The Event Leadership Institute in Partnership with Meeting Professionals International Launches New Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Online Certificate Course

ByELI | Event Leadership Institute

August 6, 2020  – As meeting and event professionals continue to grapple with the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Event Leadership Institute (ELI) – the long-time leader in professional development programs for event & meeting professionals – has developed a new online certificate course in partnership with Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide.

The first six-week Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Certificate course begins on September 1 and is eligible for 20 CMP hours. With curriculum jointly designed by ELI’s and MPI’s education experts, experienced event and meeting practitioners, and industry-leading instructors, the course will provide planners with the strategies, tactics, and resources needed to re-think on-site event strategy, design, execution, and evaluation.

Participants complete self-paced coursework each week, join weekly live Q&A class meetings to discuss real-time updates, and have access to a peer-based community forum, supplemental handouts, and course updates as new information becomes available for one year.

Understanding the tremendous amount of pressure planners are facing to adapt to the continually changing pandemic industry situation, a special live pre-course introduction class on August 25 to provide a forum to start discussing how to move forward with modified in-person events.

The new course is a companion to the Virtual Event and Meeting Management certificate course ELI and MPI launched earlier this year, already with over 1,200 alumni. Both were designed to address the twin challenges suddenly placed on all event and meeting professionals: how to pivot to virtual successfully, and how to move forward with modified in-person events.

“According to exclusive research ELI and MPI conducted earlier this summer, a whopping 96 percent of in-person event attendees expect organizers and planners to have a clear health policy statement and precautions in place when in-person events resume,” said Michael Granek, ELI President and COO. “We’ve created this course to help planners elevate their strategies to meet the needs of a post-pandemic environment and develop a sustainable model for the future.”

“We’re proud to launch this course with ELI as it directly addresses questions and concerns we hear each day from our members,” said Jessie States, Director, MPI Academy, Meeting Professionals International. “We understand the urgency planners face to understand areas impacted most by the pandemic, including risk management and reduction, new venue protocols, contracts and safer event design.”

For more information about the course or to register, visit ELI’s website at https://eventleadershipinstitute.com/pandemic-meeting-event-design-certificate/.