The Board of Directors for the fiscal 2015-2016 year, met in May for their planning retreat. The Garden City Hotel hosted us and provided a great venue for creativity and strategic planning. We have a lot of awesome things in store for the upcoming year. Hope to see you soon!

The 2015 Genie Awards are right around the corner. Our members have a lot to be proud of and celebrate this year for both their accomplishments in the chapter and in our industry. Register today to celebrate our fellow MPIGNY members in style, at one of New York City’s most iconic jazz clubs. Soulful music, trendy cocktails and exclusive photo booth opportunities will create a night to remember. Don’t miss out! Click here!!

This year's nominees include:

Outstanding Contribution by a MPIGNY Planner Member

Annie Kojundzija – The Clearing House

Alexis Oustinoff, CMP, CIS – ALM Events

Meghan Schilt, CMP – King & Spalding, LLP

Outstanding Contribution by a MPIGNY Supplier Member

Sara Bambrick – Caesars Entertainment

Jennifer Blair – The Roosevelt Hotel New York

Kristin Forkin Collins – Hard Rock Café New York

Kelly Filippone – Caneel Bay Resort

Suzanne Medcalf – IMEX America

Laura Mulholland, CMP – Live Nation New York

Carly Roncaglio-Marotta – ZAK Events, Inc.

We will also be awarding MPIGNY’s Outstanding Contribution by a Young Professional, Outstanding Collaboration between an MPIGNY Planner & Supplier, and The MPIGNY President’s Award.

Lastly, all of our committees and volunteers work very hard throughout the year to provide phenomenal education, networking, and social events. There are four committees that stood out to our members this year for their leadership, out-of-the-box thinking and results. Be sure to join your fellow committee members to see if this year’s winning committee will be the Membership Committee, Networking Events Committee, Strategic Events Committee or the Sponsorship Committee. 

 Thank you to our marquee event sponsor, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions!

Want to do great things? Click here to be part of a great team! Right now, you can contribute your talents, experience, knowledge and creativity to your chapter by serving on one of MPIGNY's Committees! Get started!

Our growing and dedicated board met at the Garden City Hotel on Thursday and Friday to plan for the chapter's upcoming year. In addition to the continued strong educational events and fun networking events, the board has quite a few exciting surprises in store for the chapter this year. We'll give you a sneak peek at this year's Genie Awards, so we hope to see you there!

Social Tables' CEO Dan Berger and Convene’s President Chris Kelly hosted an exclusive dinner program for meeting and event planners, as well as suppliers, on Wednesday, May 13, as part of the Caesars Entertainment MPIGNY Education Series and co-sponsored by MPIGNY and PCMA. Participants attended a reception and met in a state-of-the-art meeting room at Convene’s 32 Old Slip location for panel discussions. Later, everyone enjoyed a networking dinner, where they had a chance to meet Dan, Chris and members of the Social Tables and Convene teams.

Working from home can sometimes be akin to being marooned on a desert island. There are many benefits of working frm a home office: flexibility, no commute and the ability to take a meting in sweats. However, the drawbacks include unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity and – the biggest challenge of all – the inability to stop working even when your work day should be done. (@MPIGNY)

Author and TED speaker Rachel Botsman shares tips for companies to adapt to the rise of collaborative consumption. (BizBash)

The hottest and most fashionable wearable hit the market last week after months of speculation and anticipation. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the Apple Watch is poised to have a big impact on the lives of its users. (Event Planning by Cvent)

There are some ways to make the experience of flying more bearable – starting with selecting the right airplane seat. (Business Insider)

Like most jobs, the role of speaker has undergone a change in expectations recently. Speakers must now do more than just present. They must interact with and engage attendees. (Event Manager Blog)

All #eventprofs know the stress and obstacles they face when planning an event. So, to help event planners create better events with less stress, we’ve found 9 amazing books that will show how to , increase productivity and profits, and improve the experience of attendees. (Bizzabo)

June 11, 2015 – Board of Directors Meeting

June 15, 2015 – 2015 Genie Awards – BB King Blues Club & Grill

July 16, 2015 – Hard Rock Cafe Annual Golf Outing

August 1-4, 2015 – WEC San Francisco

August 11, 2015 – Annual Industry Summer Bash – Novotel Times Square

Click here for more information!