CHICAGO — There are many courses and certifications available to events professionals who want to level up their career.
Many organizations in the trade show industry — including PCMA, the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), the Events Industry Council (EIC) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI) — have ways for you to enhance your skills and bolster your resume.
“If you’re coming into the industry, you really want to determine ‘what are you passionate about?’” Junior Tavuaa, Chief Business Officer at PCMA, said. “The next piece that you want to look at is where you’re deficient in terms of your skillset.”
PCMA offers webinars, courses and certifications across a range of topics, with a mix of live and on-demand options.
Tavuaa shared that PCMA’s Enhancing Events with AI and Event Accessibility Strategist certificate courses are currently popular and recommended Event and Meeting Management Fundamentals for new professionals. Additionally, he said that PCMA’s Digital Event Strategist Certification is popular.
Tavuaa asserted to make sure that any certifications or courses you choose are supported or approved by well-known industry groups.
MPI offers live and on-demand certificate programs covering a variety of topics, including AI-Enhanced Event Professional, Basics Boot Camp: Meeting Fundamentals and Event Welfare Champion. It also has an Eventwise Micro Certificate Series and an Emerging Meeting Professional program created for those who are new to the industry and want to set themselves apart.
The EIC offers a Sustainability and Social Impact Foundations Certificate, on-demand content and more.
IAEE has a selection of hour-long webinars that are complementary for its members and cover around 50 topics such as Sales and Marketing Alignment Best Practices, Mastering Message Driven Communication for Trade Show Success and Innovations in Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Influencers to Drive Attendee, Exhibitor & Sponsor Engagement.
If you are unsure where to start, you can take IAEE’s Workforce Ready Assessment to see where you’re at professionally.
Whether you are looking to explore your passions or areas of deficiency, the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) designations are worth considering.
What is a CMP Designation?
The CMP program was launched in 1985 to enhance the knowledge and performance of meeting professionals and the credibility of the industry, while advancing uniform standards of practice.
According to a report from PCMA, event organizers with the CMP designation earn $10,756 more annually on-average compared to non-certified organizers.
“My degree is completely unrelated to working in the trade show industry … so it was something that felt really important to me,” Christine Corkran, CMP, Associate Brand Director at Emerald, shared. “I think it really has given me more confidence just in my career … and then it’s also kind of given me a little bit of credibility.”
How Do I Get a CMP Designation?
To be eligible for a CMP, you need 36 months of full-time employment in the events industry and 25 hours of continuing education. If you have a degree in Event Management or Hospitality, you only need 24 months of full-time employment.
You can find pre-approved continuing education courses in the EIC’s Preferred Provider Directory, and IAEE, MPI and PCMA offer courses which fit the requirements.
You can self-report a relevant education session by supplying its description, which proves that the course’s learning objectives align with the CMP requirements, and proof of attendance. Hours at an industry internship count towards clock hours too.
To apply, create an online account at www.eventscouncil.com and submit an application using their CMP portal. After six to eight weeks, you will find out if your application is approved. Then, you can schedule your exam and have 12 months to pass it before you must reapply.
The EIC recommends the Events Industry Council Manual for studying.
PCMA has a variety of resources to help professionals on their CMP journey, including a CMP Exam Prep Course with live instruction and an On-Demand CMP Exam Prep Course, while MPI offers CMP prep resources as well.
Corkran recommends finding a local study group — hers was hosted by MPI and taught by instructors who held CMPs and created lasting professional connections — and starting sooner rather than later. “Everyone should try and get it and it’s a great value-add for you as an employee in the space.”
All CMPs must recertify every five years and must fulfill these requirements, which include work and/or teaching experience and a variety of educational/industry support activities.
Related. Meet the 2024 TSE Trailblazers: Christine Corkran, CMP
What is a CEM Designation?
IAEE created the CEM Designation in 1975 to give professionals an in-depth, overall understanding of the exhibitions industry. It is a nine-part adult learning and certification program.
“Individuals who participate in the CEM program and earn their CEM, they’re investing in their future by maintaining a competitive edge in the industry, as well as staying abreast in a rapidly changing industry … [and] it allows individuals to gain a broader view of the industry from all perspectives, from exhibitor sales to attendance promotion to operations, and it can also lead to increased career promotional opportunities,” Jennifer Potter, CEM, Senior CEM Program Manager at IAEE, said.
What started as one designation has become a CEM Journey:
- Workforce Ready Assessment — no experience required
- CEM Certification — at least three to five years of experience required
- CEM Advanced Professional (CEM-AP) — CEM and 10 years of experience required
- CEM Fellow — CEM or CEM-AP and 20 years of experience required
- CEM Emeritus — CEM and must be more than 61 years old
“We take the career path of young professionals very seriously … We’ve put a lot of time, and energy and effort into laying this path and this foundation for young professionals to really thrive and see that they can make a lifelong career out of exhibitions management … There’s a lot of designations out there, but when you talk about ‘do you want to know how to produce trade shows?’ You get your CEM, around the world,” Nicole Bowman, MBA, CEM-AP, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IAEE, added.
According to Heather Teplitz, CEM, Exhibit Sales & Services Manager at the American Academy of Physician Associates, the designation gave her an overall understanding of the events industry and provided beneficial networking opportunities.
“Because I didn’t take classes like this in school, being able to take these courses really helped me understand the entire scope of an entire event … it’s a great opportunity just to experience the industry as a whole and it really does open doors,” Teplitz said. “Just being able to have that CEM on your designation really can elevate you, especially when you are talking to exhibitors and stuff, and you can speak the same language, which is really important.”
Related. Meet the 2024 TSE Trailblazers: Heather Teplitz, CEM
How Do I Get a CEM Designation?
You need three years of full-time industry experience and/or an undergraduate/graduate degree from an accredited institution with a specialization in the events industry to be eligible for the initial CEM program.
The program requires you to take nine courses and IAEE allows you to choose from 13 options: Conference & Meeting Management, Event Marketing, Event Operations, Exhibition & Event Sales, Exhibitor Relations, Facilities & Site Selection, Finance, Budgeting & Contracts, Floor Plan Development, Housing & Registration Management, Neuroscience of Exhibitions & Events, Security, Risk & Crisis Management, Selecting Service Contractors and Strategic Planning & Management.
CEM Courses can be taken on-demand, in-person or virtually and each has an exam that must be taken within 90 days of finishing the course.
Candidates have three years from the date of the first passed exam to take all nine courses and exams. If you have a CMP, you automatically get credit for the Conference and Meeting Management Course and only need to take eight courses.
“What I really liked about it is it’s not just the content from the workbooks that the instructor is teaching you about — it’s the network of people that you make connections with … You’re getting commentary from people like me, who have a lot of experience, but you’re also getting new, fresh ideas through a different lens through younger people, that maybe don’t have as much experience. So, it becomes a really great safe space to present your ideas and work together as a group, and I just got so much out of it,” Bowman said.
To start, you can submit an application using the IAEE Member Dashboard.
All CEMs are required to recertify every three years and must earn 15 credit hours from continuing education, leadership activities or formal education and pay a renewal fee.
“I love it, I think it’s really interesting, just to see how things have evolved,” Teplitz said about the recertification process.
Stay tuned to TSE for more information on courses and certifications in the events industry.
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