The Events Industry Council has introduced a new program that aims to help alleviate the challenge of hiring and retaining staff. Pathways, unveiled at IMEX America this week in Las Vegas, is an umbrella program that pulls the EIC's education, mentorship and outreach work into a single roadmap.
"We know that we need depth and breadth and talent," said Amy Calvert, president and CEO of the EIC, during the group's press conference. "We need a group of people who are inspired. They bring all sorts of skills, passion, creative thinking and — given the critical nature about what business events ultimately represent — an opportunity to foster human relationships."
Why now
The EIC's 2026 "Global Economic Significance of Business Events" study puts the meetings sector at 24.2 million jobs globally and $1.3 trillion in direct spending. And in the council's 2025 "Futures Landscape Study," three out of four respondents said talent development is very or extremely important to the industry's future. Broader workforce research cited by the EIC adds a warning for employers: Nearly half of workers expect their skills to go stale soon, and about the same amount say they'd likely leave a job that doesn't help them build new skills.
"Our industry is spending more than before the pandemic, but we have fewer people doing the work," said Jason Dunn, CEO of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals and the EIC's incoming board chair, during the press event. "That's not just a talent challenge; it's a connection challenge."
How it works
Pathways follows an events industry career through four phases, which the EIC calls Discover, Develop, Advance and Lead.
Discover builds the recruiting pipeline. The EIC's APEX Future Workforce program brings high school students to major industry events to see the work up close, an opportunity planners of large conferences might want to explore, perhaps offering to have local students volunteer, giving them behind-the-scenes experience.
"We hear so much that people fall into this industry," said Stephanie Harris, president of the Incentive Research Foundation and the EIC's current board chair. "It is through this intentional outreach that we can bring in the talent that is so desperately needed."
Develop offers self-guided tools for members of the industry. A newsletter follows trends, and the Reflective Practice Exercise helps professionals take stock of their strengths and plan their next move. The EIC also is working with tech partner Snapsight to rebuild its APEX Accepted Practices library as interactive, multilingual references, which could be useful for teams working across borders.
Advance links learning to credentials. The CMP Work Readiness Certificate lets newer staff prove foundational knowledge before they qualify for the full CMP, whose standards and exam were recently overhauled with input from more than 1,000 volunteer experts. The Sustainable Event Professional Certificate helps planners gather the knowledge they'll need when under pressure to green their programs.
Lead expands roles for seasoned professionals. This part of the Pathway helps industry members become ambassadors and mentors, as well as suggesting they engage in reverse mentoring, where newer professionals share what they know with veterans.
Putting it to work
For team leaders, Pathways offers a ready-made structure for career conversations. The reflective exercise can anchor an annual review, and the work-readiness certificate gives entry-level hires a concrete early milestone. Veterans and independents, meanwhile, can find a role in mentorship.
"If this industry gave you a career, give something back," said Dunn. "Share your influence. Use your relationships. Open doors for someone else."
