Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and BTC International have announced a key partnership over the next 2 years covering 2008 and 2009. The partnership with BTC International, a trade fair in Italy focusing on meetings and events, reinforces MPI’s commitment to its ambitious global strategy to support the organization’s new vision of building a rich global meetings industry community and creating new marketplace opportunities for its members.

Both MPI and BTC are committed to the future of the meetings and events industry and have built their partnership around 3 strategic components:

• Support scholarship programs through the MPI Foundation Europe
• Support students initiatives by sponsoring the IMEX/MPI Future Leaders Forum at the BTC tradeshow in Rome
• Identify and approach new players in the meeting industry by sponsoring MPI membership for meeting planners

Didier Scaillet, MPI Vice-President of Global Development comments: "This is a key strategic agreement for MPI in Italy and the wider European region. It reinforces our existing commitment to the Italian meetings industry and demonstrates our wish to establish strong partnerships with major players in key countries such as Italy. The alliance with BTC will generate considerable marketplace opportunities for all our members, and we are delighted to have teamed up with them.”

The financial support from BTC International to the MPI Foundation Europe to fund scholarship programs in Italy also reflects the commitment of BTC at a national level to support the growth of the MPI Italia Chapter, one of the most dynamic Chapters in Europe and first MPI Chapter outside the US.

The IMEX/MPI Future Leaders Forum will now also be hosted at BTC providing more scholarship opportunities for young professionals. The Future Leaders Forum programme has been developed to encourage the best and brightest students to enter the meetings and events industry. Over 2,000 students have passed through the programme since its launch in 2003, with 80% reporting  they are more likely to enter the industry as a result of attending a Future Leaders Forum.

The sponsorship of MPI planner memberships is BTC’s approach to attract new players in the marketplace (ie. PR and communication agencies) and get them involved in the meetings and events industry to offer BTC exhibitors new business opportunities.

BTC Managing Director, Paolo Audino says, “We at BTC are very proud to sign this agreement with MPI. This will be the first step to increase the international visibility of BTC and a path to a complete strategic vision. We are sure that this partnership will help Italian companies strengthen their business ability in this important field.”

BTC International is a trade fair in Italy focusing on events organisations. The last edition of BTC, which took place for the first time at the Nuova Fiera di Roma exhibition centre, confirmed that the event has become one of the most important meetings industry trade fairs in Europe.