MPI announces WEC Grapevine date change to November

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has announced it will move its World Education Congress (WEC) Grapevine to a 3-6 November slot, back from the previous June date. The association is now calling for its industry members to ‘Reunite for Recovery’ both in-person and virtually during the new dates for its signature annual event. The association said it took the decision to move dates “in order to accommodate travel guidelines and attendee safety resulting from the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic”. Over 2,500 attendees were present at the 2019 event in Toronto this past June 2019. MPI says its 2020 edition will feature a new focus on learnings, lessons and initiatives related to Covid-19. The association says the format will offer benefits that are insightful, meaningful and immediately actionable. “We are excited to announce our new dates for WEC Grapevine in November. This experience will be a rallying cry for our meeting and event community to Reunite for Recovery,” said Paul Van Deventer (pictured), MPI President and CEO. “The desire to meet, reconcile business opportunities, assist in the economic rebound and learn from peers and experts on COVID-19 response, among dozens of other topics, has been building. Historically, our industry has been the platform to accelerate economic recovery and our focus is to aid in pushing our global community and society forward.” Working with the destination’s host hotel, the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, a Marriott property, attendee Duty of Care will be a critical priority by creating a safe, secure and healthy environment for all involved. Marriott plans to use WEC as a means to showcase their enhanced commitment and focus on guest wellness. For those who are unable to attend in-person, WEC Grapevine will also carry a virtual offering with the intent of providing a parallel experience to onsite. Registration for in-person attendees, which now includes a ticket to MPI Foundation’s Rendezvous, is risk-free, the association stresses, with attendees eligible for a refund in their event fees, with flexibility in applying them to WEC Las Vegas in 2021, among other options. “The timing for our industry to reunite in November is momentous to say the least,” said Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau. “As the host destination for WEC, the entire Grapevine community will demonstrate just how important this industry is to spur recovery at local, national and global levels. We see this as a case study in the next generation of meetings and events by incorporating hybrid learning and truly unique Texas hospitality for both virtual and in-person attendees.” For more information on WEC Grapevine visit mpi.org/wec. MPI is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide, with a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals.