The CMP certification program is the bedrock of our profession. CIC, then known as the Convention Liaison Council, developed the first all-encompassing body of knowledge for meeting professionals and this continues to define the profession in which we all work. In our natural world, bedrock is the hard, solid rock beneath our earth’s surface of land and water. The CMP is our profession's bedrock, defining the knowledge, skills, and abilities for event management. The CMP program weaves together what event planning is, what it takes to plan events, and in its own way identifies what we know now to be a separate and distinct discipline of knowledge. 

The CMP body of knowledge was first developed in 1983. The first CMP exam was administered in 1985. Forty-four people passed and became the first CMPs, and since that date more than 20,000 meeting professionals have earned the CMP designation. The CMP has stood the test of time, measuring success for event professionals and our profession. Throughout the years, adjustments have been made to the skills and competencies of the body of knowledge to reflect the changes in what we do as event professionals. Staying relevant has been at the cornerstone of the CMP. 

The CMP is a test of knowledge and our defining body of knowledge; it is not a suggestion of what to know. It is a pillar upon which our community strengthens its knowledge and builds jobs and careers around. Separating the chaff from the grain and defining what event management is and is not is, what tested event professionals know and do, as well as a strong code of ethical conduct that all CMPs adhere to is the core of the CMP. The CMP plays a significant role in our profession's maturity and growth. As we mature and grow as a profession, so will the CMP.  

As a CMP, you can feel confident that this credential will continue as it has over the years – having market value, being relevant to the work event professionals do, instilling rigor in the exam, and being best in class in certifications. You are standing on solid bedrock, my CMP friends.  

Peace. Janet