MPI announce destinations for the next four editions of the World Education Congress

Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the world’s largest industry association for meeting and event professionals, is excited to announce destinations for the next four editions of the World Education Congress (WEC). WEC is MPI’s signature event, drawing approximately 2,500 event professionals annually. The event aims to provide leading edge education, share the latest industry innovations, and ultimately take risks in its design and implementation, so that attendees can glean from its learnings.

MPI is committed to growing and designing global experiences and strives to find destinations for its events that are aligned with its mission. Through an extensive, competitive Request for Proposal process, it considered a strong selection of prospective destinations in its review process. After careful review the following destinations have been selected to host the 2023- 2026 editions of WEC.

WEC heads to Riviera Maya, Mexico in June 2023 at the Barcelo Maya Riviera resort. This will mark the second time since 2019 that WEC has taken place outside the U.S. and is aligned with MPI’s dedication to think global. “In the Mexican Caribbean, we are very excited to be hosting the World Education Conference 2023, where we will have the opportunity to showcase not only all the beautiful sceneries that our destination has, but also the facilities, meetings infrastructure and the high-quality service that the meeting professionals of the Mexican Caribbean offer,” states Dario Flota, CEO for Quintana Roo Tourism, “We are confident that WEC 2023 will be a great experience, and with that joy we are preparing everything to welcome you and make this event one of the best yet.”

Previously announced, WEC returns in 2024 to St. Louis, Missouri, where it was last held in 2012.

In 2025, WEC will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, where for the first time in more than a decade, WEC will return to the southeastern U.S. “It is an honor to host MPI WEC and welcome the industry to Louisville in 2025,” says Cleo Battle, President and CEO at Louisville Tourism, “By hosting one of the industry’s major think tanks, we are moving our business forward together and creating growth opportunities for both Louisville as a destination and our peers. As the host destination, we are certainly looking forward to showcasing our city’s unique brand of Southern hospitality, iconic attractions, Urban Bourbon Trail®️ experience and rich culinary scene, while supporting the continuing growth and development of our meeting facilities, hotels and attractions. We are looking forward to welcoming our industry’s own to experience the Kentucky International Convention Center’s $207 million renovation and expansion in the center of downtown, just steps from Louisville’s world-class tourism assets and historic Whiskey Row.”

Also announced recently, the association’s largest annual event will make its way to San Antonio, TX in 2026. “San Antonio is very excited to host the World Education Congress (WEC) for the first time in 2026. We appreciate that MPI has placed such confidence in San Antonio, and we are honored to host this exceptional event,” said Marc Anderson, President & CEO, Visit San Antonio, “San Antonio offers an experience unlike any other, where a cuttingedge, modern meeting scene has evolved amid a city full of rich culture and history. We cannot wait to showcase all San Antonio has to offer to the MPI community.”

“We are thrilled about our future WEC destinations.” said Annette Gregg, CMM MBA, Senior Vice President of Experience for MPI, “Each of these areas is unique, with authentic and diverse cultures. Their destination assets will help us craft incredible experiences for our WEC participants.”

This year’s WEC will take place in San Francisco, CA from June 21-23, where MPI will celebrate the return of meetings and events together as a global community. Registration for WEC San Francisco is now open. Visit mpi.org/wec for more information.

About WEC:

MPI’s award-winning World Education Congress (WEC), is one of MPI’s annual signature events. The 2022 edition takes place June 21-23, 2022 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, CA. WEC San Francisco will be an in-person event, featuring the award-winning education and inspiring programming WEC is known for. Learn more and register at mpi.org/wec.