Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/78074
Informa Acquires MMPI Canada BY HIL ANDERSON, senior editor Toronto, ON – Te Canadian exhibi- tion organizer MMPI Canada has been acquired by Informa plc in a deal valued at $53 million, it was announced July 25. MMPI Canada organizes 55 events, including trade shows, consumer shows and seminars, and was considered by Informa to be a good fit with its world- wide operations in the specialty informa- tion arena. Informa is the largest publicly owned organizer of conferences and courses in the world, producing more than 8,500 events annually and is headed by Peter Rigby, chief executive. "With specialization in construction, real estate, interior design and furnish- ing, (MMPI Canada) fits well with our sector strengths, and we are confident about the opportunities that exist to grow the business within Informa by launch- ing new shows or geocloning existing ones into new markets," Informa said in a filing with the London Stock Exchange. MMPI also serves the food, design and craſt markets. Its BUILDEX show brand is held in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton. MMPI was represented by Te Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. in the negotiations. Reach Steven Levy, senior vice president of MMPI Canada, at (416) 960-9030 or steven@mmpicanada.com PCMA Survey: Certified Meeting Planners Earn More Chicago, IL – Meeting planners and manag- ers who earned their Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) designations were happy with their jobs and tended to rake-in larger paychecks then their non-certified colleagues, according to the annual salary survey conducted by the Professional Con- vention Management Association (PCMA). Te report released in June pegged the average salary for a CMP in 2012 at $76,225 based on responses from 420 individuals from the associations, corpo- rate, government and independent ranks. Te average salary of non-CMP planners was $65,609. "Te salary gap has widened between those who have earned their CMP des- ignation and those who have not," said Karen Kotowski, CEO of the Convention Industry Council. "In 2011, the average salary of a meeting professional without the designation was $68,605. Tis year, it dropped to $65,609 while the salary for those with a CMP remained fairly steady." Meeting professionals tended to be satisfied with their careers, the survey concluded. Nearly 80% of the respondents said they were happy with their career field, although 66% said they were satisfied with their current specific positions. Te overall average 2012 salary for meet- ing planners — both with and without the CMP certification — was $71,038 per year. Tat was down from $72,091 in 2011; how- ever only 3% of all respondents reported taking a pay cut this year compared to 4% in 2011. Te average raise in 2012 was 2.26%, about the same as it was last year. When separated by gender, there was an apparent wage gap; however the job levels of the respondents in the survey varied. Te average salary for women, who made up 85% of the respondents, was $69,408. Te average for men was $81,161. PCMA noted that most of the respondents were in "manager" or "director" positions. Another 5% were vice presidents and 3% CEOs. Reach Karen Kotowski at (571) 527-3116 or kkotowski@conventionindustry.com; PCMA CEO Deborah Sexton at (312) 423-7210 or deborah.sexton@pcma.org www.TradeShowExecutive.com | August 2012 7