Northstar Meetings Group’s Independent Planner Education Conference (IPEC) 2025, an event exclusively geared toward planners not affiliated with a third-party organization, will be held Jan. 26-28 at Hard Rock Hotel Atlantic City in New Jersey. In response to survey data from previous participants and the IPEC Advisory Board, the upcoming conference will contain a few extras this year, including free consultations with a leading industry business consultant, expert financial advice for small-business owners, and a social media marketing workshop, among others.
The educational agenda also will include sessions such as:
- Turn Up the Volume: How to Amplify Your Business Success, presented by “Marvelless” Mark Kamp and sponsored by Florida-based Opal Collection. Kamp is the CEO of Millennia Productions, a best-selling author, TED Talk speaker, and global keynoter who has presented in 24 countries on his insights gained from years in the entertainment industry. This opening keynote aims to empower meeting professionals to set, pursue, and achieve big, bold goals in the new year.
- Pitch, Price, and Persuade: Sales Skills for Eventprofs, hosted by 360 Live Media Vice President of Event Strategy and Design Beth Surmont. In this workshop, attendees will learn to identify their unique communications styles, refine their pitches, and practice negotiation skills. Surmont’s career spans more than 20 years in corporate and nonprofit events and trade shows and she was the winner of the Professional Convention Management Association’s Groundbreaker Award last year.
- LinkedIn Strategies for Branding and Selling, presented by Kurt Shaver, founder of Linked In To Meetings. Shaver will teach attendees how to make LinkedIn their most powerful tool for branding, marketing, and lead generation. A LinkedIn member since 2005, Shaver has trained thousands of people including hundreds of meetings industry professionals on how to leverage the platform to grow their business.
After the IPEC 2025 general program concludes on Jan. 28, buyers have the option to stay for a free, half-day IPEC Business Growth Bootcamp for more in-depth education on subjects ranging from personal finance to pricing strategies.
