings and events in Palm Springs, Calif., are discussed in the latest episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by Visit Greater P

The Current Event Landscape and Where We Go from Here

Nov 15th, 2022 27m 59s

The current landscape of events, what to focus on for the year ahead, how to drive engagement and different approaches to sponsorship are discussed in the latest episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast. Join leaders of E-180 and Showcare for an en

Harnessing the Power of Purpose-Driven Events

Jun 15th, 2022 22m 36s

DMOs can help empower planners and support the purpose of organizations’ events, according to David Whitaker, president and CEO of the Greater Miami CVB, in this episode of MPI’s EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by the Greater Miami CVB. Whitaker a

What Gender Equity Truly Means

Mar 24th, 2022 27m 25s

Women make up half the travel and tourism workforce, but less than 20 percent of C-suite positions. In this episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, we discuss unconscious bias, why the same old thi

Tech Hub Miami Stays “Two Steps Ahead” for Meetings and Events

Mar 14th, 2022 18m 57s

From its status as a tech hub leading in digital currency to its international business community with particularly strong ties to Latin America, Miami is having a moment. In this episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by the Greater M

Hybrid Events and the Future of Digital Experiences Overall

Dec 2nd, 2021 29m 56s

Building Confidence and Getting Back to Group Business

Nov 29th, 2021 46m 29s

In the latest episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by Hilton, we discuss the recovery of business and group travel, the importance of managing expectations with meeting planners and the outlook for 2022 and beyond. We’re joined by Hi

The Current and Future State of The Meeting Industry

Nov 4th, 2021 39m 14s

The recovery of the meeting industry is dependent upon communicating the message that in-person events are safe. Hear Ben Erwin, president and CEO of Encore, and Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI, discuss Encore’s “We Met There” campa

Podcast: The true meaning, beauty and power of diversity

Oct 5th, 2021 34m 3s

In this episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by Huntington Beach, we celebrate Global Diversity Awareness Month and discuss the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the meeting industry with John Ehlenfeldt and Omark Holmes fr

The Shift in Event Attendee Expectations

Aug 18th, 2021 23m 55s

In this episode of the MPI EVENTalks podcast, sponsored by Marriott International, we discuss pandemic-driven changes in learning formats, event design and engagement with Kathy Mouw, vice president of global sales, U.S. and Canada, for Marriot

GMID Day - Making The Future

May 24th, 2021 2m 34s

Increased Optimism for Recovery in Business Meetings and Travel

Feb 16th, 2021 28m 21s

We discuss optimism for meetings and travel returning to destinations like Puerto Rico and industry recovery as a whole as we move through 2021. This discussion features Jessie States, MPI Academy, and Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico.

An Insider's Look at MPI's WEC Hybrid Event

Feb 11th, 2021 1h 8m

As event planners and marketers are starting to realize, hybrid events are an entirely new event type that requires a different planning process from fully virtual or in-person events, MPI took the challenge and reimagined their World Education

VirBELA Is Changing the Way We Experience Virtual Events

Nov 19th, 2020 31m 38s

In a new episode of MPI’s EVENTalks podcast, we discuss moving beyond webinars to true event experiences in the virtual world with Alex Howland, co-founder and president, and Ted Laatz, VP of events, from VirBELA, which builds virtual worlds fo

Ask Why: Confronting Injustice in the Black Community

Jun 11th, 2020 1h 1m

George Floyd’s unjust death It is not an isolated incident but another example of the Black community’s inequitable treatment and access, and the reaction around the globe has highlighted people’s outrage by the pace of change in the system. If