Paul M Van Deventer

President & CEO Meeting Professionals International (MPI); Chair-elect Events Industry Council (EIC)

Paul is President and CEO of Meeting Professionals International - the meeting and event industry’s largest and most vibrant global community. MPI is focused on the professional development and career growth of its members and the advancement of the meeting and events industry through education, facilitating human connections and enabling networking opportunities. With over 60,000 active participants and 18,000 members the MPI community is connected through a network of 90 chapters and clubs worldwide and led by an organization of 90 full-time staff and over 1,000 volunteers.Paul is an active advocate for the meeting and events industry and serves on the Events Industry Council (EIC), of which he is the chair-elect; the Meetings Mean Business (MMBC) Coalition, of which he is a past chair and where he was instrumental in launching Global Meetings Industry Day; the board of directors for the US Travel Association; the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC); and the California State University Hospitality and Tourism Alliance Council, as well as Meeting Professionals International (MPI) International Board of Directors.Prior to MPI Paul served as a Divisional Vice President of Walgreens Health and Wellness Division; Senior Vice President of Sales and Field Services at Mitchell International and Vice President and General Manager of American Express Corporate Services.Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Villanova University and an MBA from Columbia University.LinkedIn