Both Convention Industry Council and one of its members, Meeting Professionals International, now offer different certificate programs in the healthcare meeting space.

MPI just acquired from the International Medical Meeting Professionals Association its Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate (HMCC) program and brought IMMPA membership into MPI’s community. The certificate program debuted in 2013 in partnership with Saint Louis University, which will continue the facilitation through its Center for Workforce & Organizational Development. MPI has appointed Pat Schaumann, CMP, CSEP, DMCP, founder of IMMPA, as director of professional development, healthcare sector. In that role she will manage the certificate program.

MPI will present an enhanced HMCC course on August 2, prior to the opening of its World Education Congress in Minneapolis; the course has been extended from three to four hours, and participants now will earn 4.0 clock hours. In the future, HMCC sessions also will be offered at industry conferences, at Saint Louis University and through private sessions for companies and organizations.

Meanwhile, CIC’s first group of 54 Certified Meeting Professionals-Healthcare (CMP-HC) successfully passed the beta exam given in late 2013, and new applicants are working towards the next exam in November 2014. Karen Kotowski, CAE, CMP,  CIC’s chief executive officer, outlined the complementary nature of the two certificates:

“The HMCC program teaches critical information on compliance regulations, laws and techniques for managing healthcare meetings. Participants receive a certificate as well as clock hours upon completion. The CMP-HC certification results from an application and exam process that recognizes an individual’s mastery/competency in a set of standards, and professional practice in the field is required. In fact, the HMCC course qualifies for the required continuing education hours needed to sit for the CMP-HC exam. For some, the HMCC certificate is the first step in pursuing the CMP-HC certification. It is a much-needed continuing education opportunity for those seeking to advance their healthcare meeting career through certification.”

Future applicants for the CMP-HC examination must hold a valid and current CMP, have three years of experience in healthcare meeting management, and complete 15 clock hours of professional development related to healthcare meeting management in the past five years.

Dust settles after CMM uproar. When MPI announced major revisions to the Certificate in Meeting Management program and a new program partner in the Global Business Travel Association, it could not have expected the uproar that followed. Many CMM holders assailed MPI for two reasons: they were uninformed about the pending changes, and they believed these changes diminished CMM from a “certification” with stringent requirements.

MPI listened and made some compromises. MPI told members that CMM will retain its standing, but as a “certificate.” The organization acknowledged that it had mistakenly referenced CMM as a “certification” in the past. CMM also will retain its full reference as “Certificate in Meeting Management,” and will not include the words “and Travel” in the program name as previously announced.

Criteria for participation will remain (mostly) high: minimum of seven to 10 years of professional experience in the meeting and event or business travel industry; minimum of three to five years of management experience with two years of profit and loss responsibility; personal statement and letter of recommendation from professional colleague or supervisor.

An exam, however, will not be administered, as in the past. CMM applicants will be required to develop a business case in which they must apply the course materials learned (similar to the business plan submission that was previously required). The business case should address current challenges that need to be resolved, and the participant must have responsibility and influence over outcomes. CMM program faculty will evaluate and score the business case against an established standard of performance.

The certificate will be open to both meeting and travel professionals, and jointly administered by MPI and GBTA. CMM holders prior to 2014 retain their designation, and MPI will reissue a correct “Certificate in Meeting Management” to this year’s CMM designees. — Maxine Golding