The calendar has turned to May, and we are officially in the middle of spring. This is usually the time that MPI Greater New York shifts its focus to our annual Genie Awards and, my favorite event of the year, the Annual Golf Outing. While we remain cautiously optimistic that these events will still happen this year, we are staying focused on how we can make a positive impact on our members virtually. 

Over the past month, we have orchestrated several events that were well-received by the hospitality community. First, a huge thank you to fellow MPIGNY board member Travis Pham and his team at 360 Destination Group. They went above and beyond for our chapter during last month's virtual Networking Trivia Night. It was a great success, and we can't thank them enough for all their hard work in helping us execute such a great event. 

Second, I hope you were able to join us for our education event on April 21 where we discussed how to pivot from a live meeting to virtual and succeed. Thank you to fellow MPIGNY members Sally Allen and Bill Jones as well as our diverse panel of industry experts for their participation. And while we all share the desire to get back to face-to-face meetings, virtual technology is likely to continue to have an impact on how we do business for the foreseeable future. To that end, another note of thanks to Convene for their sponsorship and flawless execution of the webinar technology utilized for the event. They continue to be wonderful partners for our chapter, and we appreciate their efforts very much. You can re-watch the full broadcast here. Also, outlined below are the key takeaways from the event. It is a valuable document filled with great content so feel free to share with others.

As we all know, these are truly unprecedented times in our nation's history. Many of us are wondering when we'll go back to work, others are concerned about covering the rent next month, and some may not even know how they're going to put food on their family's table next week. In times of uncertainty, let us never forget that every day provides an opportunity to make a positive impact on this world, especially in the darkest of days.

MPIGNY is fortunate to be a fiscally sound chapter because of the valiant efforts of so many over the years. From those individuals who see the value in participating in our events every month to those who graciously donated to MPIGNY following the terrorist attacks of September 11 to the numerous corporations who sponsor our events year after year, you are the reason we are in a position to help our membership in times of need. With this in mind, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our chapter began looking for ways to help ease the financial strain caused by these uncertain times. 

Therefore, I am pleased to officially announce the MPIGNY Community Support Fund. This fund will be dedicated to providing our members with financial aid in the form of monetary grants to assist with monthly bills such as housing, utilities, groceries, healthcare, childcare, etc. The application and review process will be conducted privately. No member of our chapter will be reviewing personal information so, rest assured, your application will be completely confidential. The full details of this initiative are outlined below.   

Finally, I'd like to close on another positive note from our friends at NYC & Company. As we know, our city has been the epicenter of this outbreak. Our first responders and healthcare workers are truly heroes fighting this battle on the front lines every single day. We take pride in the fact that we get to call ourselves New Yorkers because New York City has proven, time and again, our ability to overcome even the worst of predicaments. We are seemingly built with an inherent resiliency that allows us to persevere knowing that we will get through this. Please take a moment to watch their latest video, and take comfort in knowing we are all in this together. Brighter days are ahead, and we will certainly meet again. 

Best regards,

Patrick Colomer
President
MPI Greater New York Chapter