The IRF Invitational Education Day will take place on Thursday, May 31st, at The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun. The full schedule and session descriptions are listed below. All Education Day general sessions will be held in the Grand Theater, located in the Main Building, directly beneath the Sun Terrace. All breakout sessions will be held in Grand Ballroom 1, 2, 3 and the Auditorium. Lunch and coffee breaks will be served in the Grand Ballroom and Ballroom Foyer.
Education Day sessions are sponsored by Hyatt Resort Alliance, KSL Resorts, Kuoni DMC, and Lafayette Group DMC, with a Closing Champagne Toast Sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines.
Thursday, May 31 | |
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TIME | Session |
7:00am-8:00am |
IRF Education Day Breakfast |
8:00am-8:30am |
Opening Remarks Jim Kelley, Vice President of Industry Relations, PRG & IRF Trustee |
8:30am-9:45am |
Morning Keynote Building Your Network: Your New Net Worth (1 Hour) We're living in an era where the relationship between buyer and brand has been forever changed. Everyone and everything is becoming connected across digital, mobile, and social. We've harnessed the power of technology to achieve unimaginable levels of reach and scale. Yet, as humans, we have a finite attention span. We don't want to be marketed to or sold. We want help. We demand value. Who do you trust – an ad, a pop-up, a random tweet, a cold call, a generic email? No, you trust your peers, colleagues, family, and friends. You trust PEOPLE. In this session, you will have multiple "aha" moments around the importance of building your personal brand and growing and strengthening your professional network. You will walk away with practical tips on how to engage in more human, personal, and meaningful ways that help you win the hearts and minds of your customers. You will learn the new ABC: Always Be Connecting, because your net worth is your network. |
9:45am-10:15am |
IRF Education Day Morning Coffee Break |
10:15am-11:15am |
Morning Breakout Sessions
Building a Better Incentive and Reward Program with IRF Research: Separating What We Think From What We Know (1 Hour) At any given moment, the IRF is working on 17-20 different research projects. Join the IRF's President, Chief Academic Advisor, and Chief Research Advisor in this interactive session, as they help you explore key findings from the last few years. These findings can help you build better incentive and reward programs, use the research more effectively, and navigate the IRF's current and future data streams.
Building Our Industry's Economic Impact (1 Hour) The quality of the meetings industry is best demonstrated by its scope and economic impact, along with cultural, social, and environmental significance. In the case of new fields, with emphasis on business, it is crucial to examine their efficiency, effectiveness and, finally, define their value. In this session you will better understand the connection between research, the conclusion it leads you to, and how to put that information into action for success.
Building a Seat at the Table: Using Meetings as a Listening Post for the Future (1 Hour) Join Bill in this engaging, interactive session where you'll experience his methodology for unlocking innovation, intuition, and creativity. Hear firsthand the story of how its application positioned the meeting planner as a trusted-partner to executives and helped drive radical business change in the company, resulting in sustained success.
Building a Better Digital Experience (1 Hour) Connecting live events with a digital experience is needed now more than ever before. To stay relevant, a multichannel strategy is no longer optional – it’s essential! Learn what’s working, what to avoid, and what’s on the immediate horizon. Attendees will gain inspiration, understanding, and a strategic framework to immediately incorporate with their companies and customers. |
11:15am-12:30pm |
IRF Education Day Lunch |
12:30pm-1:30pm |
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Building Tomorrow's Airline Experience (1 Hour) It's no secret that the airline industry continues to be pressed on many sides for reasonable fares, more engaging experiences, and heightened customer service. Join Kari Vrba and a panel of airline experts as they take flight in discussing current issues surrounding air transportation for events, and explore what is on the horizon of the airline experience for both planners and participants.
Building Tomorrow's Event Experience (1 Hour) This fun, interactive session will explore the Seven Intentions at the heart of all successful future event experiences. From Purpose-Driven Design, to understanding why data is the new bacon, and food + happiness drive the optimal brain experience, Tahira will call on a wealth of personal and network examples that allow you to walk away with challenges and ideas for your next event.
Building Strategic Social Impact (1 Hour) We know meetings, incentives, and events are good for business … and they can be good for communities when designed properly. Why should we care? Can a business do well by doing good? Join Michele Sarkisian for an interactive discussion on the many ways our industry and different organizations are making an impact around the globe and take away some actionable ideas for your own company and clients.
Building Trusted Relationships: It’s Ok to Tell Me No (1 Hour) IRF research continuously shows how trusted partnerships are the root of all effective incentive travel programs. But how do we build these relationships in the fast-paced, pressure-cooker of meetings execution, especially where sometimes saying "No" is eminent? Join Jim Kelley as he leads an expert panel to discuss what the data says, what their experience is, and how they've learned to build trusted relationships throughout the supplier/buyer network. |
1:30pm-1:45pm |
IRF Education Day Afternoon Coffee Break |
1:45pm-3:00pm |
Closing Keynote Stop Acting Your Age! Building a Successful Multi-Generational Workplace (1 Hour) An Entertaining Keynote to Help You Avoid Generational Warfare In this humorous keynote, you will learn a simpler way of looking at your own generational picture, while also seeing how to understand, recognize, and resolve the many generational issues facing today’s workforce. That’s no exaggeration; by the end of Stop Acting Your Age!, you and your colleagues will walk away with all of the knowledge you will need to address 100% of the generational issues that will face you for the rest of your career. Partial List of Takeaways:
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3:00pm | Closing Champagne Toast Sponsored by Carnival Cruise Line |
5 Hours of CMP Credit