After almost five years of active involvement, Michael Scroop has stepped down from the board of the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) to further focus on the development of his company Parrimark Technology.

The international meetings and conference technology provider plans to expand its current export markets into other areas of Europe and South East Asia. In addition, Parrimark is  undertaking a multi-million dollar research and development project designed to develop the next generation of software solutions.

Since his two year MIA chair came to an end in March, Scroop has remained actively involved with the association, continuing to push opportunities and initiatives to raise its profile.

"The MIA is unique in its quest to raise the profile of the meetings industry and is unparalleled in what it has achieved so far, and of course what it can still achieve in the future,” said Scroop.

"During my time there, I have accomplished so much and have met so many interesting people, and it goes without saying that I will continue to support the MIA’s work in the future. My departure will allow me to focus on developing a better service for Parrimark's customers, as well as push forward on other initiatives, which continue to raise the standards across our industry"

Scroop has worked tirelessly to modernise the MIA, successfully aiding in the launch and promotion of accreditation system AIM, presenting it to the Minister of State for Culture, Media & Sport, Margaret Hodge, and successfully negotiating a possible expansion of the initiative on a national level.