Shakeup at the Top of MPI
By Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 3/5/2007
Meeting Professionals Intl. has terminated five top-level staffers. At the same time, it hired a new sales executive and gave another staffer new duties. MPI officials say this is all part of a realignment of the industry organization's mission, but some members (and former members) say it is a symptom of ongoing problems.
The executives who have left MPI are:
- Marketing Director Paula Nourse
- Research Director Dawn Myers
- Vice President for Marketing and Brand Management Edjuan Bailey
- Business Analyst Kelly Joslin
- Regional Advertising Director John Oliver
Meanwhile, Katie Callahan-Giobbi, until recently vice president of sales, service and membership at LA Inc., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, has become executive vice president, responsible for the MPI Foundation and strategic partnerships. She succeeded David DuBois, who left MPI at the beginning of the year to become president and CEO of the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Finally, MPI promoted Didier Scaillet, formerly director of European operations and global development, to the newly created position of vice president of global development.
MPI Director of Communications Kathryn Goldstein said Scaillet's former position would be filled, but the duties of all those terminated would be assumed by other staffers.
Goldstein said that when Bruce MacMillan took over as president and CEO in December, he established new initiatives for the organization, including expansion in Europe and increasing value to members.
"When you make these kinds of changes, personnel changes can follow," Goldstein said.
Although MacMillan has been with MPI less than two months, Goldstein said the changes were working. MPI membership stands at more than 21,800, a record high, with significant growth in Canada and Europe.
Goldstein said MacMillan was not available to speak to Tradeshow Week.
Some MPI members said the changes MacMillan was making were warranted; others said personnel problems at the industry organization are status quo.
"MPI is not horrible, and it's not falling apart. But it's not where it should be, and it needs to make changes to better serve its members," said Sharon Marsh, a vendor relationship manager for Cisco Systems, who described herself as an active member who supports MPI and wants to make it better.
Sandy Biback, principal with Imagination+Meeting Planners, said MPI's personnel problems were nothing new. She also organizes the Meetings Community Listserv (MeCo) for the meetings industry.
Biback said that, after being associated with MPI for 12 years, she has decided to not renew her membership and has joined the Professional Convention Management Assn. instead. She said she has grown dissatisfied with MPI's educational programs, particularly those for small meeting planners like herself.
Goldstein said she is aware that some want basic education and many senior meeting planners want more advanced educational sessions.
"It's a balance between basic, intermediate and advanced education," she said. "That's how we make our members successful, but marketing is part of that. We can't be all things to all people, but we have to be because we have a diverse membership."
