As you may be aware, the Convention Industry Council (CIC) recently announced that it has selected SmithBucklin to provide full-service association management. As of April 1, we will be open for business in our new office in Washington, D.C. Please make sure your records are updated with the following information: Email: cichq@conventionindustry.org CMP Email: certification@conventionindustry.org Phone: (202) 367-1190 Address: 2025 M Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20036

Here is my third installment to CMP Today. It’s like my own little group therapy session with all of you. LOL. So, a little business first. You may have heard that the CMP Conclave will be at the MGM National Harbor, Maryland, this November. A big shout out to MGM for their continued support of the CMP. It is most appreciated. I sincerely look forward to seeing you all there and to what MGM has in store for us.

2017 CMP Conclave will be held November 13-15 at the MGM National Harbor, MD, MGM's newest luxury resort, retail, dining, entertainment and gaming experience. More information on registration, program, and travel details to come. Please direct all questions to events@conventionindustry.org.

IMEX in Frankfurt, taking place 16-18 May 2017 at Messe Frankfurt, is set to provide a newly inspiring experience this year, one that’s been fine-tuned to fit the needs of a variety of visitors. Alongside a wealth of new exhibitors and networking opportunities, the IMEX team is launching a brand new education experience, EduMonday, taking place the day before the show on 15 May.

That all of your continuing education for recertification doesn’t have to be meeting industry-specific? Last January, the continuing education requirements changed slightly. Fifty percent of your CEs can be non-industry specific as long as the learning objectives align with one of the 9 domains in the CMP International Standards (for instance, marketing or finance courses). All other CEs, however, must be specific to the meeting industry.

On April 6, 2017, leaders from across the meetings and events industry will come together to support the second annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID). GMID events will be held across the globe to demonstrate the measurable impact that meetings have on businesses, economies and communities.

As the premier certification for meeting and event professionals, the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program represents current practices and skills required for competency in the profession. As such, the CMP must review its body of knowledge every five (5) years through a Job Analysis Study to ensure the content of the exam remains relevant. The resulting document is the CMP International Standards (CMP-IS) and is the basis of the CMP exam content. The job analysis was conducted in 2016 in a two-pronged process. First, a panel of CMPs representative of the entire CMP community met to review the current standards and made recommendations for revisions. Secondly, all CMPs were invited to complete a survey to validate the results. The updates to the CMP-IS will be incorporated into the CMP exam beginning with the May 5-14, 2017 testing window.

A common clause in hotel contracts allows venues to switch reserved meeting rooms in order to maximize use of the venue’s space. But as Jeanna Andre-Murdie, The Howes Group, warns, if you have delegates with special needs that the property is not aware of, this can cause unanticipated problems. One of her client’s participants was in a wheelchair and the newly assigned room not only had stairs in it but was accessible only "through a back kitchen by a service elevator, which is not dignified." The new meeting room also wasn’t wide enough to accommodate the stage ramp.