Why CMPs Matter More Than Ever

An interview with SmartMeetings and Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council

Editor’s Note: We asked Amy Calvert, CEO of Events Industry Council, to share her perspective on how meeting professionals are evolving to meet the needs of post-pandemic era events and why professional designations like CMPs are changing to support that shift.

Now, more than ever, we must unite to inspire our workforce and be the “great explainers and advocates” as to why our industry matters. As leaders in our industry, we all have a role to play in advocacy. To build back better, we must be anchored to our values and firm in our belief in the purpose of events; to foster human connections, build career pathways and communities, drive innovations, professional development and learning.

This steadfast commitment is at the heart of what we do at Events Industry Council (EIC) and the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential. As we think about upskilling and reskilling and supporting our workforce, we recognize that we have a unique moment in time, given the events of the past two years, to conduct a competency profile project to future-proof the international standards that form the foundation of our accreditation program and of the CMP certification.

EIC is currently conducting the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Competency Profile project, a key strategic planning endeavor that takes place approximately every five years to determine the knowledge and skills that define the competency standards for professionals in the global business events industry.

A competency profile is a process to identify and determine, in detail, the job duties, tasks and knowledge needed for competent performance in a specific job role. The results are used to develop test specifications or the body of knowledge (domains) on which the examination is based. The result is a “test blueprint” specifying the number of test questions in each domain or knowledge area.

EIC’s CMP Competency Profile project is critical for identifying the key skills and knowledge required of global event professionals to maximize their strategic value to their organizations in support of a resilient, equitable and sustainable recovery.

To do so, EIC works with a diverse, global group of subject matter experts to revise the current exam content outline by defining the specific content areas (known as domains) and competencies needed to practice in the industry as determined by the Competency Profile results. The domains identified in the Competency Profile comprise the CMP International Standards. The domains are then further broken down into more distinct tasks, knowledge and skills required to perform the job. The job responsibilities developed by the experts are then validated through a survey.

As an essential component of the journey and to ensure the most global relevant focus for this Competency Profile, EIC appointed PSI, a testing and research firm, to undertake research on the global business events industry’s practices. Along with Prometric our testing partner, we will host regional focus groups to ensure that we are gaining the necessary insights into the competencies and the pathways to build a successful CMP journey.

The findings from the Focus Groups and a desk study performed by Prometric will inform the practice areas that will be included in the Competency Profile survey and will be distributed to active CMPs, employers, academicians and others involved in global business events industry practice.

We look forward to sharing more information about this critical project, our findings and how we plan to adapt and innovate based on these learnings to best serve our industry. Please also be on the lookout for exciting announcements around recertification and new CMP education and programming including the launch of our Fellows Programme.

We are grateful for the support of the incredible group of industry leaders that comprise the CMP community and look forward to new and meaningful ways to champion their accomplishments as well as leverage their knowledge, passion and expertise to help our industry prepare for the future engage new professionals to meet the challenges ahead.