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CIC Exhibiting at IMEX America 2015
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September 2015

In This Issue

Featured Article
CMP Events
CMP Program News
APEX - Standards and Best Practices
Industry News
CMP on the Road
On The Move

The Convention Industry Council (CIC) will be hosting a booth and participating in the hosted buyers program at the upcoming IMEX America being held at the Sands Expo® in Las Vegas October, 13-15. CIC will also be hosting four campfire education sessions during the show and its electric 20th annual Hall of Leaders celebration will be held Tuesday, October 13, at the MGM Grand.

IMEX America, the global trade show for international meetings, incentive travel and events industry, now in its fifth year, is fast becoming known as "the trade show with a difference." During IMEX America, CIC will be showcasing the Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) program, as well as other projects and collaborations, including the CMP Health Care Subspecialty (CMP-HC), Meetings Industry Advocacy Hub and research and work around understand High Speed Internet Access from its Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative. Join CIC in booth 1767 to learn more about these topics, the new CMP Preferred Provider Program, CMP (re)certification and to connect with staff members. 

The CMP credential is globally recognized as the badge of excellence in the meeting, convention, exhibition and event industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education and a rigorous exam. CIC continued to move the certification forward in 2015 by launching a new online application and recertification process and by announcing the new CMP Preferred Provider Program, which streamlines the process of pre-approving education that meets the CMP International Standards and makes it easier for applicants and CMPs to track and record their CEs.  CIC continues to expand its recently launched Certified Meeting Professional – Healthcare (CMP-HC) designation. The CMP-HC is the industry’s first certification for healthcare meeting professionals. 

Attending IMEX America is a great way to accumulate the continuing education (CE) hours needed to apply for the CMP exam or for CMP recertification. IMEX America is a CMP Preferred Provider, which means that CIC has reviewed all the CE activities offered at IMEX America and specified how many CE hours each activity is worth. CIC has also designated which of the 10 Domains in the CMP-IS the session aligns with. 

Campfire education sessions | Booth #1767

Tuesday, October 13, 2015
11:00-11:30 | APEX Session "Understanding High Speed Internet Access" | Michael Owen
14:00-14:30 | How to Achieve Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Certification | Gayle Dahlman 

Wednesday, October 14, 2014
11:00-11:30 | Advocacy "Help Promote the Importance of the Meetings Industry" | Karen Kotowski and Roger Rickard 
14:00-14:30 | How to Achieve Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Certification | Gayle Dahlman


 
CIC Announces All-Star Lineup to Celebrate the 20th Hall of Leaders Celebration
The Convention Industry Council (CIC) is thrilled to announce the all-star entertainment lineup for the 2015 Hall of Leaders and Pacesetter Awards Celebration. To celebrate the 20th class of the industry’s best and brightest, the CIC will unveil an exciting new format for its capstone awards program taking place Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at 6:00 pm.

Sponsored by MGM Resorts Event Productions, MGM Resorts International, the IMEX Group, and other industry partners, this year’s celebration will kick off a new era of CIC awards presentations. For three decades, CIC has honored its industry pioneers with a night of special recognition and will continue to do so – but with a new flair. Gone is the lengthy sit-down dinner of year’s past,as we strive to celebrate honorees in an environment as electric as the energy they bring to the industry.



Laura Schwartz MO5AIC


The night will be hosted by Laura Schwartz, former White House Director of Events and author of "Eat, Drink and Succeed." Ms. Schwartz was recently named one of the Top 7 Speakers by Successful Meetings Magazine. This year’s celebration will also feature entertainment by MO5AIC, a five-man vocal supernova who replicates the sound of a live band with their own voices. Having worked with the likes of Jay Leno, Prince and Tony Bennett, MO5AIC's interactive and personalized show is sure to delight! 

"Each year we evolve the event to make it relevant as well as enjoyable to our industry audience while giving proper respect to those that have had such an impact on the industry," said Karen Kotowski, CMP, CAE and CEO of the Convention Industry Council. "We listened to our members and attendees who said they wanted a less formal event, coinciding with the IMEX America tradeshow event, rather than the Sunday before. Gone are the rounds of 10 long speeches and the multicourse dinner. ‘In’ is lounge-style seating, artistic appetizers, and innovative cocktails prior to, during, and after the special entertainment. The award-winning MGM team is sure to produce another exciting, and enjoyable event for the audience and inductees." 

Originally slated to be held at LIGHT Nightclub, Hall of Leaders and Pacesetter Awards Celebration has been moved to the MGM Grand, featuring a "Pop up" Night Club in the Marquee Ballroom, a venue the production team at MGM Resorts International felt would best maintain the level of prestige of years past. This space offers more flexibility and opportunity to create an amazing evening of delight, honor and excitement. The revolutionary two-hour gathering will forever be engrained in attendees’ minds as CIC honors industry champions and emerging leaders.

Inductees:
Hall of Leaders:
  • Patricia Farias Barlow, CEM, CEO, Puerto Vallarta Convention Center and FIDEES
  • Larry Luteran, Former Senior Vice President of Group Sales and Industry Relations, Hilton Worldwide
  • Jane Schuldt, CIS, CITE, Founder and President, World Marketing Group, Ltd
  • Craig Smith, Retired, Former President, Freeman Audio Visual, Inc.
  • Amy Spatrisano, CMP, Former Principal at MeetGreen
Pacesetter Award Winners:
  • Rafael Hernández, CEM, Publisher & CEO, Latin American Meetings, 
  • Kate Patay, CPCE, Executive Director of Sales & Marketing Creative Coverings
  • Kinga Socko, Conference Specialist, Poland Convention Bureau.

For more information on the event or to purchase sponsorship and tickets visit: www.conventionindustry.org/HallofLeaders/2015HallofLeadersCelebration
 
CMP Events
CMP Conclave Speaker Podcasts Now Available
CIC is extremely proud of its educational program for the 2015 CMP Conclave and its amazing line up of speakers. Get to know some of them and and preview their sessions ahead of the annual conference. Hosted by Jon Trask, CMP, of Grass Shack Events & Media, we give you a closer look at some of the topics that matter to you most and the presenters who know them best. Whether you will be attending Conclave this weekend or not, check out these influential voices in the meetings industry and what they have to say about the topics that will impact your work and lives as you strive to innovate, invigorate and execute better meetings.

  • Dan Berger | Future of Technology and the Impacts on Meetings
  • Joan Eisenstodt | Meetings Beyond Logistics: Principles, Practices and Play!
  • Brandt Krueger | Moving Target: Keeping Up with Event Technology
  • Julius Solaris | Technology Trends Shaping Events in 2015/2016
  • Nancy Zavada, CMP & Mariela McIlwraith, CMP | You Win! Collaborating to Meet Better, Greener and Kinder

 
Naylor Association Solutions
CMP Program News
Reminder: New Recertification Policies Announced for CMPs
All CMPs must recertify their designations every five years to remain certified. Effective January 1, 2016, CMPs will have three months, instead of one year, after their fifth-year end date has passed to submit their recertification applications. 

Prior to this policy change, CMPs were given a one-year grace period after their December 31 end date to submit their applications. This sixth year was also known as the "lapsed" year. At the June 2015 CMP Governance Commission meeting, members voted to shorten this grace period from one year to three months. Beginning January 1, 2016, those CMPs who have not submitted their recertification application during their fifth year will have until March 31 of the next year to submit their application or their CMP will expire.

"The one-year grace period was confusing some CMPs," said Joanne Joham, CMP, CMM, 2015 chair of the CMP Governance Commission. "We were receiving many recertification applications in which all of the continuing education requirements were completed in the sixth year. This defeats the purpose of recertifying your CMP, which is to prove you are remaining current in the meetings field." 

All recertification applications must be submitted by December 31 of the CMP’s fifth year. In addition, all the continuing education requirements must have been completed during this five-year certification cycle. For more information about the CMP recertification requirements, please refer to the 2015 edition of the CMP Recertification Handbook. To find pre-approved continuing education activities, visit the Preferred Provider Directory for both face-to-face and online opportunities. 


 
APEX - Standards and Best Practices
Green Your Meetings with Sustainable Planning: Sustainable Procurement

Sustainable Planning – Don’ts and Dos – 
Look to the standards on: Sustainable Procurement

Don’t underestimate your buyer’s power to improve sustainability at your events.

Do make sure that you always use EPP – Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policies.  The sustainability standards address this, and can be accessed at www.conventionindustry.org/StandardsPractices/APEXASTM/GettingAPEXASTM.aspx. If you read the standards, you’ll know what is expected, so you can meet industry standards for procurement.  

CIC making it easier:  If you want a complete EPP policy with how-to instructions, just log into the SMPP® found at www.SustainableMeetingPlanner.com. Use the CIC50 discount code to register.

If you have a question on the Don’ts and Dos according to the standards, send it through the Contact Us form at www.SustainableMeetingPlanner.com
 
CIC Expands Leadership on APEX Committee



CIC has formally announced that Kelly Peacy CAE, CMP, Senior Vice President of Education and Events at Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Betsy Bondurant, CMM, CTE, President of Bondurant Consulting and Michael Dominguez, CHSE, Senior Vice President of Hotel Sales at MGM Resorts International, will be joining the leadership of the Convention Industry Councils (CIC) Accepted Practice Exchange Standards Committee (APEX).

The APEX Standards Committee Chair Michael Owen has increased the depth and skills of the members of the committee to take on various trade issues and develop resources for the industry overall.

In the past few years, APEX has evolved to utilize the APEX Workgroup model, which brings together a diverse cross-section of stakeholders to conduct research and devise knowledge-based responses to issues affecting the industry, by conducting research, creating whitepapers and best practices.

All three of these professionals bring vast industry experience and knowledge with the ability to impact the group. Together with MaryAnne Bobrow, Dominguez served as co-chair of the Hotel Room Block Poaching Workgroup, which earlier this year released a toolkit for stakeholders to combat the issue and raise awareness of its impact In Dominguez’s current role, he provides oversight for the company’s sales strategies in the convention, leisure and transient segments, including industry relations, diversity sales, and MGM Resorts events, bringing a unique perspective to the group including identifying the gaps to understand the wholesale hotel room market.

With more than 30 years of industry expertise in hotel sales, meeting & trade show management, including 12 years of direct involvement in the discipline of Strategic Meetings Management, Bondurant will be taking over as chair of the eRFP workgroup formerly chaired by Christine "Shimo" Shimasaki, CMP of DMAI’s empowerment.

Peacy, who manages the design, planning and delivery of PCMA’s two main annual events, Convening Leaders and EduCon, PCMA’s online learning productions, and CMP Online Prep Courses and Webinars – brings a breadth of knowledge to the team as well as direct connection to the CMP Community.

APEX Chair Michael Owen states, "We are thrilled to have these three exemplary individuals join APEX. We believe their unique perspectives and their breadth of knowledge of the issues affecting the convention and meetings industry is invaluable. With this new team, we hope to raise awareness, and further make a strategic impact." 

View all of the resources here: http://www.conventionindustry.org/StandardsPractices/APEX.aspx
 
Industry News
DOJ Conference Spending Down $72 million
"IG REPORT FINDS DOJ CONFERENCE SPENDING DOWN ALMOST $72 MILLION: The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General issued a report this month on the Department’s successful efforts to reduce conference spending. Between fiscal years 2010 and 2014 DOJ conference spending fell from almost $92 million to less than $20 million. During those same years the number of events held by DOJ fell from 1,740 to 445. 

The report also identified examples of individual conferences that exceeded the cost allowed, though in many cases the DOJ requested pre-approval or submitted reports after the conference justifying the additional cost of the event. Finally, the report found the FBI conference approval and tracking system to be a best practice, as it includes data on all conference-related costs, and not just events that cost over the reporting threshold. The full Inspector General report can be found here

In a statement on the report House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said, "I am pleased that the Department of Justice and its components have taken steps to rein in wasteful spending during these tough budgetary times." 

Source: ASAE's Inroads
 
CMP on the Road
CMP Preferred Provider Education

The Convention Industry Council’s CMP Preferred Provider Program launched in February 2015. Since the launch, we have added more than 90 Preferred Providers who offer quality continuing education for candidates and CMPs. 

CMP Preferred Providers are organizations that have formally registered with CIC and are committed to providing education that aligns with one of the 10 domains included in the CMP International Standards (CMP-IS). The CMP- IS domains are: Strategic Planning, Project Management, Risk Management, Financial Management, Human Resources, Stakeholder Management, Meeting or Event Design, Site Management, Marketing and Professionalism.

Preferred Provider education makes it easy to find and complete the educational requirements of the CMP program and have your attendance recorded in your portal record.

Claiming CE Hours

As part of the Preferred Provider Program, sponsoring organizations agree to  upload the attendance roster of each of their pre-reviewed events. This  usually is completed within two weeks after the event. If the email the attendee has provided to the Preferred Provider matches the email in their CIC account, their attendance will be recorded in portal record.

After the roster is uploaded, attendees will receive notification from CIC that their attendance has been uploaded into their online profile. Once this email is received, attendees simply need to claim their CE hours.  To claim CE hours, attendees log onto their portal account, scroll to the Add/Edit Continuing Education section and find the event. To edit the number of hours attended at the event, click edit and then add the number of hours attended for the entire event and click submit.

Attendees do not report each session attended when claiming hours for a Preferred Provider Event. It’s easy! Find event, click edit, enter hours and submit.  

You can find a listing of educational opportunities on our website.
 
On The Move
CMPs On the Move
Michele A. Boisvert, CMP, is now Operation Manager for the Charlotte, NC-area for the Wells Fargo Corporate Properties Group. She comes to this position after spending five successful years with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte and looks forward to continued career growth with Wells Fargo. 

Elizabeth Glau, CMP, is now the Attendee Experience Manager at ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education based in Eugene, OR.  

Bonnie MacDonald, CMP, is now Associate Director of Special Events and Corporate Partnerships at the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance in Silver Spring, MD. She was previously Events Manager at the Entrepreneurs' Organization in Alexandria, VA.  

Tamara Olson, CMP, CMM, is now Global Program Manager at CWT Meetings and Events.
 
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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