STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
■
WATER RESTRICTIONS
■
DARING COLD CALLS
JULY 2015
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Volume 3, Issue 6
EDITORIAL STAFF
What’s Your
Favorite Place
to Watch
EDITOR IN CHIEF
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MANAGING EDITOR
EDITOR
EDITOR
DIGITAL EDITOR
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
DESIGN AND PREPRESS
COVER DESIGN
COVER PHOTO
Rich Luna, rluna@mpiweb.org
Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
Blair Potter, bpotter@mpiweb.org
Michael Pinchera, mpinchera@mpiweb.org
Rowland Stiteler, rstiteler@mpiweb.org
Jeff Loy, jloy@mpiweb.org
Holly Smith, hsmith@mpiweb.org
Javier Adame, jadame@mpiweb.org
Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
Jeff Daigle
Orange Photography
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
Fireworks?
CANADA
Susan Prophet
sprophet@mpiweb.org • (905) 815-1381
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA
Pierre Fernandez
pfernandez@mpiweb.org • +33 628 83 84 82
A baseball park
AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY
Katri Laurimaa
klaurimaa@mpiweb.org • (817) 251-9891
CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA
Cheryl Hatcher
chatcher@mpiweb.org • (850) 345-9815
AK, AZ, CA, DE, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA
Shalynn Robinson
srobinson@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3083
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
PRESIDENT & CEO
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
CHIEF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Paul Van Deventer, pvandeventer@mpiweb.org
Michael Woody, mwoody@mpiweb.org
Daniel Gilmartin, dgilmartin@mpiweb.org
Darren Temple, dtemple@mpiweb.org
INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman of the Board
Kevin Kirby, The KIRBY Consulting Group LLC
Chairwoman-elect
Fiona Pelham, Sustainable Events Ltd. and Positive Impact
Vice Chairwoman of Finance
Erin Tench, CMP, CMM, The Pennsylvania State University
The top of
Mount Kilimanjaro
Vice Chairman
Brian Stevens, ConferenceDirect
Malibu, Calif.
Immediate Past Chairman
Michael Dominguez, MGM Resorts International
BOARD MEMBERS
Amanda Armstrong, CMP, Enterprise Holdings
Krzysztof Celuch, PhD, CMM, CITE CIS, Warsaw School of Tourism and Hospitality Management / Poland Convention Bureau
Angie Duncan, CMP, CMM, BCD M&I
Annette Gregg, CMP, CMM, MBA, LPL Financial
Anne Hamilton, Disney Destinations
Gerrit Jessen, CMP, CMM, MCI Deutschland GmbH
Allison Kinsley, CMP, CMM, Kinsley Meetings
Michael Massari, Caesars Entertainment
Audra Narikawa, CMP, Capital Group
Alisa Peters, CMP, CMM, Experient Inc.
Ken Sanders, Freeman Audio Visual Solutions
Marti Winer, Drew University
Central Europe—pick any city
BOARD REPRESENTATIVES
MPI Foundation Board Representative
Gus Vonderheide, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
LEGAL COUNSEL
Jonathan T. Howe, Esq., Howe & Hutton Ltd.
The Meeting Professional® (Print ISSN: #2329-8510, Digital Edition ISSN: #2329-8529) is printed monthly, except the months of January and October, by
Meeting Professionals International (MPI), a professional association of meeting and event planners and suppliers.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Meeting Professional, Meeting Professionals International, 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700, Dallas, TX, 75234-2759. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas,
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Please recycle this magazine and the polybag or pass
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2 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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CONTENTS
FEATURES
53
THE STATE OF
THE INDUSTRY
Candid thoughts from a wide
spectrum of meeting and event
professionals on where we are
and the direction in which we
need to go.
66
DROUGHTLAND
How emergency water restrictions in
California are directly affecting the
meeting industry.
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CONTENTS
22
30
THE LOBBY
20 COMPOSING YOUR LIFE
World-class violinist Kai Kight talks innovation
and creativity during Flash Point at WEC.
22 PLANNING AND PATIENCE
The meeting industry has helped Elif Balci
Fisunoğlu understand the value of building
business.
VIEWPOINTS
34 THE BUSINESS BLIND DATE
24 A TASTE OF WEC 2015
If you rely on cold calls, you’ll need to find
creative ways to break down barriers.
We look at some of the concepts and thought
that make the World Education Congress (WEC)
menu special.
25 MAKING MEMORIES
An MPI staffer reflects on her childhood
experiences in San Francisco and a recent
site visit to the City by the Bay.
36 YOUR MEETING AS AN ALBUM
42
Reviewing—and connecting—all of your
meeting’s components can prevent a
fragmented experience.
26 HOW CAN I MAXIMIZE
MY F&B BUDGET?
For April Ferguson, it’s about portion control,
creative breakouts and jumping on the
bandwagon.
SHOWCASE
42 THE FANCON AWAKENS
30 WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE
Cities such as Rosemont, Ill., have learned
that genre and pop culture conventions are
big business.
Disney honors the past while preparing for the
future as the 60th anniversary of Disneyland is
celebrated.
34
46 OPEN WIDE
Seattle’s Pacific Coast conference offerings
made a memorable splash with 2,000
pediatric dentists.
6 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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FROM THE EDITOR
WE WANT TO MEET YOU
We’d like to meet you at WEC.
Join me and other members of
The Meeting Professional staff from
9:30-10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 2, during
coffee in MarketSquare.
CHANGE YOUR
LIFE AT WEC
The loveliness of Paris seems
somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome is
of another day
I’ve been terribly alone and
forgotten in Manhattan
I’m going home to my city
by the Bay
TONY BENNETT’S SIGNATURE SONG,
“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,”
recorded in 1962, still resonates,
whether with the greatest generation or with today’s millennial.
Bennett has said the song, “helped
make me a world citizen. It allowed me to live, work and sing in any
city on the globe. It changed my
whole life.”
This classic song comes to mind
as we’ll soon be gathering in the
Bay City for the World Education
Congress (WEC), Aug 1-4, and this
is one WEC you will not want to
miss. Arrive early for the pre-conference sessions and earn clock
hours though nine topics, covering
areas such as the Healthcare Meet-
ing Compliance Certi icate and
new courses for the Sustainable
Meeting Professional Certi icate
and Mobile App Certi icate, as
well as a prep course for the CMPHealthcare Certi ication.
We’ll then kick off with a lineup
of dynamic speakers that includes
the likes of James Curleigh, president of Levi’s and executive vice
president of Levi Strauss & Co.,
who will address attendees during
the Opening General Session.
You’ll hear from BookaLokal
co-founder and CEO Evelyne White
and Liz Murray, famed for her
chronicles From Homeless to
Harvard. Or how about Kai Kight,
featured on Page 20 of this
month’s issue. Kight is an innovative violinist and composer who
will share his story of creativity
and perseverance. Then there’s
bestselling author Pamela Meyer,
who will talk about the art and
science of getting to the truth.
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb
halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air,
I don’t care
The education sessions at WEC
will address areas such as professional development, general business topics, technology and specialty education. There will be discussions around issues impacting the
meeting and event industry.
Then there are networking opportunities, beginning with the
Opening Night Celebration at Pier
48 across from AT&T Park. The MPI
Foundation’s The Big Deal and Rendezvous events are prime for catching up with old friends and meeting
new ones. The RISE Awards Luncheon will honor the best of our
industry and is a must-attend event
to hear of the inspiring journeys for
those being honored (learn more
about them on Page 28). While our
time together will go far too quickly,
you’ll want to stay for the Closing
Night Celebration at San Francisco’s
City Hall.
Food and beverage are also
center stage at WEC. Check out our
feature (Page 24) about what
happens behind the scenes.
I encourage you to spend time
reading through our State of the
Industry feature (Page 53) for
insight into top-of-mind issues and
topics culled from more than 20
interviews with members.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,
“Life is a journey, not a destination.” In the case of WEC in San
Francisco, I’ll make the case it’s
both. Like Bennett’s song, it just
might change your life. Join us at
WEC. To register, go to www.mpi
web.org/wec15.
My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you,
San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me
See you in San Francisco …
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
8 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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FROM THE COO
BEHIND THE
CURTAIN
WITH SLIGHTLY MORE than four
months under my belt as COO of
MPI, I am amazed every day by
the talented team that has been
assembled over the past several
years. And as we head into our
largest event of the year, the
World Education Congress (WEC),
that realization is not only appreciated—especially as one of the
newest members of the team—it
is inspiring. But having attended
WEC several times over the past
20 years, I have always been
interested in looking behind the
curtain. Who is the wizard, pulling all of the levers to deliver the
show that has inspired me both
personally and professionally?
If you have seen The Wizard of
Oz, I would like you to think back
on this scene: The Scarecrow, the
Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and
Dorothy stand before the Wizard
with their list of wants and desires—a brain, a heart, courage
and a way home. The great and
powerful Wizard put on quite a
show and seemed to know a great
deal about his audience of four
( ive if you include Dorothy’s dog,
Toto). The sound effects, lights and
smoke are all perfectly presented
to set the scene and ultimately tell
the story. And all that magic was
controlled from behind the curtain.
Much like the Wizard, we too
have been doing our research on
your wants and desires as related
to professional development, current trends and more. We have
solid education, dynamic presenters and engaging Camp ire sessions to expand your mental tool
kit. The evening functions and
various MPI Foundation events
including The Big Deal and Rendezvous provide opportunities to
connect with old friends and establish new relationships. And the
general session speakers will encourage you with newfound inspiration and courage to take your
career to greater heights. All of this
is designed speci ically to help you
ind your professional edge.
Many will recall that revealing
scene in The Wizard of Oz, when
Toto pulls the curtain back to
reveal that the powerful Wizard is
nothing but a talented individual
who simply knew how to pull all
of the right levers. So who is the
WEC wizard? Well, let me assure
you that there is not just one
person behind the curtain at
MPI working to deliver the
world-class production known
as WEC. We have a team illed
with talented women and men
who are passionate about MPI,
committed to the role that they
play in the organization and dedicated to delivering all that you
want and desire from WEC.
So when it is time for you to
ind your way home after WEC,
we trust that your mind, heart
and nerves will be illed with new
thoughts and aspirations, going
boldly into each new opportunity
that you ind. If so, our many
wizards will know that they
served you, our members, well!
For those attending, I look
forward to meeting you at WEC
in San Francisco! And if you
aren’t able to join us, please
check out the live and recorded
sessions at www.mpiweb.org/
wec15 starting Aug. 2.
Michael Woody
MPI Chief Operations Of icer
mwoody@mpiweb.org
10 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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CONTRIBUTORS
PAUL CULLUM currently
lives in Joshua Tree, Calif.,
where the people are as
prickly as the plant life
and as scarce as the water,
but somehow, like the
water, manage to find
their own level.
The California mantra
shared with me by multiple
sources while working on
“Droughtland” (Page 66):
“Brown is the new green.” If
residential homeowners
would just stop watering
their lawns—let the luscious
verdure that is a metonym
for fecundity, rebirth and
the bounty of perpetual
youth achieve a rich golden
state—then the drought
wouldn’t matter. But I’ve
been 20-plus years in Southern California. I’ve watched
“America’s Dream Factory”
pump its industrial pollutants into the surrounding
atmosphere long enough to
permanently stain the
horizon like a sunset. Maybe
the state’s penchant for
apocalypse hasn’t finally
found its way into the
movies; maybe it’s the other
way around.
DONNA SMITH has
worked as both a writer
and an event planner,
spending eight years on
staff with The Association
of Hole in the Wall Gang
camps, under the direction of the late actor and
philanthropist Paul Newman and other professionals with a love for
humanity.
When I was in 7th grade, my
best friend was an avid Star
Trek fan. After school, we
would meet at her house,
walk a mile to the 7/11 to
grab candy and sodas then
sit around her living room
waiting for the Captain. I
never really got into it, but I
did own a Beatles wig, so I
could say nothing when she
donned Spock-inspired
pointy ears. We would have
felt at home at events such
as those discussed in “The
Fancon Awakens” (Page
42)—but those were nonexistent at the time. I wonder where she is now…
perhaps in a galaxy far, far
away.
ROWLAND STITELER, a
veteran meeting industry
journalist, is a writer and
editor for The Meeting
Professional.
MICHAEL PINCHERA is
an award-winning writer
and editor for The Meeting
Professional and a speaker
on future tech and trends.
To this day, I can vividly
remember how “gosh-awful
nifty swell” (a term I used a
lot as a kid when something
excited me) the Seattle
Space Needle looked as we
watched coverage of the
1962 Seattle World’s Fair on
our large, black-and-white,
mahogany-encased television set.
Back then, I thought
there would be thousands
of buildings like that in the
United States by the time I
grew up. Well, there aren’t.
But what I learned while
writing about the 2015
American Academy of
Pediatric Dentistry conference (“Open Wide,” Page
46) is that the Space Needle
is not only still standing
after 53 years of use—it’s
still a hot ticket.
To that, the over-60
version of Rowland Stiteler
can only say one thing:
“How gosh-awful nifty swell
is that?”
If you want honest opinions,
sometimes all you need to
do is ask. I didn’t write “The
State of Industry” (Page
53); I molded it. The 20+
meeting professionals who
shared their thoughts with
me each wrote a piece of
this—despite lofty ideals, a
traditional long-form
narrative wouldn’t have
been possible for this
endeavor, given space and
time parameters. As a
result, you get their words
directly—well, roughly
one-quarter of the insight
provided—rather than text
translated by my editorial
Babel fish.
The frankness of people
in this industry is refreshing
but never surprising. Some
of the simplest questions
asked provoked answers
you’d never hear in a “yes
man” organization or
industry. Such candor in life
and business is essential for
meaningful progress to
occur—pretty impressive
when you consider that a
once-every-65-millionyears-or-so asteroid impact
is one of the few other ways
to induce change.
12 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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CONVERSATIONS
WE’D LIKE
YOUR FEEDBACK
It’s easier than ever to comment on articles you read in The Meeting Professional. In addition to reading the hard copy edition of the magazine,
you can also enjoy many of our articles on Facebook and our website (www.mpiweb.org). We also recently became active once again on
Twitter, so if you’re not following @TheMeetingPro already, start today, as we’re sharing new articles and information on a regular basis.
FOLLOW
US ON
TWITTER
With more than 302 million active
monthly users sending more than
500 million tweets per day, Twitter
has become a key communication,
marketing and information tool for
business.
For meeting and event professionals, industry-related hashtags
such as #eventprofs, #meetingprofs
and even #hotelprofs can assist in
staying informed about the latest
trends and ideas.
Along with MPI’s social media
presence on Facebook and LinkedIn,
there are also two Twitter accounts
for information and member interaction: @MPI, the association’s of icial
Twitter feed for latest news, and
@TheMeetingPro, where select
articles from the print magazine and
popular story links from our electronic weekly newsletter, MPIPulse,
are posted.
Here are a few reactions from
the Twitterverse about recent
The Meeting Professional articles.
JEFF LOY
LEVI’S LEGACY
[“Create the Future, Don’t Just Try to Predict It,”
June ’15 issue]
I love this headline (and the article) in the #MPI Meeting
Professional Magazine !! #eventprofs
THOM SINGER, CSP (@THOMSINGER)
MPI TEXAS HILL COUNTRY CHAPTER
EDITOR’S RESPONSE: In the article, editor Michael Pinchera
interviews Levi’s jeans brand president and MPI World Education
Congress keynote speaker James Curleigh about running an established company like a startup.
BUSINESS IS BOOMING
[“2015 Guide to Mexico,” June ’15 issue]
Mexico’s Meeting Industry is modernizing @MPI_Mexico
@MPI @TheMeetingPro
EDUARDO CHAILLO, CMP (@ECHAILLO)
MPI MEXICO CHAPTER
EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Our June issue included this supplement, sponsored by the
he
Mexico Tourism Board, detailing the positive developments in the country’s
t.
meeting industry and infrastructure. Chaillo was interviewed in the supplement.
PRACTICAL
POINTS
[“Who We Are,” June ’15 issue]
re: Who We Are in @TheMeetingPro in response to Jason’s
proposal for WEC session topic, yes! Great idea! @MPI
LUTRICIA EBERLY (@SKI_LUTRICIA)
MPI MIDDLE PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER
EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Each month, we profile an MPI member in
the Who We Are section. This tweet is in response to our June issue,
in which Jason Carroll, CMP (MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter), discusses his passion for racking up airline/hotel points
and the possibility of sharing that knowledge in a session.
DIGITAL EDITOR, MPI
So, how can you start
a conversation?
Start a conversation with
an editor: @TheMeetingPro
Rich Luna, editor in chief
rluna@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3081
Rowland Stiteler, editor
rstiteler@mpiweb.org • (863) 274-5212
Start a conversation
with MPI:
Blair Potter, managing editor
bpotter@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3092
Jeff Loy, digital editor
jloy@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3038
@JeffLoyMPI
Twitter: @MPI
Facebook:
www.Facebook/MPIfans
Michael Pinchera, editor (features)
mpinchera@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3018
14 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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WHO WE ARE 22 PEER TO PEER 26
YOUR COMMUNITY 28 HAVE A MOMENT 30
LOCALLY-SOURCED
From fresh, sustainable ingredients to rich, exquisite chocolates,
this year’s World Education Congress menu is not to be missed.
PAGE 24
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CREATIVITY
COMPOSING
YOUR LIFE
World-class violinist and genre-defying composer
Kai Kight talks innovation and creativity during
Flash Point at MPI’s World Education Congress
in San Francisco this August.
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
“Innovation is
rarely one idea
that just works.
It is a collage of
many ideas that
are progressed
by a mindset of
perseverance
and flexibility.”
SEE HIM AT WEC
Don’t miss Kai Kight’s Flash Point session at the World
Education Congress (WEC), Aug. 1-4 in San Francisco.
To register or learn more, visit www.mpiweb.org/wec.
20 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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Q&A
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS SEEKING TO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES AND START CREATING?
At some point you must be willing to put a bet on yourself. I
think a lot of people miss opportunities because they are
scared to fail and need things to be 100 percent certain before
they move forward. This creates a scenario where you wait and
become inactive because the future will likely never be 100
percent.
I used to have a giant problem with stage fright—I would
even cancel shows, consumed with thinking about the horrible
things that would happen if I messed up on stage. What helped
me overcome this is that I changed my view of failure. Instead
of putting each performance on a pedestal where it felt like an
all-or-nothing situation, I envisioned each performance as a
step along a much longer journey [which could] inform my next
performance. These days, I can comfortably perform in front
of thousands without the pressure because I embrace that the
show goes on regardless.
Imagine you are using a GPS map. If you zoom in too much,
all you can see is a span of red. You might be consumed by the
traf ic right in front of you that appears all encompassing. But
if you are able to zoom out and see the whole map, you can
see that the span of red is quite insigni icant in comparison to
the length of your entire journey. For those who desire to start
creating, it is important to “zoom out” and see that the actual danger is miniscule compared to the frantic stories we tell
ourselves.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FAILURE AND HOW DID IT
CHANGE YOU?
My greatest failure actually looked like success from the outside.
My background is actually in engineering and innovation. I was
following a traditional path and landed a job that was deemed
successful by everyone around me. My résumé looked great,
but I felt empty, unsatis ied and was not performing at my highest level. Every morning I would feel this heavy weight pulling
at my spirit because I knew that I was meant to do something
different.
This was a large factor of how my career in speaking began,
because I started to look for ways to bring music, my passion,
back to the forefront of my life. Instead of viewing my career as
an “either/or” decision between innovation and music, I wanted to ind a unique way to do both.
This experience taught me how important it is to trust my
internal aspirations over [those of] others. Today, my choices
are based on what is true to me and the impact I would like to
leave on the world. I used to live my life as a checklist, but now
I imagine it as a work of art, a piece of music, for which success
is not de ined by just playing the right notes, but by offering
unique sounds to the world.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PIECE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
The Chaconne in d minor for the solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach—whenever I hear or perform this piece, the music
gives me chills because it is soul riveting and encompasses a
plethora of human experiences. Bach’s compositions have most
likely had the greatest in luence on my work as an artist. His
work was legendary and groundbreaking because he innovated with techniques on the violin that had never been explored
before. In addition, the improvised nature of his creations relects his priority of reaching the soul, rather than following the
conventions of his time.
WHAT DOES INNOVATION SOUND LIKE TO YOU?
True innovation does not always sound great to the ear. People
often will listen to me perform and ask how I came up with a
certain rhythm or melody. While I would love to say that ideas
just come to me through some creative spirit, the truth is very
different. For each piece that I create, there are at least 10 prior
drafts that I believe no one would ever want to listen to. When I
am creating, my irst idea is never the one idea I inish with. My
process is to just start with something and then rapidly make
changes until I create the sounds I am pleased with.
In any ield, I believe that innovation is rarely one idea that
just works. It is a collage of many ideas that are progressed by a
mindset of perseverance and lexibility.
HOW SHOULD MUSIC BEST BE UTILIZED AT MEETINGS
AND CONFERENCES?
Music is a universal human language that can quickly connect
people to a common idea across differing backgrounds and
borders. At their core, meetings and conferences strive to do
the same thing: unite and galvanize people from different places to a common purpose. I think music should be used strategically as a medium to drive a speci ic collective emotion at any
point at a conference. It should be considered from a top-down,
strategic level, just like any other portion of the agenda. Instead
of defaulting to music as just background during breaks, there
is an opportunity for meeting planners to look at a speci ic section of the agenda, de ine the purpose or emotion they want to
build in their audience and then select music accordingly.
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WHO WE ARE
22 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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ELIF BALCI
FISUNOĞLU
MPI TURKEY CLUB
I was introduced to the meeting industry in 2001 when I joined the Istanbul Convention &
Visitors Bureau. I started as the marketing manager, and was serving as general manager when I left
the bureau in May 2014.
Working at a destination marketing organization is such a unique experience. I am very proud to see
my city climbing the world congress city rankings and becoming a top-10 destination during my career.
I have been the general coordinator of a tourism group in Turkey since September 2014, working
with hotels, event venues and DMCs. I’m so proud of being actively involved in different areas of the
meetings sector at the same time. I am also earning my Ph.D. in public relations and writing my thesis on
destination marketing—I dream of seeing my thesis published as a book.
This industry has taught me about long-term planning and being patient. For results, you need to
wait a long time. It may take more than 10 years to con irm a conference as a piece of business. I have
always loved working with a calendar, plans and schedules, but patience was not one of my best skills.
That’s something I’ve gained from my meeting industry career.
My current boss, the chairman of Kalyon Tourism Group, was the founding president of the Istanbul
CVB and is the most important person in my professional career. Yilmaz Tecmen led the Istanbul
tourism industry in funding and founded the bureau in 1997, before the importance of the meeting and
event industry was well known.
MPI is very important for me because I learn, stay connected and represent my country at international events, and I can take on an advocacy role for the meeting industry in my country. I joined MPI in
2011 and became a vice president of the MPI Turkey Club. Now I am very proud to be president-elect.
MPI’s 2014 European Meetings & Events Conference was a very important event for Istanbul as an
industry gathering, and I had the privilege of being part of the host committee.
The development of data collection is a big advancement for the meeting industry. There is still a
lot of room to ill, but during the last 10 years all the sector associations and institutions succeeded in
collecting more accurate data, and it is very important to plan the future of our business.
Hybrid meetings and the interactivity they have brought to meeting room setups and formats are
another signi icant advancement. It is often said that technology could be the end of face-to-face meetings, but technology has helped the industry to reach and attract more people.
Every year the number of players is increasing and more and more
companies are doing the same thing or giving the same sort of services. This
complicates the competition conditions for destinations, venues and all kinds
of service suppliers.
I really enjoy traveling to new destinations and discovering new cultures,
and I am also passionate about cooking and food. Cooking at home is kind of a
therapy for me, and I really enjoy creating new tastes. I also dream about having
a cookbook with my cooking secrets and menus.
Elif Balci Fisunoğlu
is general coordinator of
the Kalyon Tourism Group
and president-elect of the MPI
Turkey Club. She has been an
MPI member since 2011.
Photo by Jeff Loy
MPIWEB.ORG 23
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F&B
A TASTE OF
WEC 2015
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
W
ithout spoiling the joyous surprises awaiting your palate at
the World Education Congress
(WEC), Aug. 1-4 in San Francisco, we still
want to recognize some of the concepts and
thought that make menu planning for this
year’s event special.
“On the opening lunch, we try to feature
something that’s different or special that ties
into the host destination—so we work with
the city to develop how to highlight them
with that meal,” says Teri Harper, MPI’s lead
manager, events. “San Franciscans love their
brunch, so we’re kicking off this year with
that instead of a lunch. They’re welcoming
attendees to the city and saying, ‘Let’s share
our favorite meal together.’”
The San Francisco Bay Area is also a
great example of a destination with a bevvy
of local farms and produce so planners can
determine what’s in season and buy local.
“What we tasted at a site visit may not
WEC 2014 Attendee Food Allergies
and Dietary Requirements
Food Allergies
%
11 %
Dietary Requirements
5
84%
No Restrictions
have been the best options for WEC in
August—the chef knows that and I know
that, so my expectations are that the chef
is going to pick produce that is the best in
season,” she says.
“WEC is an event
that’s open to taking
chances with menu
design due to the
nature of the
audience.”
By working closely with the Moscone
Center’s catering company, Savor, to
source locally, the meal options are fresher
and more sustainable and the investment
in the local community is greater.
“One of the irst things that we have
to take into consideration is the overall
menu planning of all the major events.
What’s different about WEC is that MPI
doesn’t own all of the menu planning—
sponsors and host cities are involved.
We continually look at all the BEOs with
the different partners, throughout the
whole conference…so we don’t serve
chicken three days in a row,” Harper
laughs.
The WEC events team also works
hard with the caterer to select food items
that are not only yummy but high in the
nutrients needed to keep attendees
going throughout the long conference
days, while taking food allergies and dietary restrictions into consideration.
“We track our attendees’ food allergies—the numbers are pretty low, but
we receive a long list of every allergen
possible,” she says (see below).
Food Allergies
Of the 11% of attendees to self-report food allergies, following is the prevalence, by type.
(“Other” includes 45 different food allergies reported by three attendees or fewer.)
etc. 29% Other
6.8% Beef/Red Meat
23.7% Gluten
4.3% Pork
20.2% Shellfish/Seafood/Shrimp
3.9% Lactose
10.1% Dairy
2% Eggs
24 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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TOP SPOTS
The
Sweetest
Deal
During the MPI Foundation’s The Big Deal, Aug. 2
at Moscone Center North,
Hall E, instead of serving
hors d’oeuvres there will be
desserts crafted by master
pastry chefs from Caesars
Entertainment, Hilton San
Francisco and Savor. GODIVA
Chocolate is even flying in
their chocolatier! For more
information about the networking and fun of The Big
Deal, visit www.mpiweb.
org/wec/thebigdeal.
This year, instead of listing all of the
ingredients at buffets and breaks, attendees will notice visual icons for each item
in order to quickly and easily recognize
possible allergenic ingredients.
“WEC is also an event that’s open to
taking chances with menu design due to
the nature of the audience,” she says. “It’s
OK we may fail sometimes; it’s more important that we took a chance and tried
something different for our attendees.”
Dietary Requirements
Of the 5% of attendees to self-report dietary requirements, following is the prevalence, by type.
Vegetarian
Diabetic
81%
12%%
5
Vegan
1% “Very picky, prefer
kids menu”
MAKING
MEMORIES
IN APRIL, the MPI marketing team conducted a site visit to San Francisco, host
city for the 2015 World Education Congress (WEC). During that busy trip, we
inished a meeting early and the weather
was just perfect for a quick walk. Before
we knew it, we were standing at the foot
of Market Street, with the waterfront and
iconic Ferry Building
beyond.
The Ferry Building,
with a wonderful history dating to 1898, serves
as a central hub that
connects all of San Francisco’s neighborhoods
and the surrounding
bay communities with
continual ferry service.
The building, and its
clock tower in particular, hold personal significance for me. I’m from
Southern California, and
my grandmother lived
in San Francisco. Growing up, we would drive
by the building (on a now-demolished
freeway) and my dad would ask me for
the time. My answer? Ten minutes to
grandmother’s house! The Ferry Building signi ied that we were only a few
minutes away from a wonderful time in
the city.
Our MPI group stopped at the Ferry
Building for a bite to eat. To our surprise,
there were cafes, small specialty shops
with artisan cheeses, local wines, fresh
ish, farm-raised meat, sweets and even
a mushroom shop so you
can grow your own food at
home. How lucky are those
commuters who have the
Ferry Building Marketplace to shop for locally
grown foods and wine for
dinner before heading
home via
a relaxing
ferry ride?
We had a fabulous
lunch, sampling some of
the different fresh local
items, and also spent
some time looking in the
shops and admiring the
architecture of the space.
This would be a fabulous
place to have an event. I
recommend a visit to the
Ferry Building if you are
coming to San Francisco
for WEC, and start making your own memories.
The Ferry
Building
signified that
we were only
a few minutes
away from
a wonderful
time in the
city.
—BY KRISTI JOHNSON
Visit www.mpiweb.org/wec to learn
more about the 2015 World Education
Congress in San Francisco, or to register.
MPIWEB.ORG 25
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PEER TO PEER
“How can I maximize
my F&B budget?”
For April Ferguson, it’s about portion control, creative breakouts and jumping on the bandwagon.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT F&B COSTS ARE UP and the ability to negotiate a discount in advance is becoming a thing of the past.
Our sourcing ninjas at Cisco—who negotiate with hotels from
Raleigh, N.C, to San Jose, Calif., and everywhere in between—
rarely get more than a 10 percent F&B discount built into our
contracts. “Package” properties such as conference centers give
even fewer discounts since they consider their F&B prices to
be already lower than average.
Still, our clients look to us as their trusted advisors and want
to know how we can help them manage their F&B budgets
while still satisfying their hungry attendees’ needs. As any good
planner does, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to try and keep
the budget under control.
Nix the bottled water—your budget and your planet will
thank you. Individual bottles can cost US$5 each, and that adds
up fast. Instead, consider iltered spa water (water infused with
fresh fruit, mint, etc.) served in pitchers or ive-gallon contain-
ers. Ask a sponsor if they’d like to provide the reusable water
bottles as a branding opportunity.
Portion control! Do you really need a 10-ounce ilet when
a six-ounce cut will suf ice? Can you serve a smaller salad? Talk
to the hotel and see if plated meals are less expensive than buffets—you might be pleasantly surprised. Alternatively, if you
choose a buffet, ask for smaller plates. Attendees will ill them
up no matter how big or small they are, but your bottom line
will notice the difference in plate size.
Award them at breakfast instead of dinner. Breakfast,
whether plated or buffet, is usually more budget-friendly than
a steak dinner. Can you move your awards ceremony to a morning time slot to avoid the pricey dinner and open bar?
Break out of the same old rut. Morning breaks often include the same types of food as breakfast. Ask the hotel to replate any leftover baked goods and fruit and serve them again
at 10 a.m. with fresh coffee and tea. Everyone wants a sugar rush
26 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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Everyone wants a
sugar rush at 2 p.m.,
but you already paid
for brownies and cake
with lunch. Ask the hotel
to hold the lunch sweets
and set them out with
sodas and coffee at
your p.m. break.
at 2 p.m., but you already paid for brownies and cake with lunch.
Ask the hotel to hold the lunch sweets and set them out with
sodas and coffee at your p.m. break. For an even bigger savings,
check the hotel’s prices on gallons of tea or lemonade vs. sodas
on consumption. You can still offer a sweet/caffeinated beverage, but probably at a lower cost.
Jump on the bandwagon with the other groups in house.
What are they eating and can your group eat the same foods? If
so, maybe the hotel will get a price break from the bulk order.
Ask the chef if that savings can trickle down to you as well.
Farm-to-table menus may also help lower your costs. What is
the hotel buying locally and what’s in season? See if the chef will
customize your menus with local produce, meats and breads. Your
attendees will love the local lavors and you will too!
Be tricky! If the food is on
consumption, put the food table against the wall and not in
the middle of the loor. The less
accessible the food is for your
attendees, the less likely they
will be to snack on the food.
If your attendees are older,
consider buying the food and
April Ferguson, CMP, is
drinks on consumption rathevent logistics manager for
er than on a per-person packBCD M&I onsite at Cisco. This
age price. The older crowd
article originally appeared in
tends to eat and drink less than
the February-March issue of
the younger crowd, who always
the MPI Carolinas Chapter’s
chow down.
Carolina Blitz.
I also consider my conven-
tion service managers at the properties we frequent to be
trusted advisors. Here are some cost-saving suggestions they
offered up.
• Give us your budget! This helps us tailor or customize a menu
built speci ically for your group. There is nothing worse than
wasting our time and yours on menu planning when your budget and our menus are miles apart on price.
• Some planners will create a meal plan where the group is on
their own for breakfast. Most resorts/hotels have a restaurant
that handles high-volume breakfasts. This depends on the size
of the group.
• Create beer/wine bars rather than full bars. If you have alcohol, create a bar with just beer and wine plus one or two specialty drinks.
• Order a less-expensive continental breakfast buffet and add
a hot item (by the dozen) such as breakfast burritos or
sandwiches.
• Provide meal vouchers for your attendees to use at the hotel’s
outlets for breakfast and lunch instead of a group buffet. Be
sure to clear this with your hotel irst to make sure this spend
is counted towards your F&B minimum.
• Negotiate an all-inclusive pricing package for things such as
beverages, audiovisual, meals, etc. This option allows you to
budget your meeting and understand where you are going to
inish at the end of a program. It also saves on surprising consumption bar and coffee break costs.
Being a trusted advisor and budget monitor for your clients takes
creativity and diligence, but always know that your efforts will
be appreciated when they see that smaller bottom line!
MPIWEB.ORG 27
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YOUR COMMUNITY
MARK YDOAURR
CAs La loEokNat your upcoming
Here’
ts:
industry even
✓
San Francisco
www.mpiweb.org/wec
AUG. 1-4
RECOGNIZING
INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE
MPI’S RECOGNIZING Industry Success
and Excellence (RISE) Awards recognize
demonstrations of innovation, global
transferability, impact and in luence
within the meeting and event industry.
Here’s a look at the 2015 recipients, who
will be honored next month at MPI’s
World Education Congress in San Francisco (Aug. 1-4). Read much more about
them in our September issue.
The RISE Award for Community
Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas
will be presented to the Meeting Industry Council of Colorado (MIC) for its
innovative approach to addressing competing markets within the industry.
Incorporated in 2000, MIC is a coalition
of 13 member organizations related to
the meeting and event industry created
to enhance collaboration through networking and education.
The RISE Award for Community
Achievement in Marketplace Excellence will be presented to the MPI Potomac Chapter for its annual Flipped Marketplace held at the Mid-Atlantic
Conference and Expo. The program
utilizes the reverse trade show format,
matching planners to the appropriate
meeting suppliers, and helps create
additional membership opportunities
generating engagement from non-chapter members throughout the region.
The RISE Award for Organizational
sented to the
Achievement will be presented
he Twin Cities
Builders Association of the
ctive evaluafor its analytical and effective
ents toward
tion and alignment of events
rganization
its strategic goals. The organization
nts against a
assessed each of its events
matrix to identify those that could
ed or enhanced to
be phased out, combined
embers.
increase value to its members.
The RISE Award forr Young Professional Achievement will be presented
and for her into Kinga Socko of Poland
strumental role with the Poland
t
Meetings and Events Industry Report,
pare national
which is used to prepare
d in luences
and city budgets and
business tourism in Poland.
Kinga played a key role in the
ing Association
Destination Marketing
ditation process.
International accreditation
d for Member of the
The RISE Award
nted to Tara LiaschenYear will be presented
tersburg, Fla., for her
ko, CMM, of St. Petersburg,
volunteer leadership with the MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter as well as other
MPI chapters. She previously served as
chapter president and currently serves
as director of advocacy locally and as a
member of the global WEC Proposal
Review Task Force.
The RISE Award for Meeting Industry Leadership will be presented to
David Peckinpaugh of the MPI St. Louis
Area Chapter for his instrumental global
INCENTIVEWORKS
Toronto
www.incentivework
sshow.com
AUG. 18-19
IMEX
AME
RICA
Las V
www egas
.imex
amer
OCT.
13-1
5
✓
ica.co
m
✓MPI pr
ovidin
g edu
cation
in luence on the meeting and event industry. As president of Maritz Travel
Company and co-chair of the Meetings
Mean Business Coalition, Peckinpaugh
has strived to unite the industry to join
together with one voice to demonstrate
the value of meetings.
28 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
July_Your Community.indd 28
6/24/15 11:42 AM
GET YOUR
CERTIFICATE
IN EVENT
DESIGN
The Event Design Certi icate course
offered by Event Model Generation and
supported by San Diego State University
and MPI is a three-day program that will
help meeting professionals design better
BIGGER
AND BETTER
THAN EVER
The MPI Foundation’s Canada Rocks,
which serves as the opening night reception for IncentiveWorks in Toronto, will
offer an evening of live entertainment,
networking, great food and a host bar on
Aug. 17. This year’s event, hosted by
Caesars Entertainment at The Carlu—
one of Toronto’s most sought-after spe-
cial event venues—marks the 10th anniversary of Canada Rocks, and will be
bigger and better than ever before.
In addition to enjoying the smooth
sounds of singer Andria Simone, amazing
carved-fruit sculptures and a few special
surprises for our industry’s millennials,
you’ll also have the chance to bid on fabulous silent auction packages in the Not-SoSilent Auction (bidding begins online July
27 and closes during Canada Rocks).
Visit www.mpiweb.org/foundation
to learn more and to purchase tickets.
Proceeds from Canada Rocks bene it the
A BIG
FIRST STEP
WHEN JENNIFER DILLS, CMP (MPI WASHINGTON STATE CHAPTER), earned an MPI
Foundation scholarship that enabled her
to attend the 2014 MPI World Education
Congress (WEC), it was the irst step
toward earning her CMP.
“I didn’t have a company to back me in
terms of travel and registration, and I
really wanted to attend my irst WEC so I
could gain the CEUs needed to apply for
the CMP Exam,” she says. “My chapter
president told me there were scholarships
available and to check out the MPI website, and that’s how I found the Düsseldorf
2014 IHG Scholarship.”
Even though she’s been in the meeting
industry for 16 years, it was Dills’ irst
opportunity to attend an MPI conference.
“It was fantastic to meet so many great
people and make connections, both per-
events and create value for stakeholders.
You will learn through three levels of the
mastery that correspond to the Meeting
and Business Event Competency Standards (MBECS) Curriculum Guide.
The certi icate course, which will be
held Aug. 17-19, 2015, at San Diego State
University, has been accredited by the
Convention Industry Council and is eligible for 25 clock hours. Registration is
open to 40 participants only. Register
today at www.mpiweb.org/Professional
Development/edc.
initiatives of the MPI Foundation Canadian Council, which raises funds for educational grants and scholarships.
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF
BENEFITING THE MPI FOUNDATION
sonal and professional, from all over the
world that I’ll carry with me for a long
time,” she says. “And the bonus was I was
able to gain the CEU hours I needed to
apply for—and pass—the CMP exam in
January 2015. It was one of the best moments of my career; I studied for more
than 120 hours for the test and it was
really tough, but I did it.”
The meeting industry has taught Dills,
above all else, about appreciation and
connections.
“It taught me to really appreciate every
person I meet and the job they have to do,
no matter how small, because it’s all connected and important to all of our success,”
she says. “No other medium can connect
people like events can. Regardless of how
we change and evolve with technology,
nothing takes the place of people being
together and sharing something they love.”
To learn more about MPI Foundation
scholarships and advancing your career,
visit www.mpiweb.org/foundation.
MPIWEB.ORG 29
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HAVE A MOMENT
30 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
July_Have a Moment.indd 30
6/23/15 2:08 PM
WHERE
DREAMS
COME TRUE
WHERE:
Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.
WHEN:
July 17, 1955
This photo shows Walt
Disney reading the Disneyland dedication plaque
before a national television
audience during the opening day dedication on July
17, 1955. The dedication
featured this famous quote
from Disney:
“To all who come to this
happy place, welcome.
Disneyland is your land.
Here, age relives fond
memories of the past. And
here, youth may savor the
challenge and promise of
the future. Disneyland is
dedicated to the ideals, the
dreams and the hard facts
that have created America,
with the hope that it will
be a source of joy and
inspiration to all the world.”
In May, Disneyland Resort kicked off its Diamond
Celebration, commemorating 60 years of magic with
new dazzling décor and
nighttime spectaculars.
©DISNEY
WHAT:
MPIWEB.ORG 31
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VIEWPOINTS
The Business Blind Date 34 | Your Meeting as an Album 36
In our world
of our own playlists
we can pick tracks and
listen to short bursts of
collections in any order
and at any time—but
is it sometimes better
on occasion to sit in
the passenger seat and
have the journey made
for us? A journey
made by an artist
with an intended
destination
in mind?
PAGE 36
MPIWEB.ORG 33
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ESSENTIALS
BY CHRIS RODELL
Chris became an MPI member after MPI Middle Pennsylvania Chapter President Julie
Walker said she was charmed by the subject line on his cold call email: “You need a good
laugh; I need a good meeting planner.” He is a Latrobe, Pa.-based keynote speaker and
author of Use All The Crayons! The Colorful Guide to Simple Human Happiness.
THE BUSINESS
BLIND DATE
If you rely on cold calls you’ll need
to find creative ways to break down barriers.
IN THESE DAYS of multi-layered social
media and LinkedIn connections, the
daring cold call is fast becoming the
blind date of business tools.
The people who are the recipients of
this approach aren’t even sure they want
to be asked out. They’re pre-occupied
and, hey, it’s likely they already have a
faithful steady.
And it’s no walk in the park for the
brash cold caller, either. Stepping out
from behind your computer-screen
comfort zone can be nerve-wracking.
As awkward as it can be for both
parties, it’s an embrace veterans on
both sides have come to appreciate.
The well-executed cold call can sometimes lead to the perfect match.
“I get a barrage of cold calls and
email pitches every day. They often
come at inconvenient times,” says Julie
Walker (MPI Middle Pennsylvania Chapter) of Choice Meetings in Mechanicsburg, Pa. “But you never want to discourage them because every once in a
while you ind a real gem.”
One of those potential gems could be
34 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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How can I go to college if you don’t call
him back?’” he says. “Most people just
love it. That little voicemail message has
been a cold-call gold mine for me.”
Those who rely on cold calls must
ind creative ways to break down the
barriers of those who sometimes feel so
inundated that the typical cold call or
email pitch seems like the bane of their
existence.
What’s surprising is how meeting
planners today are beginning to appreciate a professional cold call that stands
out. But it’s just the opposite with standard email pitches. To most meeting
planners, they all look exactly alike and
are dispensed with a cursory reply followed by a quick delete.
Lesly Connolly (MPI Potomac Chapter) is the senior sales manager for the
Washington Hilton Dulles Airport Hotel.
“Cold calling is
simple; if you help
enough people get
what they want,
you will without
fail always get what
you want. And that’s
new customers.”
veteran cold caller Doug Brooks, a keynote speaker/corporate trainer from
Columbus, Ohio. He understands how
sweaty the palms can get when he rings
a stranger with a fervent belief that
what he has is what they need.
Still, there are times when even he
chickens out. When that happens, he
knows just who to call: his third-grade
daughter, MacKenzie.
“It’s an old voice message of her
saying in this adorable kid’s voice, ‘Hi,
I’m MacKenzie Brooks. My daddy is
Doug Brooks. Why won’t you call him
back? I want to go to college some day.
She says the pendulum involving
cold-call etiquette and effectiveness
has swung so far in one direction that
a well-researched cold call really
stands out.
“A good cold caller will do his or her
research to be sure what he or she is
saying is relevant,” she says. “They envision the call and the direction it’s going to
go before they even dial the phone. The
key is being able to prove to yourself and
the person you’re calling that what you’re
calling about is something of value.”
Brooks agrees.
“Cold calling is easy when you have a
great product or service that you know
will help your prospects,” he says. “Cold
calling is simple; if you help enough
people get what they want, you will
without fail always get what you want.
And that’s new customers.”
Jennifer Flohr (MPI Sacramento/
Sierra Nevada Chapter), senior vice president of the California Hotel & Lodging
Association, says anyone who’s spent any
time making cold calls is more sympathetic to those who resort to cold calls as
a way to grow business.
“Many of us have been on the other end
of those calls so we’re a little more understanding,” she says. “The approach that
works best with me is a short and sweet
introductory email that concludes with a
request to set up a time to talk later.”
How many meeting planners take the
time to return every call and answer every
email? It depends on the meeting planner.
Connolly tries to be scrupulous about
answering even the random pitches. She
does so, she says, for two reasons: one
practical, the other personal.
“It behooves us to return all calls as
promptly as possible, because this business is cyclical,” she says. “I may not
need something from you today, but I
might six months from now. And I’m old
fashioned. It’s common courtesy. I’m still
the kind of person who sends thank-you
notes.”
Flohr says a follow-up is helpful, too.
“I had one the other day where the
supplier said something like, ‘Oh, I’m so
sure that my email got lost in the shuf le
I thought I’d better reach out again,’” she
says. “That works for me.”
Walker says a good subject line on
the email is key.
“Promote solutions, not your square
footage or your new spa,” she says. “I’m
always looking for solutions to issues we
face as meeting professionals. This business is all about building relationships.”
So maybe one day she’ll be hearing
from precocious MacKenzie Brooks,
who’s still foot-stompingly adamant
about being able to afford college. The
funny thing is the voice message is nearly 10 years old. Today, MacKenzie’s 17
and on the verge of inding a good college. Even without college, she’s already
aware of of beat practices even the best
business schools are reluctant to teach.
And that is how sometimes a really
effective cold call can still be child’s play.
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TRENDS
BY JACKIE MULLIGAN
Jackie (MPI United Kingdom & Ireland Chapter) is a principal lecturer in events and
director of enterprise for the International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and
Hospitality at Leeds Beckett University UK, with more than 20 years of experience
managing events, tourism and communications. Contact her at
j.mulligan@leedsmet.ac.uk or via Twitter (@jackiemulls).
YOUR MEETING
AS AN ALBUM
Reviewing—and connecting—all of your
meeting’s components can prevent a
fragmented attendee experience.
IN THE UK there is somewhat of an upsurge in the buying of vinyl records.
Usually middle-aged men can be seen
lipping through covers in search of an
album from their youth or rare recordings or editions of artist releases. On
Record Store Day, people queue for
hours outside outlets for new vinyl
re-releases. I cannot claim to understand this phonological phenomenon,
but I am married to someone who does
it—and that helps.
More surprising, perhaps, is that
younger people are buying vinyl and
some artists are insisting on releasing
their music exclusively on vinyl (in spite
of the fact that their songs are evidently
being digitally mastered). So have we all
suddenly become plastic people? Or is
something more profound going on?
Recently, to try to blend in to the
vinyl crowd and go all analogue, I
bought a Taschen book called Extraordinary Records in a second-hand bookshop. The book beautifully collates the
covers, colored vinyl and stories linked
to the recordings over time. As I leafed
through, I realized that one connection
in what I hear from the “vinylists” is the
beauty of albums. One of the rarities
beyond the grooves in plastic and the
physical holding of a piece of music
rather than an MP3 is that the listener
gets to listen to “the whole thing.”
In our world of Spotify, iTunes and
our own playlists we can pick tracks and
listen to short bursts of collections in
any order and at any time. Of course
many of us put this down to our shorter
attention spans, time constraints, our
desire for personalized experiences or
our ability to control—but is it sometimes better on occasion to sit in the
passenger seat and have the journey
made for us? A journey made by an
artist with an intended destination in
mind? If an album is the story an artist
wishes to tell, we could compare it to
literature. When you make that comparison, it seems ludicrous. We do not read
books or even eBooks by lipping between our favorite chapters of a set of
our favorite authors.
We do, however, share snippets of
our favorite authors like this on social
media. Twitter is a classic example of
the snippet playlists we create. Our own
events, too, where we encourage shorter
sessions, short snippets, and our followers and participants get to pick and
choose what they attend, see and share.
Of course there is no order to this,
which is perhaps a reason why platforms such as Storify are being used to
record our conversations and place
them in some semblance of order. But is
this post-hoc and ad-hoc narration really helping us to gain meaning or a sense
of any intended destination? If our content is fragmented, even if it is into our
favorite sound bytes, we sometimes
need the curation of the elements to see
meaning in what we have heard. Which
gets me back to the albums.
When I was a teenager, an album (or
even a double album) was a good hour
or more of entertainment. It would
involve admiring the artwork, reading
the notes, poring over the lyrics and
images and, most importantly, listening
to the whole thing. No skipping. No
jumping on to new tracks unless the
stylus was dodgy or you were pogoing
in your bedroom. Through this experience, the artist communicated their
work and you joined them on the journey. You did not pick and choose the
best bits and they did not release a
series of hits that you could stitch together later.
So to what extent should meeting
planners curate the content of line and
online to give it meaning and enhance
the value of the experience? The obvious reaction to trends that indicate
content is shorter and more customized
is to change tracks, as many meetings
are doing. Perhaps we need to review
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Like a record on
a turntable our
learning is cyclical
and each groove
made builds on
an earlier track.
the experience we desire to provide.
Can we be sure with all the fragments
of short sessions that there will be a
re-ordering of the experience, or will
those individual snippets remain lashes, like intriguing tweets on our time-
lines, explosive at the time but quickly
forgotten on the favorites list.
I do not imagine we can go back to
a time of long lectures, but rather we
might think of how the components we
serve produce a story and learning. In
the 1960s, Jerome Bruner developed
learning theory around the notion of
the spiral curriculum. He proposed that
learning should build on what has gone
before so that the learning is deepened
at each stage, and his theory is very
in luential today in instructional design.
Like a record on a turntable our
learning is cyclical and each groove
made builds on an earlier track. Meeting content may be delivered differently
and even in shorter segments, but now
more than ever, I think the meeting
planner’s role is looking at what con-
nects these segments in-between and in
advance of the experience. How segments connect and build on what goes
before is a crucial component to experience and the value of being there. The
best meetings I have attended have
provided a strong narrative that has
been transformative, where content has
felt curated and built upon.
So next meeting, I challenge planners to think vinyl. You might make
your next event an album or a double
album. Consider how your participants
will make sense of the experience you
have tried to create and will want to be
there for the “whole thing.” Re lect on
how you will get them to reach the
intended destination rather than skipping through their own playlists. Without building those spirals of learning in
the meeting design, without giving your
participants the chance to build and
follow an intended track, the learning
and the value always risks becoming
synthetic and immaterial rather than
feeling real and tangible (and rather
groovy).
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SHOWCASE
Cons Go Geek 42 | Smiles All Around 46
“I’ve been in the
business of association
management for
20 years and this
association stands
out... with a clear
mission of giving
back to the
community.”
PAGE 46
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FANCONS
The Fancon Awakens
Cities such as Rosemont, Ill., have learned that genre and pop culture
conventions are big business.
BY DONNA SMITH
O
n an episode of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski
led the set in a it of laughter
while covering a hotel evacuation that sent hundreds of people in gargantuan furry mascot costumes spilling onto
the sidewalks during FurFest in Rosemont,
Ill., last December.
Odd maybe, but not funny considering
it was a precarious situation. But this represents the general attitude about the socalled “fancon” market unless you pause
to consider one important fact—U.S.
fancons generated $600 million in gross
ticket sales alone in 2013.
Chuckle if you will, but fancon planners
and promoters are laughing all the way to
the bank.
NERDS BY THE NUMBERS
There was a time when suppliers would
cross the street and walk on the other side
when they saw a fancon convention promoter coming, but now the stigma is waning as movies and TV shows such as Game of
Thrones, The Walking Dead and The Avengers are becoming economic tsunamis that
attract legions of followers with American
Express cards.
Many of us may not understand why
tens of thousands of people come together
dressed as zombies, ninja warriors, Spartans or Star Wars-staples Chewbacca or
Princess Leia. And maybe words such as
pokey (a Japanese “dipping” cookie), anime
(a style of Japanese ilm and TV animation)
or cosplay (a merging of the words “cos-
tume” and “play”) aren’t part of our vernacular. But here are a few things we can understand about the fancon culture.
A recent survey by AnimeCons.com
estimated that attendance at the top10 anime conventions ranged from
30,000 to 80,000, according to Patrick
Delahanty, executive producer of that
site and FanCons.com. The attendees
are people who normally communicate
with each other on Facebook and Twitter, but fancons have created a venue
in which these same people want to meet
face-to-face.
Rob Salkowitz, author of Comic-Con and
the Business of Pop Culture, helped conduct
a fancon survey by Eventbrite, which estimated average spend (over and above ad-
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mission, travel, hotels,
food and parking)
ranges from $100 to
$500 for merchandise
purchases, with some
attendees dropping $1,000 or more. And that’s
before these exotically attired attendees venture out to local restaurants, bars and malls.
Salkowitz’s research shows the social media sophistication of fancon attendees and how
mega marketers such as Walt Disney World are
delving into this market to promote movies and
products. He says these key in luencers are the
new electronic “word of mouth,” and adds that
San Diego Comic Con delivers a reach of more
than 2 billion impressions, making it one of the
most impactful and talked about events of the
entertainment world.
“Fan conventions
can be a $5 to $6
billion business
in North America
alone in terms of
what they generate for
their local economies.”
Salkowitz says about 80 percent of those
responding to the Eventbrite survey said they
routinely attend two or more events per year.
The average attendee age is between 30 and
49 (a coveted market demographic), and fandom pretty much has gender parity, with men
edging out women by just 5 percent.
“We estimate the multiplier on ticket sales
is anywhere from ive to 20 times the ticket
price, so fan conventions can be a $5 to $6 billion business in North America alone in terms
of what they generate for their local economies,“ he says.
ROSEMONT GOES GEEK
Venues have discovered that once you snag
a pop culture event, it’s the gift that keeps
on giving. So having purple-haired women
dressed as French maids sitting on your park
benches becomes a good thing.
“We really have done a lot of pop culture
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KNOWING IS HALF THE
BATTLE: Fancon Tips that
Every Planner Can Use
Although some activities would not
translate to a traditional corporate
training session, such as swatting
each other with large foam weapons,
there are parallels that traditional
planning professionals can apply to
their arsenal.
Face-to-face meetups. These conventions
design activities to engage participants. Segmenting “sub-cultures” at conventions could
help develop informal learning meetups
for people with specific interests that last
beyond the convention.
Building community. Respect the binary
split: people who want to learn and people
who are really just there to network. Have
the right balance of structure and freeform
socializing so people get to know each other.
Tweets as concierge. Rather than visit the
“front desk,” conference attendees are now
tweeting when they have troubles such
as backed-up toilets, long buffet lines and
questions about meeting locations and timeframes for events. Use this to your advantage
to problem solve in real time.
Social media is a great way to get immediate feedback on panels and education
seminars, too. Setting up a Facebook page
before, during or immediately following your
convention as a place for colleagues to keep
up with new friends is a great way to build
community.
Make it easy to mix. You may not want to
dress up in Batman’s rubber suit, but don’t be
afraid of a little outlandish fun—a group that
has fun together stays together.
events over the last year speci ically, and
we’ve seen a lot more demand for it,” says
Chris Finelli, director of sales and marketing
at Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont. “It’s
not that it’s new, but what is happening is
the growth on these conventions is significant. The attendance is up almost 30 percent, and they seem to be growing each and
every year by that amount.”
In fact, attendance has gotten so big at
some conventions that it has created subgroups of people with similar interests who
want to create another mini-con that caters
to their speci ic group.
“So now we have another 1,500- to
2,000-person convention, resulting from
the larger convention,” Finelli says. “It’s created another niche market for us with these
spinoffs.”
It didn’t take Rosemont Village (population 4,200) long to understand courting this
market could impact the bottom line. Rosemont is a mecca for convention/trade show
business. Located ive minutes from O’Hare
Airport and 20 minutes from downtown
Chicago, the entertainment suburb hosts an
average 75,000 to 100,000 visitors a day.
Meeting professionals gravitate to the
amenities for which Rosemont is known,
including the nearly 1 million-square-foot
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, a variety of hotel and dining options, the Allstate
Arena, the Rosemont Theatre, the entertainment district MB Financial Park and the
new, 130-store Fashion Outlets of Chicago.
“Thank god we have a mayor, Brad Stephens, that understands tourism and puts
money back into [Rosemont] to bring more
people into town,” says William C. Anderson, general manager of the Rosemont Convention & Tourism Bureau. “So we not only
have the convention-related business, but
leisure activities as well. Now that we have
all these entities, we have more recreational
activities to offer. We have ireworks every
“People come to our
conventions and they
generally go home
knowing five to 10
new people really
well.”
Thursday, bands during the summer, the
dome with all kinds of sports activities for
kids, our new mall and restaurants. It’s a
small town within a big city.”
Rosemont now hosts several pop culture conventions, including Anime Central,
Anime Midwest, the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention, Midwest
FurFest and Wizard World Chicago.
“These conventions tend to circle their
activities around holidays, a timeframe
many corporate planners avoid because
attendees are usually spending time with
family, therefore making fancons pro itable
‘ illers’ for what typically is slow times for
our hotel,” Finelli says.
ANIME MIDWEST
Feeling comfortable and safe is at the heart
of every fancon. You don’t want someone
judging you for wearing a three-foot-tall
blue Sharknado wig.
“We want every person attending
our conventions to have a safe space to
be themselves,” says Ryan Kopf, CEO of
AnimeCon.org. “Anime conventions allow
people to be creative in a way few other
media can. You can be strange and ‘unusual’ and that’s ine because it’s not weird.”
Events at Anime Midwest include TV
and movie screenings, video game tournaments, vendors and artists, a ConSweet
suite with free ramen and soda, guest panels, tournaments, concerts, cosplay competitions and fan discussion panels, among
other offerings.
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“An anime convention is an interactive
experience, it’s not just ‘come and look at
this stuff,’” Kopf says. “Every convention
has a formal dance where people bring
their own formal out its, many of which are
actually costumes, and we teach people
how to ballroom dance. It’s not directly anime, but it gets a lot of people who like the
same things interacting in a fun way.”
Kaylin Larson attends several cons a
year, always including Anime Midwest.
“In addition to the formal dance, there is
also Masquerade, which is a cosplay contest
where the participants are judged on their
craftsmanship of cosplay and/or a performance in cosplay,” she says. “A ‘date auction’
also creates relationships, as participants
get auctioned off and a portion of the pro-
ceeds goes to charity. It’s a completely innocent thing too, where the participant just
spends a minimum of 30 minutes with their
buyer at the formal ball later in the evening.”
All of these activities build community
and encourage face-to-face interaction—
a goal of the fancon convention structure.
“Community is the most important part
of our conventions,” Kopf says. “People
come to our conventions and they generally
go home knowing ive to 10 new people really well—and not just added on Facebook,
but well enough that they keep talking for
weeks afterwards.”
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
With fandom conventions setting attendance records, it’s no secret that pop culture
cons are big business. But to those wanting
to attract one of the hundreds of such conventions to their city and facilities, it’s important to understand what fan enthusiasm
holds for retailers, media companies and
organizers.
Pop culture conventions differ in some
fundamental ways, but even stocked with
lots of superpowers, they still have to
orchestrate the planning fundamentals—educational panels, meet and greets,
entertainment, keynote speakers, food and
beverage contracts, hotel accommodations,
technical productions, etc. (See sidebar on
page 44). So the opportunities for meeting
professionals in these areas are ripe, since
many of these activities are subcontracted
locally.
Navy Pier
1’2 Page Ad
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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY CONFERENCE
Open Wide
Seattle’s Pacific Coast conference offerings made a
memorable splash with 2,000 pediatric dentists.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
W
hen you are in the business of marketing a
convention destination,
there are a lot of things
you want to hear your
clients say. Near the top of the list is “no
brainer,” the term used by Tonya Almond,
CMP, vice president, meetings and continuing education for the American Academy of
Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) when describing the selection of Seattle and the Seattle
of ice of the destination management company NXTevent for the organization’s 2015
annual conference.
Almond was speci ically referring to the
fact that the DMC that produced the AAPD’s
largest annual conference, which drew
6,500 attendees to Boston in 2014, had
suggested Seattle as an eminently quali ied
locale to repeat last year’s success, even
pointing out the many similarities between
the cities.
Among the other reasons AAPD chose
Seattle for its 2015 event is that the association rotates its events annually among its
various regions, and had not been to Seattle
in 23 years. The decision to go with Seattle
for 2015 was made eight years ago, Almond
says.
This sparkling city on the Paci ic coast
excels at all the checklist items that most
midsized to large convention groups
seek in a destination: tourism-oriented
“curb appeal” items that build attendance
(mountains, ocean, renowned cuisine and a
strong, unique identity); a good convention
center/convention hotel combo in an upscale part of the city center; good airlift; and
a light-rail system linking the airport with
the downtown core. And the Seattle area
is replete with side-trip capabilities ranging from skiing on Mount Baker and sailing on Puget Sound to wine tasting in the
100-winery vineyard district around nearby Woodinville to clubbing and listening to
live music in the Pioneer Square district or
in the hip clubs of Belltown.
A key mission of the annual AAPD conference is not just networking among dentists, dental technicians and other professionals, but offering reunion and rewards
46 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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MICHAEL KARDAS (4)
“Some of our dentists
close down their
offices for the week
of the conference and
bring their staffs with
them as something of
a reward for a year
of good work.”
for pediatric dentist’s staffs.
“Some of our dentists close down their
of ices for the week of the conference and
bring their staffs with them as something
of a reward for a year of good work,” Almond says. “And the dentists also tend to
bring families with them, so there are a lot
of people who are part of the dentists’ extended support teams who attend.”
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This sparkling city on
the Pacific coast excels at all the checklist items that most
convention groups
seek in a destination:
tourism-oriented curb
appeal; a good convention center/hotel
combo; good airlift and
a light-rail system linking
the airport with downtown.
In the case of this year’s Seattle AAPD
conference, about 2,000 member dentists
attended, but with the dentists’ staffs and
families and various dental resident members of AAPD, the group total approached
5,000—consuming roughly 8,000 room
nights during the week of the conference,
according to Visit Seattle.
The event that brought just about every one of the attendees together came on
the second night of the conference, when
almost 5,000 gathered for a giant celebration and welcome reception, managed by
NXTevent, at what is called the Trifecta at
the Seattle Center, including the famous
Space Needle; the Experience Music Project
Museum, created by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, where attendees wandered
among the exhibits of the 140,000-squarefoot building and enjoyed live music performances; and Chihuly Garden and Glass,
an exhibit hall for the artistic glass works
of Dave Chihuly and a studio where new
works are created. Glass art was blown
as AAPD attendees watched, and the
resulting pieces were later donated to the
group’s foundation.
“Our group had the run of everything
in the Trifecta area, including the Space
Needle and the Monorail, which were
very popular,” Almond says. “It was a very
big celebration for our group as a whole,
and it provided a chance for them to visit,
network and make professional relationships and renew old ones. In addition, we
had events involving 100 people, 200 people and 300 people every day throughout
the conference—events for small groups
right in the convention center and others going on busses to places all over the
Seattle area.”
But the key piece that the AAPD consid-
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ers its landmark is the Healthy
Smiles, Healthy Children Home
Day at the University of Washington Center for Pediatric Dentistry in Seattle.
“I’ve been in the business of
association management for
20 years and this association
stands out as being one that
considers itself very much a
‘give back’ organization, one
with a clear mission of giving
back to the community,” Almond says.
The Home Day involves a
group of dentist and dental resident members of AAPD providing restorative and preventative
dental care to children who
would not otherwise be able to
obtain it. And one of the key factors in bringing the 2015 Home
Day clinic to Seattle is that Dr.
Joel Berg, a past president of
AAPD, is dean of the School of
Dentistry at the University of
Washington.
Essential in making the oneday clinic work well, Almond says,
is screening potential patients to make
sure they meet the quali ication criteria,
to make sure the proper dental records
are available to allow focused treatment
and the completion of other pre-clinic
logistics.
“Dr. Berg, staff and the various volunteers clearly did this well, because it was
our biggest Home Day ever,” she says.
“We started this at our AAPD conference
with 90 Home Day patients in Orlando
two years ago, continued it in Boston last
year and this year had a record 152 patients treated in one day. We are all very
proud of that.”
As follow-up, each patient will receive
one year of dental care paid for by AAPD
sponsor Sunstar, a global manufacturer of
oral health care products.
Berg was also one of the dental professionals conducting education and training
seminars at the conference, which was
held at the Washington State Convention
Center.
“The center worked really well for our
needs,” Almond says. “We had about 80
trade show booths downstairs and room
for our general session and ive concurrent breakout sessions upstairs.”
Page 48D_OutsideGutterPanel_7.875x10.875.indd 48
The draw of Seattle
and the content of this
year’s program made
it AAPD’s fifth-largest
conference ever, attracting one-third
of the association’s
active membership.
Additionally, the downtown area has
approximately 15,000 guest rooms, about
8,000 of which are committable for meetings and trade shows, according to Tom
Norwalk (MPI Washington State Chapter),
president and CEO of Visit Seattle.
The draw of Seattle and the content
of this year’s program made it AAPD’s
ifth-largest conference ever, attracting
one-third of the association’s active membership, Almond says.
In addition to the educational seminars,
the AADP conference had an interesting
and compelling keynote speaker, Frank
Abagnale, the con idence man, forger and
imposter-turned-FBI-advisor, about whom
the movie Catch Me If You Can was based.
Abagnale entertained the crowd with
tales of his adventures, and brought them
to their feet for a standing ovation when
he told them the key to going straight and
making an honest life was the love of his
wife and family.
Another memorable and sublime component was an intimate appreciation
dinner, also managed by NXTevent, for a
group of 100 attendees hosted at the Palace
Ballroom downtown. The dinner featured
wine by a group of locally renowned vintners including the Tom Douglas Team and
the Grape Killers, which include Chris Sparkman of Sparkman Cellars and Jerry Reiner of Guardian Cellars. Diners listened to
violin music by Geoffrey Castle.
“Both the welcome and the appreciation
events were expressions of all things Seattle with a level of cool with a sophisticated
vibe,” says Ally O’Connor, CEO and owner of
NXTevent, the destination and event management company that handled AAPD in
Seattle and Boston. “The freshness of the
Seattle experience hits you the minute you
come off the plane, from the air to the surreal natural environment and the urbane
passion of Seattlites in and around the city.
6/18/15 2:46 PM
Seattle:
Rich Journeys
on the Cheap
WHAT I
LEARNED
TOM NORWALK
President and CEO,
Visit Seattle
MPI Washington
State Chapter
“What I have learned in recent years from the success of
conventions like the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
is that there is pent-up demand for cities like ours that might
not be in the first tier of large convention cities. But when the
size of the event, program and date availability all fit, the
attendee experience more than exceeds the expectations of
meeting planners. That is something even I underestimated
earlier, but the sheer attendance demand that Seattle drives
is really incredible.”
It’s what differentiates the Emerald City.
“People from Seattle have a strong sense
of place; they are proud of where they live,
they have discerning tastes and they love to
share their intimacy with their product, ingredients and experiences. Seattle beckons
the adventurer, explorer and excursionist
in all who live and visit here. It’s why we
opened an of ice in Seattle—in three words,
this city is smart, savvy and sensational.”
The blessing of a great landscape—mountains, ocean,
islands, all near the city—is the topographical treasure that makes Seattle a rich destination for
exploring. But you don’t need to be rich.
Seattle has efficient and inexpensive
public transit systems that are a bargain for
visitors. Sound Transit (as in Puget Sound) Light
Link is an example. On the Central Link, you won’t see
Mount Rainier or the ocean, as you will on some other
public transit modes, but you will see a good view of the
White House—the one on the back of the $20 bill you
won’t need to give to a cab driver. The cost to ride the
Central Link is $2.25 to $3, and it gets you from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to the convention center
downtown. Popular stops include Beacon Hill, International
District/Chinatown and Westlake Center, where you can ride
the elevator to the third floor and catch the Seattle Center
Monorail. You are also at the Washington State Convention
Center at the downtown terminus of the Central Link, and
within an easy walk of major convention hotels.
PRONTO. If you like bicycling as a transportation mode,
Seattle’s new Pronto cycle sharing system has 500 bikes and
50 stations located throughout the city where 24-hour and
three-day passes with unlimited rentals are available at any
station kiosk with your credit or debit card. One- and threeday passes start at $8. The bicycles can be taken on light
rail or metro busses, so when inclement weather or tired
knees kick in, the rail line acts as a sag wagon. The metro
area has more than 200 miles of bike trails, in virtually
every sector.
FERRYLAND. The best treasure for visitors on a budget
is going to sea for $8 round trip—that’s what you get as
a walk-on passenger using the ferry system, the backbone of public transit around and across Puget Sound. From the
Coleman Dock (walkable from the Westlake Station), catching a
ferry to Bainbridge Island in the summer to visit the galleries and
shops only takes 35 minutes. The Bremerton ferry takes twice as
long but cruises through narrow, scenic passages, and you can
see galleries and U.S. Navy ships. Washington ferries run out to
four of the San Juan Islands (Lopez, Orcas, San Juan and Shaw)
and depart from the mainland only in Anacortes. It takes a full
day, but you can ferry your car. The Seattle ferry system is the
world’s largest.
MPIWEB.ORG 49
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6/22/15 9:01 AM
FEATURES
The State of
the Industry
Candid thoughts from a wide spectrum of meeting
and event professionals on where we are and the
direction in which we need to go.
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
What do you like
most about the
meeting industry?
The best thing about this industry is
easy—the people. My husband simply calls meeting
I like how no two days are the same in
this industry. I work on numerous events at any given
industry people “my people” and says they—we—are all crazy (in a good way). It’s true, I suppose. Meeting industry people are some of the friendliest and most hard-working people
I’ve ever met. I always feel at home when I’m at a conference
of “my people.” As opposed to, for example, a college faculty
conference or a law conference—at those conferences, I always think, “This is what I do, but these are not my people.”
time and each one requires a different approach and poses a
special challenge. The unique nature of each meeting means
I’m always asking different questions and solving different
problems. I enjoy the challenges that arise with a job that consistently requires you to always be on your toes.
TYRA HILLIARD, PHD, JD, CMP
Speaker, Writer and Educator and Founder
Hilliard Associates
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 25
JIM CLAPES
Events Manager, Drug Policy Alliance
MPI Greater New York Chapter
Years in industry: 11
I love the creative project-oriented nature
of the business and enjoy the low of energy from the
beginning to the end of planning a meeting or event.
We create experiences that affect the lives of others. I am
empathic by nature so the energy and vitality that we create
with events resonates strongly with me. The multi-sensory
experiences we manifest elevate the energy and perspective
of those around us. The collaborative nature of events facilitates the development of deep and strong professional and
often personal relationships. The sum becomes greater than
the total of the parts.
TYRA
Hilliard
TIMOT MCGONAGLE
Producer/Designer, Kehoe Designs
Years in industry: 20
The collaboration is what I enjoy the
most. Regardless of position, we assist and support one
another. Planners helping planners, suppliers helping suppliers, and this occurs even among competitors. This is not the
norm in many, if not most, industries and is one of our industry’s greatest assets.
JUDY HEALY
Industry Consultant and Instructor, Ryerson University
MPI Toronto Chapter
Years in industry: 25+
54 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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Meeting
professionals
should be
paying extra
attention to
what social
issues?
I think social unrest is a growing concern,
both domestically and internationally—we
should be aware of that. There is an increasing division
between social, political and economic groups. Many people are angry (for numerous reasons) and demonstrations and violence are
escalating. I think there is a growing potential for problems with
service levels, transportation disruptions and bodily harm.
Preparedness and contingency planning have never been more
important in our industry and those that don’t do it need to consider how social unrest could impact their programs.
MICHAEL VENNERSTROM
President, Equinox Creative
Years in industry: 27
Income inequality is a big social issue. Baltimore’s unrest is a result of how we—our industry—have not paid
workers enough to live on and how cities have built up tourist areas
but neglected their own residents…the very people making too little
to support their families and themselves with housing, nourishment, education. If we want a future that is bright and we want cities to which people want to travel, then we must start paying wages that make sense.
JOAN EISENSTODT
Founder, Eisenstodt Associates
MPI Potomac Chapter
Years in industry: 35+
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling with respect
to same-sex marriage will have a significant,
definitive impact on our industry. [The economic
impact of marriage equality] will be felt well beyond just weddings.
Hoteliers, DMCs and suppliers of all kinds will be impacted. I think
the best way for meeting professionals to prepare is to stay educated on the issue and keep an open mind and heart.
Value in
Evolving Norms
The economic impact of legal
same-sex marriage across the U.S. is
an estimated $2.5 billion annually.
Before the U.S. Supreme Court’s June
26 ruling that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, 37 states and
the District of Columbia (see graph
above) already enjoyed the benefits
of marriage equality. For a more
in-depth exploration of the impact
this could make on the meeting and
event industry, revisit The Meeting
Professional’s award-winning feature,
“Marriage Quality and the Local
Economy,” at http://tinyurl.com/
TMPMarriageEquality.
JIM CLAPES
Events Manager, Drug Policy Alliance
MPI Greater New York Chapter
Years in industry: 11
Human trafficking and food waste are two issues that need much more attention. Human traficking is not a pleasant topic to think about, but hospitality and
meeting professionals are in a unique position to make a difference.
ECPAT USA and Polaris Project are great organizations combatting
this issue, but why aren’t we? Food waste is another issue. The
meeting industry is such a wasteful industry. Sustainability organizations like the Green Meeting Industry Council, MeetGreen and
others are doing what they can, but the average person mostly gives
lip service and mostly focuses on paper waste and recycling. Because of fears of liability (and just not knowing what they can do),
very little is done to limit food waste.
TYRA HILLIARD, PHD, JD, CMP
Speaker, Writer and Educator and Founder, Hilliard Associates
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 25
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If you could change one
thing about the industry,
what would it be?
Our ability to communicate value beyond
economic impacts is something I’d change
in the industry. We spend a lot of time talking about
I would standardize how we collect, share
and disseminate information on dietary
needs to ensure accuracy and safety while also reducing risk
the intangible bene its, but little time or resource seeing how
we can demonstrate those in ways wider publics would understand. This would require access to participants, access to
meeting organizers, sharing of data, exploration and development of new tools.
and waste. [Industry associations] need to create standards for
dietary-need knowledge, collection and communication into all
industry certi ications. Registration systems need to standardize how we ask attendees for their information and then how
we report it to F&B partners as well as how the information is
communicated back to our attendees when being served.
JACKIE MULLIGAN
Principal Lecturer in Events and Director of Enterprise,
International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism
and Hospitality, Leeds Beckett University
MPI United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter
Years in industry: 20
TRACY STUCKRATH, CMM, CSEP, CHC, CRPM
Founder and Chief Connecting Of icer
Thrive! Meetings & Events
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 24
I’d change the mentality of believing that
because it’s always been a certain way, it
has to be that way and that if we do something slightly different once or twice, we’ve innovated and we’re done. We
are stuck, stuck, stuck in how we do business and how we conceive and execute meetings. But how do we change that mentality? We stop being so afraid that if we do something and
someone doesn’t like it, it’s a failure. We look at what works
and we igure out how to make that stronger. We stop believing that bigger is better. We form real partnerships with vendors (suppliers) and stop relying on them for funding and the
same support.
JOAN EISENSTODT
Founder, Eisenstodt Associates
MPI Potomac Chapter
Years in industry: 35+
JOAN
Eisenstodt
56 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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Planning for
Multiple Generations
Adapting to the communication styles of the various
generations experiencing meetings and events is no
longer a trend—it’s simply the way to do business.
meeting professionals say their
% ofcommunications
are comprehensively
40
tailored for every event
The full Meetings Outlook report appears in next month’s
issue of The Meeting Professional.
What is the
most significant
challenge facing
your peers?
A challenge we’re facing is the generational
changes in the workforce. As each year goes by and the
TRACY
Stuckrath
generational majority percentages change, it brings with it a lot of
change management and adjustment that impacts everyone.
It can start with industry education tailored for the new generation entering our industry. We also need to embrace and use more
technology, minimize manual processes and tailor communications
to suit the new generational preference for two-way communications and minimal sound bytes vs. lengthy messages.
KEVIN IWAMOTO
Vice President of Industry Strategy, Lanyon
MPI Northern California Chapter
Years in industry: 10+
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What will be the next
“big thing” in meetings
and events?
Personalization and customization are
the next big things for the industry—and
I think the next big thing in the meeting industry will be “the changing of the guard”—
they are a must. We have a growing ability to learn more
about event attendees through their social media and
technology use. By personalizing F&B and creating interactive design and re ined educational content we can
guide the purpose and composition of events toward what
the attendees want and need. We already know that meetings mean business, so emphasizing personal, intimate
and meaningful experiences will help the industry illustrate its value even more.
the exiting of one generation and the entrance of the next. It will
be amazing to see how things will progress and change.
TRACY STUCKRATH, CMM, CSEP, CHC, CFPM
Founder and Chief Connecting Of icer
Thrive! Meetings & Events
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 24
ANTWONE STIGALL, CMP
Programs and Events Coordinator, New Memphis Institute
MPI Tennessee Chapter
Years in industry: 8
The next big thing in the industry will be
more of the same, but with more emphasis on accountability and ROI for the meeting manager.
ROD ABRAHAM
Managing Director, The Rod Abraham Group
MPI Carolinas Chapter
Years in industry: 40+
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What’s something that
you feel has impacted the
industry the most in the
past 12 months?
TONYA
Sweeten
The greatest impact on the
industry that I’ve seen in the
last year has been the strong
dollar and growing economy. Space for meetings has become tight
and it’s a seller’s market. This will continue
as long as the stock market remains on an
upward tick and employment numbers
continue [to grow]. Our meetings business
was strong this year and I think rates will
continue to increase, as we do not have
enough new inventory coming on board to
keep up with demand.
TONYA SWEETEN
Director of Meetings and Conventions
Park City Chamber/CVB
MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter
Years in industry: 20
The impact of terrorism on
people’s attitudes regarding
travel is growing and we will need to be
ever more conscious of risk, safety and stability within our meeting choices and topics. The impact of instability affects destinations, too. One thing in the UK has been
political uncertainty, which I think enhances uncertainty, slows business development and especially government for a
short period.
JACKIE MULLIGAN
Principal Lecturer in Events
and Director of Enterprise
International Centre for Research in
Events, Tourism and Hospitality
Leeds Beckett University
MPI United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter
Years in industry: 20
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[The increased use of] webinars has impacted the industry. I am a irm believer that the most value can be found in a face-to-face meeting. I
enjoy making presentations in a client’s ofice and interacting with everyone in the
room. Sure, webinars are cost effective and
save travel time, but I don’t think anything
can replace the effectiveness of a face-toface meeting. A webinar can certainly be
one of the tools in sharing your information,
but I would prefer not to see them replace
direct sales interactions.
NANCY MCFADYEN
National Director, Hotel Sales - Mid-West
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
MPI Chicago Area Chapter
Years in industry: 30
The increase in acceptance of
the “sharing economy” business models and the impact to
travel buyers and meeting/
event planners has been significant. Attendees love and have embraced this new tech-driven booking channel and we are kidding ourselves if we think
this will silently go away or doesn’t apply to
our industry—that ship has already sailed.
When it was recently announced that more
U.S. citizens would be permitted to travel to
Cuba, Airbnb opened up 1,000 rooms in one
week thanks to their business model [rather than] waiting for traditional hotels to
come in, assess the market and build or renovate properties to get started. That’s hard
to ignore.
KEVIN IWAMOTO
Vice President of Industry Strategy
Lanyon
MPI Northern California Chapter
Years in industry: 10+
KEVIN
Iwamoto
MPIWEB.ORG 61
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What new or overlooked
skills should meeting
professionals learn?
Learn conversational skills! I’ve long believed
harness it to improve event experience and ROI for their clients.
that improvisation must be taught at every single industry
meeting every year. And it has to be re-learned and practiced
by many. It’s a skill to be able to listen and converse, and improv teaches that.
TRACY STUCKRATH, CMM, CSEP, CHC, CFPM
Founder and Chief Connecting Of icer
Thrive! Meetings & Events
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 24
JOAN EISENSTODT
Founder, Eisenstodt Associates
MPI Potomac Chapter
Years in industry: 35+
Meeting professionals need to learn how
to use technology to customize and personalize experiences at events. If used properly,
it can increase business opportunities for all stakeholders.
Knowing how to use the current and emerging technology will allow planners to help improve the experience for
sponsors, participants and speakers. Big data is becoming
more and more important and planners need to know how to
Meeting professionals should be working to
incorporate more marketing skills into their
résumé. As we grow as an industry, meeting planners are
forced to market and marketers are forced to plan meetings. The
silos of these once separate but equal divisions are blending, resulting in more targeted marketing dollars being spent to create
and de ine a more consistent brand identity.
SUSIE PRUE, CMP
Senior Sales Account Executive, VDA Productions
MPI New England Chapter
Years in industry: 8
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What’s the
400-pound gorilla
in the industry?
The meeting industry’s identity crisis isn’t
being talked about. From what we call ourselves to
The 400-pound (and maybe heavier) gorilla
in the industry is diversity: ethnic, age, gender, sex-
the fragmentation among our industry associations, our industry does itself more harm than good. Associations are territorial about whom they represent as members and how they are
different than the other associations. Yet most of us have to either choose between associations or pay multiple memberships for essentially the same member services. The words we
use to describe the industry (meetings, events, business events,
conferences, conventions) make us appear reminiscent of Sybil [with multiple personalities]. Then we take it a step further
and distinguish ourselves (disagreeing all the way) from the
hospitality industry or tourism industry (who in turn distinguish themselves from one another). We do all this looking inward like Dr. Seuss’ Sneetches instead of considering what we
look like to the outside world. It is no wonder “outsiders” don’t
understand who we are or what we do.
ual orientation, etc. One day, I visited as many event companies’
websites as I possibly could and I noticed something: All of the
teams looked very much alike. I believe this issue isn’t being discussed because no one cares to discuss it in or outside of our industry [due to fear of] blowback and ridicule.
ANTWONE STIGALL, CMP
Programs and Events Coordinator, New Memphis Institute
MPI Tennessee Chapter
Years in industry: 8
TYRA HILLIARD, PHD, JD, CMP
Speaker, Writer and Educator and Founder
Hilliard Associates
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 25
Speaking with one voice to audiences that
have a major impact on our health and
welfare needs to be addressed to a greater
extent. Before Roger Dow took over the Travel Industry
Association of America [now the U.S. Travel Association],
there was no uni ied voice. I see great strides, but think we
could do so much more at the grassroots level.
I think [the discussion] is starting but I sense that there
are still turf issues. In any industry or profession where
there is an overlap of services and members, association
leaders, both staff and volunteer, tend to be protective of turf
they feel is theirs and are guarded when considering joint
ventures. And there is also a concern that each gets proper
recognition for their association’s role.
ANTWONE
Stigall
ROD ABRAHAM
Managing Director, The Rod Abraham Group
MPI Carolinas Chapter
Years in industry: 40+
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Virtual Reality
We’re on the precipice of yet another world-changing technological
innovation. In 2016, virtual reality
(VR) headsets from Facebook-owned
Oculus, HTC and Sony will hit the consumer market, making fully immersive
virtual experiences a part of our everyday lives for the first time in human
history. To learn about VR’s place in
the meeting industry, join The Meeting
Professional’s Michael Pinchera during
his Brainstorm session at the World
Education Congress (WEC) in San
Francisco, Aug. 1-4. Register for WEC
at www.mpiweb.org/wec.
Wi-Fi is a super hot-button issue in the
industry—the cost of it, understanding the security
measures, how our attendees share information
through it—the whole kit and caboodle.
I think it’s just a painful subject for [venues] and clients, but it’s moving from being a 400-pound gorilla to
more of a heated discussion. Clients think it’s costly and
are starting to question the security of their attendees’
information and hotels are being scrutinized and it’s impacting their contracting negotiations.
SUSIE PRUE, CMP
Senior Sales Account Executive, VDA Productions
MPI New England Chapter
Years in industry: 8
The value proposition of industry associations in general. This is not con ined to
the meeting industry; all associations are facing the
same issue. It’s not being discussed in public or in trade
magazines because the associations don’t want people
to see the problems they’re facing. And independent
trade publications are reluctant to write something that
might anger the associations they partner with. In fairness, I know some of these things are being discussed
internally in some associations—and I’ve been part of
some of those conversations—but for such an existential challenge, it’s really remarkable how little attention
it’s getting.
HOWARD GIVNER
Executive Director, Event Leadership Institute
Years in the industry: 25
What tech
innovation
are you
anticipating
the most?
I’m looking forward to the use of moving
images in non-traditional ways and on
non-traditional surfaces to create more layered, interactive and immersive environments to deeply impact our clients and their guests.
With the technological advances, our senses and expectations have been heightened. To accommodate this, budget priorities will need to shift. Clients will need to be educated on the
value and the cost of technology.
Initial or static impact will no longer be enough—we will be
required to create more dynamic, kinetic experiences that
morph seamlessly throughout a meeting or event to continually engage attendees.
TIMOT MCGONAGLE
Producer/Designer, Kehoe Designs
Years in industry: 20
Oculus Rift and other kinds of virtual reality technology will be interesting to watch, as
I imagine there will be increasing use of this to perhaps have
meetings, site visits etc., so the experiences become more immersive and creative both as part of face-to-face events and as
alternatives to them.
JACKIE MULLIGAN
Principal Lecturer in Events and Director of Enterprise, International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and Hospitality,
Leeds Beckett University
MPI United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter
Years in industry: 20
Holograms will change the way we interact
with each other and the way we plan and
manage meetings. Being able to see everything (and everyone) in 3D will give us a level of speci icity and lexibility that
we don’t have now, even with the “3D” Web-based diagramming
programs and video chat capability. It will also keep my students’ interest more than the Web or video!
TYRA HILLIARD, PHD, JD, CMP
Speaker, Writer and Educator and Founder
Hilliard Associates
MPI Georgia Chapter
Years in industry: 25
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SUSTAINABILITY
DROUGHTLAND
How emergency water
restrictions in California
are directly affecting
the meeting industry.
By Paul Cullum
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I
n this year’s blockbuster ilm Mad Max: Fury Road, the future wars are fought less over oil, land or ideology than
over water. Water has traditionally run a close second to
blood in irrigating Hollywood plotlines, driving ilms such
as Interstellar, Dune, The Grapes of Wrath and Chinatown.
William Mulholland, the real-life version of Chinatown’s
Hollis Mulwray, standing before the aqueduct that would
sluice life and longevity from the Owens Valley, famously
declared: “There it is—take it.”
Now the speculative and historical threaten to become the
documentary, as California enters its fourth year of a debilitating drought. A study by the University of Minnesota and Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution inds California embroiled in
the most severe drought in the last 1,200 years, and in a Los
Angeles Times op-ed piece, Jay Famiglietti, senior water cycle
scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, warned that California has no more than a year’s supply of water left in its reservoirs. The snow pack, which traditionally replenishes drinking water in the summer months, is completely gone; an
estimated 12.5 million trees have died of thirst; and the killing
frost that usually suppresses insect populations never arrived,
“I think it’s
too early to
predict what
the water
control board
is going to do
next. they’re
just getting
started.”
unleashing plagues of ants,
spiders and cockroaches. And
with emergency measures issued by Gov. Jerry Brown that
took effect June 1 speci ically
targeting “ornamental landscapes” and “outdoor consumptive use” (i.e., golf coursDiane Vondrasek,
es, hotel grounds and great
HVS Energy and
lawns), the meeting and hospiSustainability
tality industries stand poised
to absorb an outsize portion of
the initial shock. After all, nobody needs to go to Oz if it looks
just like Kansas.
Felicia Marcus, chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, the person tasked with carrying out the governor’s mandate, has become a lightning rod in the press, coining lashy mnemonics such as “pop per drop” and stating
provocatively in The New York Times, “If the only person walking on your lawn is the person mowing it…” then maybe it
should come out.
“We were all acutely aware of the Australian experience,”
Marcus says. “They thought they were in a three-year drought
cycle for about six years. They spent billions of dollars on multiple fronts… And that’s when the governor issued his [initial]
emergency declaration in January [2014]. It was a week later
than he had done it in the 70s—the only person to do it earlier than him was him.” (Brown, governor since 2011, was also
the state’s governor from 1975 to 1983.)
Surprisingly, the question turned out to be not what could
they do, but which of the many things could they settle on.
“We know we can’t stick to business as usual because we’re
going to lose our snowpack and our population has grown, so
how can we break the deadlock in California water?” Marcus
says. “People just pick one [course of action] and repeat it at
each other louder and slower. Conservation is the fastest, cheapest and smartest option, because it buys you time to do the other things. There’s still a lot of low-hanging fruit out there.”
The emergency measures approved by the State Water Resources Control Board in May call for a mandatory 25 percent
reduction in the use of potable urban water statewide. (Roughly 40 percent of California’s water goes to agriculture, 10 percent comprises urban use and half returns to the environment.) It plans to accomplish this by restricting urban use to
an average 55 gallons per person, per day (imagine a cylinder
of water three feet tall and two feet in diameter), a igure chosen to actively discourage outdoor use and save 1.2 million
acre-feet—the amount of water it takes to cover one acre of
land at a depth of one foot—over the next nine months. It
leaves the details to be worked out by the 411 separate water
districts that govern the state, each assigned to one of eight
tiers, depending on past use and prior compliance, with target
reductions ranging from 4 percent to 36 percent.
“We were trying not to have an impact on economic uses of
water if we could help it,” Marcus says. “You don’t want a reduction target that would hamper communities’ commercial,
industrial and institutional sectors. That doesn’t mean there
won’t be reductions.”
In addition, the governor’s executive order bans using potable water to wash sidewalks and driveways, wash cars without a shutoff nozzle, water public medians, feed outdoor fountains without a recycle pump or for any activity that produces
unrestricted runoff or within 48 hours of measurable rainfall,
as well as two regulations that for the irst time target the
hospitality industry speci ically: Restaurants can’t serve
glasses of water to customers unless speci ically requested
(“It’s really more the washing of the glasses, but also for public awareness,” Marcus says) and hotels must offer guests the
option not to launder towels and linens daily. Property owners can be ined up to US$500 per day for non-compliance,
and water agencies up to $10,000 for violating cease-and-desist orders.
Richard Leson (MPI Southern California Chapter), director
of sales at the Palm Springs Convention Center, has only seen
minimal impact from the drought and its municipal management, since most of those mandatory requirements have long
been in place throughout the Mojave Desert.
“From being in the desert, I think we were probably ahead
of the curve to begin with,” he says. “We’ve got quite a large lawn
area, about 20,000 square feet, so we cut down to watering it
every other day, and have not seen any difference in the grass.”
The convention center also turned off the large decorative
fountain at its entrance, in keeping with civic policy. He reports that many local parks and homeowners associations
have voluntarily switched over to xeriscaping, and street medians are being converted to desert landscape—some in conjunction with the local Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians—all of which enjoy wide support within the community.
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GOLF THIS WAY
This voluntary compliance with community support is no less
true of Pebble Beach Resorts, comprising three luxury hotel
properties situated on 5,500 acres of central California’s Monterey Peninsula, as well as ive golf courses. The company’s executive vice president David Stivers notes they are in an 8 percent
water-reduction tier, mainly due to local conservation efforts
stretching back decades.
“Twenty years ago, we implemented a water-reclamation
plant that essentially takes sewer water and turns it into the water used to irrigate our golf courses—a $57 million project,” he
says. “The plant also provides water to surrounding golf courses
through purple pipe. Our clients are environmentally conscious,
and we’re proud of the things we do—not just with water, but
with energy, recycling and all those best practices. This has been
going on for a long, long time.”
Pebble Beach isn’t alone in this type of endeavor—roughly
one-third of California golf courses use recycled wastewater for
irrigation. Marcus singles out the golf course industry, in particular, as pioneers of many current water-conservation technologies and practices.
“The golf industry, seeing the writing on the wall, has done
a lot of ornamental turf removal, as well as trying to minimize
their water use,” she says. “A lot of them were early adopters of
using recycled water; 20 years ago in L.A., I was working with
golf courses to take recycled water. The golf course industry has
actually responded in a thoughtful way, and not a haphazard
way.”
Mike Huck, founder of Irrigation & Turfgrass Services in San
Juan Capistrano, Calif., has spent 35 years in the golf course-maintenance industry. Trained as a horticulturist, and with a background as a United States Golf Association agronomist servicing
Colorado, Arizona and parts of Nevada, Utah and California, he
can remember the epic drought of the mid-70s—before lowlow toilets and when the population was almost half of what it
is now. California is home to roughly 850 golf courses, second
only to Florida’s 1,450. Huck estimates that an average 18-hole
golf course in Southern California may occupy 115 acres and use
90 million gallons of water annually, at a cost of $300,000 to
$500,000.
“Golf courses and agriculture are the two industries that are
on top of all the new leading technology,” Huck says. “They have
smart irrigation controllers that are driven by water-based information, downloaded either through the Internet or through
cell-phone technology, on a daily basis, that are readjusting irrigation times. That’s an offshoot of something that golf has been
doing for 30 years with onsite weather stations. And they’ve got
wireless soil sensors you can position on the golf course that
will give you up-to-the-minute data that broadcasts back to a
computer in your of ice, so that every sprinkler in a modern golf
course is its own irrigation system. You might have 3,000 sprinklers on a golf course.”
Other innovations are the aforementioned use of recycled
wastewater; installing liners in water hazards and arti icial
lakes; wetting agents, which act as lubricants in penetrating impacted soil; turf replacement with drought-tolerant desert species such as golden grass or irecracker plants, often encouraged
with government rebate programs; the development of
drought-resistant grasses; and specialized watering strategies
that accommodate soil consistency (sand vs. clay), root growth
(old vs. new, which affects moisture
“I think
retention) and climate (hot vs. cool,
affecting evapotranspiration). Virtumore and
ally all such developments are availmore, our
able to the hospitality industry.
“I got involved in water-related
events are
issues thinking that was our future,”
Huck says. “And now the future is
going to
upon us.”
be affected by
HOSPITALITY RESERVOIR
Diane Vondrasek, project manager
by drought
for HVS Energy and Sustainability,
or climate
advises large institutional hotel
owners on how to reduce their operchange or
ating expenses by minimizing their
water, energy and waste.
storms.”
Nancy Zavada, CMP
MPI Oregon Chapter
“I think it’s too early to predict
what the water control board is going to do next, because I think they’re
just getting started,” she says. “I
don’t think they know what they’re
going to do next.”
She sees the emergency measures as a calculated approach,
but emergency or not, conservation is the only sound economic
choice.
“We want to be environmentally responsible. But water is expensive, and it’s about to get really, really expensive,” Vondrasek
says. “For now, it’s about the inancial implications, but more and
more, we’re seeing that there are going to be regulatory implications. It’s neither smart nor responsible, if you’re a hotel owner,
to literally allow dollars to be lushed down the drain.”
For those in the hospitality industry, she advises taking the
simple step of monitoring water consumption over time to identify trends in how it is being used. She suggests meeting professionals who are concerned with sustainability issues query prospective hotels on the number of gallons of water used per
occupied room, and then make a comparative judgment. Above
all, she encourages strict and severe enforcement on the part of
authorities.
“I come from the nuclear business, and I worked in compliance
and [regulation] for a long time,” Vondrasek says. “And the best—
perhaps the only—way to make regulations effective is to enforce
them. If everybody’s green is brown, then there is no competitive
advantage.”
Nancy Zavada, CMP (MPI Oregon Chapter), a founder of the
Green Meeting Industry Council and principal of Portland, Ore.based MeetGreen, handles many events in the San Francisco Bay
Area, and reports that water issues are among her clients’ top concerns. She says it’s up to planners, on behalf of their clients,
to encourage hotels and venue operators, as well as all
corporate vendors, to factor in environmental stewardship and
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responsibility as a basic cost of doing business.
“I think more and more, our events are going to be affected
by drought or climate change or storms,” she says. “I really believe our industry has a huge opportunity here, and I want [everyone] to embrace it. I remember when VIP service meant you
came into your room, the lights were all on, the radio was running and the bed was turned down with fresh sheets. Now I
think business travelers just want free Wi-Fi… If I ran a hotel in
California, I would be implementing all of these standards right
away, but I’d also be going out and telling people, ‘Look at us,
we’re doing our part to save water.’”
NO EXCUSES
California leads the nation in green initiatives—even if green is
mellowing into a rich golden brown—and prides itself on innovation. For those who see it descending into Fury Road, water
czar Felicia Marcus rattles off a litany of technologies still at her
disposal: Stormwater capture; recycled greywater or wastewater treatment for outdoor irrigation; neighborhoods refashioned
with rooftop cisterns, permeable paving (allowing grass to grow
through patterned concrete) and swales in place of curbs to feed
the groundwater basin; streamlined permits and 1 percent inancing to encourage the rollout of technology; rebates for turf
replacement or desert landscaping, often augmented by municipal entities; desalination plants (the largest in the Western
Hemisphere will go online in San Diego County next year); and,
in the future, possibly a cap-and-trade-style free market (once
state water rights have been successfully quanti ied and settled). If Hollywood’s long-heralded apocalypse plans on gaining
any traction there, it won’t be without a ight.
“The whole purpose here is to extend urban resilience in the
face of a multiple-year drought,” Marcus says. “So by doing this 25
percent across-the-board cut, as allocated, we’re forestalling the
need for far more dramatic action if we blithely go on as we have
been. It’s just prudent. If you had a bathtub full of water, and
something happened, and you were cut off from the water system,
you wouldn’t use it all in the irst week. That’s all this is.”
The irst person to analogize a bathtub full of water was
Archimedes in the 3rd century B.C., who famously used it to
measure density and determine the value of the king’s golden
crown. His astonished cry was taken up by California miners in
1849, when they discovered their own unanticipated value in
the gold dust suspended in running streams, and was adopted a
year later as the state motto: “Eureka!”
I have found it.
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SPECIAL SECTION:
Meeting Hotels
CONTENTS
PAGES 72-73
PAGE 77
The Signature at MGM Grand
Blue Harbor Resort, Spa
& Conference Center
PAGES 74-75
Grand Sierra Resort and
Casino
PAGE 78
JW Marriott Austin
PAGE 76
La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa
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MEETING HOTELS SPECIAL SECTION
The Signature at
MGM Grand
WWW.SIGNATUREMGMGRAND.COM
W
elcome to the intersection of excitement and indulgence. The Signature
at MGM Grand gives guests the best
of both worlds, providing access to incredible dining, entertainment and nightlife at MGM Grand,
and to the luxury of The Signature where they can
recover and recharge for the next round.
Venture outside the suite and enjoy a swim in
one of three secluded pools, a workout in the
state-of-the-art itness center, cocktails and bar
bites while watching your favorite sports at
The Lounge or a bite to eat at the gourmet deli,
Delights. In-suite dining and premier concierge
services are also available.
Meeting Space
Whether an intimate meeting or a large conference, The Signature team’s attention to detail
creates the right ambiance for a lawless event.
With 4,000 square feet of high-end meeting
space, The Signature offers exceptionally lexible
meeting space that can be con igured for any kind
of business function. Focusing on intimate groups
from 10 to 80 guests, our lobby-level meeting
space provides a convenient setting for executive
meetings, incentive groups or social events. Stateof-the-art audiovisual allow for a seamless integration of computer, video and audio equipment.
Restaurants, Bars and Lounges
The Signature provides direct access to MGM
Grand and its wide variety of dining and entertainment experiences. Enjoy star-studded events
at the Grand Garden Arena. Indulge in worldclass shows, dining and nightlife at a variety of
restaurants and lounges. Revel in the beauty of
our stunning new nightclub, Hakkasan, or treat
yourself to new levels of relaxation and rejuvenation at The Grand Spa and Cristophe Salon.
Accommodations
Each suite is appointed with upscale linens and
pillow-top beds, lat-screen TVs, a full kitchen
with Sub-Zero, Miele and Bosch appliances and
lavish bathrooms featuring Jacuzzi tubs and
plush robes. Most suites also have balconies with
breathtaking views of the Strip and mountains.
Amenities
The Signature consists of three all-suite towers
adjacent to MGM Grand, setting new standards
in personalized service and amenities. This
non-smoking, non-gaming retreat is illed with
natural light and designed with modern touches
that both soothe and re-energize. From the gated
entry and private check-in to gorgeous suites in
which no detail has been overlooked, this is not
your typical Vegas resort.
72 ADVERTISEMENT
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MEETING HOTELS SPECIAL SECTION
Grand Sierra Resort
and Casino
WWW.GRANDSIERRARESORT.COM
R
eno is Home to $50 Million Worth of
New Experiences
Home to the largest, most open casino
loor in northern Nevada, Grand Sierra Resort
and Casino is also the area’s premier resort and
meeting destination. Within the past two years,
the resort has invested more than $50 million
into its facilities to create a world-class experience. The property has added luxurious new
furnishings and updated amenities in its guest
rooms, meeting spaces and casino to create a
contemporary look and energize the resort’s
atmosphere.
In total, Grand Sierra Resort offers over
200,000 square feet of lexible meeting space
for groups of up to 4,000 attendees. Many of the
spaces come with built-in registration counters,
of ice space and expansive pre-function areas,
and groups can access all of Grand Sierra’s
meeting space via guest room elevators without
having to walk through the lobby or casino.
Grand Sierra Resort’s newly revamped
meeting spaces set the tone for events both
professional and celebratory. The 2,700seat Grand Theatre’s proscenium stage, the
world’s largest, is ideal for keynote speeches
Within the past two years, the
resort has invested more than
$50 million into its facilities to
create a world-class experience.
and special dinners, and the remodeled 1,800seat Grand Ballroom sets an elegant mood for
all types of functions. The resort also offers an
in-house audiovisual production department;
top-notch catering, décor, entertainment and
team-building activities; a concierge level; and
a full-service Executive Business Center.
Grand Sierra Resort’s 11 dining options can
accommodate budgets of all sizes. Planners can
host a business meeting at Charlie Palmer Steak,
CP Lounge or Briscola, and then treat the group
to one of several onsite entertainment options,
from top comedians and music acts performing
in the Grand Theatre to DJs spinning hits in the
Las Vegas-style LEX Nightclub. World-class skiing and gol ing are also just a few minutes away.
For more information, contact (866)
473-6672 or sales@grandsierraresort.com.
74 ADVERTISEMENT
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MEETING HOTELS SPECIAL SECTION
La Torretta Lake Resort
& Spa
WWW.LATORRETTALAKERESORT.COM
O
ut of the blue, maximum productivity is on
the agenda.
More than a resort, La Torretta is a one-
of-a-kind vacation and conference destination that combines the ideal balance of nature and relaxation with Texas
sophistication.
Boasting a spectacular
location on Lake Conroe just
50 minutes from George Bush
Intercontinental Airport,
impeccable service and
re ined accommodations, it
truly sets itself apart from
other hotels and resorts,
garnering numerous accolades including a AAA Four
Diamond Award.
La Torretta meets your
needs and exceeds expectations across the board. Featuring over 60,000 square feet of
meeting and event space, 19
versatile meeting rooms, over
30 interactive team-building activities, a full-service
business center and state-ofthe-art technology, it inspires
fresh, innovative thinking.
Additionally, the 18-hole
championship golf course,
spectacular spa, critically
acclaimed restaurants and
sparkling pools are perfect
for relaxing after a productive
day. Watch the sun set across
Lake Conroe as you indulge in
a to-die-for dinner at Lakeside
Restaurant or unwind with
crisp cocktails and tasty bites
at the 5@5 Happy Hour in the
Sonata Piano Bar.
From check-in to departure, La Torretta Lake Resort &
Spa ensures an incomparable
stay. Make your next meeting
an event to remember. Visit
latorrettalakeresort.com or
call (936) 448-3033 to book
your meeting.
76 ADVERTISEMENT
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Blue Harbor Resort, Spa
& Conference Center
WWW.BLUEHARBORRESORT.COM
N
estled on the western shore of the always-majestic
Lake Michigan, the picturesque and stately Blue
Harbor Resort, Spa & Conference Center is the No. 1
resort on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan
Coast.
The interior and exterior features
of the property capitalize on Blue
Harbor’s many water views. With
180 hotel rooms and 64 villas, Blue
Harbor offers a wide variety of
accommodations perfect for group
meetings and events. Guest suites
have a clean, fresh, roomy and
sophisticated and relaxing feel.
Blue Harbor’s conference center
offers 16,800 square feet of meeting
and event space with free Wi-Fi.
The 81-by-122-foot grand ballroom
may be partitioned into seven
different styles of meeting space and
has 16-foot ceilings. Each space is
equipped with a new Apple HDMI
audiovisual system that enables
connections with laptops, iPads, projectors or other devices for seamless
presentations. Blue Harbor also has
well-appointed areas for receptions,
trade show booths, reservation
desks and meal functions.
A gathering at Blue Harbor can
include a wonderful array of recreation and team-building activities,
including golf, freshwater ishing on
Lake Michigan, relaxing treatments
in the resort’s award-winning spa,
lessons on the new indoor surf simulator or yoga on the beach.
In addition to outstanding group
culinary options, group guests can
enjoy any one of the three memorable restaurants, all with extraordinary views.
One of the many attributes of
Blue Harbor is its convenient and
scenic location, an easy drive from
major Midwest Metro areas.
Visit BlueHarborResort.com, call (866) 701-BLUE or
email the resort’s expert event planning team at sales@
blueharborresort.com.
MPIWEB.ORG 77
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MEETING HOTELS SPECIAL SECTION
JW Marriott Austin
WWW.JWMARRIOTTAUSTIN.COM
R
EDEFINING AUSTIN MEETINGS.
The city of Austin has a one-of-a-kind
culture, and Austin’s uniqueness has helped
make it one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
From nearly 200 live music venues to a wide variety
of trendy “street eats,” Austin is the perfect destination for an authentic meeting experience. And, the
JW Marriott Austin is the perfect venue.
Featuring over
120,000 square feet
of meeting and event
space, JW Marriott Austin
strives to lawlessly
execute events both
large and small. Whether
hosting a reception for
3,000 in the JW Grand
Ballroom, an intimate VIP
gathering in one of 42
meeting rooms or a social
meet and greet on the
Congress Avenue Terrace
outdoor event deck, our
experienced staff will
ensure success.
The hotel also features
three restaurants—Osteria Pronto, Corner and
Burger Bar—as well as a
rooftop pool and bar,
Starbucks, a Texas-size
itness center and more.
Located on Congress
Avenue, the JW Marriott
Austin is situated in the
heart of downtown Austin just two blocks away
from the Austin Convention Center.
For more information
and advance group sales,
visit www.jwmarriott
austin.com or contact
the JW Marriott Austin
sales of ice.
For more information,
contact Jay Spurr, director of sales and marketing, at (512) 608-4177 or
jay.spurr@whitelodging.
com.
78 ADVERTISEMENT
Meeting Hotels Special Section.indd 78
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0715_079.indd 79
6/23/15 2:25 PM
MPI PARTNERS
STRATEGIC
SIGNATURE
ELITE
PREFERRED
PREMIER
CHOICE
Hard Rock International
Live Nation Special Events
ALHI - Associated Luxury Hotels
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Louisville
Colorado Springs Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Greater Birmingham Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Greater Raleigh
Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
80 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL
July Sponsors.indd 80
NYC & Company
Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau
Tourisme Montreal
Travel Alberta
Visit Orlando
Visit Seattle
JULY 2015
6/25/15 9:23 AM
MPI FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTORS
LEGEND
EDUCATION
CORPORATE
($50,000+ Annual)
($25,000+ Annual)
($12,500+ Annual)
ANNUAL EDUCATION
($10,000 and below)
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Allstream Centre
American Paper Company
Associated Luxury Hotels International
Cascadia Motivation Inc
Crowne Plaza Hotels Canada
Direct Energy Centre
Dusseldorf Congress
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Freeman AV Canada
Green Key Global
M&IT
Maritz Travel
One Smooth Stone
Porter Airlines
Social Tables
Tourism Quebec
Tourism Toronto
Visit Orlando
The MPI Foundation would like to recognize
and thank these organizations for their
contributions. Through their generosity,
the MPI Foundation is able to provide MPI
members with professional development
and career opportunities through
scholarships, grants and pan-industry
research initiatives.
MPIWEB.ORG 81
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IN SUMMARY
20
53
66
CREATIVITY
INDUSTRY VOICES
SUSTAINABILITY
“Composing
Your Life”
“The State of
the Industry”
“Droughtland”
By Paul Cullum
Reading Time: 10 min.
By Michael Pinchera
Reading Time: 4 min.
By Michael Pinchera
Reading Time: 13 min.
“Professional speaking is an amazing
opportunity for me to elevate and uncover my art simultaneously,” violinist,
composer and 2015 World Education
Congress Flash Point speaker Kai Kight
shared during this exclusive interview.
Gain insight into Kight’s perspective
of the world, including how to enhance
creativity, spark innovation, not fear
failure and incorporate music into the
landscape of a meeting or event. This is
a view into the mind of an artist who
respects the past but is thrilled with
creating something new, perhaps even
literally unheard of.
“I take inspiration from views of the
clouds, people walking, anything…” he
says. “Many people wait for inspiration
to serendipitously strike them before
creating something. However, I believe
that true creativity is a discipline, and it
is important to have systems that fuel
your work.”
This is a people industry. The value of
peer-to-peer education is incredible.
The value of a mentor is invaluable. But
even 40-year meeting industry veterans
can learn from picking the brains of
those less experienced. This feature
explores the state of the industry
through the insights and opinions of a
wide spectrum of meeting pros—planner and supplier, association and corporate, student and faculty.
Hear the distinct opinions from
many different voices in the industry as
they relate to challenges both perennial
and new, social developments, changes
to the business landscape, issues that
aren’t being discussed (but really need
to be), the future of the industry and
more.
Fifteen of your colleagues share
advice and insight in this unique opportunity for you—no matter your place in
the industry—to get into their heads
and hopefully join and propagate conversations that matter.
Facing a historic drought, numerous U.S.
states have had to make tough choices
in how water is used and managed.
Most notably, California is in the midst
of its worst drought in 1,200 years.
Read about the latest water restrictions implemented in the Golden State
last month, and how industry professionals are responding. You’ll also learn
about the continually evolving strategic
usage of water in the state (since the
last major drought in the 1970s), what,
if any, changes to expect at your next
meeting or event there and how to
adjust and approach contract language
for this new reality.
“For now, it’s about the financial
implications, but more and more, we’re
seeing that there are going to be regulatory implications,” says Diane Vondrasek, project manager for HVS Energy
and Sustainability. “It’s neither smart nor
responsible, if you’re the owner of a
hotel, to literally allow dollars to be
flushed down the drain.”
82 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL JULY 2015
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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
It is not so much doing
“more with less,” as it is doing
”a lot
more”
with a little more.
How’s Your
Budget?
Despite continued predictions
of growing attendance for both
live and virtual events (2.7%
and 2.9%, respectively), MPI’s
Meetings Outlook survey—
appearing in next month’s
The Meeting Professional—
projects a greater “budget
squeeze” on the horizon.
Learn more about Meetings
Outlook at the World Education
Congress, Aug. 1-4 in San Francisco, as MPI’s Jessie States and
Christian Savelli host a deep
dive into the latest findings.
Register for WEC and get the
up-to-date details at www.
mpiweb.org/wec.
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