Schenker brings MPI to Toronto

News Item Entered: Monday, July 29, 2002

For the first time in 30 years, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) hosted its World Education Congress (WEC) outside of the United States. More than 3,000 attendees converged in Toronto, Canada for the annual education forum on July 21-23, 2002, making it the largest gathering of meeting professionals in the world.

A global leader in the meeting industry, MPI boasts over 19,000 members in 64 countries, with an equal membership ratio of 49% meeting planners and 49% suppliers. "One of our major purposes is to bring together those particular elements in a rich environment of marketplace operations, so that buyers can buy and sellers can sell," says Edwin Griffin, president and CEO of MPI.

The WEC's diversified programme included 70 professional development workshops, speaker presentations, networking events and the industry's most recognized trade show, MeetingPlace2002featuring over 500 exhibitors. Attendees were afforded the unique opportunity to interact with MPI planner members who have a collective buying power of $10.9 billion annually, and facilitate an average of 78 meetings per year (based on recent MPI surveys).

"The WEC is really a coming together of our global family," continues Griffin. "It's much like the Olympics, in that it represents a no-geographical borders venue. We try to particularly stress international protocol, so that regardless of the origin of the attendee, they feel comfortable in an environment of a world-class event."

Toronto wins gold

Toronto rolled out the red carpet to welcome MPI delegates to Canada for the inaugural event. "MPI is such a profile convention - really the gold medal - because the vast majority of attendees are meeting planners themselves," says Barry Smith, president and CEO of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), host venue for the WEC. "These are the people who decide where to hold their meetings and which cities will win their hearts and minds."

Selecting a host city for an event of such international scope takes years of planning and preparation. According to Richard A. Robichaud, meeting and trade show planner at MPI, the process usually begins about four or five years prior.

"We have rather strict requirements in place before we can even consider a city," says Robichaud. "We also want to allow that city to have the lead time necessary to prepare themselves, to get the right people in place and to do the best job possible."

Toronto scored high in the selection criterion, namely access in and out of the city. "It's a little more difficult for us to go the smaller, second-tier cities that don't necessarily have an international airport, because rates are going to be high and flights are limited," explains Robichaud.

Lester B. Pearson International Airport conveniently services 350 daily non-stop flights from over 40 US cities, with 60% of the US population a mere 90 minutes away by air.

Adequate meeting space, including full-service hotels within a close proximity of the show site is equally important. The MTCC features 460,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, including a 28,000 sq. ft. Grand Ballroom, 100 meeting rooms and the 1,330 seat John Bassett Theatre. Canada's largest convention facility, the MTCC is within minutes of over 12,000 first class hotel rooms, thousands of shops and restaurants, theatre and entertainment districts.

"Toronto has it all - meeting space and entertainment options to appeal to every delegate's tastes, with a great price point (the US dollar is worth about $1.50 Canadian)," raves Smith.

Eliminating borders

Toronto's appointment as the host city posed a few logistics challenges that required Schenker's expertise. As the "Official Customs Broker" for MPI-WEC 2002, Schenker of Canada worked closely with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to implement the "Border to the Show" system.

MPI-WEC was recognized and qualified for exemption under Tariff 9993.00.00.00, which allowed goods to travel across the Canadian border in bond and either be delivered directly to the show site or to the shipper's warehouse, until the scheduled move-in time. All shipments were consequently delivered to the MTCC, where goods cleared customs temporarily for exhibition purposes, virtually eliminating the possibility of border delays.

Schenker also customized their website to MPI's requirements, featuring Exhibitor Information and FAQ's regarding shipping exhibit material to and from Canada, with a link on the WEC home page.

"Our primary focus was exhibitor retention," says Ryan Book, account executive, Conventions and Trade Show Services for Schenker of Canada. "The number of participants exceeded our expectations, however, with a turnout of more than 550 industry-related companies at the trade show."

Apart from customs brokerage services, Schenker was also responsible for transporting approximately one-third of exhibit material for MeetingPlace2002, totalling 200 customs entries and 125 shipments into Canada. Move-in began three days prior to the event, with the last delivery arriving five minutes before show time.

Sandra Samion, operations manager, Conventions and Trade Show Services for Schenker of Canada, led a team of seasoned trade show professionals who worked around the clock for three days to ensure the event was executed perfectly.
"There was a higher than usual volume of rush courier shipments, so we had to expedite the process by stationing Schenker staff at the Fed Ex airport office to ensure customs requirements were fulfilled immediately," explains Samion. "There was zero latitude for error."

The finish line

After contributing to the resounding success of the WEC, Robichaud is looking forward to the prospect of working with the Schenker team again. In a letter to Schenker's Canadian division, Robichaud commended the "outstanding" service provided by Schenker of Canada during the 2002 WEC. "Schenker's commitment to excellence helped to create a positive experience for our staff and exhibitors."

The future is looking very bright, indeed. The 2002 WEC is expected to generate an overall local economic impact of $6.75 million CDN and the potential for future business in Toronto translates to an estimated $150 million over the next five years.

"Hosting the industry's unparalleled education and business network forum in Toronto - a globally-ranked international business hub - will draw attention to the role a healthy meeting business plays in positively impacting world economies," says George Aguel, senior vice-president, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and MPI's 2002-2003 chairman of the board.

In commemoration of MPI's 30th anniversary, the WEC served to define the future of the leading meeting industry association. "Part of what we're doing is celebrating the 30 years of what's to come and moving forward from here," says Robichaud. "Seeing what MPI has turned into and what we can become for the industry and for our members."