Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at the Desert Ridge Corporate Center, 20860 N Tatum Blvd., Ste. 190,Phoenix, AZ 85050. The Seminar begins promptly at 1:00pm. Early Bird Registration Compliments of Wttc.com.

To Register Now go to http://ow.ly/16qHN

There are only 8 days left until MPI’s Meet Different 2010, which is being held, this year, in Cancun, Mexico. The event has always seemed very “left brain” in many respects, promising attendees “… better designs, more efficient practices and return on investment that’s clear and measureable.”

This year, however, the association is shaking off the cobwebs with several sessions that look at the future of the industry. In particular, you may want to check out One+ Magazine writer and editor, Jason Hensel’s take on what the event planner job of the future might look like:

Hologram Specialist —In a few years, let’s say less than 10, there will be a need for hologram specialists, people to work with and on holograms for meetings and events. In fact, there are already patents pending and trials taking place (e.g., Microsoft and Masergy Communications).

Director of Senses —Sense management and how to use it to amplify meetings and ROI will continue to grow in popularity and use.

Sustainability Compliance Officer —One field that’s gaining steam is sustainability compliance. In the future, the meeting and event industry will be (maybe lawfully?) impacted by strict environmental rules and regulations concerning conferences.

Cultural Guides — It’s not too much of a stretch to expect that within 10 years there will be people working as specific cultural guides for meetings and events to help prevent an embarrassing cultural faux pas.

Chief Connecting Officer —In 10 years, the term “meeting professional” will no longer be sufficient in describing what meeting or event planners and suppliers do. Our future fails or succeeds on what we call ourselves, so let’s propose a new C acronym: CCO (chief connecting officer).