Hello –

Welcome to fall, a fantastic time of year here in NYC! The air gets a bit colder and crisper, the pumpkin spice and boots come out, ghosts and ghouls haunt our landmarks, and the leaves start to turn. It's a season filled with transition.    

As a chapter, we are transitioning as well. The board has decided to finish out the year with hosting our education events virtually, with a return to live in 2022, while hosting our networking events in-person. We are thrilled to announce that our signature Auction & Mixology Madness will once again be held at the Hard Rock Café New York City on Nov. 3. Please come out and support the chapter and mingle with your fellow members while tasting cocktails from our fabulous mixology partners.

As I mentioned last month, we have several volunteer opportunities available across all facets of the chapter. Whether you want to learn a new skill or hone an existing one, whether you have an hour or lots of time on your hands, we want you to be involved with our community. Committee descriptions and more information can be found here.

Please check out the rest of the newsletter below to see our upcoming offerings, event recaps, CSR activities and more.

Yours in hospitality – 
Laura

Laura Mulholland
President
MPI Greater New York

P.S. If you are not yet following us on our social media platforms, please do so here.

 Photo credit: One Chance Media

In March 2020 – the meetings industry came to a screeching halt.

We all scrambled to keep the energy of meetings alive using our knowledge and creativity – pivoting to Zoom happy hours, hybrid conferences, virtual tradeshows, etc. Hoteliers and planners were challenged to amicably cancel, postpone or rebook contracts for live events. Some found success in this new virtual world, some did not – and we saw no end in sight.

Our industry held on tight, powered through, and WE SURVIVED. Travel is picking up; companies are returning to offices; in-person meetings and events are filling calendars again!

But how did it happen? How did we make it through? What did we do to get to the other side? How do we keep moving in the right direction?

Join us on Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. to hear from your industry peers on their real-life experiences of what strategies, tactics and best practices they have used to move their events forward!

Get the 411 on:

• How programs and events are adapting to align with current trends/restrictions
• Best practices to working with your business partners in this new environment
• Changes in hotel sourcing, negotiating and contracting
• Alternative venues that are becoming popular
• The ways in which planners are implementing new COVID-related health protocols
• How planners are bridging the gap between live and virtual events

We are in the process of confirming our panelists and will provide updated information as soon as it becomes available.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear real-life examples straight from the experts' mouths on what you need to know to “Keep It Real” for YOU going into 2022 and beyond!

It’s time for the inside scoop on what others are doing in this new meetings climate.

REGISTRATION OPENING SOON. PLEASE STAY TUNED!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

After a summer of great live events returning to the NYC events scene, we have one more waiting to make a comeback. YES, the Annual Auction and Mixology Madness is back, live and in-person Wednesday, Nov. 3!

Join us for an evening of libations, excitement and winnings at our annual extravaganza — where meeting and event professionals from the greater NYC area (including New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and beyond) come to network, bid on fantastic auction items and participate in a fierce mixology battle where supplier mixologists mix up their original cocktails!

Want some attention?!

Show off your company and donate a service, item or experience to the spring raffle or the fall auction — hotel accommodations, dining/shopping/spa certificates, show tickets, gift bags, really anything that you feel would be the perfect representation of your company’s product and/or service.

Click here to donate; it only takes two minutes!

Please join your MPIGNY colleagues as we team up to raise money for God's Love We Deliver. After the COVID pandemic cancelled last year's event, the Race to Deliver returns to Central Park on Sunday, Nov. 21, and we are so excited to join our fellow fundraisers for this, the 28th annual, event IN PERSON!

Whether you run or walk, you will be helping one of New York City's most essential organizations provide healthy meals for the sick and homebound.

Date: Sunday, November 21
Time: 8 a.m. adult race
Location: Central Park, NYC
Race: 4-mile run/walk partnered with New York Road Runners

The race will be at full capacity, and precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of participants. Several precautions being taken include no festival area, award ceremony or team tents. Masks are recommended at the start and finish of the race. 

How to register for the race:

• Step 1: Start registration Join Team MPIGNY. (Pay the $25 registration fee and create your own fundraising page). Registration fee will go toward the team fundraising goal.
• Step 2: You will receive an email from NYRR with an invitation code. You should receive this within 24 to 48 hours. Complete race registration on the New York Road Runners website.

For questions regarding registration, please contact Marisa Wilkes at marisa.wilkes@opensocieyfoundations.org.

On behalf of MPI New England, members of the MPI Greater New York Chapter are invited to attend MPI NE Educational Institute (EI) on Nov. 22-23. This year’s event will be hybrid with the in-person event taking place at beautiful Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino. In addition, there will be a virtual experience available, allowing attendees to participate in the way that works best for them. 

If you are not familiar with EI, it is the New England Chapter’s premier educational conference offering engaging keynote speakers and innovative educational sessions. The conference is designed to provide professional development (including CMP credits) and create ample opportunities to network with event professionals and suppliers. 

Registration will open soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, or would like more information, please contact Michele Yebba, VP Educational Institute, MPI NE, at michele_yebba@tjx.com.

On Sept. 23, we kicked off the education programming year with a humorously informative session OMG, Am I an Android? The Courtesy Cure – Rebooting our Etiquette with Mister Manners, Thomas P. Farley. Stand-up comedian Dan Altano warmed up the evening with anecdotes that hilariously spotlighted android characteristics we all could relate to. It was the perfect segue to Thomas’ presentation on lessons we can learn from the pandemic, along with tips and tricks for re-entering society as better versions of ourselves.

It was a great evening of education, and we learned while literally laughing our heads off! We now know how to banish our android tendencies and reemerge as human beings once again. One tip from Thomas that really resonated with us was “Practice ‘PPE’: Professionalism, Patience & Empathy.” Practice it every chance you get!

Thank you to everyone who came out for last night's Fall Social. It was truly a night filled with style and sophistication at the beautiful and transformative 48 LOUNGE. We were treated to delicious passed hors d'euvres and innovative cocktails while the DJ from One Of A Kind Events provided the perfect musical mood. Illusionist and strolling magician Jeanette Andrews provided an air of mystery as she tantalized guests with her mind-bending talents. And in this time of renewal for our industry, attendees were treated to complimentary new beauty-filtered headshots from One Chance Media. Lastly, the entire night was captured in photos by SimonProPhoto.com. It was an amazing evening!

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS!

Our industry is coming back, and we can see it in the steady rise in memberships of our MPI Greater New York chapter. We have worked hard as a chapter to keep our members involved and to attract new members during the pandemic through grants, education and networking opportunities; and as our colleagues return to work, we are seeing an increase in membership renewals as well as new members joining for the first time.

And there is no better time to join (or renew) than during the month of October! Refer a friend or colleague to join MPI this month, and you'll both reap the rewards! Existing members receive $25 off your next renewal and your friend or colleague receives $50 off a new membership. 

Thank you to all of our members for making the MPI Greater New York Chapter so outstanding. Together we can continue to rebuild our industry.

MPIGNY is interested in launching a Supplier Diversity Initiative test program and is asking for your thoughts. The goal of the initiative would be to identify and connect members who own or work for a women business enterprise (WBE)* or minority business enterprise (MBE)* to members who are actively seeking to diversify their global supply chain.

Find out more and complete our quick survey here. Now is your chance to be heard and help your chapter develop a meaningful and impactful DEI program!

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

MPI Greater New York is pleased to announce Joshua Novick has (re)joined the board in the new role of Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Josh served as our chapter president during the 2017-2018 board year and has remained an active member of the organization, most recently serving as co-chair of the recently formed DEI Committee. With the committee's inception, the board felt strongly that a directorship on the board was important to the continued success of both the committee's work and MPIGNY going forward. Josh's passion and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion make him an ideal fit for this new role, and we are fortunate to have him once again in chapter leadership.

Please join us in congratulating Josh on his new role.

For those of you who missed the outing this year (and those of you who were there!), click the image above and check out this video featuring some of the highlights of the day as well as commentary from some of our incredible sponsors! 

We are already looking forward to next year! Hope to see you there! 

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 Member Services at feedback@mpi.org.

Your resumé is your first impression to potential employers – and as a job seeker, it should be current and stand out from the competition. 

Meeting Professionals International Resumé Critique service allows you to get your resumé reviewed by experts with the same critical attention as potential employers. These experts will ensure your resumé outlines your strengths and emphasizes vital skills to increase your chance of getting an interview.

Click here to upload your resumé and request a free evaluation.