< PreviousAs a seasoned meeting planner, Dana Ellis, owner of Ellis International in Minneapolis, MN, recognizes that cyber security should always be top of mind when plan- ning events. Afer all, planners, clients and attendees all use online platforms for registration, including accepting fees/ payments and then often live stream content meant only for a specific audience. “We have helped clients host virtual events for product launches where they were very concerned that no competi- tor would be able to gain access to the meeting as it was an internal launch and not yet public,” Ellis says. “The amount of data that my clients ask for when they host a virtual event is a big part of why they continue to do virtual events. They want to know where people are logging in from, how long they stay on each page, how long they watched the stream, and how many pages they viewed and if they downloaded any files.” Michele Dobnikar, meeting professional and president at GlobalMeet in Phoenix, AZ, says that in a virtual setting, meeting and event security becomes a more complicated issue. As Dobnikar explains, when hosting in-person events, companies have complete visibility into who is in the audi- ence and an even clearer view of the presenter. “Measures can be taken such as physical security and identification checkpoints,” Dobnikar says. “This entire dynamic changes with virtual events.” In the virtual event world, authorization is a key factor in carrying out a successful and secure event. That’s why cybersecurity should be taken into consideration from the formulation of the event to its execution and through to its conclusion. “From attendee permittance to live Q&As and guest speakers, ensuring secure passages for authorized audience members is critical,” Dobnikar says. Many of the early examples of security breaches in vir- tual events occurred in the education industry with hackers breaking in and displaying inappropriate content to the students. More recently, cybercriminals have been targeting local governments. “The California cities, Laguna Beach and Calabasas recently experienced virtual participants expressing hateful speech in city council meetings,” Dobnikar says. Ellis says her clients’ first concern is always “lock- ing down” their virtual events so that only the internal employees or paid attendees can access the virtual event or live stream. This is done by choosing a platform with a registration process so that a user needs a specific (unique) username and password and that can be limited to only one user at a time. “We also have to be aware and concerned that our registration information or credit card information is not accessed by any bad actors and to adhere to data retention policies as well,” Ellis says. Cyber Safety BY CHLOE LABELLE Being Secure in an Insecure World TECH TIPS I n an age where technology controls many facets of a business, attention to cybersecurity is becoming paramount as meeting planners recognize how technological breaches can rob corporations and meeting attendees of vital intangible assets. 28 April 2024 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comEllis has corporate meeting clients who are based in Europe and have strict corporate rules on what links they could use or apps that they could connect to, which left out Zoom and a few other options. Ellis and her team had to revise the agenda to include a link to a Teams meeting, which their internal team had to create so that they could actually access it. “During the pandemic, there was an internet outage all along the east coast of the U.S., which was during a live stream event. It took over five minutes for them to recover inter- net access,” Ellis says. “This wasn’t a cybersecurity issue for us, but a reminder of how much is outside of your control when you are doing virtual events.” Cyber Threats Facing Event & Meeting Planners According to Stephanie Benoit- Kurtz, lead cybersecurity faculty, College of Business and Information Technology at the University of Phoe- nix, in 2020, the virtual event market, according to Frost & Sullivan, was estimated at $1.57 billion with an esti- mate growth to $4.44 billon by 2025. “Contributors of this significant growth pattern range from sustainability and reductions in travel expenses to significantly improved reach of target markets. As the popularity of these events continues to grow bad actors are starting to target the events and data associated with the attendees,” Benoit-Kurtz says. Just like any in-person event, Benoit-Kurtz says organi- zations must take precautions to protect attendees, speak- ers and sponsors from bad actors, from the registration and collection of personal information to the security of the event itself while online, or even in recorded broadcasts that are shared at a later date. “Organizations that hold these events are obligated to their stake- holders to protect data by providing secure registration pro- cesses, credit card transac- tions and a secure event that prevents unwanted attackers access to the event,” Benoit-Kurtz says. “From the theft of per- sonal data to the selling of attendee and sponsor lists, attackers are look- ing for ways to monetize the information that is gathered from attendees.” Beyond attendee information harvesting, there are other types of attacks such as “denial of service” attacks or virtual room hijacking that can also disrupt an event and tarnish the reputation of a sponsoring organization. DepositPhotos.com DepositPhotos.com We also have to be aware and concerned that our registration information or credit card information is not accessed by any bad actors. DANA ELLIS Meeting Planner and Owner, Ellis International TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | April 2024 29“Additional significant cybersecurity issues in vir- tual events include phish- ing attacks, ransomware, and unauthorized access,” says Gareth Young, chief architect and founder of Levacloud, a cybersecurity company in Alpharetta, GA. These can lead to data breaches, financial losses and damage to the organiz- er’s reputation, highlighting the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. Young points to a recent case in Hong Kong involv- ing a finance worker at a multinational firm who was tricked into transferring $25 million by fraudsters using deepfake technology in a video conference call. The scam used deepfake technology to convincingly mimic the appearance and voices of legitimate com- pany employees, highlight- ing the sophisticated level of cyber threats facing vir- tual events and meetings. Of course, breached virtual events also can have a last- ing impact on a company’s reputation. Dobnikar says one of the biggest issues that can arise from a security breach is the divulging of sensitive information. Whether it’s the case of a new product launch or a quarterly investor meeting, an unwanted presence can be detrimental from both a culture and profit standpoint. “This issue can be mitigated by controlling audience participation. If the event is an internal town hall, event planners must ensure that attendees possess the neces- sary authorizations,” Dobnikar says. “Tightly controlling the presenter space is also an important step in eliminat- ing this issue. In a virtual setting, a few seconds can mean the difference between an enterprise-wide disaster and a successful event.” Dobnikar adds that the first step event planners should take is to ensure the technology they’re utilizing to host the event is equipped with the necessary tools to mitigate a cybersecurity event. Will emails be checked before admittance, will the event be password protected and how can we pivot if a breach occurs? These are all questions event planners should ask before ever exe- cuting the event. The next step is to implement proactive security gates to prevent unauthorized entry to an event. Common tactics include whitelisted domains or IP ranges, pre- authorized guest lists and allowing entry to an event only when coming from a specific website (such as a corporate intranet). “Finally, event planners need to assign resources to monitor the virtual audito- rium and presenter space in real-time to identify any suspicious presence that may have slipped through the virtual security mea- sures,” Dobnikar says. “While these are the proper steps to take from the event management side, utiliz- ing your event technology vendor can also prove to be a valuable tool in elevating cybersecurity measures.” Benoit-Kurtz points out that organizations must secure events by correctly implementing the security controls within the virtual event platform being used. Also, work with the event platform provider to make sure that the organization and cybersecurity is on the list for notifications of any vulnerabilities. “Understand exactly who is receiving invites to your event and monitor the event for signs of compromise. If an unexpected user shows up to an event remove them immediately,” Benoit-Kurtz says. “Do not wait for bad things to happen or when the user gains full control of the system. Configure and block re-entry of ejected participants. It is one thing to remove a user from an event, but if they can establish entry again, the issue generally continues. Also, investigate and subscribe to monitoring services that the vendor can provide for event monitoring.” This approach can assist the hosting organization with a resource that is actually looking for anomalies during the event and trained to understand what to do incase suspi- cious activity starts to unfold. In addition, Young says event planners should con- duct risk assessments, use reputable platforms for hosting events, implement strong access controls to stop unauthor- ized access and educate participants on cybersecurity. “Planners should ensure network security, communicate cyber safety best practices to attendees, and be proactive in managing disruptive activities during the event ,” Young Courtesy of Dana Ellis Planners who want to block outside access to virtual events should choose a platform with a registration process with user id, password and a time limit for access. 30 April 2024 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comsays. “Work with cybersecurity vendors to ensure your event platform is effectively securely and configured to best practice prior to use.” Mistakes to Watch For The most common mistake made by event planners is the use of virtual meeting technology versus event technol- ogy, as the two have completely different use cases. As Dob- nikar explains, virtual meetings are typically smaller, more casual and collaborative. In these use cases, security risks are lowered, and therefore, virtual meeting software isn’t equipped with as many built-in cybersecurity features. “With exponentially larger audiences attending virtual events and the nature of the type of information being communicated, security becomes essential,” Dobnikar says. “It’s a common mistake for event planners to take a company’s day-to- day meeting platform and use it for larger events. There are many reasons a virtual event suffers when run on a virtual meeting platform, including a lack of a formal registration process, fewer options for branding and cus- tomization and reduced analytics, but the most significant difference is the lack of cybersecurity features.” Additional mistakes in virtual events related to cybersecurity include using non-secure plat- forms, neglecting strong pass- words and access controls, failing to educate attendees on security, and not having a cybersecurity inci- dent response plan. “These oversights can leave events vulnerable to cyber threats,” Young says. A common mistake Ellis sees post-pandemic is that some people don’t give as much attention to their virtual event as they do to the in-person event. You need to test out the software you have chosen in advance of the event day to make sure that it operates as intended and you must make sure you have chosen a platform that can accommodate the number of attendees you expect to have. “If you are expecting 500 people, most servers can easily accommodate that traffic, but if you are expecting 20,000 people, you need to ensure that your platform server is ready for that type of traffic,” Ellis says. Because of the expected continuous challenges revolving around the security of virtual events, cybersecurity will play an increasing role in the future meeting planning. Dobnikar points to the recent pandemic, whereby companies sacri- ficed traditional procurement evaluations in favor of just finding a way to communicate virtually. Since the pandemic, most companies have been re-assessing their virtual event technology for cost, security, privacy, vendor reliability, etc. “This trend will continue and force virtual event tech- nology providers to ensure their platforms are strong in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy,” Dobnikar says. “As AI also becomes more commonly incorporated into event technology offerings, technology planners should be aware of security concerns that new AI features may introduce. Companies should ask themselves, ‘Is the platform sending data off to a third party network for AI processing and how is it being managed in this handoff?’” Benoit-Kurtz says that inherently event platforms are complex to protect since a variety of the attendees are often unknown to the company. However, organiza- tions that use these platforms must perform due diligence on securing the environment. “Involving cybersecurity depart- ments in the evaluation and selec- tion process of an event product can go a long way to adopting a product that can con- form to the organization’s security program,” Benoit- Kurtz says. “Subscribe to monitoring services, validate configurations with the platform partner and train your users and participants about how to secure their experience. Although there is no such thing as a 100% secure environment, take the time to develop a security strategy for the event platform and for each event. The time spent is an important investment that pays dividends in the long run and can be the difference between a successful event and a breach.” Cybersecurity will become increasingly important in the future of event planning, especially as virtual and hybrid events continue to be more common. Event planners will need to prioritize cybersecurity to protect participant data and event integrity. “New technologies such as advanced encryption, blockchain for secure transactions, artificial intelligence for threat detection and biometric authentication for secure access will be crucial for protecting against cyber threats,” Young says. Planners should look for virtual event platforms that offer features like customization, networking and engage- ment features, automation, event management software integrations, sponsorship opportunities, virtual booths, live broadcast capabilities, pre-recorded content, social media integration, and recorded captured content to host success- ful online events . C&IT Planners should ensure network security, communicate cyber safety best practices to attendees, and be proactive in managing disruptive activities during the event . GARETH YOUNG Founder & Chief Architect, Levacloud TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | April 2024 31“Retirement is just like plan- ning any meeting. It’s doing a little bit all the time, and that has to do with saving,” says Terry Blumen- stein, former managing partner for meeting planning agency Coor- dination Plus. “You have to save, even if it’s $100 a month. Put it away with compounding interest. It’s a matter of not waiting for the last minute. You have to start when you’re young and continue all the way through.” Still the decision to retire for planners who have deep roots in the industry and longstanding careers, despite the inherent high pressure of the industry, is never easy. At age 63, Blumenstein has for the most part stepped away from his work in the industry. Originally from Can- ada, he started out in hotel management in Toronto and later moved to Sarasota, FL, to work for an independent planner before starting his own independent meeting plan- ning agency and heading that for about 26 years. “It was just me at one point,” Blumenstein says. “I did have a business partner. But I did everything myself. I would contract travel staff on site, and I would contract one person to help me do menus and decor and things I didn’t like to do, but otherwise I did everything from accounting to registration.” Blumenstein was working on about 12 meetings a year, some large and some smaller incentive programs. “That was crazy when I look back at it now. Then I started doing less meetings but for larger meetings. It was way easier to do larger meetings, and fewer of them than the smaller meetings.” He says he didn’t set a goal of a certain age to retire, but he felt it was time. There were certain aspects of his business that were hard to let go. “The hardest decision was say- ing I’m not going to do this anymore. I had created my own database. I loved doing the crunching of numbers and statistics. I loved recon- ciling bills. It sounds ridic- ulous. But I loved matching, million-dollar hotel bills and making sure that I knew exactly where every penny was. It was almost a sport.” One of the factors in making his decision was the recent high rate of turnover and loss of contacts in the industry. “A prime example is with hotels. You used to have either regional sales managers or you used to have a contact. Now, there’s high changeover, so the relationships that you had built over time have disap- peared over the last 10 years. There came a time where I Budgeting for Life BY MARLENE GOLDMAN Planners Planning for Retirement O ne of the keys to event management is for meeting planners to think long-term in creating solutions to stay within budget. Planners can tap into that same forethought when budgeting and planning in their personal lives, including for their own retirement. Setting a framework for how much can be spent and how to live within that budget can be applied to both a successful meeting and personal life. INDUSTRY INSIGHT When I think of planning for retirement, I think it’s planning for what quality of life you want and what does that involve? JOAN EISENSTODT Hospitality & Meetings Industry Consultant & Trainer 32 April 2024 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comfelt I wasn’t happy. I still liked to be in the mix of things but there came a time where I found that even the pre planning which I loved, just wasn’t fun anymore. So, I decided that enough was enough.” Blumenstein says the hardest part of retirement has been acknowledging that he wasn’t as involved in the industry anymore. While Blumenstein keeps busy with the occasional planning contract, he has mainly been volunteering part time for Habitat for Humanity building homes. Haley Powers, principal for Insiteful Meetings, also planned early for her retirement with investments. Powers, who worked for various hotels over the years as a direc- tor of sales & marketing as well as handling convention sales for the Los Angeles CVB, has been an active member of MPI for some 40 years and has worked on more than 55 committees for the MPISCC Chapter. She still picks up part-time work in the industry. Powers understood the need for financial preparation having been in the industry during the recession of the early ‘90s, as well as during the drop in travel following 9/11 and the 2008 housing crash. “The meetings markets had serious ups and downs. Then, the pandemic!” Now at age 71, Powers earns income from a home she had purchased years ago that is now a rental home, teach- ing at local colleges and picking up part-time work at the L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown. “Planning for passive income and setting up multiple streams of income for retirement has allowed for a peace of mind,” Powers says. She quotes Benjamin Franklin, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” With all her hard effort, Powers did experience burnout at different times in her career. “I went through various times of burnout but what I would always find is that get- ting back in the action with MPI friends helped.” She also volunteered and taught CMP classes for her MPI chapter. “I’m a proud member of MPISCC since 1982 and those friendships networked me to jobs and lifelong friendships.” She learned that taking a true break on days she wasn’t on deadline with a project helped rejuvenate her to prevent burnout. “I learned that it’s okay to let myself sleep in on the days that I was not working or not on a project, not on Courtesy of Charles Chan Massey Meetings and events can be informative and fun, but at some point, it is time to retire. Making a plan ahead of time is paramount. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | April 2024 33site. It’s okay to take half a day off and sleep in or just watch a movie or something in the morn- ing. I have such a work ethic that I would feel guilty if I wasn’t up and doing stuff, at least by 8 a.m. I had to learn to give myself permis- sion to do that.” There are certain features of her work as a planner she misses, such as all the traveling, though after 30 years that also became a “job,” she says. Her advice to today’s planners is to be honest with themselves. “You just have to really think of your future and your older self and what kind of life are you expecting for yourself, and what are you willing to commit to make sure you get there,” she says. Charles Chan Massey started his boutique meeting plan- ning firm, SYNAXIS Meetings & Events, in 1994 after work- ing on the hotel side of the industry from 1983. “By 1995, I was fully working on my own, with a handful of clients and a staff that initially consisted of me, myself and I,” Massey recalls. “You can imagine how staff meetings went, especially when we disagreed!” Massey says he took on a busi- ness partner in the late 1990s, and by 2002, his husband joined in the business, and they bought out the partner. “Throughout the early 2000s and up until 2020, we had a dozen active clients, and at our peak, a staff of five, including the two of us,” Massey says. “We sup- plemented our staff by partnering with other small planning firms that essentially did the same things we did, and while we were techni- cally competition, we collectively morphed into more of a ‘coop- etition’ model, and when one of us got a larger project, we all had a piece of it. That system served us all well over the years.” Aside from running his own meeting planning firm, he also owned a small chain of retail stores and invested in real estate as well as the markets. “That helped us save for our retirement, which we decided to explore when COVID essentially decided for us that it was time.” In addition, he says “We closed the retail busi- ness by the end of 2018 so when 2020 hit and everything started to be canceled, we were in a position to make the decision to semi- retire, and while we still work on a project here and there, we are able to enjoy life as well and, so far, have the resources to manage it.” Massey highly recom- mends diversification. His company’s client portfolio was diverse, including suppliers, pro- fessional associations in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical areas, and entities in the pet food and supply arena that they met through their retail stores. “They would sell us products and we would help them plan their sales meet- ings and incentive programs, a somewhat unique symbiotic relationship,” Massey recalls. Some career highlights for Massey include serving in leadership roles with meetings industry organizations including MPI, where he was on the local Southern Califor- nia board of directors, ultimately serving as chapter presi- dent, then on the international board, as well as serving on and chairing sev- eral committees over the years. “I like to say that I literally built a business out of my MPI involvement. The synergy between the two was amazing,” he says. Another highlight was working as a volunteer with IMEX helping them with their Future Lead- ers Forums (FLF) in both Frankfurt and Las Vegas for a number of years. He also enjoyed mentoring cowork- ers and building lifelong business relationships. Massey mostly misses the people he worked with in the industry, but says he was saddened when a few people he thought were friends went away quietly once the business aspects of their relationships were no longer in play. One of the challenges running his own company was After retiring from Insiteful Meetings, Haley Powers has continued to earn extra income by teaching local college students and picking up part-time work. We were in a position to make the decision to semi-retire, and while we still work on a project here and there, we are able to enjoy life as well. CHARLES CHAN MASSEY Founder & CEO, SYNAXIS Meetings & Events Courtesy of Haley Powers 34 April 2024 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comhaving “too much of a good thing,” saying, “often every- thing happened at once and it was a constant balancing act.” Another challenge was managing burnout. “That was the toughest part for me,” he says. “I hated when I overex- tended myself and my team, and of course I didn’t want to let anyone down.” His advice for planners who need to plan for their own retirement is to save money and invest it wisely, and to work with a financial planner. He also suggests investing in real estate if possible. “We were able to purchase a small commercial building for our offices which we now lease to a production company as well as a small apartment com- plex, which we sold last year. The rental income helped us with our cash flow, and when the meetings industry clients weren’t as active was a lifesaver, especially during 2020 and 2021,” he says. Another industry veteran beginning to entertain thoughts of retirement is Joan Eisenstodt, who at 77 is still active as a hospitality and meetings consultant and trainer. Eisenstodt started her own business in 1981 at a time when there were few independent planners. “I’ve always been a consultant in the sense that I’ve never worked in-house since I started my own company,” she says. One of the reasons she has yet to retire is she still loves being challenged. Eisenstodt began to think about retirement when others in the industry she is close with were retiring. “I thought, should I? Is it the right time? Am I overdue? Am I not keeping up? I think that there has always been an expectation for people, even self-employed people, that you will stop working at some point because there is certainly more to life after you stop working and you could do more of what you want. I don’t know that that’s necessarily true. And so, when I think of planning for retirement, I think it’s planning for what quality of life you want and what does that involve?” Eisenstodt says the retirement decision revolves around life satisfaction. “For me, it isn’t about making a lot of money, it’s that I’m doing the things that I really love. I have all this experience. If I wasn’t working, I would just disap- pear. The industry is robbed of people who have experience when they retire.” She teaches a virtual class at the University of North Carolina Charlotte once a year about risk manage- ment in contracts. “I cannot imagine a day where I’m not learning or reading something, and seeing how it applies to a cli- ent or former client or the industry, and posting it to somebody saying, “Here’s why you should know this.” That’s who I am.” C&IT translates to productive meetings. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | April 2024 35At their core, meeting and event planning designations help profes- sionals demonstrate mastery of rel- evant skills and validate to employers, clients and attendees that they have honed the attributes necessary to suc- cessfully orchestrate meetings and events of all types. Certifications are diversifying and establishing multidisciplinary event planning practices that offer every- thing from tradeshow planning to corporate-specific event planning to virtual and hybrid events. They are clearly the wave of the future for meeting planning firms of all sizes. Increased Interest At no other time in history has the technological envi- ronment so intensely fueled the way people work, how they are prepared for today’s workforce and how they are trained and retrained throughout their work life. Meeting planners know that to remain competitive they must refocus their training strategies. This includes developing skills that are more consistent with the mis- sion, values and strategy of the meet- ing and events planning industry. Certification and continuing edu- cation programs have proven benefi- cial because they promote networking and bonding within the industry, bring- ing together planners from different silos to share experiences and learn from one another. Kyle Jordan, CAE, CEM-AP, CMP, DES, direc- tor of meetings at The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sci- ences (INFORMS), says that while certifications in the events indus- try are not strictly necessary, they are undoubtedly highly beneficial and recommended. “Earning a certification indicates that you have a solid grasp of essential industry knowledge which enhances your Certifications BY MAURA KELLER How an Alphabet Soup of CMP, CSEP, CPCE, CGMP . . . Can Propel Your Career in Event Planning INDUSTRY INSIGHT E ngineers obtain them, as do educators. Accountants strive for them, and doctors couldn’t practice without them. Certifications. They are not only turning people’s passion for gatherings into a lifetime career, but having a big impact on the meeting and events industry. 36 April 2024 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com Earning a certification indicates that you have a solid grasp of essential industry knowledge. KYLE JORDAN, CAE, CEM-AP, CMP, DES Director of Meetings, The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciencescollaboration with both suppliers and peers,” says Jordan, who has earned a plethora of designations including Certi- fied Meeting Planner [CMP] and Certified in Exhibition Management [CEM], to name a few. In Jordan’s opinion, deciding on the right certification really boils down to individual preferences and career goals. If tradeshows are your jam, the Certified in Exhibition Man- agement (CEM) could be a perfect fit. Some meeting plan- ners might find the Certified Meetings Professional (CMP) aligns more closely with their needs. And for those navigat- ing the association world, the Certified Association Execu- tive (CAE) certification offers a deep dive not just into meet- ing planning, but into the broader context of associations. “Ultimately, I think it’s about choosing what best com- plements your career path,” Jordan says. Jordan’s journey toward certification has always been guided by his desire to stay relevant and effec- tive in his role. “Whether it’s keeping pace with the latest industry trends or understanding the nuances of the market, I’ve chosen certifications that not only align with my current responsibilities but also position me well for future oppor- tunities,” Jordan says. Alison Huber, CMP, senior manager, travel and events at Baker Tilly in Madison, WI, believes that certifications are necessary in the events industry because they demon- strate commitment and knowledge and set candidates apart from one another. “Particularly the certified meeting professional or CMP certification,” Huber says. “It demonstrates that you have the knowledge, and perform at the highest level of our DepositPhotos.com Meeting planners can obtain various certifications and designations to demonstrate their expertise and professionalism in the field. Some of the common designations include: • Certified Meeting Professional (CMP): The CMP is a globally recognized cer- tification for meeting professionals. It demonstrates proficiency in all aspects of meeting management. • Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP): Offered by the International Live Events Association (ILEA), the CSEP des- ignation is for professionals specializing in special events planning and management. • Certified Government Meeting Profes- sional (CGMP): Offered by the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP), the CGMP is specifically designed for meeting professionals working in gov- ernment agencies. • Certified Association Executive (CAE): Offered by the American Society of Asso- ciation Executives (ASAE), the CAE desig- nation is for professionals working in asso- ciation management, which often includes planning meetings and events. • Digital Event Strategist (DES): Offered by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), the DES designation focuses on planning and executing digital and hybrid events. • Global Certification in Meeting Manage- ment (CMM): Offers senior level meeting professionals the opportunity for education in strategic thinking, a global certification and industry recognition, and a networking community of other senior-level people. • Sustainable Meeting Professional Cer- tificate (SMPC): This intensive certificate course provides education, tools and appli- cable instruction to immediately begin prac- ticing sustainable meeting planning. • Meetings and Events at Sea Certificate: Presented in partnership with the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), the certificate course explores the advantages of hosting events on cruise ships compared to traditional venues. • Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certifi- cate (HMCC): – HMCC recipients abreast of constantly changing healthcare meeting compliance regulations, cross-border com- pliance and other healthcare trends. 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