Naylor Association Solutions
Chair's Corner
Letter from the Chair
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July 7, 2016

In This Issue

Chair's Corner
CMP Events
Recertification
In Depth
APEX - Standards and Best Practices
Industry News
Research and Trends
On The Move

Does your employer understand the intricacies of planning a conference or event that will be both memorable to your attendees and profitable for your organization? Often, the annual meeting is one of the biggest revenue generators for your company and also one of the largest expenses. It is the one opportunity to showcase your company’s importance in the industry, to sell your products and your services, and to set yourself apart from your competitors. Your employer knows that a well-run meeting is imperative to the health of your company. But not all employers understand the tremendous amount of planning and details that go into making the event run smoothly. But you do.

As a CMP, you know planning a meeting – no matter the size – is much more complicated than booking hotel rooms and convention centers, ensuring registration runs smoothly and ordering food and beverages. It’s ensuring that attendees will be safe, that your volunteers are trained, that your products arrive safely, that speakers are booked, that contracts are signed and adhered to, that sponsors are selected, that security is in place, that exhibit space is sold, that money transactions are secure, that the meeting’s design reflects the image of the company, that the marketing plan is created and implemented. The list goes on and on.

Increasingly, employers are requiring or "preferring" that meeting professionals have a CMP. And this makes perfect sense. When so much rides on the successful outcome of a conference, meeting or event, your boss wants to be sure she has a talented staff in place.

The CMP Governance Commission works diligently to ensure that the CMP certification identifies those with the knowledge and skills needed for organizations to create events that are memorable to the attendees, that showcase their organization as an industry leader, and that the meeting generates the revenue needed to grow your business.

One of our goals this year and beyond is to reach out directly to employers to ensure they understand the importance of having a CMP on their staff. I would love to hear your stories. How has your CMP improved your organization’s meetings? Grown your company’s business meeting revenue? How has your employer embraced a staff of CMP meeting professionals? Send me your experiences! We will showcase these stories in future CMP Today newsletters.

Peace,

Janet

 
CMP Events
Register Now for 2016 Conclave!
Register now to attend 2016 Conclave, September 16-18, in Baltimore, Maryland – the only annual event that is exclusive to CMPs. Earn up to 13 CE credits, network with leaders in the industry, and hear the latest insights and trends in events and meetings.

Register by July 1 to receive the early bird registration rate of $395. After July 1, registration rates increase. 

Program Highlights
"Lead with Levity: Strategic Humor for Successful Leaders"
"Security Issues and Concerns for Event Organizers:  Current Safety and Security Trends in Event Security"
"Trends and Shifts in Hotel Sales Landscapes"

See the full schedule at a glance.

Additional Education Package
Provided through a special partnership with Multiview, a full-service digital publisher, most CMP Conclave breakout sessions will be recorded and offered for post-event CE credits. Purchase a "Multiview Education Package" that includes 24/7 access to session recordings presented during Conclave.

Earn 15 continuing education credits toward your CMP recertification! This virtual education package is offered at an exclusive price of $49 for CMP Conclave attendees only (a savings valued at $200).

Learn more about the Multiview Package.
 
Attend FUSE in Chicago


 
Looking for Additional CE? Join Us For Our Upcoming Webinars
Register now for the upcoming CIC Webinars:

Hotelier Confidential: Strategies on Capturing and Operating Healthcare Meetings – 1 CE 
Tuesday, July 26 ¦ 1-2 p.m. EST
Register Here

Improved Communications = Better Purchasing Process – 1 CE 
Thursday, July 21 ¦ 1-2 p.m. EST
Register Here
 
North Carolina Aquarium
Recertification
Call for CMP Articles – Get CE Credit!
Contribute to CMP Today and CMP Pathway and earn credits towards your recertification! Submit an original article on a topic that aligns with one of the 10 domains in the International Standards Body of Knowledge to be published in a CIC newsletter and earn 1 industry support activity credit towards recertification.

Email your submissions to cmptoday@talley.com
 
Did You Know?

June is traditionally wedding month, which means many of our CMPs are changing their names. Changing your name in your CMP online account is one of the few things you can’t do yourself. But CIC is here to help! To have your name changed in your account, simply email us at accountsupport@conventionindustry.org. Please provide your previous name (so we can find you!) as well as your new name. Please also send a copy of a government-issued ID (such as a driver’s license or marriage certificate).

 
In Depth
Congratulations to the Profile Update Contest Winner!

 
GMIC – Because It's All About the Waste...
Mariela McIlwraith, CMP, CMM, MBA
Director, Sustainability, GMIC

In our last GMIC webinar, we looked at best practices for waste management for events. This is one of those issues that affects all aspects of the triple bottom line: people, planet and prosperity. Fortunately, there are some easy steps to follow that can have a big impact on our performance in this area. I recommend the following process for managing event waste:

  1. Use less: The first step in reducing waste is to start by using less. When making your purchasing decisions, select only items that are needed to drive event objectives. Maybe this seems obvious, but too often we buy items for our events because we’ve always bought them.
  2. Use the best option: When you’ve made the decision to buy, select the best option for upstream and downstream waste management. From an upstream perspective, look for items made from post-consumer or upcycled materials. From a downstream perspective, look for items with less packaging that can be donated, recycled or repurposed after the event. Alternatively, consider whether or not that item can be substituted with a no-waste alternative, such as an app instead of a printed programme.
  3. Life-cycle planning: Some industries have extended producer responsibility legislation, what the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines as an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.[1] Let’s imagine for a moment what would happen if event producers became responsible for the take-back, recycling and final disposal of their products at a recovery rate of 75 percent. How would that change our planning processes? I encourage you to apply a reverse logistics approach to your event, and use the same skill set that we have honed for getting materials onsite, to getting them back into the economy.
  4. Reuse, donate or upcycle: A great way to reduce waste is to keep items for reuse. Items such as signs that are printed without date or locations can be stored for future years. Other great options are to look at donating items to charitable organizations or upcycling items into new products. Upcycling turns leftover items into new products, while recycling turns them into materials to make new products. As an example, vinyl signs can be upcycled into tote bags, while cardboard signs can be recycled into pulp. I also encourage you to ask your supply chain to do the same, especially with items such as partially used batteries from wireless mics.
  5. Recycle or compost: Finally, for items that can’t be reused, donated or upcycled, opt for recycling or composting. One tip: check with your venue and destination in advance to confirm what can be recycled or composted locally. Not all cities recycle all types of plastics, and not all composters can process items such as compostable cups. Finding this out in advance will help you to make the best choices for your event.
 
Naylor Association Solutions
APEX - Standards and Best Practices
Best Practices for Piracy and Poaching Prevention and Responses
 
Industry News
Congratulations to the CMP 2016 Changemakers from MeetingsNet
Your hard work and contributions to the profession are immensely appreciated!

Vickie Corder, CMP
Michelle DeClerck, CMP
Monica Dickenson, CMP, SMMC
Jean Johnson, CMP
Carol Krugman, MEd, CMP, CMM
Karin Pontelandolfo, CMP
Janet Sperstad, CMP
Sheryl Vermont, CMP
& APEX Committee Member Dan Berger
 
Congratulations to our CMPs on their AZMPI Awards!
 
Research and Trends
Marketing to the Millennial Mind

Shawnna Kerns- Millennial  
CIC Marketing and Communications Manager 

Ah, the dreaded Millennials/Gen Y/Gen Me. Sometimes suited with the outfit of "lazy, entitled, technology reliant youth," what is it that makes this generation so different and difficult to understand? This group of individuals, born between the years of 1980 and 2000, number anywhere between 52.8 and 86 million and are said to be more than 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. The largest generation thus far in our history will prove to be the most lucrative marketing opportunity yet, begging the question, how do you tap into their needs and wants?

Millennials need to connect. In this age where technology is so rapidly evolving, you can drop a pin to meet up with friends, send a group invite via Facebook, and make your reservations with OpenTable all within the span of three minutes from your phone. This is the generation of multitasking, and this multitasking is evolving the millennial’s brain. From a young age, they seem to be increasing their ability to multitask – watching television, listening to music, playing video games – all while doing their homework. They want their information quickly and efficiently. To millennials, it’s all about instant gratification. This means organizations need to make sure the way they deliver information is seamless and precise.  

It used to be about status; now it’s all about the experience. Most millennials would rather spend $50 on brunch with friends or $500 on a festival sleeping in a tent in the dirt, go days without showering or creature comforts, than to spend thousands on the latest Audi. This isn’t the generation of glitz and glamour. Don’t try to wow them with shiny objects and tangible goods, that will only prove successful to a small pool of millennials. Provide them with an experience – an experience that they can’t miss – an opportunity to connect with their peers and the leaders in their field. This wanderlust generation will be much more open and excited about the chance to interact in a fun and invigorating environment, connecting and learning from each other, than being wooed by fancy swag or lectured to for hours through a PowerPoint. Make your presentations and events interactive, use social media polling, Instagram tags and trending Twitter talk. Try to exhibit your information/products/services in new ways that get this generation talking to each other, tweeting to each other, DM-ing each other, anything that makes them excited to share your brand with one another and make part of their own personal brand.  

Speaking of personal brand, one thing individuals of this generation are seeking out is their own brand – who are they, how do they want to be seen, how do they set themselves apart? This is displayed through Gen Y and millennials abilities to marry their personal style and identities with their professional one. Empathize with them, give them something to put in their toolbox, and show them how your brand fits into their own personal brand. Give them things that they can take with them, repurpose, shape and mold to fit their own unique style and what they have to offer as a branded, reliable, respectable meetings professional. Everything now is based on customization. Start at the bottom with a basic layout and let them build on what they want. Give them the raw breakdown of what your company offers then connect and work with them on adding the pieces they feel are important that they can use to build their own personal brand to be a more effective professional. You can certainly market to this generation, but take a second to sit back and think about what makes them tick. Utilize the stereotypes behind this generation and use it to your organization's advantage. 

Millennials need to connect on multiple levels, but they need to be spurred to do so. Develop different ways to engage like-minded millennial attendees, maybe through old school "chat rooms" on your event app based on interests or specific sessions, Create networking events that have topic-focused sections with more seasoned professionals there to facilitate millennials in the conversations of their specific interest. Find a way to harness their passion to network and learn, their adaptability and their own personal brand to get what they want out of your meeting. 
 
Meet Better Tip from GMIC
Use creative alternatives to encourage walking. Consider providing live entertainment along walking routes. To promote safety, recommend that participants walk in groups along the most direct and well-lit routes. 
 
GMIC Sustainability
 
On The Move
CMPs on the Move

Katrina Adams, CMP, is now the Event Planning Manager at ProShares, a financial services firm located in Bethesda, MD.


Make an awesome career move? Let us help you celebrate! Send the details of your latest career triumph to cmptoday@conventionindustry.org. And while you're at it, be sure to log into www.conventionindustry.org and update your official CMP record.
 

CIC
The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a
program of the Convention Industry Council

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