Kevin Marsh, CMI’s Rental Manager for Rochester and the surrounding area, is the 2005 - 2006 President of the Western New York Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI). He has been a member of MPI since 1998 and has served on the board of directors for the Western New York Chapter as the Director of Membership, Director of Communications, and Director At Large since that time.

Established in 1972, Dallas-based Meeting Professionals International is the largest association for the meetings profession with more than 19,000 members in 66 chapters and clubs. As the global authority and resource for the $122.3 billion meetings and events industry, MPI empowers meeting professionals to increase their strategic value through education, clearly defined career pathways, and business growth opportunities.

Seventy-one Fortune 100 companies are represented in the MPI membership.

MPI is the only meetings industry association to maintain a 50/50 ratio between planner and suppliers.

MPI’s approach to education, known as 360 Degrees of Education, is a commitment to deliver an array of professional development programs through a variety of mediums. This approach is focused on creating deeper educational offerings and broader awareness of the value of meetings. Members can take advantage of a program from home or office via online learning, by participating in local or regional chapter programs, or attending an international conference ... or points in between.

MPI hosts the meetings industry’s most dynamic gatherings of meeting professionals, including the World Education Congress (WEC), the Professional Education Conference-North America (PEC-NA), and the Professional Education Conference-Europe (PEC-Europe).

MPI is one of 25 member organizations of the Convention Industry Council (CIC), which sponsors the CMP program based on professional experience and academic examination.

MPI’s Global CMM, for advanced-level meeting professionals, focuses on strategic issues that are critical to advancement in the meetings industry.