Fresh on the heels of International Pow Wow, San Francisco has scored another major travel industry event, the 2015 Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress.
Some 3,200 convention and event planners will convene and tour San Francisco on July 25-28, 2015, filling a total of 9,880 room nights and generating an estimated $6,547,232 in direct spending.
“The long-term impact of hosting MPI is the amount of convention and hotel business the attendees will book in years to come,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association. “Similar to International Pow Wow, which brought thousands of international travel wholesale buyers to San Francisco in May, MPI will be attended by top producers in the meeting and event industry.”
“Just like at International Pow Wow, we will provide a uniquely San Francisco experience for the MPI attendees by showcasing the latest developments along the waterfront and throughout the city,” D’Alessandro said.
“We began working on our bid for 2015 in February 2011 and learned of the board decision via telephone on Saturday morning,” said Lysa Lewin, San Francisco Travel’s vice president, convention sales. “We received a call from Bridget Sypolt, director of events for MPI, who is onsite at the MPI meeting in Orlando where their board also selected Minneapolis for 2014 and Philadelphia for 2016.”
"MPI is dedicated to providing a successful and engaging environment for our attendees and delegates," said Bruce MacMillan, MPI president and CEO. "By selecting cities that recognise the strength of the MPI community, we can continue to elevate the live event education experience by providing professional development and opportunities to build lasting business connections."
San Francisco last hosted MPI in August of 2003, when it was one of the inaugural groups to meet in Moscone West.
Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the meeting and event industry’s largest and most vibrant global community, helps its members thrive by providing connections to knowledge and ideas, relationships, and marketplaces. MPI membership is comprised of more than 23,000 members belonging to 71 chapters and clubs worldwide. For additional information, visit www.mpiweb.org.
The World Education Congress (WEC) is MPI’s largest gathering of meeting and event professionals from around the globe. This annual conference draws thousands of industry planners and suppliers to learn, to connect and to exchange ideas.
The San Francisco Travel Association is a private, not-for-profit organisation that markets the city as a leisure, convention and business travel destination. With more than 1,500 members, San Francisco Travel is one of the largest membership-based tourism promotion agencies in the country. Tourism, San Francisco's largest industry, generates in excess of $8.3 billion annually for the local economy. The San Francisco Travel business offices are located at 201 Third St., Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103. San Francisco Travel also operates the Visitor Information Center at Hallidie Plaza, 900 Market Street at the corner of Powell and Market streets. For more information, call 415-974-6900 or visit www.sanfrancisco.travel.
