MPI Potomac FYI
January 2023
 
Message from the President
 
 
 
 
 Phil gives a preview of the location for ReConEx 2023, plus other upcoming events.
 
Click here for the President's Message.
 
Visit Hershey & Harrisburg®
Sweet Meets Success
With 2.5 million square feet of meeting space and 9,200 sleeping rooms in a centralized location, the Hershey Harrisburg Region delivers convenience, affordability, diverse event venues and one-of-a-kind attractions for all your meeting and convention needs. All the amenities and attractions of Hershey The Sweetest Place On Earth® and Harrisburg, the capital city of Pennsylvania, together in one region. What could be better?
Learn more about the Hershey/Harrisburg region
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Upcoming Events
 
 
Kick-off the new year with tips and strategies to maintain high performance and happiness, even in stressful environments. The key to customer service is caring for oneself first. Customers want to work with professionals who communicate and listen well, manage their time well, and demonstrate empathy and patience. Join us on Tuesday, January 17, to learn how a little SelfFULLness will benefit your bottom line.
 
 
 
Learner Outcomes:
  • Target opportunities in your career growth and identify reasonable steps to achieving your objectives​ — at your own pace and within your own abilities.

  • Explore positive changes that will allow professional growth, foster healthy relationships and help with interactions with clients and coworkers.

  • Establish daily habits and behaviors that can offer personal balance and satisfaction — impacting our overall health, well-being and quality of life. 
 

 
 
 

The MPI Potomac On-Demand Content Library, Powered by EVA,
is the Place To Get Your Clock Hours!

In partnership with Events Management Platform (EVA), MPI Potomac has yet another educational tool available for you to learn and earn clock hours. The On-Demand Content Library contains a wide range of accredited, educational CMP online programs designed for event and meeting planners to further their professional development.
 
MPI Potomac understands the importance of learning and evolving with the events industry. All courses are tailored to match meeting planners' in-demand skills and knowledge. EVA’s platform makes the learning experience effective and seamless, with easy access to courses anytime, anywhere and on any device.
 
Log in today to view the entire range of courses available on demand.
 
CHECK IT OUT
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
 
Human Trafficking: Black and Missing
  
by Nina Lamb-Hill, MPI Potomac DEI committee member
 
Do you know that there are more people in modern-day slavery today than at any other time in our history? In our effort to highlight January being the National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, I spent some time on the subject, and below are some startling findings I gathered from my research and conversation with Derrica Wilson, a co-founder and a CEO of the Black and Missing Foundation.
 
State of the Union
In 2019, FBI statistics reflect that more than 600,000 people were reported missing in the United States, with 40% of those missing being Black people. In 2021, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) reported over 520,000 persons missing, with just over 305,000 of those missing persons being white and over 177,000 Black missing persons. However, the percentage of Black missing persons is still 34% of the cumulative numbers that are actually reported as missing. Total 2022 numbers are yet to be reported.
 
What is the highlight, you ask? According to Wilson, the disparity is that African-American cases are remaining unclosed four times longer than missing white Americans. The difference is that Black missing person cases are not receiving the same level of priority and equal media notoriety as cases that are reported with the race being white.
 
The level of missing cases also ties into the state of human trafficking. Human trafficking involves exploiting men, women, or children for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. And the statistics of these cases are estimated to be far greater than reported.
 
Let us take a look at what has changed and what hasn’t changed as well as those elements that, due to the assistance of entities and initiatives such as the Black and Missing Foundation, are on their way to great change — not only for these cases but for the trajectory of missing persons and human trafficking.
Visit Colorado Springs
Save the Date
 
Save the Date for these Upcoming Events!
 
Wednesday, February 22 – e2 Forum: Human Trafficking
Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport – Arlington, VA
 
Wednesday, March 15 – MPI Potomac 3rd Annual Trivia Night – 5:30 p.m. 
Crystal City Sports Pub – Arlington, VA
 
Tuesday, April 11 – ReConEx 2023 
Hyatt Regency Dulles – Herndon, VA
News & Announcements
 
 
 
 
Are you in need of a meeting professional for your organization? Are you looking for a new opportunity? MPI Potomac can assist!
 
We will be launching a bi-weekly e-newsletter all about career opportunities in the MPI Potomac area. Look for it in your inbox soon.
Visit Alexandria®
Regional Meetings Close to Home
As meetings trend to regional, planners see the value in choosing smaller destinations, close to home. Why not consider the #3 Top Best Small City in the U.S. (Condé Nast Travelers 2019) right in your backyard?  Easily drivable for staff and attendees, Alexandria and our hospitality partners are ready to welcome you back with the Alexandria Promise and much more.
See why Alexandria is now, more than ever, the perfect destination.
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Did you know that, aside from chapters, MPI has a dozen diverse communities you can join? Such communities include:
  • Small-business owners.
  • Black meeting professionals.
  • Association professionals.
  • Medical meeting and health-care professionals.
  • And many more!
Get to know others who share your interest. More communities are expected to be added this year. Learn more by clicking here.
 
Looking To The Future – Strengthening Your Mentorship Experience
  
By Sheryl J. Brannon, MBA, CMP, DES, Chief Strategist, Strategic Partnerships International and Potomac Chapter Mentorship Committee
 
January 2023 is National Mentoring Month, but I want us to look beyond and set a vision for the year. We have been through the fire, collectively and individually. And I believe that without the power of mentorship and support of each other, it would've been even harder.
 
Mentorship is a key theme in our journey. No matter where we are on that path, we cannot do it alone. I can only speak from my personal experiences that I have mentors in different seasons. There’s a saying: "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime." 
 
The MPI Potomac Chapter mentorship committee would like to challenge you to set the path for collaboration and building a stronger mentorship experience in 2023.
Member Updates
 
  
Welcome New Members!
 
The Membership team would like to extend a warm welcome to the following individuals who joined or re-joined the MPI Potomac Chapter in Q4 2022 (October-December):
 
Amanda Beck, TRG Meeting Partners
Trek Bookter, Visit Montgomery
Maggie Boys, CMP, OneMain Financial
Kenyaetta Bush, CMP, KB Meeting & Travel
Jennifer Clark, American Society of Addiction Medicine
Emma Cousins, Wounded Warrior Project
Kaitlyn Doherty, Venable LLP
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Venable LLP
Meredith Flanagan, Gensler
Eileen Ford, Haines Hotel Services
Natalie Ford, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Julie Goetzinger, Julie Goetzinger LLC
Tomell Harbison, Talley
Chara Hutzell, Annapolis Waterfront Hotel
Danielle Impraim, BETAH Associates Inc.
Grace Jan, CMP, CAE, Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Katie Kinderknecht
Anissa Ladd, CASE, GoProvidence
Amy Lindsey Nyhuis, Walker & Dunlop
Marty Mackay, DMCP, Hosts Global
Alana Mallory, AKM Consulting Solutions LLC
Tina Moo Young, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Laura Norfolk, CMP, Fusion Meetings & Events LLC
Erika Noyes, CMP, CGMP, BCD M&E
Taylor Olcott, Venable LLP
Aneisha Persaud, Washington National Cathedral
Kathy Pho, Klas Government
Ali Pillow, Venable LLP
Stephanie Rogers, CMP, Deltek
Tiffany Rolle, Interledger Foundation
Brian Smith, Aramark Corporation
Kate Strong, AOBA
Arlana Walford, Venable LLP
 
Member Updates 

Have you recently changed jobs, earned a certification or achieved a professional achievement that you would like to share? We would love to hear from our chapter members and to share your news in our next FYI!

 
 
Greensboro Area CVB