Event planning professionals who have received certification as a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP^®) by the Convention Industry Council are individuals who have achieved the industry’s highest level of professionalism. Requirements for CMP^® Program certification are based on professional experience and a written examination.  The certification ensures that Event and Meeting Planners have established the knowledge base and level of performance required by the program. Through the continued education program and certification process, industry professionals gain essential knowledge, increase their industry involvement, and gain industry-wide recognition.  Over 14,000 individuals in 36 countries and territories have earned the CMP^® designation since its inception. The CMP^® Code of Ethics establishes basic standards of values and conduct for CMP^® applicants and certificate holders.  Each recipient of the CMP^® designation by the Convention Industry Council must pledge to:

• Maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct at all times.
• Actively model and encourage the integration of ethics into all aspects of the performance of my duties.
• Perform my responsibilities in accordance with the laws and regulations of the local, state or national governments under which I reside.
• Maintain the confidentiality of all privileged information, including the identity or personal information of other CMP^® candidates and the contents of the CMP^® examination, except when required to do so by law or by court order.
• Never use my position for undue personal gain and to promptly disclose to appropriate parties all potential and actual conflicts of interest.
• Communicate all relevant information to my employer in a truthful and accurate manner in order to facilitate the execution of my fiduciary responsibilities.
• Not use the CMP^® designation or service mark in any way other than that which is authorized by the Convention Industry Council, and to immediately cease using the designation should I fail to maintain the requirements of the CMP^® certification or for any other reason have my certification revoked, including payment of required fees.
• To abide by all policies and procedures of the CMP^® program as outlined in the CMP^® Handbook or those that may be set by the CMP^® Board of Directors in the future.
• To be truthful in all information provided to the CIC in all applications and recertification applications at all times.

The broad scope of skills and knowledge required to achieve the designation of CMP^® allows The Event Concierge to offer enhanced professional services and ensures that our services are of the highest possible caliber.  CMP^® candidates must demonstrate proficiency in not just meeting and event design, but in financial management, project management, strategic planning, site management, marketing and professionalism.  The Event Concierge’s business is built on our personal commitment to providing clients with the ultimate experience in event services, and we are pleased to put this knowledge to work for each of our clients. Let us know how we can help you plan your meeting or event.

The Event Concierge received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in 2011.

WBENC’s national standard of certification is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and a site inspection.  The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

By including women-owned businesses among their vendors and service providers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs.

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council is the nation’s largest third party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States.  WBENC is a resource for the more than 700 US companies and government agencies that rely on WBENC’s certification as an integral part of their supplier diversity programs.

WBE Certification
Information taken from: https://www.nwboc.org/

WBE Certification stands for Woman Business Enterprise and denotes that a woman (or women) has majority ownership and control of a business entity. The National Womens Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) WBE Certification Program is not an endorsement of applicant’­s goods, services, pricing, or profitability.

Why is WBE Certification Important?
Obtaining WBE Certification is an important business development strategy for women business owners for two primary reasons:

First, most local and national government purchasing agencies track and/or have programs for doing business with women business owners. Having WBE Certification is the only way the purchasing agents have confidence that a business representing itself as woman-owned is, in fact, woman-owned and controlled.

Second, many publicly-held corporations, as well as larger private corporations, also track and have programs for doing business with women-owned vendor companies. They, too, rely on WBE Certification.

Currently, the 5% federal goal was established in 2000 with the Women’s Equity in Contracting Act that gave the contracting office the ability to restrict competition for women-owned firms that have WBE Certification — up to 5% of all contracts. The intent of this program is to encourage procurement officers to utilize women-owned firms at a higher level in both the number of firms awarded contracts and the dollar amounts awarded to them.

WBE Certification Criteria

• Woman(en) must own and control at least 51.0% of the business
• Woman owner must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident
• Woman owner must serve as President or CEO (if both positions exist)
• Woman owner must have ownership and officer position for at least six months
• Woman owner must be active in daily management

SBE Certification
Information taken from: https://www.phoenix.gov/eod/programs/sbecertprograms

The City of Phoenix provides certification services for small businesses interested in participating in the SBE Program as a means of expanding and growing their firms.

SBE Certification Eligibility

• Business is located in Maricopa County
• Firm has been operational for at least six months or has completed four business contracts
• Owner(s) has a personal net worth less than $1.32 million (not including owner’s primary residence and business equity)
• Owner(s) controls the day-to-day critical operations of the firm
• Owner(s) is a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States

DBE Certification
Information taken from: http://phoenix.gov/eod/programs/sbecertprograms/

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Certification Program

This program certifies socially (minority and woman-owned firms) and economically disadvantaged business owners who want to do business with the city of Phoenix.

The program is available to firms located throughout the United States that have completed the Arizona Unified Certification Program (AZUCP) process through a statewide one stop process with the city of Phoenix, Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) or the city of Tucson.

DBE certification is valid for all U. S. Department of Transportation contracts for highway, transit and airport programs.  These include funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The certification is valid on all contracts that specify the utilization of DBE subcontractors.

EOD also oversees the federal DBE Program, working with the Aviation, Public Transit, Public Works and Street Transportation departments to ensure equal opportunity for DBE-certified prime construction contractors and subcontractors.