Meeting Professionals International (MPI) today announced the opening of an Asia office in Singapore. Scheduled to officially open on Oct. 25 2007, the office is part of MPI’s new vision and global strategy that was revealed in March at the Professional Education Conference-Europe, Copenhagen. The announcement was made jointly by MPI and the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB) at a press conference during the 2007 World Education Congress à la Montréal in front of a crowd of global meetings and events professionals.
“The expansion of MPI into Asia-Pacific is a deliberate response to supporting the outstanding meetings and travel growth in that region,” said Bruce MacMillan, MPI president and CEO. ”With the continuous development of its meetings and events industry infrastructure, its role as a regional hub for Asia and its appeal as a brand, Singapore is the ideal choice as the place for our fourth office.”
As part of its new vision, to build a rich global meetings and events community, the strategy positions MPI as a truly global community for its members and sustains its industry leadership role. MPI’s strategy to use the Singapore office to add the Asian dimension to MPI’s global body of knowledge and industry networks is synergistic with Singapore’s vision to be the key Exchange Capital of Asia, connecting knowledge with business.
“The opening of this office fits in with Singapore’s vision to develop a vibrant ecosystem of world-class Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) International Organizations (IO’s) which play an instrumental role in the professional development of the Singapore MICE industry. This also reinforces Singapore’s position as an exchange capital of the world, where there is a robust exchange of ideas and a fertile ground for business prospects, networking opportunities and the development of human capital,” said Aloysius Arlando, assistant chief executive, SECB. “Through their international networks as well as their ability to build relationships and marketplaces around the world for all members, MPI’s presence in Singapore will provide meetings industry members with opportunities to further develop their expertise and tap into a global community of meeting industry professionals. Singapore looks forward to solidifying this relationship with MPI.”
As a reflection of Singapore’s appeal as the definitive hub for IO’s in the Asia Pacific region, an increasing number of IO’s are setting up regional offices in Singapore. Among the nearly 60 are Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These IO’s span a spectrum of industries, including Singapore’s key economic sectors such as biomedical sciences, logistics and transportation, and banking and finance.
“A strong presence in Singapore will provide a community platform that will support our members who have an interest or desire to expand their business into or from this region of the world,” said Angie Pfeifer, chairwoman of the MPI board. “We are thrilled to partner with Singapore to elevate the knowledge and experiences of the meetings and events community.”
MPI anticipates hosting a Professional Education Conference-Asia (PEC-Asia) in Singapore, fall 2008. PEC-Asia will be a highly creative conference showcasing new concepts, educational delivery systems and marketplaces.
About MPI
Meeting Professionals International, the global meetings industry community, is committed to delivering success for its more than 22,000 worldwide members by providing innovative knowledge and learning experiences, connecting people and ideas and creating rich marketplace opportunities. Founded in 1972, the Dallas-based organization delivers global human connections through its 68 chapters and clubs in 20 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.mpiweb.org.
About Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau
The Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), a group of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is the lead government agency for the business events sector in Singapore. Its mission is to champion business travel and business events as key drivers of the tourism sector and enablers for cluster growth in Singapore. It also assists business event organizers, corporations and associations by providing comprehensive and impartial information on Singapore’s MICE facilities, incentive venues and industry partners. The SECB is a member of the BestCities Global Alliance, the world’s first and only convention bureau alliance with eight partners in five continents.
Source: www.forimmediaterelease.net
