As meeting and event professionals continue to grapple with the impact the pandemic has had on the industry, the Event Leadership Institute has developed a new online certificate course in partnership with MPI to provide planners with strategies, tactics and resources to move forward with modified in-person events and meetings.

The first six-week Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Certificate course begins Sept. 1 and is eligible for 20 CMP hours. Curriculum is jointly designed by ELI’s and MPI’s education experts, experienced event and meeting practitioners and industry-leading instructors. 

Each week, participants will be able to complete self-paced coursework; join live class meetings to discuss real-time updates; and have access to a peer-based community forum, supplemental handouts and course updates as new information becomes available for one year.

Understanding the tremendous amount of pressure planners are facing to adapt to the continually changing pandemic situation, a special live pre-course introduction class on Aug. 25 will provide a forum to start discussing how to move forward with modified in-person events.

“According to exclusive research ELI and MPI conducted earlier this summer, a whopping 96 percent of in-person event attendees expect organizers and planners to have a clear health policy statement and precautions in place when in-person events resume,” said Michael Granek, ELI president and COO. “We’ve created this course to help planners elevate their strategies to meet the needs of a post-pandemic environment and develop a sustainable model for the future.”

The new course is a companion to the Virtual Event and Meeting Management certificate course ELI and MPI launched earlier this year, which already has more than 1,200 alumni. 

“We’re proud to launch this course with ELI as it directly addresses questions and concerns we hear each day from our members,” said Jessie States, director of MPI Academy at MPI. “We understand the urgency planners face to understand areas impacted most by the pandemic, including risk management and reduction, new venue protocols, contracts and safer event design.”

Get more information about the course or register here.