WEC Scholarship Winner Summaries

WEC was a hybrid event, offering the opportunity for attendees to participate virtually.
The MPI Foundation awarded scholarships to three MPINCC members (Christopher Wiseman, CMP, DES; Lisa A. Burkett, CMP, CMM, HMCC; and Alex Lexson) to attend the WEC Digital Experience 2021.  Read about their impressions here:

Christopher Wiseman, CMP, DES

The WEC virtual experience was spectacular. Of all the virtual conferences I attended over the last year, this was the most impressive in terms of both platform, program design and content.

The platform for WEC was simple to access and navigate. The reminder e-mail included the link and guided me directly to the program page. On the platform, it was easy to choose specific sessions and I was reminded to attend them. If I decided to attend something else, it was easy to see what else was happening at the same time.

The content felt like it was custom-tailored for planners like me that are navigating in a new environment, one that is different from 1 month, 6 months and 18 months ago, which many often feel like. Overall, I was most interested in learning about producing hybrid events and found great value in this content.

While I personally prefer to attend meetings and events in person, I would attend this event again virtually, especially if I am unable to travel. Following the event, I shared my feedback and new ideas with my colleagues, and they also see the value in my attending the Virtual WEC conference.

Lisa A. Burkett, CMP, CMM, HMCC

After the precarious 15 months we have all experienced, it was a pleasure to see that WEC 2021 would proceed in a hybrid format. It was a double joy to be selected as a chapter scholarship recipient for the Digital Experience, for which I am most grateful.

WEC general sessions presented strong industry panels and keynote speakers on critical topics including next steps as we "accelerate forward" and the necessity of focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion in our meetings and events. The session that rang particularly true to me was the panel discussion on "Champions for Change," sharing how we can all become champions for social justice with the goal of impacting change. 

In typical MPI fashion, there was an abundance of content in breakout sessions, often resulting in the need to prioritize the most pertinent session. I applaud MPI for making recorded sessions available to participants on demand. Having heard from several speakers new to me plus industry veterans like Jim Spellos, who taught us how to build an event app at little or no cost, and "Speaker Sue" Hershkowitz-Coore, who offered insights into revitalizing LinkedIn profiles, I am grateful for the opportunity to experience the sessions I missed.

It will be a triple delight to have WEC return to San Francisco in 2022!