MPI Insights Roundtable dinner - Round-up blog

Our MPI Insights Roundtable dinner took place on 8th September at the prestigious Hyatt Regency - The Churchill. We were joined by over 80 event professionals who had the chance to network and experience new fine dining at the Hyatt, whilst having the opportunity to speak one to one with some of the world's leading visionaries in our industry.

We've put together this blog to recap everything from the event - if you attended, it was great to see you, otherwise we hope you can join us at a future Insights event!

Highlights video

https://www.mpi.org/videos/librariesprovider61/default-video-library/insights-video.mp4?sfvrsn=445c6e55_2

Sponsors & supporters

We are extremely grateful to our fabulous sponsors for supporting the event - we could not have run this without their support. Take a look at the various sponsors below:

• Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau
  https://www.tceb.or.th/en/
  
  
  
  

  The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) continues to shape the business events industry of Thailand with exceptional acumen and effective solutions. With a robust service support system and innovative approaches to co-create distinctive programs for the organisers, TCEB is redefining the MICE landscape to maintain Thailand’s impact as a top Asian business destination.

  Discover more about the magic of Thailand's unique culture, beautiful nature, and innate sense of hospitality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzA3CyyXDmQ

• Hyatt Regency - The Churchill
  https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/england-united-kingdom/hyatt-regency-london-the-churchill/lonch
  
  
  
  

  Steeped in authentic British charm, Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill offers a sophisticated stay in Marylebone overlooking Portman Square Garden. Tucked behind Hyde Park and Oxford Street in the heart of London’s West End, the hotel honours Sir Winston Churchill with bespoke design details and refined décor that give a subtle nod to his life and legacy. 

• Sternberg Clarke
  https://www.sternbergclarke.co.uk/
  
  
  
  

  Sternberg Clarke are the UK's leading entertainment supplier, providing exceptional entertainment to corporate events, private parties and weddings in and around London for over 30 years.
  
  Whether it's trampolining acrobats at a high-profile film premiere, a bespoke entertainment programme for a celebrity wedding, or a harpist welcoming guests into a Royal Palace, Sternberg Clarke provide the UK's best acts from the worlds of circus, music, magic, comedy and dance, as well as inspiring keynote speakers and much more.
  
  They are the recommended supplier of entertainment to over 100 key venues in the UK, including The Ritz, Westminster Abbey and The Natural History Museum. 

• All About Flights
  https://allaboutflights.co.uk/
  
  
  
  

  All About Flights are a bespoke, low profile, high performance company specialising in the field of providing air travel logistics to their partners within the MICE industry.
  
  With over 20 years’ experience in this field, All About Flights offer a thorough and efficient service at every step due to their vast knowledge of the airline industry and their travel team are trained to handle your every need - whether it be a detailed logistics and cost requirement, a study of destination viability or a simple 'ball park' quote for budgeting purposes.   

  All About Flights' employees are their greatest asset and through their professionalism and passion for their job, they can offer tailored solutions to respond to every possible scenario - as they understand that no two groups are ever the same!

On the night..

• In addition to the fabulous speakers that we had joining us, we also offered attendees the opportunity to buy raffle tickets - this put them into a draw to win a return flight anywhere in the world (!), kindly sponsored by All About Flights.

• Our chapter wanted to support Meeting Needs - a leading charity founded by notable figures in the UK events industry. The objective of Meeting Needs is to raise funds for worthy causes relevant to the events industry.

• An incredible £2690 was raised for Meetings Needs during our Insights dinner, thanks to the kind generosity of industry professionals in the room. These funds will go directly towards supporting a project run by the charity, Livingstone Tanzania and will help provide bunk beds for 80 young girls in Sigino Secondary School in Tanzania. You can find out more here: https://www.mpi.org/chapters/united-kingdom-and-ireland/chapter-news/single-blog/article/mpi-uk-ireland-chapter-raises-money-for-meeting-needs

Speakers

All of our amazing speakers are featured below:

• Julius Solaris* - Boldpush

• Felicia Asiedu - Cvent

• Veronica Breene - Novartis

• Mike Dominguez - Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)

• Ciara Gallagher - Meet in Ireland / Failte Ireland

• Dara Gallagher - AVCOM

• Toni Griggs - isla

• Henry Hall - CrowdComms

• Sam Johnston - Dublin Convention Bureau

• Maxine MacPherson-Koser - Global DMC Partners

• Adam Morris - BCD Meetings and Events

• Clive Wratten - Business Travel Association

*Julius was our scheduled virtual keynote for the evening. Due to the Queen sadly passing on the same night, we unanimously decided to not go ahead with this part of the night. However, Julius has still shared the Metaverse content that he was going to present - you can watch this here.

Attendee quotes

• "I have a community and a family that I can always reach out to - having that MPI credential makes me sure that phone call will be answered when I reach out. More importantly, I've developed lifelong friends and that's what MPI is all about."

• "Tonight has been a great opportunity to sit down and network with the senior figures in the industry, and based off tonight's experience, I'll definitely be joining MPI."

• "I joined the MPI event to meet amazing meeting professionals. I work with them every day and tonight is brilliant to get to know so many others."

Missed out this time? Don't worry, we'll be back with another brilliant Insights event very soon! Keep your eyes on our website and social media for further announcements.