Certified Meetings Professional Setting the Standard of Excellence

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1 Contact SAACI academy for more Information Len Venter on +27 (0) or Cobus Kirkpartick +27 (0) or will have more information in the near future

2 About the CMP Program The Convention Industry Council (CIC) launched the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program in 1985 to: enhance the knowledge and performance of meeting professionals, promote the status and credibility of the meeting profession, and advance uniform standards of practice. Today, the CMP credential is recognized globally as the badge of excellence in the meeting, convention, exhibition, and event industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education, and a rigorous exam. Created by and for Meeting Professionals The CMP exam was developed and is maintained by meeting professionals from all over the world who volunteer their time to ensure that the program reflects the best practices in the meeting management field. More than 10,000 meeting professionals in 55 countries around the globe hold the CMP designation. This unique community represents every sector of the industry from corporations and associations to government and institutional organizations. The CMP program aims to increase the professionalism of meeting management professionals in all sectors of the industry by: Identifying a comprehensive body of knowledge in the meeting management profession Promoting industry standards, practices and ethics Stimulating the advancement of the art and science of meeting management Increasing the value of Certified Meeting Professionals to their employers Maximizing the value received from the products and services provided by CMPs

3 Why Become a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)? For thirty years, Convention Industry Council (CIC) has defined new levels of professionalism through its Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program. CIC certifies individuals through an internationally recognized certification program that evaluates the competency of meeting professionals. The CMP designation represents the standard of excellence in today's meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. Those who obtain the CMP designation experience: Recognition: As the premier industry certification, the CMP distinguishes holders as career professionals who have demonstrated a high level of experience, skill and knowledge. Competitive Advantage: The designation conveys credibility to a meeting professionals opinions and ideas, both at work and in the greater meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. Peer Acceptance: CMPs are immediately recognized by other CMPs as fellow professionals committed to the advancement of the profession. Salary Enhancement: CMPs can use the certification as a competitive advantage when it comes to negotiating salaries and other business. Personal Achievement: After passing a rigorous application and examination process, CMPs express a profound sense of personal achievement at finally being regarded as the exceptionally skilled professional they are. Commitment: Successful completion of the certification process conveys that the certified meeting professional is committed and goal driven in their career.

4 Eligibility Requirements Following is an overview of the eligibility requirements for the CMP program. For detailed information about these requirements and acceptable forms of documentation, please download the 2016 CMP Handbook. To be eligible to sit for the CMP exam, your application must include proof of both EXPERIENCE and EDUCATION. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE CHOOSE 1 OF 3 OPTIONS Option 1: 36 months of experience thirty six (36) total months of full-time work experience in the meeting, event, exhibition, hospitality and tourism industry. The 36 months must have taken place in the past five years but they do not have to be consecutive months. a resume or CV with your application. The experience you list on your resume should demonstrate meeting management responsibilities or your role in contributing to the planning, execution and results of meetings. Option 2: 24 months of experience and an industry degree bachelor s degree in the hospitality/tourism field a resume or CV with your application. The experience you list on your resume should demonstrate meeting management responsibilities or your role in contributing to the planning, execution and results of meetings. Both the degree and the 24 months of experience must have taken place in the past five years but they do not have to be consecutive months. Option 3: 36 months as an educational instructor full-time instructor of meeting, event, exhibition, hospitality or tourism management at an educational institution or university program 36 months of full-time experience in academia Official course outline and syllabus that proves full-time teaching at an educational institution or university program

5 CONTINUING EDUCATION CHOOSE 1 of 2 OPTIONS Option 1: 25 clock hours of educational activities Completed in the past five years Face-to-face conferences, webinars (both live and on-demand), classes and individual sessions Learning objectives must relate to one of the 10 domains in the CMP International Standards (CMP-IS), but it is not required that you have education activities in all 10 domain areas. Effective January 1, 2016, continuing education requirements for the CMP exam have been modified. Of the 25 clock hours needed for eligibility, 20% (5 hours) may be non-industry-specific general education IF the learning objective of the activity relates to one of the 10 domains in the CMP International Standards (e.g. Project management, marketing or financial management). Non-industry-specific continuing education must be reported on the application on a session-by-session basis and appropriate session description and documentation of attendance uploaded as outlined in the CMP Certification Handbook. Unless pre-approved through the Preferred Provider Program, all continuing education is reported on a session-by-session basis and documentation uploaded as outlined in the CMP Certification Handbook. Option 2: Industry Internship This option is typically used by those who have chosen Option 2 in the Experience section of the application. The internship must have taken place in the past five years included a minimum of 200 hours of work experience with a professional organization through an accredited educational institution or university Your application must include attach a letter from your faculty/internship advisor or internship supervisor certifying the completion of the internship. This letter must be on official letterhead and signed by the advisor.

6 Submitting the Application You may apply for the CMP at any time. Once approved, you have one year to take and pass the CMP exam before you have to reapply. Eligible applicants are notified via from CIC. Candidates have one (1) year from the time that they are notified of their eligibility to pay the exam fee and take and pass the examination. Your application must be submitted online. Your first step is to create an online account where you can document your continuing education activities and your professional experience. You already have an online account if you: Were a CMP but you ve expired Have ever applied to take the CMP Have taken the CMP exam and failed If you had an account in our old system the first time you login to the new online system you ll need to reset your password. You can access your account directly at Click Forgot Your Password? Enter the associated with your CIC records and an will be sent to you with instructions to proceed. If your address has changed and is not the associated with your CIC account, DO NOT CREATE A NEW RECORD. Instead, please contact accountsupport@conventionindustry.org or call CIC at and speak with a customer service representative. Once your password has been reset, you ll use your and your new password to access your online account. The CMP certification program is a two-part process in which you must complete the CMP application to demonstrate your eligibility, and then successfully pass a written examination covering the functions performed in meeting management. The CMP exam is offered at secure testing centers four times a year (January, May, August and November) during 10-day testing windows. Prometric, CIC's testing agency offers more than 450 testing centers around the world.

7 Application Review Your application will be reviewed by CIC staff members. Please allow 6-8 weeks for this review. All applicants are notified via on the status of the review at the close of the submission period. Our primary means of communication is through so please add to your personal contact list. If Your Application is Approved All approved applicants will receive notification of their application review and instructions for registering for the exam. Your status will be changed from applicant to candidate. If Your Application is Denied An application may be denied if: It did not meet the minimum requirements. Your continuing education activity did not align with one of the 10 domains in the CMP-IS. Your documentation did not include enough information to verify that the continuing education aligned with one of the 10 domains in the CMP-IS (to avoid this, please include a course description with entry.) more than 5 hours of education are not relevant to the meetings industry Your degree was not meetings industry-specific Note: Once submitted, you will not be permitted to submit additional information and you will forfeit your application fee. If your application is denied, CIC will send notification via indicating the sections of the application where the minimum requirements were not met. If you choose to reapply you must complete a new application and pay the application submission fee again.

8 Fees & Payment Options CIC accepts credit card (VISA, Master Card, American Express) international bank transfer All check payments must be in US Dollars drawn on a bank with a US address. A $25 USD service charge will be assessed for any declined or returned payment, including returned checks or chargeback by a financial institution. In the event this occurs the service charge will be added to the total fee due and CIC will only accept payment by money order, certified check and wire transfer. Any outstanding fees must be paid before proceeding to the next step in the application process. Application and exam fees are non-refundable and nontransferable. Application Submission Fee The CMP application submission fee is non-refundable and nontransferable. This fee entitles the applicant to a thorough review of their application to determine qualification. There is no option for late submission of applications. Exam Fee The exam fee is non-refundable. Once your CMP application is approved, you'll have one year to pay your exam fee and schedule your exam. SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION FEES CMP Application Submission Fee (non-refundable) Exam Fee (non-refundable) $250 (USD) $450 (USD) Study Text Fees *All fees exclude courier and/or import duty costs: CIC Manual 9th Edition (Hard copy: $99.95 USD or non-printable e-book format: $69.95 USD) APEX Glossary ($35.00 USD) Professional Meeting Management 6th Edition ($ USD) PCMA Online Study Prep 2,1 (Non-Member Price: $ USD) - highly recommended

9 Alternatively, you can purchase the CMP Online Prep Course Ultimate Study Pack Bundle, which includes: 1. CMP Online Study Prep The CMP Ultimate Study Pack o The brand new Professional Meeting Management, 6th Edition o Recently updated Convention Industry Council Manual, 9th Edition o The APEX Glossary PCMA Member Price: $ USD Non-Member Price: $ USD 2017 Testing Dates May 5-14, CMP and CMP-HC August 4-13, CMP November 3-12, CMP and CMP-HC Schedule An Exam Once you ve paid your exam fee to CIC, you will receive instructions on scheduling your exam with Prometric. The exam is offered during four testing windows each year (January, May, August and November). Each testing window is 10 days. The CMP exam is not offered every day of the year. You may take the exam in any available testing date during your eligibility year. The Prometric network of testing centers offers hundreds of locations throughout the world. Find your nearest location at We share these test centers with other organizations; therefore, we recommend scheduling your exam as soon as you receive the instructions. Test center seats fill up quickly. If you wait, you may lose your choice date and location. Making Exam Appointments After you pay your exam fee with CIC, you can make your exam appointment with Prometric: Recommended method - online at You may also telephone Prometric: North America candidates:

10 For international candidates a listing of telephone numbers can be found for Europe, Middle East and Africa: for candidates Exam Structure and Scoring The exam in based on the CMP International Standards (CMP-IS) and each question is tied to one of the 10 domains in the CMP-IS. All questions on the exam undergo an extensive review process by a group of meeting industry subject matter experts. These experts, as well as testing experts, ensure that the exam accurately measures a meeting professional s level of knowledge. Only questions that measure competency and skill are included on the exam. Each time the exam is offered, it is a different exam comprised of a new selection of questions from the CMP Item Bank, a database of exam questions prepared by subject-matter experts, and experts in testing and assessment. Exam Structure Computer based 165 multiple choice questions: 150 operational questions (scored) and 15 unscored questions (referred to as pre-test questions). Four possible answers No trick questions No all of the above or none of the above Three and a half hours Pass or Fail score (immediately after you complete the test) Offered only in the English language and translation into other languages is not available. Pre-testing Exam Questions Pre-test questions are newly written or revised questions. These questions are included on the exam in order for CIC to obtain statistics on the performance of each question. The pre-test questions are inserted randomly throughout, are not labelled as pre-test and do not contribute to a candidate s score. Pretesting allows CIC to remove any problematic questions and add only valid and reliable questions to the exam question bank.

11 Studying for the Exam The CMP exam evaluates the skills and knowledge of meeting professionals, which is why experience is an eligibility requirement. There is no manual or course that will teach you how to pass the CMP exam, but there are a number of options to help you prepare. Where to Start Before you begin your studying regimen, review the CMP International Standards (CMP-IS). This is the body of knowledge on which the CMP exam is based. Next decide which of the 10 domains in the CMP-IS you have the least experience and concentrate your studying there. To be successful on the CMP exam, you are expected to use the CMP-IS to understand what are considered best practices in the industry and use the study guides to help you understand how these best practices are applied to real-world situations. Ultimately, however, you must apply you own own experience along with the educational tools to correctly answer questions. Recommended Reading List The following references are recommended references for the CMP exam. The manuals should not be considered as a word-for-word study guide (meaning you can t simply memorize the manuals and expect to pass the exam). CMP International Standards Convention Industry Council Manual (can be purchased online and downloaded or you can purchase the physical handbook) Professional Meeting Management, 6th Edition (can be purchased online) The APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) Glossary CMP Practice Exams CIC now offers two official practice exams. One exam has 20 questions and one exam has 40 questions. These are the only exams that use questions that were once on the CMP exam. Taking the practice exam will help you understand how exam questions are structured. We recommend taking one exam before you start your study program to help you hone in on the domains for which you have the least experience and then take another exam right before you sit for the exam to measure your progress.

12 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) I can t remember the I used for my account or I no longer have access to that address. How can I log in? STOP!! DO NOT CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT. Please call CIC at or accountsupport@conventionindustry.org. How long does it take to be notified regarding approval of my online CMP exam or recertification application? Please allow 6-8 weeks from receipt, depending on volume, for your review to be completed. Your review results will be ed to you and will include next steps. When is my application due? Anytime! We have moved to rolling applications and will accept them at any time. Once your application has been approved, you have one year to pay your exam fee and schedule your exam. How do I schedule an exam? Once approved, go to your online account to pay the exam fee. You will then be directed to Prometric to schedule your specific exam date and time. How long does it take to know if I officially passed the CMP exam? You will be given your official results immediately after you complete the test. What do I need to do if I need to reschedule my examination? To reschedule an exam, please contact Prometric directly via phone or online. There is a rescheduling fee of $75.00 each time you reschedule an appointment. Please see the CMP Handbook for detailed information on rescheduling the exam.