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Phil recaps some recent successful chapter events
(with photos from ReConEx and Derby Days!)
and promotes what's coming up next.
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Being a savvy negotiator and understanding how contract clauses can make or break a meeting have always been important, perhaps even more so now. According to Amex’s 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, in-person events of all types are bouncing back faster than anticipated. Are you ready?
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the critical elements of a contract
- Understand how profits work in a hotel setting
- Effectively leverage risk management provisions
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by Lauran Peoples
Nearly 20 years after being founded in 2004 by American diversity consulting firms, ProGroup Inc. and Diversity Best Practices, Celebrate Diversity Month has evolved to not only celebrate multiculturalism globally, but to also acknowledge and reassess societal commitment and support of diversity in all facets of community and industry.
The meetings and travel industry has long served as a microcosm of society, lending itself as common ground for attendees from different cultures and conventions with varying objectives. When combined, these two elements create platforms that influence decisions and organizational culture beyond the confines of a multi-day conference. The social justice movements that finally garnered long overdue international discourse in 2020 helped set the stage for dialogue that would both mend and mold a new standard of expectation in our industry and globally.
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Get Ready to Shine at Evening of the Stars
Mark your calendars for the evening of June 29, because we have some stellar news to share: Evening of the Stars, our Annual Meeting & Awards event, will be held at the National Union Building in the heart of Washington, DC!
This dazzling venue will provide the perfect backdrop for us to come together and celebrate the brightest stars in the chapter. With its stunning architecture and historic charm, the National Union Building will transport us to another galaxy for a night of recognition and celebration. We can't wait to see you there.
And don't forget to submit your Awards nominations before the May 14 deadline, because who knows, your favorite industry star just might take home a well-deserved award.
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Thank you to all of our members, speakers, and special guests for making ReConEx 2023 a tremendous success. For one day we traveled over to Dulles, Virginia for a day of innovation and learning. We are so grateful to our sponsor Hyatt Regency Dulles for the amazing hospitality. ReConEx would not have taken place without the generous support of our Sponsors.
Special shoutout to the ReConEx Committee for all of your work executing a Stellar program.
If you were in person with us last month you had the opportunity to attend the Invitation Only CMP Breakfast, learn from our industry’s top leaders during the C-Suite Closing Session, experience futuristic breakout sessions, peer to peer personal experiences, as well as countless opportunities to obtain information to assist you in your current position. If you missed it, don’t worry we have you covered. Stay tuned for ReConEx Re-loaded available this month in our OnDemand Library.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at our next event, Deal or No Deal? Masterminding Contracts and Negotiations, being held virtually on May 24. Click here for more information and to register.
Enjoy these photos of the day - click here to see more!
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MPI Potomac celebrates National Library Month at ReConEx
In honor of National Library Month, and in conjunction with the Human Story (human library) activation at ReConEx, MPI Potomac collected books to donate to a local library.
We collected 28 books ranging from children’s books, to fiction, to event planning tools. All were donated to the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale, Virginia.
Thank you to all who donated!
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Community Outreach and Industry Advocacy Visits Montgomery College
Robin Troutman, Director of Community Outreach and Industry Advocacy, had the honor and privilege to visit Verhonda Sercey’s event management class on April 25, at Montgomery College.
Professor Sercey was one of the Chapter’s special guest speakers during the GMID broadcast, discussing the importance of changing the conversation around the hospitality industry, and that it is not just housekeeping and weddings.
Robin spoke to the students about her journey with event management and planning, and how her path was not linear, and that it is okay to figure things out as you go along. The students were excited to learn about MPI Potomac and the different events we have coming up, and look forward to both participating and volunteering to get more experience. We look forward to welcoming our newest industry peers after they graduate. Congratulations to the class of 2023!
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Early on in my career, I was advised by my mentor that if I wanted to be truly successful in the Hospitality industry, I needed to get involved in all the ways that mattered. Volunteering has always been something that I gravitated towards because I have an inherent desire to give back and help others in some way — so it was a no brainer for me to find a professional chapter to invest in.
MPI welcomed me with open arms and I found the organization to be a place where I had access to great education and fun networking opportunities. As a newcomer to the Hospitality industry at the time, I was immediately encouraged to join a committee and found a home on the Membership team where I performed outreach calls, answered questions about MPI benefits, and manned the registration desk at our in-person events. I was quickly able to put faces with names, be in position to meet someone I was trying to connect with, and build out my network with meaningful connections.
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Looking to Contribute to a Community in 2023?
MPI Potomac is eager to offer new committee roles in the new year! Our social and education calendars are full, and we're excited to expand our committees to members who are interested in volunteering.
Whether you want to tap into your strengths and share your knowledge or want to learn a new skill set, volunteering on an MPI Potomac committee is the place to be!
Click the link below to fill out a short committee interest form today.
Curious about what kind of roles we're looking to add? Check out a few of the open roles below:
1. Two (2) event planner volunteers to support the chapter's Annual Meeting and Awards Program: Evening of the Stars.
2. One (1) volunteer to support the quarterly STAR award nominations and announcements.
3. Two (2) volunteers who enjoy making social tiles in Canva to support the chapter's marketing initiatives.
4. One (1) volunteer who can send outreach to new and prospective members as well as those up for membership renewal.
5. One (1) compelling story writer volunteer to highlight MPI's monthly happenings to membership.
6. Two (2) volunteers to support our sponsorship programs by serving as sponsor care managers. Individuals will work with sponsors on executing their benefit packages throughout the year.
7. Two (2) volunteers to outreach to the community to bring in cash support to the chapter.
8. One (1) website content coordinator to assist with keeping the website up to date on chapter happenings.
Want to learn more about the different options? Email info@mpipotomac.org to learn more.
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Job Jot Newsletter
Are you in need of a meeting professional for your organization? Are you looking for a new opportunity? MPI Potomac's Job Jot newsletter launched in February!
Post your job opening to the greater Washington, D.C., and Maryland community of meeting professionals! Job Jot is MPI Potomac Chapter’s bi-weekly e-newsletter, which is distributed to nearly 1,000 professionals.
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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
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Welcome New Members!
The Membership committees would love to welcome the following 14 individuals who joined or re-joined the Potomac Chapter in April:
William Adams, Destination DC
Reggie Aggarwal, Cvent Inc
Adam Dubrow, MGM Resorts International
Bethany Garcia, Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle
Paulina Giusti, Cvent Inc
Lyn Gurley, The Rockefeller Foundation
Kelly King, Sodexo
Drina Lancaster, The Rockefeller Foundation
Tram Ngo, Caesar's Entertainment Corporation
Alex Rolfe, Cvent Inc
Kathleen Ryan, CGMP, Boeing
Monica Silva, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
Raegan Smythe, CYT Productions, LLC
Brendon Winters, American AV
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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 share your news in our next FYI!
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By: Stephen E. Peeler, CFRE, FCEP - Former Executive Director, Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation, and Lura Bobbitt, Process Improvement Professional and Aspiring Organizational Development/Design Leader, NextUp
As a member of MPI for the past 25 years and serving on numerous committees including the board of directors for the Potomac Chapter, I was excited to learn that the chapter was creating a mentorship program to support emerging leaders.
Mentoring numerous young professionals over the years, I vividly remember my first mentorship relationship. It was with an executive who I heard speak at a luncheon event in Richmond, VA, back in the 90’s. He was the first African American Keynote Speaker and C-Suite Executive that I had ever met in person from a prominent Fortune 500 company. In addition to being approachable and genuine he looked like me and so we began. His name was Mr. Sampson and he sent me a few books to read including Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which was relatively new at the time. We met for a couple of years for phone call check-ins that were scheduled through his assistant.
Fast forward to today, I met my MPI Potomac mentee through the Mentorship program online application and matching process. Lura Bobbitt had a few colleagues that served as mentors, however, nothing formally organized or with regularly scheduled check ins as outlined in the MPI Potomac mentorship program.
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A huge THANK YOU to our sponsors of ReConEx 2023!
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