Over the past three years, meetings industry
associations among many others have begun to offer a sizeable
portion of their education on the web. “Online programs extend our
education to those who might not be able to attend a conference,”
says Marsha Hawk, vice president, education, for the Chicago-based
Professional Convention Management Association.
For meeting planners who have neither the time nor the funds to
justify a university course or an educational trip, the following
online programs might provide much-needed professional development
with a minimum of hassle.
American Society of Association Executives
www.asaenet.org
Program: School of Association Management
Online
Who should enroll: Inexperienced association
executives
Course description: A variety of four- and
six-week courses build knowledge in areas such as meetings
management, educational programming and legal issues. Students
spend three to four hours per week, at their convenience, studying
materials and participating in discussion groups. There are no
tests; those who complete all the assignments receive three credits
per week of the course toward a Certified Association Executive
designation.
Cost: Four-week courses run $325 for ASAE members,
$425 for nonmembers. Six weeks: $425 and $525, respectively.
Program: Virtual seminars
Who should enroll: Anyone interested in current issues facing
associations
Course description: These 90-minute presentations, which
participants can listen to over the phone and watch on the
Internet, occur one Wednesday per month. ASAE’s Education &
Conferences department chooses an important topic of the times,
such as customer service, ethics or attrition, and selects one or
more qualified speakers to present. Questions are answered at the
end of the presentation.
Cost: $179 members, $279 nonmembers
Meeting Professionals International
www.mpiweb.org
Program: Business Skills Online
Who should enroll: Planners who want to bolster
various professional skills
Course description: Earlier this year, MPI’s
education department renegotiated its partnership with Element K,
an online education provider; as one result, five new business
courses replaced former offerings. These self-paced, interactive
courses include productivity with Microsoft Office ($184), becoming
an expert in e-business ($276), project management ($480),
situational leadership ($200), and Harvard ManageMentor Plus,
developed by Harvard Business School ($160).
Program: CMP Online Study Group
Who should enroll: Those preparing for the
Certified Meeting Professional exam
Course description: MPI’s CMP study group is
divided into 14 lessons with online lectures, assignments and
quizzes, “field trips” around the web and live interaction with an
instructor. Each time the CMP is offered, the course is updated
slightly. Perhaps the best part: Students can network and study
with about 200 other candidates via the discussion board.
Cost: $175 members, $275 nonmembers
Program: E-Merging Issues Online
Who should enroll: Anyone interested in keeping
informed on the latest issues in the meetings industry
Course description: Every three months, MPI
chooses the hottest topic of the moment and webcasts a discussion
by the experts in the field. Once the presentation is finished, a
transcript and links to additional reading are posted on the
website for two months. This past December, the topic was working
with procurement departments; in March, business development, and
in June, not-for-profit leadership.
MPI encourages the whole department to gather around a computer
and “attend.” Each listener who fills out the evaluation form earns
.15 continuing education credits, widely accepted for
reaccreditation and to meet employers’ requirements.
Cost: $149 members, $199 nonmembers
Program: Meeting Strategies Online
Who should enroll: Planners of any level looking
to improve their skills
Course description: MPI has put its most popular
workshops from the MPI Institute online. The courses cover
specifics that might not be addressed in a general course,
including measuring return on investment, operating meeting
facilities (and how suppliers determine the value of each meeting),
the terminology of A/V equipment, and negotiating safe and
lucrative contracts. New courses are added every few months.
Cost: Most courses cost $99 for members, $149 for
nonmembers
Professional Convention Management
Association
www.pcma.org
Program: Certified Association Sales
Executive
Who should enroll: Convention sales managers,
independent planners and service vendors looking to win a piece of
the association market, as well as association staff in sales
Course description: CASE, developed by PCMA for
Marriott International in 1999 to help the hotel chain better serve
associations, was offered to the public in 2002. The course covers
the role meetings play in associations, and how to build
relationships to improve sales.
The CASE program lasts nine weeks. It includes three telephone
conferences and nine Internet-based modules, which students
complete at their own pace. Internet sections include online
exercises and a Q&A forum. At the end of the course, an exam
and a two-day practicum, spent working with an association, are
held at PCMA’s headquarters in Chicago.
Everyone who completes the course earns a certificate.
Cost: $900 for PCMA members, $1,050 for
nonmembers
Program: Introduction to Small Meetings
Who should enroll: People without specific
training or expertise in planning for such events
Course description: The course culls its materials
from various meeting planning resources and articles on the
subject. Students will learn about the major aspects of planning,
including budgeting, site inspections, promotion, negotiations and
security. The program is taken completely at the student’s pace
over the course of a year, and immediate feedback is provided on
quiz questions.
PCMA currently is revamping and broadening the program. This
year, the course name likely will be changed to “Introduction to
Meetings,” and the course work will be updated.
Cost: $250 members, $350 nonmembers
Program: Preparation Course for the CMP
Exam
Who should enroll: Planners aiming for CMP
certification
Course description: This CMP study course is
divided into 27 sections and is based on the two books,
Professional Meeting Management (PCMA Education Foundation), fourth
edition, and the Convention Industry Council Manual, seventh
edition (Convention Industry Council), on which the test is based.
Students are given a password to the course website, valid for one
year, and they can work through lessons and test questions at their
own pace.
Once the course is completed, meeting planners receive four
continuing education credits.
Cost: $299 members, $399 nonmembers