Scholarship & Certification Quick Guide Update for 2020

The MPI Foundation has money with your name on it!

Every new year brings a chance for rebirth or at the very least, a reset. If you made resolutions this year and one of them happened to be to learn more, to meet more people, to get out more or to advance in your career, MPI Ottawa is here to help! 

Over the years, our chapter’s Board of Directors have noticed a lack of applications for scholarships to conferences and for professional development. The MPI Foundation collects millions of dollars annually and gives away hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships alone. This money is yours to take, to grow professionally and personally.

The education committee of MPI Ottawa decided to make things easier for you last year by curating a list of upcoming scholarships from the MPI Foundation for the 2019 year that MPI Ottawa members were eligible to apply for. Our members saw tremendous value in having this information relevant to Ottawa members only hosted in one place that we have updated the chart for 2020!

This list lets you know what scholarships are available, the application open and close dates and the date winners are notified. The website for each event is also included so you can research the event’s return on objectives (ROO) for you and your organization.  

In 2019, three of our chapter members had the opportunity to attend conferences or complete courses as recipients of the MPI Foundation’s scholarship program. MPI Ottawa chapter Past President Jennifer McAndrew, MBA, CED, DES was one of them. “As a small business owner, we often don’t have the budget available for additional learning opportunities. Thanks to the MPI Foundation, I have been able to attend WEC in Toronto and earn my Certified Event Designer (CED), giving me skills that make me a better supplier and enhancing my knowledge so that I can provide additional expertise for my clients. I am grateful for the support of the Foundation otherwise this wouldn’t have been possible.”

MPI Past President Ryan Young is excited to attend EMEC 2020 in Spain thanks to his scholarship from the MPI Foundation. “The MPI Foundation scholarship to attend EMEC in Seville, blew the doors open to a whole new network of creative #eventprofs from across the sea, that I’m excited to collaborate with and move the meetings industry forward.”

The scholarship information will be available on the MPI Ottawa website all year and updates from MPI HQ will be reflected as needed. We hope that gathering all this information in one place will encourage our members to take the time to apply for these professional development opportunities. Event Professionals often take care of everyone else but themselves…Now this is your time to better yourself and prepare for your future!   

Article written by Karen Norris, CMP, Canadian Surgery Forum