Print this Article | Send to Colleague
“One good conversation can shift the direction of change forever.” - Linda Lam
by Heather Young
The MPI Potomac Recruitment Committee hosted its inaugural Conversation & Cocktails on Nov. 9 to open its virtual arms to meeting professionals looking to engage in a safe, fun and interactive way. The global pandemic has demonstrated that staying connected with a professional community is more important than ever! With that in mind, current MPI Potomac members engaged in lively conversations with prospective members to showcase everything the chapter has to offer.
VP of Membership Carlos Pelham kicked off the event making everyone feel welcome and sharing his MPI story. MPI Potomac President Devin Lewis shared what MPI has meant to her personally and professionally throughout over 20 years of membership, welcoming attendees to enjoy the evening’s event. Attendees were then encouraged to shake off the day with an interactive wellness moment led by Carley Vitek. Fun trivia for prizes, polls and an active chat room bolstered engagement throughout the event, ending with closing remarks by Director of Membership Recruitment Lindsay Schattenstein.
Two rounds of 20-minute conversations created an intimate atmosphere for attendees to engage in an open forum with MPI members. Discussion topics included "Navigating A Virtual Event World," "Next Steps on Your Career Path," "Best Practices for Hosting an In-Person Event" and "Providing Value to Yourself and Your Employer." A big thank you goes out to all of the member facilitators: Shawna Haggerty, Derek Suminski, Malene Ward, Evan Nielson, Heather Young, Krystal Heard, Christina Charron, Lynne Polinski and Katie Bohrer.
Key conversation takeaways:
“Virtual gatherings and a hotel, convention center or even a CVB’s need for F&B, room nights, room rental, et cetera, have competing priorities by nature. Having partners that can support a hybrid model of in-person and virtual programs will be incredibly valuable to them for the foreseeable future.” – Derek Suminski
“We had suppliers in the room because they wanted to hear from planners. They're trying to figure out how they can support us when we come back from 100% virtual to in person. Because they work for properties, they don't use virtual platforms, so they were interested in sitting in on the conversation.” – Shawna Haggerty
“Participants believe the virtual meetings have been a training curve for everyone and a way to add a new skill set to their professional portfolio. Also, I feel like a lot of people were not fully aware of the amount of education MPI offers and the resources that are available on the website, so overall this was a great opportunity to offer at least a basic introduction to that.” – Cristina Charron
MPI offers innovative education, world-class resources and endless opportunities to collaborate with industry peers and professionals. Whether participating in a member event, expanding a professional network, joining a committee or connecting with event professionals in such a trying time, we hope that the attendees felt like MPI Potomac welcomes them into our community with open arms and look forward to hosting the event again in early 2021 – stay tuned!
