I have two firsts coming up next week: My first MPI WEC and my first visit to Vancouver — I can’t decide which I’m more excited about! I’ve been too busy getting Medical Meetings‘ July/August issue out the door the past couple of weeks to really think about the upcoming MPI meeting, but I had a chance to sit down with the schedule this morning as I begin to pencil in some appointments.

Along with a pretty good-looking educational lineup, I found some cool things I can’t believe. Like puppy-cuddling sessions (I’ll be missing my Mango girl pretty seriously — this will be our longest separation yet — so you know where I’ll be during those times!). I don’t know if I’ll make the early morning wellness check runs (I’ll try, but I’m not a morning person!), but they’re going to have a shoe check so I can hike over in my sneaks, which is a major plus in my book. The Vancouver Convention Centre is providing pedometers at the shoe check so we can measure how many steps we take at the show (a recent obsession of mine: wonder if I’ll beat my mileage at last year’s ASAE Annual Conference). Lots of other green initiatives too, like asking attendees whether or not they want a conference bag.

I also have woefully neglected signing into the MPI WEC 2010 Pathable Community, but hope to get that up and running this morning too so I can see what that’s all about. All in all, I’m starting to get pretty psyched about the whole thing.

I know a lot of organizations are jumping on the idea of helping out the locale in which they hold their meetings, or adopting a cause of some kind as a theme, or in other ways working corporate social responsibility into what they do on site (and off). Which is great. But be careful to think your strategy through. While not related to meetings, here’s a sobering cautionary tale of a good deed gone bad. Don’t let this happen to you.

Singer and leader of the parrothead nation Jimmy Buffett last night put on a free show at the public beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to help bring some (35,000 I hear) tourists, attention, and to all-around support Gulf Coast residents and businesses. Since the show also went out on Country Music Television as well, I’m sure just a few more fins, er, fans also listened in. A quote that sums up his attitude about that latitude:

“I saw a sign out there that said, ‘What would Jimmy Buffett do? Throw a party at the oil slick!’” Buffett said. “You’re right!”

Here’s a link to him playing “When the Coast Is Clear,” a particularly apt song for the occasion.

While I don’t think Gulf Shores has the available room nights of a Chicago or Orlando, it does cater to meetings and I’m sure would welcome yours. From the video of the concert, it looks like the beaches are in good shape.

I love it when celebs remember their roots and pitch in during times of need. Kudos to team Buffett for this one.