‘This house believes certification would benefit the event industry, organisers and clients’

The first in the series of the 2013 MPI Great Debates kicked off with ‘MPI in the Ring: Do you need a license to meet?’ at International Confex, where Cedric Calhoun, RecertTrack CEO & Founder (www.recerttrack.com) and Jennifer Jenkins, Managing Director, MCI UK debated for and against the motion that certification would benefit the event industry, organisers and clients.

‘Global recognition, a pathway to higher pay and differentiation from industry peers’ were all factors presented as part of the argument put forward from Cedric Calhoun, which resulted in the majority vote that certification would (and will continue) to benefit event planners across the globe.

Calhoun commented, “If doctors and lawyers require certification to be regarded as competent and trusted in their occupations, why should event organisers be regarded as any different. This isn’t just about qualifications; it is about creating a structure which can sustain on-going recertification which will support career progression and help people move up within their industry.”

Jenkins opposed the notion, presenting the difficulties involved in standardising a profession, arguing that ‘uniqueness comes from an individual’s experience and that skills and ability are acquired through industry experience’. She furthered her argument questioning, “Why should we create further barriers for people to overcome after they have spent four years studying for a degree?”

Calhoun retaliated, “Qualifications can assess whether people have baseline knowledge and skills and helps them to understand what they need to know in order to perform and apply for certain industry jobs. Certification can also help during the recruitment process as employers can verify that employees already have the appropriate skills for the position they will be applying for.”

James Samuel, International Confex Event Director commented, “We will continue to ensure that Confex provides a platform for the industry to tackle current relevant topics. Cedric’s philosophy was clearly favourable and created a very valuable and informative debate session. We look forward to learning more about how this will now start to work in the wider international events arena.”

Commenting after the debate, Calhoun, Founder of RecertTrack commented, “Certified/licensed professionals in the association and meetings industry are seeking a solution that makes access to education and news as well as the recertification process less cumbersome, less time-consuming and less stressful. I have been in the association management industry for over 16 years.  Across the board, very little assistance exists beyond the recertification manuals, which are helpful, but I felt more needed to be done. So, out of my own frustration and an identified need I set out to build RecertTrack to help the certified meeting professional to manage their recertification activities and store their documentation all in a centralized location.

“At the end of the day, industry-wide certification adoption is going to drive the meetings profession forward.  RecertTrack, will be the solution for them that will save individuals and organizations time and resources to devote back to their careers and professional lives,” he added.

To speak with Cedric Calhoun, CEO RecertTrack, please call +301-452-5846 or email ccalhoun@recerttrack.com