MCI has entered into a new collaboration with the IMEX Group and MPI to support the Future Leaders Forum (FLF). The global FLF programme is an initiative designed to encourage the best and brightest students to enter the meetings and incentive travel industry by offering education days, networking opportunities and internships.

To mark MCI’s involvement, the initiative has been renamed the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum and will also be promoted with new branding.

The Future Leaders Forum consists of a series of special events hosted around the globe. 2012 locations include Honduras, Korea, China, Australia, Poland and Thailand. Around 900 students participated in the programme in 2011 and around 5,100 students have now gone through an FLF since its launch in 2003. 90% of them have stated they are “more likely to enter the industry as a result of attending the Future Leaders Forum.”

Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX Group commented: “The Future Leaders Forum is our investment in the future of up-and-coming meeting and event organisers. The support from MCI, in addition to MPI, will significantly strengthen our goal to support the development of talent within the industry. Through enhancing students’ understanding of the market we are able to equip them with valuable knowledge to guide them through their career choice and help them to flourish.”

Patrick Delaney, Vice President Industry Relations, MCI said: “We look forward to working closely with both IMEX and MPI to continue developing events that offer engaging, relevant and valuable content. Our goal is to ensure that young people come away from the event with the knowledge and experience to differentiate them from the crowd, something particularly valuable in an increasingly competitive jobs market. The initiative offers the mentoring and educational opportunities that will help to secure the future of the industry by producing a new generation of motivated leaders.”

The next IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum will take place at the MPI European Meetings & Events Conference in Budapest, Hungary, January 29 – 31. Students will interact with a former Future Leader Forum participant, and MPI Poland Club President Krzysztof Celuch, CMM, CITE, during the MPI & Global Emerging Leaders part of the programme. Additionally, FLF students will be able to contribute their insight into a focus group for a current MPI research initiative into the Future of Meetings.

IMEX has also recently launched an essay competition which invites students from all over the world to contribute a piece of work as part of a new research study that commemorates the 10th anniversary of IMEX in Frankfurt. Among other things, the prize includes flights, accommodation and attendance at the Frankfurt Future Leaders Forum in May.