Minneapolis Review

City of Minneapolis issued the following announcement.

Meet Minneapolis and Minneapolis Convention Center team members earn Digital Event Strategist certifications to better support clients’ digital events

Digital and hybrid events are here to stay. A recent survey asked meeting professionals if they were planning to launch a new digital event that was not previously held face-to-

face, and more than half (52%) said “Yes.” In response to this growing trend in the meeting and events industry, a trio of Meet Minneapolis and Minneapolis Convention Center staff 

members recently earned the Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification offered through the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). This certification 

demonstrates professionals are knowledgeable and well-equipped to assist meeting planners who need to develop and produce engaging live stream and digital events.

The newly certified Digital Event Strategists (DES) for Meet Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Convention Center are:

Erica Bergum, Meet Minneapolis Destination Services & Event Manager

Colin Brereton, Minneapolis Convention Center Senior Supervisor of Technology Services

Megan Wahman, Meet Minneapolis Marketing Manager

“We have seen an increase in demand for support of virtual events,” Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant said. “Having members of our team achieve this 

certification ensures that we will continue to be a trusted resource for our clients, whether they plan to hold in-person, virtual or hybrid events in the future.”

In order to earn the DES certification, Bergum, Brereton and Wahman took part in a five-module online course that included weekly “expert hours” with a live expert and a final 

exam.

The accreditation program covered a wide range of best practices for virtual events:

Budgeting and planning for digital events, and which platforms are best suited to meet each event’s needs.

Developing digital event agendas, preparing speakers, and engaging audiences through a variety of interactive options.

Determining the best technology to meet an event’s needs, including lighting, audio, cameras, streaming, chat, polls and more.

Reaching new audiences, driving awareness and participation, and using metrics to determine the success of digital events.

Engaging audiences across numerous events and building loyal digital event planners.

I’m excited to take what I’ve learned to be an even better sounding board for our clients,” Bergum said. “We’ve seen that digital events can be successful in 2020. I can confidently 

be an expert resource for meeting planners – working hand-in-hand with our local partner businesses that excel in producing hybrid and virtual meetings.”

“This educational opportunity has expanded my knowledge base so that I may better serve Minneapolis Convention Center clients who are interested in adding a virtual component 

to the successful in-person events that we take pride in hosting,” Brereton added.

For more information on holding your meeting, conference or event in Minneapolis, visit www.minneapolis.org/meetings-events/. 

Original source can be found here.