Tony Scurry, CMP, 7 Pointe Planning, Inc.

Name & Company?

7 Pointe Planning, Inc.

Number of years as a CMP?

4.5

Where did you grow up?

Buffalo, NY

What did you want to (or think you’d) be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be an actor.  As a teenager, I settled (LOL) on becoming an engineer because I wanted to be designing automobiles.

What was your educational field of study and, if notably different from what you do, your how/why/story?

I studied and became a mechanical engineer.  After working as an engineer for several years, I went to graduate school for an MBA.  My MBA programme allowed me to concentrate in entrepreneurship and events management.

It was from participating in the extracurricular activities that my natural ability to coordinate events flourished and my love for events began.  I loved it so much that I worked for the Minority Programmes Office in NC State’s College of Engineering on planning a pre-season programme for minority students accepted into NC State’s College of Engineering.  Later, while working as an engineer, I started planning events as a part-time business. The difference between planning events at this point in my life compared to when I did them in college is that I knew it was what I wanted to do as a career. 

While working as an engineer and my part-time event business, my reality was that I had an engineering degree, but I didn’t enjoy the world of engineering.  Although I was not interested in the practical application of my degree, the required discipline and logical thinking skills elevated my event planning skills.  So, after working for years as an engineer, I decided to do what I wanted to do and not what I thought would get the right opinions from my family and peers.  I went to graduate school to earn my MBA with a dream to start my own full-time event planning business.

What advice would you give, either to your younger self or to newer professionals now?

Just because you start down one path doesn’t mean you always have to stay that same course.  Follow the path that makes you happiest and you will always end up in the right place.

What advice would you give to anyone preparing to take the exam?

Practical application is not universal.  The book is your law for the exam.  Follow the law not what you practice.

When did you first hear about the CMP designation and what drew you to this certification?

Maybe 2005 or 2006 ... It was some time ago.  I had been most familiar with the George Washington University Event Management Certificate programme up until that point.  That was the credentialing goal for me.  I started hearing more about the CMP when I got more involved with industry organisations and attended events.  Then as my business stared to grow, I started seeing CMP as a preferred credential for opportunities. Now, it is a preferred credential on about 90% of the opportunities I bid on. 

What inspires you the most when you think about the future of our industry or the impact of our industry?

The pandemic has forced us to navigate the industry and to execute in our event planning roles differently.  It has also forced others to realise the greater value that event planners offer to how organisations do business, generate and maximise revenue.  I am inspired by this opportunity to expand on event planning innovations and creative design.  We can use the positive outcomes from the pandemic to grow our professions and make a larger impact on our communities through events.

How has earning the CMP designation impacted (or benefited) your career?

The CMP has put a stamp of approval behind my name.  It is a credential that allows me opportunities to get through the door because it has become a filter to shorten the candidate list for opportunities in all business sectors.  However, once in the door, it is my experience, my ability to communicate how I will perform, and my amazing pricing structure that gets me the gig.

What is the biggest life lesson you have learned during the pandemic?

I truly understand now that if I just sit still and don’t allow the things that I can’t control determine how I respond or react and give myself some grace that I will make it through.  I can do that because I know that I was built to last.

What is the most memorable in-person experience you planned?

The most recent memorable and proud moment in my career happened in September 2021 when the activation event that I created for DC Public Library (DCPL) was estimated to have had 8500+ people flow through.  This accomplishment was not just about the number of people.  Yes, I wanted the first time DCPL did anything like this to be a success and have large participation numbers, but the atmosphere that my team and I created was also a testament to me that I can create successful large activation events and a boutique activation event planning brand.  Activation events are 7% of the types of events I currently create, and I had never done one on this scale.  The other 93% of my work is meetings and conferences.  Yet, with this DCPL event, I created new opportunities in my life and business by giving a customer something very new and extremely entertaining.  We were also successful in showing the community that “the library is more than just books.”  We were able to help the community discovery their story or see the library as a place where they can “Find your story” in many ways.  I am a believer that events are meant to connect people.  I want the events I create to do that but more importantly, I want my impact to resonate with the community and help it to grow.  I believe the DCPL event achieved those goals.

What is the most memorable virtual event you have done so far?

My most memorable virtual event to date was not a positive experience.  I created a seven event virtual series for a government client.  Every single event had a different major issue.  Most of the issues were technology related but this was at the onset of everyone switching to virtual; therefore, there was no delineation between technology and my performance.  That series taught me to never do that like that again.

Like Nelson Mandela, “I never loose.  I either win or learn.”

What are the benefits you like of hosting virtual events?

I appreciate the opportunity to expand my technical knowledge. However, from my perspective as event planner, virtual events are exhausting.  I do also appreciate the benefits that my clients receive from them.  I think that gives me the most joy.

What do you miss the most for in-person events?

I miss most the opportunity for real human interaction and engagement.  That is within the event; meeting attendees that come from different walks of life and working onsite with different people from my client’s staff.  That is also relevant to the planning process and meeting in-person with different suppliers.  Another big miss for me is the opportunity to expand creatively and the chance to create multisensory experiences.

Do you have a favourite quote?

Oh my, I have so many.  I will share one of my favourites but also one that I think is most need for our current environment. 

“You may live in the world as it is, but you can still work to create the world as it should be.”

President Barack Hussein Obama II