A suite of programmes has recently been announced by Meeting Professionals International (MPI), aimed at engaging and serving the global student community.

Students represent MPI's fastest growing membership segment, with greater than 51% growth over the past year, resulting in more than 1,200 current student members. “Students are a critical link in the talent chain, driving the events industry’s future success,” said a recent MPI communication. “MPI is delivering tangible benefits to students, faculty and employers alike – with benefits that include: academic scholarships by the MPI Foundation, internships and career opportunities with global organisations, connections to on-campus and local Chapter communities and events, networking opportunities with other students and industry leaders globally and incentives to co-create and participate in MPI conferences.”

MPI’s student community, www.mpiweb.org/students, is linked to both MPI’s Global Student Community GroupSpace and an MPI Facebook Global Student Community group, to provide “intersecting avenues for students worldwide to connect with peers, share knowledge, and explore career opportunities”.

“I think the MPI student community provides a great opportunity to help us students know each other and share knowledge,” said Nicole Cochran, MPI student member and graduate business student at George Washington University. “Many times we are too busy to make all the local MPI Chapter meetings and online alternatives allow us to connect globally when we can. With helpful articles and discussion, we now have access to information we don’t always have the time to find. I think it is a great concept.”

The student community also links to the newly redesigned MPI Career Connections talent and opportunity marketplace, which brings together talent and career options that span from the student community through the senior executive level. On-campus clubs with faculty member leaders, local Chapter connections and MPI live events provide face-to-face engagement with global industry communities.

“I applaud MPI’s efforts to reach out to the students,” said Amanda Cecil, CMP, assistant professor at Indiana University. “It is doing a great job of understanding the tools students use and is engaging students on students’ terms. Students love social media, being online, chatting and sharing. By bringing industry connections together this way, MPI is creating a new level of student engagement.”

To encourage the best and brightest students to enter the meetings and events industry, MPI and IMEX have co-developed the Future Leaders Forum programme. The 19 forums to date have hosted 2,000 students around the world since the the launch event in 2003, with 80% of the participant’s indicating the experience increased their interest in a career in the industry. The forum provides an opportunity for students to engage and connect to peers, industry thought leaders, and employers globally. In 2008, MPI/IMEX Future Leaders Forums will take place in Warsaw, London, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Las Vegas.