An essential avalanche of education sessions—free to all registered IMEX attendees—is the order of the day on Monday, Oct. 15, immediately before IMEX America officially starts.

MPI is offering 30 sessions covering topics ranging from risk management, medical meetings, contracts and strategic communications, to behavioral science and more. The majority of the education sessions are aligned to the CMP international standards and are eligible for clock hours. Here is a sampling of the stimulating sessions set for Smart Monday:

Senior professional master’s series: Data driven event design.
This is a sneak peak at the master’s degree program that will be rolled out in fall 2019 by the MPI Academy and San Diego State University (SDSU).

Speakers include Carl Winston, director of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at SDSU, and Tracy Judge, a master’s graduate of the hospitality program at SDSU. The session examines a fundamental concept: If we want to define success, we must first understand what data we need, how to capture it and how to use it to support event objectives. The session will also familiarize attendees with the methods and tools that will be used in the MPI/SDSU master’s program. (11:15 a.m., Galileo 903, Level 1)

Redesigning inclusive and welcoming events by overcoming unconscious bias.
Speakers: Mariela McIlwraith, CMP, CMM, and Tahira Endean, CMP.
The message: As event owners and designers, we create the environment in which our participants learn, share and innovate. In doing so, we need to consider the perspectives and needs of all our potential participants to design events that are welcoming, inclusive and accessible. (1:45 p.m., Marco Polo 804, Level 1)

Crisis Communications: Anticipate and Communicate.
Speaker: Alex Plaxen.
This seven-hour session explores the concept that in a crisis, it’s our responsibility to communicate with attendees and stakeholders. We need to ensure a crisis communications plan is in place, spokespeople are trained and we’re ready to communicate across multiple platforms. (Starts 10 a.m., Galileo 907, Level 1)

Check out the complete list of education sessions for Smart Monday Powered by MPI.