Assembly Professionals Worldwide (MPI)’s World Schooling Congress (WEC) was a very long time coming to Gateway Metropolis. Organizers overcame building delays, a tragic twister a month earlier than doorways opened and a chaotic worldwide occasions scene to carry 1,900 individuals (with one other 300 accessing on-line) to the expanded America’s Heart Conference Advanced final week.
Massive Concepts at MPI WEC
The scene from the primary stage was certainly one of confidence with an emphasis on native and various voices beginning with Grasp of Ceremonies Carol Daniel, senior producer and host of the native PBS station and opening speaker Brittany Packnett Cunningham, who began a confidence revolution from her activist roots in St. Louis and has risen to nationwide popularity of her TED discuss aimed toward serving to everybody share their views.
The pioneer in supporting various neurological thinkers, Temple Grandin, took the stage to encourage the return of sensible arts comparable to woodworking, stitching and vocational faculties to assist various kinds of thinkers as a result of AI can’t do all the pieces. “We want all varieties of minds to see the dangers and make the world work higher,” she stated.
Learn Extra: What to Count on at MPI WEC 2025 in St. Louis
The Friday afternoon closing session saved attendees on the sting of their seats with an lively presentation from tea entrepreneur Daniel Lewis. His message: “Pursue daring concepts and say, ‘sure,” even if you suppose you may look loopy.” One individual’s loopy is commonly adopted by validation from one other after which momentum when everybody joins in.
That message of vulnerability was echoed and demonstrated by Freestyle +’s train in getting everybody to attach via music, improv and motion. A strong mixture.
To maintain everybody till the ultimate day, shock St. Louis native and Grammy-winning rapper Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., AKA Nelly headlined a street-themed closing celebration.
Throughout the convention, post-lunch “micro-sessions” provided bite-size studying with longer shows within the afternoon. Bonfires (enhanced campfire chats) within the WEC Market had many donning headsets to get in on the motion.
IMEX CEO Carina Bauer summed up the significance of the gathering and the work assembly professionals do every single day by pointing to the human need for connection. “We don’t simply plan occasions. We create moments the place individuals really feel seen, heard and understood. We in reality, create the circumstances for mattering, and we do this by bringing individuals collectively face-to-face in actual time, in actual locations, throughout cultures, nations and firms. In a world the place AI can pretend a voice, a face, a message, what we create is one thing that can’t be faked. It’s that spark of actual human connection, the type that you just really feel in a shared giggle, a burst of power within the room or a second that reminds you that you just’re not alone. And that’s why I imagine that being collectively in individual is just not a luxurious, it’s really a primary human want, and we should always all really feel enormously happy with fulfilling that want via our work.”
Be taught Extra: Classes from Leaders with Carina Bauer
MPI Progress Metrics
As WEC additionally served because the affiliation’s annual assembly, MPI President and CEO Paul Van Deventer shared updates on enterprise efficiency and strategic path. His topline since Covid has been the variety of individuals actively engaged via attendance at occasions, MPI Academy class participation and GMID activations. He counted 160,000 individuals interacting—a quantity he hopes to develop to 250,000 by 2027.
He reported 13,000 official members within the MPI group and practically 6,500 planner members projected by year-end with member shopping for energy exceeding $26 billion.
Learn Extra: MPI’s EMEC 2025 Pursued Concord in Turkiye
The fastest-growing chapter participation is coming from Latin America, in keeping with Van Deventer. The group now counts 9 chapters and golf equipment within the area. He additionally reported rising participation at WEC 2025 in St. Louis from worldwide audiences, together with Canadian attendees. He attributed the countertrend to lively teams north of the border.
Van Deventer stated the group is constructing reserves up post-Covid to organize for no matter problem might beset the trade subsequent.
Worldwide Board of Administrators Chair and Bishop-McCann President Rob Adams reported that MPI plans to put money into member training {and professional} improvement, together with advancing social accountability. This 12 months’s initiatives embody required coaching for employees and volunteers on anti-human trafficking, anti-harassment and battle decision.
A brand new Assist, Fairness, Motion, Decision (HEAR) assist framework goals to enhance psychological security. Additional efforts embody neuroinclusion coaching in partnership with ASAE and analysis into workforce improvement with IMEX Group.
Learn Extra: Designing Occasions for Everybody, Neuroinclusivity with Megan Henshall
In partnership with ReFED, WWF and the U.S. Meals Waste Pact, MPI participated in a meals waste audit to observe detritus and make real-time changes.
MPI Chief Income Officer Rachel Benedick launched new self-paced certificates packages round AI and the relaunch of the Licensed Assembly Supervisor program based mostly on consumer suggestions.
From stage, Vice President Jessie States, introduced that she might be main the brand new MPI Consulting arm, providing options for assembly planners and suppliers, together with reside occasion technique, focus teams and speaker sourcing.
Rebecca DeLuca, vp of vacation spot gross sales with Las Vegas Conference and Guests Authority and chair of the World Board of Trustees for MPI Basis, reported that between the silent public sale, a pickleball occasion hosted by Go to Seattle and Rooster ‘N Pickle, a reside public sale on the Presidents Dinner and Rendezvous after-party sponsored by Discover St. Louis, greater than $200,000 was raised for scholarships and grants.
For these hugging goodbye on Saturday morning, the announcement of a full calendar of future occasions stretching out 4 years gave everybody one thing to look ahead to. Upcoming MPI signature occasions embody:
theEVENT in Fredericton, Canada (Sept. 7-9, 2025)
EMEC 2026 in Barcelona, Spain (Feb. 21–24, 2026)
WEC 2026 in San Antonio, TX (June 2–4, 2026)
WEC 2027 in Las Vegas, NV (June 2027)
WEC 2028 in Denver, CO (June 2028)
WEC 2029 in Anaheim, CA (June 2029)
WEC 2030 in Tampa Bay, FL (June 2030)
St. Louis Updates
New Discover St. Louis President and CEO Brad Dean handled attendees to off-site experiences outdoors the conference middle and into the neighborhoods as a part of MPI Studying Journeys. Attendees might select from:
The Function of Occasions in Black Historical past, St. Louis–Missouri Historical past Museum
Energy of Play, Remodel Your Conferences & Occasions with Video games–Metropolis Museum
Government Three | Sixty: Disruption, Neuroscience and the Science of Happiness–Washington College in St. Louis
Ladies in Enterprise: A Journey of Resilience and Connection–Energizer Park
The St. Louis Legends Sequence provided a chance for WEC attendees to be taught from native thought leaders.
Learn Extra: Notes from the Highway, St. Louis
“By gifting attendees with a heaping wholesome dose of hospitality, we hope to offer them a purpose to return again,” Dean stated.
For many who have been in a position to benefit from the convention within the expanded expo ground and a number of the bounty from the brand new culinary backyard, a return go to could also be wanted to see the transformation of the Washington Avenue entrance and a $54 million improve deliberate for the adjoining The Dome at America’s Heart Stadium. The previous dwelling of the NFL Rams is now a full-time leisure venue and obtainable for citywide occasions along with the conference middle throughout the road.
Additionally within the works now that renovations to historic Outdated Courthouse in Gateway Arch Nationwide Park have accomplished, a brand new life is deliberate for close by Millennium Resort as a part of a serious downtown combined use improvement mission, together with an out of doors amphitheater. And, lately authorised was a plan for a brand new year-round leisure district mission.
“It’s a really thrilling to be and meet in St. Louis,” stated Dean, who took certainly one of his solely holidays as a baby to the town and was impressed then.
