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WHY: The survey is conducted annually to get firsthand feedback from its members. YOUR feedback is necessary to ensure the needs of membership are met. YOUR participation is critical and guarantees every member’s voice is heard. YOUR voice helps shape the future of our community.
WHEN: The survey is live now! On February 22, every MPI member received an email from Paul Van Deventer, MPI President & CEO, with the subject line: “Your 2022 Member Chapter Satisfaction Survey has arrived!” Please check your spam folders if you do not see it.
DETAILS: The survey requires your MPI member number, which is located on your MPI Global profile. You may only use the survey link specifically sent to you. If you have questions or need assistance with access, email feedback@mpi.org.
BONUS: If you opt in to answer certain questions near the end of the survey, you will be entered into a drawing by Global. Additionally, as an MPI Potomac member, you will be entered into a raffle drawing for $100 off membership renewal.
Let YOUR voice be heard! Survey closes Wednesday, March 23.
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There is a lot to celebrate this month!
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Drive Attendance With the Perfect Engagement
Thurs. March 17, 2022
Topgolf National Harbor
or Virtual
4-7:30 p.m.
Program will start at 4:30 p.m.
Audience engagement is a complex topic and hard to define, yet it is often the No. 1 goal for event and meeting planners.
How do you go about developing a deliberate strategy for audience engagement that will turn event attendees into active participants? Come join us on March 16 as we showcase different strategies, activities and opportunities for connection.
*MPI planner members receive complimentary registration thanks to our continuing education partner, Visit Detroit!
*Available virtually
Upcoming 8-week Course: March 21 - May 9, 2022
The MPI Potomac CMP Preparation Course is a virtual course facilitated by local, experienced CMPs and includes recorded lectures and handouts for each section, complete information about the exam, and test-taking tips. Some of the many benefits of being a part of the study course include:
- CMP exam overview and test-taking tips.
- 9-plus hours of recorded lectures covering all nine CMP-IS domains, facilitated by current CMPs.
- Clarification of complex material and concepts.
- 250-plus practice questions to track your understanding.
- Support and encouragement from facilitators and peers.
- And prerecorded sessions for each domain as well as live Q&A sessions.
Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) is an international day of recognition for the importance of the meetings and events industry.
Check out these two agenda items involving local meeting professionals:
1) The MPI Potomac Chapter and MPI Southern California Chapter are collaborating on a session called "The Art of Thriving in Today’s World: A Conversation With Two Chapters." Cheri Fairchild and Krysten Douglas will represent Potomac Chapter during the GMID session, along with Southern CA Chapter members Amani Roberts and Miranda Shaft.
2) PCMA Capital Chapter is hosting virtual Hill visits from March 21 - April 8, with an in-person event on April 7. Register by March 18.
Join the MPI Potomac Community Outreach committee and volunteer at one of DC’s marquee special events: the Cherry Blossom Parade! Volunteers will be balloon handlers, responsible for bringing a giant balloon down the parade’s 10 blocks of Constitution Avenue NW (approximately 1 mile). You’ll need to be ready to smile and wave, too, to the hundreds of thousands who will be watching the parade live and on TV. And all throughout, have fun with other MPI Potomac members and positively contribute to the local community during this unique springtime activity.
Join us along the route — and bring a guest, if you’d like! MPI attendees can also register one guest to volunteer with them. Bring a spouse, a colleague, a friend or a family member (must be 16 and up) to share in this memorable experience. Just click the “Add a guest” button during registration.
Registration will close on or before April 1 — don't wait, register today!
As a bonus, all volunteers will be given a Cherry Blossom Festival volunteer shirt that they can wear during the parade and take home after.
Strong. Resilient. Hardworking.
Those are just a few of the qualities that embody the people of our great industry.
We cannot wait to be together again.
Join us on April 26, 2022,
at The Hotel at the University of Maryland
or Virtual.
Program Hot Topics
We are thrilled to announce that a dynamic array of industry experts will be on the agenda at this year’s conference. Here are some of the highlights:
The conference will open with a panel of experts: Mike Lyons, Assegid Habtewold and Preethi Fernando, who will exchange ideas on how to recalibrate our skills in the workplace by using our emotional intelligence and by developing the right mindset and the necessary competencies that will help us position ourselves for a career progression.
Over lunch, Carlos Gil, best-selling author of "The End of Marketing," will teach us how to remain digitally relevant in a pandemic world where algorithms dominate, organic reach is dwindling and consumers don’t want to be sold to; they want to be engaged!
The grand education finale will be an interactive dialogue on diversity and inclusion — upgrading your Awareness to Action. Tanida Mullen, Zoe Moore and Anthony Molino will share ideas about how to engage authentically, plan strategically and measure for impact. This conversation will address current events that have impacted the way we think, work and interact with one another.
We welcome all meeting professionals to join MPI Potomac for an unrivaled opportunity to become reenergized, learn from industry leaders, acquire new tools and skills, network with peers, sponsors, and exhibitors, and have fun!
Check out our newly redesigned website for more details the breadth of exciting programming we are looking forward to sharing with you on April 26, 2022.
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Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion with Joy and Authenticity
Planning Tips for Organizations and Event Planners Celebrating Heritage Months
EVENT PLANNING TIP 1: PLAN IN ADVANCE AND ASSIGN AN OWNER
Authentic celebration of heritage months deserves and requires advance planning and dedicated capacity. Too many of the harmful mistakes organizations make acknowledging heritage months are due to poor last-minute choices. Advance planning means having an annual calendar in place and planning for each heritage month starting two to three months in advance.
Capacity means dedicated, compensated time (not a volunteer responsibility on top of a full-time role). If you have an internal team focused on events, DEI, or learning and development, perhaps this is someone’s primary responsibility. If your organization doesn’t have that capacity built in, I recommend partnering with an events consultant who can give your annual plan the time and attention it deserves.
EVENT PLANNING TIP 2: CONSIDER YOUR VENDORS AND MEETING PRACTICES
Whether it’s hosting a team meal, choosing speakers, or considering the music, art, or branding for your celebration, choose vendors who share the identity and celebrate the cultures of the specific heritage month.
Consider your typical meeting practices. Do they reflect the unique cultural traditions of the heritage month? If not, this is an opportunity not only to bring in vendors but also to adjust your practice. As an example, for a celebration of Native American History Month, it might feel off to skip a land acknowledgement and get right into a packed agenda. This is a great place to lean on your representative steering committee for ideas and suggestions and be open to doing things differently.
EVENT PLANNING TIP 3: CENTER THE CELEBRATION AND INCLUDE EVERYONE
Affinity space matters and should be protected.
However, making heritage month celebrations optional to the full team or company sends a message that celebrating diversity is optional. Then, when, or if, attendance is low, this backfires and harms those you meant to celebrate. Instead, the team-wide or company-wide celebration should be mandatory and in regular mandatory time — such as a monthly team meeting or lunch. This centers the celebration in regular practice and also means that your regular practice centers celebrations of diversity.
To read the full blog by MPI Potomac member and volunteer, Trisha Leon-Guerrero, Founder + Chief Experience Officer, Experiences On Demand click here.
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Upcoming Events in 2022
Mark your calendars for these not-to-be-missed events from MPI Potomac, and stay tuned for more details!
May (Date TBD) – joint education/networking event hosted by MPI Potomac Chapter and PCMA Capital Chapter
May 19 – e2 program (Unplugged: Courageous Conversations, Part 2) — Royal Sonesta, Washington, D.C.
Complimentary registration for planner members, brought to you by Visit Detroit.
June 13 – Evening of the Stars — Hamilton Live, Washington, D.C.
MPI Potomac's annual meeting and awards ceremony.
June 21-23 – MPI World Education Congress — San Francisco, Calif.
MPI's annual meeting.
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Mentoring grooms greatness. Steve Jobs mentored Mark Zuckerberg. Maya Angelou mentored Oprah Winfrey. And the MPI Potomac Leadership Committee can match you with a mentor who will change your life! Apply today to be a Mentee or a match (Mentor).
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We Want to be Your Strategic Partner!
Our vision and mission as a member-centric organization are focused on building those personal and business connections for you by connecting you to knowledge, ideas, relationships, and marketplaces. It’s about supporting the membership experience and helping one another to “BUY MPI Potomac!” The most valuable reasons for becoming a sponsor of MPI Potomac is the network you will create for buying and selling services.
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Truth Initiative
Washington, DC
Truth Initiative is a national nonprofit organization that is inspiring lives free from smoking, vaping & nicotine. The Manager, Meetings and Conferences is responsible for planning, coordination, and execution of logistical arrangements for organization meetings and events.
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by Brian Monahan, Director of Publications, MPI Potomac
More than education and networking, the MPI Potomac Chapter is also a conduit for your building powerful supplier and planner relationships.
Most define ROI as return on investment. A more powerful method is something I call a "relationship of investment." An investment is a partnership, and an excellent way to invest in the Potomac Chapter is through our publication channels.
If you are looking for new ways to invest in the chapter consider advertising in one of our publications:
• FYI – the Potomac Chapter's monthly newsletter.
• Website.
• Potomacast – We are looking for a founding sponsor.
• Member Directory – Limited space in which to be a featured advertiser.
• Job Directory – NEW!
• Engage Magazine.
Please contact Brian Monahan, bmonahan@prestigeav.com, Director of Publications, to discuss advertising opportunities.
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How to break up with a boss, client, vendor or even a mentor/mentee
Let’s be honest, some relationships run their course and must come to an end, personally and professionally. There is a way to break up, so to speak.
The MPI Potomac Leadership Committee has these suggestions for you:
1) Give your decision some thought. Do you really want to break up? It is important that you are clear that this is what you want to do and that you feel it is best for you at the end of the day.
2) Prepare for the conversation. Be thoughtful and take time to write or type up what you want to say.
3) Empathy. Be kind and consider if you were the other person and what would be the best thing to say or do.
4) This is no time for texting. This is a face-to-face conversation, preferably in person though it could be done virtually. If your meeting is in person, ensure it is in an appropriate setting; and if virtually, turn on your camera.
5) Be direct.
6) Be honest.
7) Focus on the person and avoid distractions.
8) Listen.
9) Be positive.
10) Move on.
What the Experts Say
“A good mentoring relationship is as long as it should be and no longer,” says Jodi Glickman, author of "Great on the Job." If you are no longer learning from your mentor or the chemistry is simply not there, “there’s no point in prolonging it.”
You do yourself and your mentor a disservice if you stay in a relationship that is not meeting your needs. “If in order to grow, it’s necessary to move on,” don’t hesitate to break it off, says Kathy Kram, the Shipley Professor in Management at the Boston University School of Management and co-author of the forthcoming "Strategic Relationships at Work." Read this full article on how to end things graciously.
If you want to learn how to become an effective leader or want to hone your leadership skills, consider joining the MPI Potomac Leadership Committee. Reach out to Leila Beltramo: lbeltramo@visitmontgomery.com or Carolyn Patterson-Kemper: carolyn@cpkwriters.com for more information.
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