Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." I think we can all agree 2020 has been a year riddled with disappointments that none of us will soon forget. We have all faced unremitting challenges, both personally and professionally, that have tested us in ways we never could have imagined just 10 short months ago. But with adversity comes opportunity, and MPIGNY is grateful for the many opportunities we have had to serve our membership this year. Despite everything, we embrace hope and a positive outlook for brighter days ahead.

Before we look forward to 2021, it is important for MPIGNY to reflect on all that we have accomplished this year. At our annual Town Hall in February, we laid out a plan for our chapter in the coming year. Well, much of that went right out the window a few short weeks later! Still, our 18-member board of directors stayed the course and continued to be laser-focused on providing an exemplary experience for our membership as we moved to a fully virtual platform in March. In April, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we created the MPIGNY Community Support Fund to provide our members with financial assistance for day-to-day living expenses such as housing, health care and groceries. Over the summer, we announced the creation of the MPIGNY Diversity & Inclusion Committee that has been embraced wholeheartedly by our membership. (More details to come on this in the coming weeks.) We created a new series of events called the MPIGNY Grub Club where members were invited to connect with like-minded industry colleagues to discuss the current state (and future) of our industry, and we continued to stay focused on providing engaging ways to virtually network (and have some fun) with our peers, colleagues and friends. We expanded our CSR commitments with additional fundraising and volunteer opportunities, while also embracing increased collaboration with other MPI chapters and industry associations. There truly is strength in numbers when facing adversity, and we are proud of the programs we created as a result of these partnerships. The education team’s continued efforts to focus on timely content that will benefit our membership produced several outstanding events that I hope many of you have been able to appreciate. Lastly, we made a concerted effort to elevate our marketing and communications this year, including an enhanced presence on social media and several modifications to our internal operations in order to improve your overall MPIGNY experience.  

These are still unquestionably trying times, and it is the responsibility of our board of directors to help ease the burden while providing relevant opportunities for your respective professional development. I would also like to say thank you to so many of you who have continued to stay engaged and participate in our events this year. You are the lifeblood of our organization, and we are indebted to all of you for your continued commitment to this chapter. The industry is saturated with so much virtual content right now that it is not lost on us how fortunate we are to have consistently so many members supporting our chapter. We are well on our way to planning out the first six months of 2021 and could not be more excited for what the future holds!

Finally, with regard to officially closing out the year, we will do so with another collaborative effort alongside our friends at the New York chapters of HSMAI, ILEA and PCMA. While we certainly wish that we could hold our annual Holiday Party in person, we are still excited to do so virtually next Wednesday, Dec. 9. This event has really become a tradition for so many of us over the years, and we are excited to host one last virtual bash to close out the year. Please see below for details and a link to register.

Well, that is a wrap on 2020. Good riddance, right? I hope all of you have the opportunity to join us next week as we close out the year and look ahead to 2021. 

And, if you are not yet following us on social media, please be sure to do so as our marketing and communications team is doing a fabulous job keeping our followers up to date on all things MPIGNY as well as a variety of important industry topics. 

Facebook     Twitter     LinkedIn     Instagram

Wishing you and your families a safe and healthy holiday season!

Best,

Patrick Colomer
MPIGNY President
patrick.colomer1@gmail.com

REGISTER HERE

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the game show.

Celebrating the holiday season is difficult for those who are battling terminal illness, but God's Love We Deliver is committed to making their lives just a little easier; and MPIGNY will be there to help! Our team will return once again to God’s Love for another volunteer session providing help in the kitchen.

Monday, Dec. 14, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

*Please note the time change.* Due to scheduling changes at GLWD, the session is extended by one hour. Please try to stay for the entire time if you can. Gloves and masks will be provided to all volunteers.

Due to social distancing guidelines, our assistance is needed now more than ever. God’s Love has had to minimize the number of people in the building overall and in the kitchen area, especially. Yet they are still committed to serving over 10,000 meals per day. If you have not yet had a chance to join us this year, please consider signing up for this, our last session of 2020.

REGISTER HERE

If this session time is not convenient for you, check out the God's Love volunteer calendar for more volunteer opportunities. With numerous sessions scheduled each day, you are bound to find one or two that fit your schedule!

If you are not able to volunteer, there are still several ways you can help!

The Cards of Caring campaign offers an opportunity to share a message of caring to brighten someone’s day. Many of GLWD’s clients are homebound senior citizens who, in this climate, are unable to have visitors of any kind. A cheerful note to let them know they are not forgotten can be a welcome reprieve from their solitude. The website provides guidelines on creating the cards, but feel free to be as creative as you would like. And if you have children at home, this is a perfect activity to help pass the time in quarantine!

In addition, God’s Love has three distinct giving opportunities to donate much-needed funds.

• COVID-19 Emergency Fund for clients of God’s Love: $54 funds a shelf-stable meal bag, and $100 funds a week of meals for a client living with serious illness. Please give what you can. Any amount helps!
• Celebrate with a Plate! Sponsor a holiday meal. So many people are alone during the holidays. Our special holiday meals are delivered with love to make sure that each and every one of our sick clients knows that someone cares. Your $20 funds a holiday meal for a seriously ill New Yorker and their loved one. 
• Birthday Bake Sale: God’s Love bakes and personalizes birthday cakes for their clients living with serious illness. Your donation contributes toward the purchase of ingredients, baking, decorating and packaging of these special cakes.

While, sadly, we have had to postpone our annual Auction & Mixology Madness event, we are continuing to plan and looking ahead to next spring. An exact date is still TBD, but mark your calendars for April 2021 when we expect this popular event to make a spring comeback, so stay tuned for more details coming soon!

If you would like to donate an item for the silent auction, please click here to fill out the simple online donation form. 

If your company would like to sponsor one of the tables serving up cocktails all night, or if you are interested in joining us as a sponsor and learning about the full benefits of sponsorship, please email Lauren Carbonneau at lauren@qualiaevents.com.

Thank you to the volunteers who walked with us and/or donated to our GLWD Race to Deliver team. We exceeded our $1,000 goal, but it’s not too late to donate!

If you would like to take advantage of this last call to donate to our Race to Deliver team, click here.

A key focus for the board moving forward is the engagement of the meeting planner professional. We consider sustained planner participation to be a vital part of this chapter’s success. So, with that in mind, we’re rolling out the red carpet this year with the objective of increasing our planner engagement at all of our events.

Many thanks to the London Convention Bureau for graciously sponsoring several one-year planner scholarship opportunities that will increase our planner base and enhance overall engagement. Interested planners can apply here.

At MPIGNY, our members are family, and in challenging times, we believe in taking care of our own. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial hardships many are experiencing as a result, MPIGNY has set up a community support fund to provide monetary grants to our colleagues who need it most. If you are in need of assistance during this or any of life's more difficult moments, we may be able to help. 

There is no issue too large or too small. If you need help, please know we are standing by to assist you. Simply submit a confidential Request for Support for review of support in any personal crisis situation. We can offer assistance toward:

• Housing while in quarantine 
• Essential items like groceries, rent, utilities or essential worker child care
• Rebuilding after natural disasters 
• Escaping from domestic violence
• Recovering from a serious accident
• Other support following loss when not otherwise provided by insurance

Submit a confidential request with all supporting documentation to Kathie Stapleton. As this is confidential, please share as much information as you are comfortable sharing. All requests will be reviewed and considered to determine what, if anything, we can do to assist you in your situation.

Additionally, if you are in a position to donate to the fund, MPIGNY is gladly accepting donations at this time. Please contact Kathie Stapleton for more information. 

Are you interested in volunteering for your MPI Greater New York Chapter, but just don't have the bandwidth to commit to a full committee or board position? Would you like to help out for an hour or two, but you're not sure who to ask?

Task Master, MPIGNY's new volunteer initiative, just might be the answer you're looking for. Intended to increase participation among our membership and strengthen relationships within the chapter, the program offers numerous opportunities to volunteer some of your time through quick, easy, one-time tasks, powered by SignUp Genius. 

It's simple: Click here to access MPIGNY's SignUp Genius page online where you will see several tasks listed for various committees. Sign up for one or two (or more!) and follow the instructions to complete the task. It is that easy! Not only will you be benefiting the chapter, but also learning about committees and engaging with other MPIGNY members.

Help is always needed, so check it out! We look forward to having you join the team!

Are you interested in getting more involved with MPIGNY? Volunteering with a committee is a great way to meet new clients and industry partners! Visit our website or click the link for more information on how to get involved: MPIGNY - Join a Committee

We added a new campaign this year called "People of MPIGNY" and want to learn more about our incredible members! If you are interested in being featured, click the links below to read about some of our members and to complete the handful of questions to be considered for our next issue!

People of MPIGNY
People of MPIGNY Application

OUR GIFT TO YOU

Because we’re all about giving, you’re getting $125 off a new MPI membership — or $75 off your renewal!*

Use promo code GIFT20 on the application.

Experience MPI Today

*Applies to Preferred or Premier planner and supplier memberships only. Offer expires 12/31/20.

Nominations for the 2021-2022 MPI Greater New York board of directors will be open very soon! If you are interested in joining the board, please keep an eye out and complete the application when it becomes available.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Kathie Stapleton at kstapleton@mpi.org.

Our chapter has a bright future ahead, and we want you to be a part of it. If you are interested in growing your own career and maximizing your return on investment within MPI, please consider joining our mentorship program, either as a mentor or mentee. In this initiative, we will pair up a select few of our newer members of the industry (10 years or less) with some of our veteran chapter members for mutual growth and career development. 

The Power of Two: MPIGNY Mentorship Program is a yearlong endeavor that, in its inaugural year, was highly rewarding to those who participated, and we are happy to announce that the application process for our second mentorship cohort is now open! This is a minimal time commitment and something you’ll truly feel proud of! 

"Overall I thought the mentorship program was a great experience and a good use of my time. I knew my mentee prior to starting the program so we already had somewhat of a rapport. We usually planned to speak once a week or every other week, and I enjoyed getting to know her and her business a bit more. We even ended up partnering on a project that she needed some help with, which was nice. We ... are still in touch and chat occasionally when we can." - Colleen Jasinski (Mentor, 2019-2020)

Please apply for the Power of Two: MPIGNY Mentorship Program here:

Mentee Application | Mentor Application

Free live webinars are available to all members on the MPI Academy web page. New webinars are being added on a regular basis, so please keep checking this link for more information and to register: MPI Academy Live Webinars

Upcoming webinars this month include:

December 4 – Association Planner Summit

December 7 – Group Sales Strategist

December 9 – Moral Leadership: Doing What’s Right Is the Right Thing to Do for You and for Your Organization

January 15 – Ready to Get Back on the Road? Get Your Company There Faster with Hybrid Meeting Solutions

The MPI Foundation is focused on helping as many current members as possible retain their professional affiliation and the opportunity to continue to have access to all our resources. For more information, please contact help@mpi.org.