Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)

Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
The CMP program aims to increase the professionalism of meeting management professionals in all sectors of the industry by:

• Identifying a body of knowledge in the meeting management profession.
• Establishing the level of knowledge and performance required for certification.
• Stimulating the advancement of the art and science of meeting management.
• Increasing the value of practitioners to their employers.
• Recognizing and raising industry standards, practices and ethics.
• Maximizing the value received from the products and services provided by CMPs.

Benefits of a CMP Designation
Meeting professionals who earn the global CMP designation show their overall dedication to the profession in addition to meeting the criteria to take and pass the examination. They show their continued commitment to excellence by maintaining their CMP status through continuing education and recertification.  The many benefits of a CMP designation include:

• Competitive marketing advantage: The CMP designation conveys to others your expertise in the planning, managing and execution of successful meetings having met the requirements to earn the CMP.
• Authority to use the CMP designation on letterhead, business cards, and all forms and address.
• A certificate attesting to you earning the meeting profession’s highest designation.
• Recognition of your achievement through an industry press release and, if you wish, notification sent directly to your employer by the CIC.
• Professional development and increased knowledge of all aspects of meeting management gained during preparation for the CMP examination.
• Complimentary subscription to the bimonthly CMP email newsletter.
• Networking – CMPs are eligible to participate in exclusive CMP programs, including the annual CMP Conclave and invitations to attend CMP Breakfasts at industry meetings and events.
• Your listing within the CMP online directory located on the CIC website.
• Verification of CMP standing by CIC staff.

How to Become a CMP
The CMP certification program is a two-part process in which you must complete the CMP application to demonstrate your eligibility, and then successfully pass a written examination covering the functions performed in meeting management.

CMP applications are reviewed after each application submission deadline. The North American CMP examination is administered twice a year on a Saturday in the summer and winter at more than twenty examination sites. CIC also offers the examination on an annual basis outside North America in conjunction with the IMEX Trade Show in Europe.

(Reprinted from the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Candidate Handbook, Convention Industry Council)

CMP Resources
The following MPI-WI chapter members are available to discuss the CMP designation and examination:

The Chicago MPI chapter (MPI-CAC) conducts weekend review courses approximately 6 weeks prior to the exam date.  For more information, visit their website at:  http://www.mpicac.org

All information pertaining to the examination and qualifications is on the Convention Industry Council (CIC) website: www.conventionindustry.org