We spoke with Joe Martin, president of MPI's Southern California Chapter, on the social issue most impacting his region, as well as the not-to-be-missed event of the year. Here's what he had to say.
What current social issue is most relevant or of concern to your chapter or destination and why?
Diversity and inclusion is a very important topic to not only our local chapter but to our industry at large. More and more we are hearing this topic being requested for conferences. People are looking for training on unintentional biases as it is a part of every work place, organization, and event. Our chapter held a Master Class this past summer on Diversity and Inclusion. In addition, our upcoming State of the Industry event has been named #HERSTORY for 2020. We are hosting a discussion on stage between four leading industry women. Each will share their story and perspective on the issue, and engage the audience to walk away with useful tools and thoughts to take back to their work.
Is your chapter actively involved in helping to solve or bring awareness to this issue or activism in general? Any local partnerships to this regard?
We are dedicated to making this a priority year round throughout our different education events. Additionally, we are doing a CSR component tied in to #HERSTORY where we are partnering with the Downtown LA Women’s shelter.
2020 is an election year. Will your chapter have any programs or initiatives directly related to this?
Nothing has been planned for later 2020 just yet, but I'd love to see this as part of our programs. We hosted a program about the impact of the new administration in 2016 and hopefully we can do something similar post-election. Sometimes it can be an uncomfortable topic for some in the room, but one that needs to be addressed.
What is the biggest trend you are seeing or expecting this year?
A new level of sustainability within events. I think years back the very simple form of recycling and such was introduced to events and now people are looking to take this to the next level by learning initiatives about carbon foot print, foot waste and more. Delegates and executive leadership teams are looking for this data post-event as part of their own company initiatives.
What event or project organized by your chapter are you most looking forward to and why?
(WE)Con 2020! This is our fifth anniversary and our biggest education event of the year. It's our signature event and the most unique. We don’t just hold another industry conversation. Five years ago we threw out the norms, shook things up, and recreated the conference experience for meeting planners. This year its taking place Feb 20-22 in Santa Barbara. The education continues to push the limits and truly is out of box to create a memorable experience that draws in planners from all over.
