MPI Adopts New Ethics Code

Meeting Professionals International has adopted a sweeping new code of ethics that new members must sign when they join and renew annually when they pay their dues.

The board voted on the code, called the Principles of Professionalism, at MPI's Professional Education Conference in San Francisco earlier this month. It applies only to individuals rather than companies, and calls for such traditional standards as integrity, clarity in contract language and respect for diversity.

Although the new principles echo many of the points raised in the original code, the updated version seeks to be more explicit-for instance, pointing out that planners should honestly represent their areas of competency and authority, and not exaggerate or conceal facts about their professional abilities.

In addition, the association will do more to publicize the code in a non-threatening way, such as distributing information to the membership in a comic-book format.

Topics that the new code also addresses include ensuring privacy and protecting the confidentiality of privileged information, refraining from misusing solicited information, proposals or contracts, and committing to environmentally responsible use of resources.

Contracts, always a potential thicket of hidden ethical thorns, should foster a mutual understanding rather than start a major war, the new code contends.

The board of directors dropped a committee that used to deal exclusively with ethical issues and reserved the right of censure for its board of directors, underscoring a newfound emphasis the organization has placed on ethics, said MPI president Kitty Ratcliff. Although penalties will be determined on a case-by-case basis, MPI would consider revoking membership if the infraction was serious enough, she said.

While many meetings professionals might think ethical behavior is a given, MPI is serious in its intent to eradicate any ethical gray zones that might exist. "There's a dire need to boost the ethics in all industries-conduct is not what it was 30 years ago," Ratcliff said at a press brunch held during the conference.

MPI is particularly concerned about such potentially sticky areas as accepting expensive gifts and engaging in actions that could be construed as a conflict of interest or designed to be for individual gain.

"We have a lot of new young people coming into the industry at a time when society's rules are more lax, and standards are more laissez-faire," Ratcliff said. "Behavior that used to be considered unacceptable, such as the use of certain types of language or mention of certain conversational topic, is acceptable now. It's a different environment than when I entered the profession."

The societal changes she is referring to have had some positive impact on the meetings profession.

For example, Ratcliff is pleased the "old boys network" is getting a run for its money in a society in which men and woman are approaching parity.

Still, the downside of the upheaval in traditional mores leaves young people, in particular, in need of new and clear-cut guidelines. "We want our message to be unambiguous so that new members-and all our members-know what we expect," Ratcliff said.

She pointed out that in contrast to her early years in the profession, when many just "fell into it and improvised," young people were completing hospitality programs and "actively choosing the hospitality industry."

Given that fact, MPI believed the standards of the profession should be very clearly stated.

Although Ratcliff said a few irregular incidents spurred the decision to revamp the code, more disturbing to her is the larger phenomenon, which she described as "the old membership conduct pledge being relegated by most people to the bottom desk drawer and never referred to again."

Ratcliff intends for the annual pledge to place ethics at the forefront of the agenda of each MPI member.