RISE AWARDS
■
CORPORATE MEETING TRENDS
■
AIRBNB
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Volume 3, Issue 8
EDITORIAL STAFF
In three words,
describe your experience
at last month’s World
Education Congress.
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
MamaRazzi foto Inc.
Palpable
attendee
excitement
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
CANADA, ASIA-PACIFIC
Susan Prophet
sprophet@mpiweb.org • (905) 815-1381
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA
Pierre Fernandez
pfernandez@mpiweb.org • +33 628 83 84 82
Interactive,
engaging,
purposeful
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, SOUTH AMERICA
Cheryl Hatcher
chatcher@mpiweb.org • (850) 345-9815
AK, AZ, CA, DE, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA, MEXICO
Angie Kimmel
akimmel@mpiweb.org • (636) 273-5816
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
Thought-provoking,
educational
Chairwoman-elect
Fiona Pelham, Sustainable Events Ltd. and Positive Impact
Vice Chairwoman of Finance
Erin Tench, CMP, CMM, The Pennsylvania State University
Vice Chairman
Brian Stevens, ConferenceDirect
Inspiring,
empowering,
fun
Invigorating,
enlightening,
connecting
Immediate Past Chairman
Michael Dominguez, MGM Resorts International
BOARD MEMBERS
Amanda Armstrg, CMP, Enterprise Holdings
Krzysztof Celuch, PhD, CMM, CITE, CIS, Warsaw School of Tourism and Hospitality Management / Poland Convention Bureau
Angie Duncan, CMP, CMM, Touch Associates
Annette Gregg, CMP, CMM, MBA, LPL Financial
Anne Hamilton, Walt Disney Company
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
Changing
our world
BOARD REPRESENTATIVES
MPI Foundation Board Representative
Stephen Revetria, Giants Enterprises
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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SUBSCRIPTIONS: Members receive The Meeting Professional as a membership benefit paid for by membership dues. Nonmembers may subscribe to the publication for $99 annually.
“The Meeting Professional ” and the The Meeting Professional logo are trademarks of MPI. © 2015, Meeting Professionals International, Printed by RR Donnelley
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GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS: Dallas, TX • REGIONAL OFFICES: Ontario, Canada • Helsinki
Magazine printed on FSC Certified Paper. The
body of The Meeting Professional is printed on
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Please recycle this magazine and the polybag or pass
it along to a co-worker when you’re finished reading.
2 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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CONTENTS
FEATURES
63
RISING UP
Recipients of MPI’s 2015 Recognizing Industry
Success and Excellence (RISE) Awards were
celebrated last month at the World Education
Congress in San Francisco for their impact on
mentoring, innovation and championing the
meeting and event industry.
72
THE EXCITING RETURN
OF CORPORATE EVENTS
The designers of convention and conference
centers have latched onto the idea of getting
input from planners in order to help make
meetings and events work better.
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38
CONTENTS
THE LOBBY
20 TIPS FOR MANAGING
SHORT LEAD TIMES
For meeting planners up against short lead
times, the old adage about being stuck between
a rock and a hard place is all too apt these days.
50
22 CREATING A SECTOR
The U.S. government now recognizes meeting
planning as a profession, largely due to the
efforts of Janet Sperstad, CMP.
VIEWPOINTS
24 URBAN JUNGLE PARADISE
36 THE EVENT SUPPLIER SANDBOX
The largest metro area in the Peruvian Amazon,
Iquitos is much more than it appears.
20
25 EMBRACING THE
NERD WITHIN
A meeting industry techie talks wearables
and streamlining your life.
There are times to network and let people
know what you do, but the real relationships
are built in how you give.
38 THE MAGIC OF DE-CLUTTERING
Having a lot of stuff does not make for an
effective mind—or an effective meeting.
26 ALTERNATIVE
ACCOMMODATIONS
Due to surging hotel occupancy rates and the
growing “sharing economy” in demand-heavy
San Francisco, some World Education Congress
attendees slept—or considered doing so—
in the homes of local residents.
SHOWCASE
44 GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Fun, cultural heritage, legislative business and
a lot of driving highlight this Native American
gathering in Oklahoma.
28 INTRODUCING
THE MPI ACADEMY
Connecting all of the education and learning
experiences MPI delivers within the meeting
and event industry and beyond.
30 UNIQUELY SAN FRANCISCO
For the Closing Night Celebration at the World
Education Congress, MPI took it to the street.
50 BRING IT ON
Teaching cheerleading and creating leaders
in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
24
56 CASH COW
Madison, Wis., welcomes a $30 million bovine
beauty show.
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FROM THE EDITOR
ENGAGING AND
EMPOWERING
THERE WAS NO SHORTAGE of plaudits from our members when
asked to describe their experiences at the World Education Congress (WEC) in San Francisco.
Invigorating. Inspiring. Engaging. Empowering. Thought provoking. Fun.
Yes, yes, yes and yes!
The euphoria from early August
has hardly dissipated as we regroup to dissect what worked in
San Francisco and areas for improvement. After all, we’ll be gathering again in nine months at WEC
2016 in Atlantic City. But before
we shift all our attention to the
other coast, here’s some insight
into what was WEC 2015.
• There were more than 2,500
registered attendees, a 25 percent increase over WEC 2014.
• About 80 percent of the attendees were MPI members with a
50/50 split among planners and
suppliers.
• There were 264 planners and
186 suppliers in the Hosted
Buyer Program, a 12.5 percent
increase compared to last year.
• There were 140 education sessions, plus keynotes, and most
quali ied for clock hours. You
can still earn clock hours by
going to www.mpiweb.org/
wec15 and watching videos of
education sessions.
• Attendees assembled more than
3,600 welcome kits, which will
be given to patients—including
infants, toddlers, young kids,
teens and new moms—at UCSF
Benioff Children’s Hospital in
San Francisco.
• We introduced the new MPI
Academy and Professional Development Roadmap (see Page 28),
designed to provide multi-faceted learning opportunities for
meeting professionals at all
levels, as well as the Experiential
Event Series, in which MPI is
partnering with high-pro ile
events in key areas such as
sports, entertainment, culinary
and mega-events to provide
unique, intimate education experiences, including behind the
scenes tours and discussions. We
debuted two new MPI certi icate
courses, Meetings and Events at
Sea and the Sustainable Meeting
Professional Certi icate (SMPC).
• Attendees were active on Twitter, with more than 14,000
engagements using the of icial
event hashtag (#WEC15), a 12
percent increase over last year.
• The MPI Foundation set a new
record for the most money
raised, more than US$270,000,
from The Big Deal, an of icial
World Series of Poker satellite
tournament, the Not-So-Silent
Auction and Rendezvous, the
Foundation’s signature networking event (see Page 29).
• MPI raised another $200,000 at
the President’s Dinner, which
will be used to enhance the
platforms and content of education delivered by MPI to the
entire meeting and event community.
All that said, the real endorsement of success comes from our
members.
“Attending WEC really helps me
both professionally and personally,”
said Jill Mendoza, CMP (MPI Rocky
Mountain Chapter). “I’m able to
attend the sessions that can really
help me in my day-to-day work life
and help me streamline my practices and then also, as a third-party
meeting planner, I’m able to take
back some practices that I can
share with my clients and help
them establish their events.”
“If you’re not attending WEC, you
are not getting the most out of your
membership,” added Joey Allen
(MPI Oklahoma Chapter). “It’s just a
huge part of what MPI is to our
industry and to the culture. Not
being here, I think, is shortchanging
yourself, your employer and the
people that you do business with.”
See more member feedback in
Conversations (Page 14).
Thank you Jill and Joey, to everyone who attended WEC 2015 and
to all of our sponsors (see Page 90),
including host city partner San
Francisco Travel, for your support.
With all that, you don’t want to
miss WEC 2016. Registration is
now open at www.mpiweb.org/
wec16.
There was another announcement at WEC that will impact the
way we provide news and information to you. The Meeting Professional will soon be available in a digital
format, and we’ll also be delivering
curated digital newsletters with
relevant industry news and updates. I’ll be telling you more about
these projects in future issues of
The Meeting Professional.
Until next time …
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
8 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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MPI’s Sustainability Commitment:
At MPI, we recognize that our event
management activities and operations
can have both positive and negative
environmental, social and economic
impacts, and we, as an organization,
want to minimize our negative impacts
in all three of these areas to satisfy
both legal and other requirements, in
addition to our own ethical standards.
To this end, we regularly audit our
compliance with current legislation,
measure our progress and make
improvements where possible.
FROM THE CEO
SUSTAINABILITY
IN ACTION
IT WAS GREAT TO SEE so many
members of the MPI global community at our 2015 World Education Congress (WEC) in San Francisco last month. I do not get to
see enough of you each year, and
since creating the opportunity for
every MPI member to attend our
signature conference is not plausible, we are working on more
ways to bring the WEC experience
to those who can’t attend. WEC is
not only our opportunity to deliver premier education and content,
as well as networking and business opportunities, but it is also
our chance to showcase how MPI
puts our event sustainability
policy into practice.
Sustainability is an important
societal and business focus for our
association, and it is also a concern
for many of our members, both
professionally and personally. As
such, we strive for ways to deliver
positive value, while minimizing
negative impacts by proactively
incorporating a variety of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
practices into all of our live events,
including WEC.
This year, signi icant focus was
placed on reducing waste while
giving back to the local community.
Actions included not providing a
printed conference guide, but instead promoting the use of the MPI
Global Event App for quick access
to schedules, speaker bios and
more. Nearly all of the signage was
printed on honeycomb graphics
eco board, a 100 percent recyclable
substrate, and digital signage was
leveraged wherever possible.
In addition, we reduced the size
of MPI OnSite, WEC’s daily newspaper, from 11” x 15” to 9” x 12,”
decreasing the amount of paper
used. The paper was sourced from
a local printer certi ied by the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC),
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
(SFI) and Program for the Endorsement of Forestry Certi ication
(PEFC) chain-of-custody standards.
In order to minimize food
waste, we worked with SAVOR,
the in-house catering company at
Moscone Center, to donate leftover food to San Francisco City
Impact, a local non-pro it agency
that serves individuals in need. In
total, we donated approximately
2,735 pounds of food. But we did
not just stop there; we also donated conference materials that were
left behind, such as reusable wa-
ter bottles and conference bags,
to the Scroungers Center for
Reusable Art Parts (SCRAP).
Our WEC Community Project
bene ited the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco.
Thanks to the help of 350-plus
attendees, we assembled more
than 3,600 welcome kits, which
will be given to patients including infants, toddlers, young kids,
teens and new moms at the
hospital.
This is just a sampling of the
ways in which MPI made a positive impact within our host
community for WEC 2015. We
are committed to practicing solid
sustainability efforts, and under
the leadership and guidance of
Andrew Walker, MPI’s manager
of events who leads our sustainability efforts, we will continue
our journey with the implementation of ISO 20121, the event
sustainability management systems standard, as our aim is to
be third-party certi ied in 2016.
Paul Van Deventer
MPI President & CEO
pvandeventer@mpiweb.org
10 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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CONTRIBUTORS
JENNA SCHNUER is a
regular contributor to The
Meeting Professional and
other business and travel
publications. Read more
of her work at www.
jennaschnuer.com.
As a freelance writer, I
interview people about a
wide variety of topics—from
science to business to my
adopted home state of
Alaska. One thing I’ve
learned over the years in
writing for MPI is that one
of the meeting industry’s
greatest strengths is that
the people who work in it
genuinely love to talk to
each other and share
ideas—and they’re committed not just to the industry’s
today but also to it’s future.
Every single person I interviewed for “Rising Up”
(Page 63) cited those
strengths in some manner.
Having written for other
association magazines, I
can tell you with certainty
that those attributes don’t
always show themselves in
other industries. Not. At. All.
ROWLAND STITELER,
a veteran meeting industry journalist, is a writer
and editor for The Meeting
Professional.
I have visited a fair number
of museums around the
world and up until recently,
one thing used to baffle me:
Why are they frequently
filled with groups of elementary school kids on field trips
who are too young to grasp
the significance of the
artifacts? But while researching “Going the Extra
Mile” (Page 44) about the
Chickasaw Nation Annual
Meeting & Festival, an event
at which kids learn about
everything from moccasin
making to the tragedy of
the Trail of Tears, I grasped
the salient fact: It’s not
about having kids learn the
details at age seven; it’s
about getting the kids into a
lifelong habit of learning
about culture and preserving history.
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.
Reporting on the World
Dairy Expo (“Cash Cow,”
Page 56) brought me back
to childhood summer
vacations during which my
cousins and I stayed at
Aunt Marie’s dairy farm to
give our parents a muchneeded respite. I was a
prissy girl, who wore gingham dresses and Mary Jane
shoes even though playing
involved petting cows,
robbing eggs from the coop
and hide-and-seek in the
barn. We walked across the
barn floor on shaky wooden planks stretching above
cow manure and I’d inevitably fall in the poop, get
hosed off and then get sent
back out to play with
reprimands of “don’t come
back until sunset.” Lesson
learned: Even when life gets
messy, you can enjoy it.
MICHAEL PINCHERA is
an award-winning editor
and writer for The Meeting
Professional and a speaker
on future tech and trends.
Read more of his work
at www.whatmeme
worry.com.
I cherish personal space and
require the ability to retreat
to quiet solace as needed—
especially while traveling. (I
am, perhaps, too used to
the suburbs.) Yet, when it
comes to friends, and even
family, there’s a variable
time limit at which I’ve
simply had enough interaction with the exact same
people—the only treatments for this malady are
novelty and peaceful, personal space. Curious then
that the only time I’ve had
the pleasure of using Airbnb,
I received both novelty (the
Airbnb concept and travel itself) and nice, quiet space.
“Alternative Accommodations” (Page 26) explores
the struggles faced by
meeting professionals who
adore Airbnb but understand, as a matter of business economics, the importance of booking in the
block.
MARIA LENHART is a
former senior editor at
Meetings & Conventions
and Meetings Focus, and
has won numerous awards
for travel writing, including a prestigious Lowell
Thomas Award from the
Society of American
Travel Writers.
Has the ongoing trend of
ever-shorter lead times for
meetings and events finally
reached its limit? Having
covered this industry
through numerous supply-and-demand cycles, I
think this trend of time
shrinkage cannot continue.
However, with hotels in key
destinations enjoying
unprecedented demand
and not many new properties under development,
waiting until the last minute
may no longer be an option.
In “Tips for Managing
Short Lead Times” (Page
20), industry professionals
share ways by which to
cope with this challenging
environment.
12 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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CONVERSATIONS
SUCCESS IN
SAN FRANCISCO
Thanks to everyone involved for making last month’s World
Education Congress (WEC) a resounding success. Here’s what
some of our attendees had to say about the event.
@SharpeByName fabulous job at #WEC15
@mpinewjersey can’t wait to welcome you
to Atlantic City for #WEC16!
RUTH MARION, CMP (@marionassociate)
MPI NEW JERSEY CHAPTER
#WEC15 Leadership lessons from a bunch
of sled dogs! Great job @chrisheeter #clf15
#tweetupwec
JEFF RASCO, CMP (@jeffrasco)
MPI TEXAS HILL COUNTRY CHAPTER
$1M given back to Members @MPIHQ Foundation awarded 166 scholarships and 28 chapter
grants #wec15 @PMPI1 #CLF15 apply, apply,
apply
AMY O’MALLEY, CMP (@ACButtercup)
MPI POTOMAC CHAPTER
“I attend because I want to make sure that I know
what is going on in the meeting and event industry.
That is my business, so it’s very important for me to
ind out what the new trends are and meet the people
that work in the business, as well. And, of course, I
come to get some inspiration for our conference.”
KARIN KROGH
MPI DENMARK CHAPTER
“MPI has a way of weaving so many interesting,
integral parts of the networking and the education
all into one conference. If you’re not coming to WEC,
you’re missing out on a fantastic opportunity to
network in the industry; you’re missing out on critical
education, really forward-thinking education, and just
an opportunity for you to further your career.”
GARY MURAKAMI, CMP, CCTE, GLP
MPI NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
Great #business #meetings with #TopBuyers
@MPI #WEC15 @RMmeetings @MeetingsMx
@DarioFlota #LoveMyJob #SanFrancisco
CARLOS MORA CIS (@cmoravera)
Bar set. Brunch general sessions are a new
must. #ilovebrunch #WEC15
LINDSAY (@lindsayatwestin)
@AlisaDPeters: Poker at the Most FUN table!
Thanks Caesars... Sorry @kylehillman
#sorrynotsorry #wec15
ALISA PETERS (@AlisaDPeters)
MPI CHICAGO AREA CHAPTER
Incredible food & entertainment at #SanFrancisco city hall makes for an amazing
final evening! #WEC15 @MeetMontreal
JPDL (@JPdLEvents)
CORRECTION
“I love the connections. I think it’s fantastic to get so
many meeting professionals from around the world
together, everybody talking about what they’re doing,
what their goals are, what their objectives are and
how the industry’s changing. You can sense the momentum that the comeback is bringing. We came out
of that recession from a few years back and everybody’s bringing their A game. And it’s really exciting
to see and be a part of.”
SUSAN PRUE, CMP
MPI NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER
“If you’re a meeting professional and you’re not an
MPI member and you haven’t attended WEC, you
need to do so immediately. You need to go to the next
WEC. It has everything that you could want in the
meeting professional world all under one roof—the
best speakers, the best content—all the best and
brightest people are together.”
AARON CLARK
MPI MIDDLE PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER
The dates for the 2019 World Education
Congress in Toronto were listed incorrectly in
the August issue (“Your Community,” Page 24).
The correct dates are June 15-18.
Watch WEC sessions, check
out photos from the conference and read the daily
publication MPI OnSite at
www.mpiweb.org/wec15.
14 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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WHO WE ARE 22 TOP SPOTS 24
YOUR COMMUNITY 28 HAVE A MOMENT 30
AIRBNB AT WEC
“At the very least, as industry professionals we should
all know and try the various resources that have an
impact on our work.”
PAGE 26
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ESSENTIALS
TIPS FOR MANAGING
SHORT LEAD TIMES
For meeting planners up against short lead times,
the old adage about being stuck between a rock
and a hard place is all too apt these days.
BY MARIA LENHART
W
ith hotels enjoying a robust seller’s market, organizations are more challenged than ever to
ind the space, rates and dates they need, especially at the last minute. But while it would
seem that the situation is forcing organizations to plan further
ahead, hoteliers say the trend of short lead times is not going
away.
“Corporations still want to hold off as long as possible before
making commitments,” says Andy Finn, vice president of group
sales for Benchmark Hospitality. “CEOs are asking that managers hold off on irm scheduling to make sure the meeting is justiiable from a iscal perspective. Meetings have to be analyzed at
the last minute for cost and bene it.”
There may be some compensation in that the ongoing trend
for lead times to grow continually shorter appears to have
reached its limit.
“There is plenty of short-term business, but we’re no longer
seeing it increase,” says Jim Schultenover, president of Associated Luxury Hotels International. “Because of the availability situation, things have stabilized. And we may see lead times grow
longer.”
In the meantime, here are some tips for working within the
constraints of short lead times.
Educating the Client
The irst step in navigating the challenges of short lead times
involves educating decision makers about the realities of the
seller’s market. While planners are all too aware of how tight the
hotel situation is, particularly in key business cities and resort
destinations, others may not be.
While it can be an uphill battle, advising organizations on
the need for lexibility and to make decisions quickly is crucial,
according to Maralynn Adams, CMP, owner and senior event director for The Corporate Event Group in Campbell, Calif.
“I have a conversation with my clients upfront in which I let
them know that getting terms and conditions can be brutal,”
she says. “During the recession many clients got used to getting
whatever they wanted with a month’s notice, but they need to
understand that things are now much tougher. I try to give them
a heads-up on what to expect.”
Before approaching hotels, Adams
tries her best to get clients to agree to
a few alternate dates. Knowing exactly
what she has to work with can make
the difference between getting desired
space and dates at a hotel, especially
when the timeframe is short.
“I like to go in with as much information as possible,” she says. “If not, it
causes too much work and too much
time is lost [by going] back and forth
between the client and the hotel. Once
you ind something that works, it’s important to be able to jump on it.”
Being able to close a deal without
too much delay is a crucial factor, especially when lead times are short and
the destination is in high demand. In
these cases, Schultenover advises that
planners should keep their requests
and RFPs as streamlined as possible.
“In this environment, time is not
necessarily your friend,” he says. “It’s
not about compromising your goals,
but anything that can reduce confusion
and back and forth is a positive factor.
What are your real requirements for
the program? There are situations in
high-demand markets where clients
will have an extensive list of concessions and demands that aren’t really
necessary.”
The client who is ready to move will have an edge over the
one who is primarily shopping around, he adds: “In a highdemand market, your value goes up if you can make a timely
decision.”
Being accessible for a phone conversation is crucial in shortterm scenarios, Schultenover says.
20 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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The client who
is ready to move
will have an edge
over the one who
is primarily shopping around. In
a high-demand
market, your value
goes up if you can
make a timely
decision.
“Electronic communication is great, but
sometimes it’s not enough. Being able to talk to
the client can move things along more quickly
and make a big difference.”
Benchmark’s Finn adds that planners
should not be overly reliant on third-party
sourcing tools when they’re faced with a short
lead time.
“Use [those tools] initially, but then pick up
the phone and call your hotel partner,” he says.
“Tell them what you’re thinking. Nothing takes
the place of personal interaction.”
Flexibility Pays
Having some lexibility in at least one or two of the key areas—
dates, destination and space—is perhaps the most crucial factor in short-term situations.
“When it comes to dates, even just one day can make a huge
difference,” Adams says.
With meeting space in high demand at many hotels, Finn
urges planners to carefully consider the amount of space they
actually need and to be open to con igurations such as theater-style seating that make the best use of it.
“Don’t be a space hog,” he says.
Flexibility is also crucial when it comes to choosing the type
and size of hotel. With luxury hotels in particularly high demand
these days, Adams says organizations need to realize that these
properties, which also tend to do very strong leisure business,
will be especially dif icult to come by without suf icient notice.
“Luxury hotels tend to be smaller and have less meeting
space, so you often need to book them much further out,” she
says. “A larger hotel with more meeting space might not be as
desirable to the client, especially if they want to be a big ish in
a small pond, but it will be much easier to get in.”
Of course, the most challenging scenario is trying to book
a short-term meeting at an upscale hotel in a popular destination. Here, again, being willing to consider alternatives is
important.
“I try to bring in additional location choices that are not too
far off in climate or location from the irst choice,” Adams says.
“In one case, a client who wanted Arizona, Las Vegas or Southern California was also receptive to Los Cabos, Mexico, which
really opened up the possibilities.” ■
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WHO WE ARE
22 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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JANET SPERSTAD, CMP
MPI WISCONSIN CHAPTER
When I graduated from college with a degree in criminal justice, my goal was to work for the
federal government, such as the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms or FBI. My dad, who
was executive director for the Wisconsin Institute of Certi ied Public Accountants, asked if I would
help out at registration for an upcoming conference. One conference turned into two, three and
eventually a full-time event planning job. The job had everything I was looking for in my career ield:
working with people (albeit law-abiding people), travel and variety. I also decided that I would live a
safer life and rather than carrying a gun I would arm myself with RFPs and ESGs.
Being at the genesis of defining a degree in event management—the Meeting and Event Management
Degree Program at Madison College—has been profound. I will never forget the day a student walked into
my of ice and said, “I want to be a meeting planner.” I smiled and wished our entire community could hear
it. I knew right then and there that our profession advanced from my generation of planner that “fell into
the industry” to a profession of choice for the next generation. Having the opportunity to shape the minds
and hearts of the next generation is a gift. Being able to tap into hopes and dreams and make them reality is
something I don’t take for granted, and I’m honored every day to be on that journey with my students.
So much of our industry’s energy is put towards what events consume—sleeping rooms, F&B,
transportation—instead of on what we create. As event professionals we create community. We create
experiences that offer a place for collaboration and innovation. I often think about how we can reposition
meeting planning from an activity to a career that claims its place as an instrument of transformation.
Meeting and event professionals are in the business of driving innovation and inspiring hearts and minds
to solve problems for today’s complex world. When we do that, we really move our profession and industry forward.
I met the love of my life, my wife Marge Anderson, in 1996 at the MPI Professional Education Conference in Nashville, Tenn. We didn’t know each other, even though we were/are both from Wisconsin. I’ll
always be grateful to MPI for bringing us together. The best thing that has ever happened to me has been
meeting her.
Our industry has given me the opportunity to explore and re ine different aspects of my skills and
abilities as a planner and business professional. Event management is a complex, dynamic, multi-faceted career. Having opportunities to learn, re ine those skills and build business acumen and professional
skills on top of that has been profound.
My mom always told me I could do anything I put my mind to. It gave me the
con idence to work in a profession that was young and unde ined as a planner,
develop the irst degree in event management and create our own sector with
the U.S. government. [EDITOR’S NOTE: In honor of her efforts to make meeting
planning a profession recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, Sperstad
was presented with the 2015 MPI Chairman’s Award at last month’s World
Education Congress.]
Janet Sperstad, CMP,
is director of the Meeting
and Event Management Degree
Program at Madison (Wis.)
College. She has been an MPI
member since 1986.
Photo by Orange Photography
MPIWEB.ORG 23
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TOP SPOTS
URBAN JUNGLE
PARADISE
(CC) PIERRE POULIQUIN
Whilee
you’r ...
here
around Iquitos. Many of the buildings
from that era are faced with hand-painted
Portuguese tile work and French wrought
iron that the rubber barons could afford
with their newfound wealth.
Many of the indigenous who came to
live in Iquitos in that era—either displaced
by the boom or seeking work in the growing city—had never been involved with a
cash economy and had no way to afford
living in the city center. So they did what
they’d always done: They built jungle-style
platform homes on the edge of the city that
would keep them dry during high-water
season. Others, even farther out from Iquitos, built their homes on balsa logs that sat
on muddy river banks when the water was
low, loating when the river rose.
There was a social strata built into
that early organization: The city was built
on a bluff. The newest to arrive lived the
farthest from the bluff; after a generation
Head to Iquitos’ town square to see the Iron
House, a home rumored to have been designed
by Gustave Eiffel, purchased in Paris by a rubber
baron, dismantled, brought to Iquitos and reassembled. There are many other versions of Casa
de Fierro’s origin, but no matter which, if any,
are true, it’s worth seeing.
L. LAVALLE
YOU WOULDN’T THINK that the poorest part
of a poor city in a poor country would be a
sort of paradise, but the loating houses of
Belen in Peru’s jungle city of Iquitos are just
that. It’s a paradox for sure, but still true.
The whole city of Iquitos, while it’s become a fairly important tourist destination
in the last decade, has maintained much of
its jungle lavor despite the in lux of outsiders and the presence of a dozen “gringo”
restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts in the
center of town. That lavor has been kept
largely because it’s a dif icult place to get
to: There are no roads into the city, only aircraft and Amazon riverboats.
A product of the rubber boom at the
turn of the 19th century, European traders
came in and transformed a dusty
low
low-jungle trading point used
b
by the indigenous people
who lived on several rivers that intersect in and
they could afford to move into a stilt home;
another generation and they could generally
afford to move up onto the bluff and into the
city.
One hundred years later, the same system prevails: Newcomers build new loating
homes or take over ones abandoned when
the prior occupants moved closer to the
bluff.
An outsider could easily imagine that
those living in the loating homes are downtrodden and the poorest of the poor—and
inancially, they often are—but that outsider
would miss a slice of paradise, which is what
the people of Iquitos call the loating homes.
Instead of gloom, the area of loating
homes is full of unbridled joy: Fishermen
in dugout canoes ply the Itaya River—a
tributary of the Amazon—and can generally catch enough ish to feed their families
and then some, daily. They sell the extra to
neighbors or at the Belen Market at the top
Don’t forget to visit the Belen Market, just up the
hill from the floating houses. The market carries
jungle fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and medicines,
along with clothes, hammocks and every item
necessary to live in the jungle. It is the largest
market for hundreds of miles in any direction
and is really the heart of Western Amazonia.
24 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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PEER TO PEER
There are
dances on
barges in dry
dock on the river,
colorful clothes
drying on lines
strung between
the floating homes
and the constant
sound of children
laughing.
of the hill and earn enough to purchase
other foods and dry goods they need
from the canoes stocked with supplies
plying the same river. Children play in
the water outside their loating homes,
radios blare, river volleyball matches
abound. The whole area is nearly always
festive: There are dances on barges in
dry dock on the river, colorful clothes
drying on lines strung between the
loating homes and the constant sound
of children laughing.
For Westerners, that might seem
like anything but paradise, but for those
who’ve made it up the hill and into the
city and are saddled with bills, remembering a time when their father was able
to catch the ish for dinner while mom
did the laundry and the radio played,
laughter illed the air and inances hardly entered the picture, is remembering a
paradise lost.
—PETER GORMAN
Embracing the
Nerd Within
BETH ZIESENIS, author of Release Your Inner Nerd, presented “A Day in the
Life of a Nerdy Meeting Planner” during last month’s World Education
Congress in San Francisco. We chatted briefly with her about technology.
When did you realize you
were a tech nerd?
I’m not sure which came irst—me having no plans on the weekends so I spent
my Friday nights playing with my computer or me playing around on my computer so much that I never went out on
dates. Seriously, though, for as long as I
can remember I’ve gotten lost in keyboards, gadgets, apps and doodads.
How can communications between
tech-savvy and luddite meeting pros
best be improved?
The key to any relationship is give and
take—the same goes for technological
relationships. If a nerd-in-training embraces just one or two new tech tools, she
may see that her communication with
peers increases exponentially. Similarly,
someone who is very tech savvy can help
more people by cutting back a little on
the apps and gadgets and focusing more
on making sure the messages are clear.
What recent tech trend has really
impacted your life?
Although most of my world centers
around free and bargain apps, I’m really
diving into the gadget world with new
wearables—most notably the Apple
Watch. Right now the jury’s still out about
whether the watch will impact my life, but
I think that the age of wearables is here to
stay, and it’s exciting to see where these
trends will go and to be on the ground
loor of new technology.
How can meeting professionals avoid
(or escape) working for their technology
and instead have technology work
for them?
One of the cool things about today’s technology is the way many of the cloud services it together. While it can be overwhelming to think about every task that
every app or service can do, iguring out
ways that the tech tools can work together can not only simplify your toolbox but
also streamline your life. ■
MPIWEB.ORG 25
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BUSINESS TRAVEL
LTERNATIVE
CCOMMODATIONS
Due to surging hotel occupancy rates and the growing
“sharing economy” in demand-heavy San Francisco,
some World Education Congress attendees slept—
or considered doing so—in the homes of local residents.
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
F
ollowing the Opening Night Celebration at Pier 48
for MPI’s 2015 World Education Congress (WEC),
Vanessa LaClair, CMP (MPI Northeastern New York
Chapter), returned to her hotel, swiped her key card
and perhaps placed a “Do Not Disturb” sign on her door and
scheduled a wake-up call for the morning—standard operating procedure for a traveling business professional, right?
LaClair, director of events and operations management for
the Independent Power Producers of New York, says the professional development budget her company provides can get
maxed out when up against high room rates—so she shops
around.
“I had hoped to book with Airbnb for WEC—to save money
and not have to pay out of pocket,” she says. “But there comes
into play a security concern when traveling alone in a big city.
If you book in the block, then the convention knows where
you are, you know the people in the building and there’s a
sense of added security there. Booking a private room, sharing a house with a complete stranger, makes me a bit nervous.
I also understand what goes into hotel contracts with regards
to room blocks and I want to be supportive when I travel for
industry events.”
LaClair has used Airbnb since early 2014, and already
has a stay booked next month—an entire apartment—for
the TCS New York City Marathon. So far, she hasn’t used
the service for business travel.
“I always check Airbnb when there’s business travel
coming up,” she says. “I like to know all my options before
I go anywhere—I’m a planner! So if the price is right and
it works to my advantage, I would most de initely book
with Airbnb when attending a future professional event.”
Immediately prior to WEC, Adrian Segar, founder of
Conferences That Work, spent a few days in San Francisco
visiting his daughter. With a dearth of hotels in the neighborhood, he turned to Airbnb, a service that he irst tried
for an earlier visit almost two years ago. He’s since used
Airbnb more than a dozen times.
“It’s often available in places where there are very
few or no other accommodations,” Segar says. “On Airbnb I could ind places within a block or two of where my
daughter lived that were comparable or less expensive
than [more distant] hotels.”
With preference given to location and keeping
check on his travel budget, Segar also booked through
26 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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“Sharing a
house with
a complete
stranger
makes me a
bit nervous.
I also understand what
goes into
hotel room
blocks and I
want to be
supportive
when I travel
for industry
events.”
Airbnb for accommodations during
WEC—yes,
he’s
staying with two
different
Airbnb
hosts in one trip.
“The Airbnb I
found for WEC was
two or three blocks
from the Moscone
Center and US$125
a night, plus tax,
with a private
room and a shared
kitchen—a big advantage in terms
of meals,” he says.
“I like to support
the meeting industry and hotel room
blocks are a big
deal and it’s a very complicated issue—I prefer to book
inside the room block.”
When he looked at the room block and other nearby
hotels, he saw nightly prices that were twice that of the
Airbnb he eventually selected.
Segar, who doesn’t consider himself a typical traveler, appreciates the variety of options availed through
Airbnb that can help to create a more unique, local experience. But he does acknowledge that a lot of people
prefer the standardized hotel experience; he enjoys
that sometimes as well.
“The business traveler on an expense account who’s
hurried and rushed just wants to stroll in, give someone
their credit card, be whisked up to the room and collapse,” he says. “I’m like that, too, sometimes. So it’s not
like that market is going to go away—it’ll always
be around. But I think there are an increasing
number of people like me who travel quite a bit
and want more lexibility and don’t mind saving a
bit of money—and Airbnb hosts are often friendly,
very helpful and know the local area. There are
very few downsides to using Airbnb.”
It’s also really important that the meeting and
hospitality industries recognize the new, evolving
preferences of travelers and respond appropriately, Segar says.
James Spellos, CMP (MPI Greater New York
Chapter), president of Meeting U., has a very positive impression of Airbnb, having used it about 10
times, solely for leisure accommodations, in the
past three years.
“Typically, if I need to be at a speci ic property
for a meeting, my preference is the headquarters
hotel,” Spellos says.
His plans for WEC were made late, however,
so he explored nearby Airbnb opportunities, but
he couldn’t ind a price/location combination that
was ideal for his needs and ended up at a smaller
hotel near the Moscone Center that was a better
it.
“As a former planner, I very much understand
the need to stay within the hotel block established
for the event,” Spellos says. “So while I love Airbnb, I want to try and support the meeting planner’s contracted room block.”
For those unacquainted with Airbnb, Spellos
says giving the service a try is the responsible
action.
“As an industry professional, at the very least
we should all know and try the various resources
that have an impact on our work,” he says. ■
MPIWEB.ORG 27
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YOUR COMMUNITY
INTRODUCING
THE MPI
ACADEMY
MARK YDOAURR
CAs La loEokNat your upcoming
Here’
ts:
industry even
MPI FORMALLY INTRODUCED
the new MPI Academy during
last month’s World Education
Congress in San Francisco. MPI
Academy encompasses and
connects all of the education
and learning experiences MPI
delivers within the meeting and
event industry and beyond. In addition, the association has unveiled
enhancements to its professional development offerings, including a variety of
new certi icate programs and experiential events.
The MPI Academy aligns with the
Meeting and Business Event Competency
Standards (MBECS) and is designed to
provide multi-faceted learning opportunities for meeting professionals at all levels.
Its portfolio is comprised of training
courses, certi icate programs, streaming
sessions from MPI events, webinars and
tools such as the new MPI Professional
Development Roadmap, which helps
individuals map out their careers, pursue
continuing education and supplement
professional development.
“Our objective with the new MPI
Academy is to centralize all of our educational programs and bring focus to the
diverse career tracks available,” says Paul
Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI.
“As we re ine the way we deliver both
our proprietary and partner offerings,
we believe the academy will soon become the most reputable and valued
source for growing one’s knowledge
base and advancing one’s career.”
Earlier this year, MPI began launching
new education programs and has more
planned in the coming months.
NEW PROGRAMS AVAILABLE NOW
• Meeting Essentials. Designed for
novice and mid-level professionals,
this program will help participants enhance their skills and competencies.
IMEX
AMERICA
✓
Oct. 12
MPI Smart Monday on
Las Vegas
www.imexamerica.com
OCT. 13-15
• Sustainable Meeting Professional
his intensive
Certiϐicate (SMPC). This
ides education,
certi icate course provides
nstruction to
tools and applicable instruction
acticing susimmediately begin practicing
ning.
tainable meeting planning.
• Meetings and Eventss at Sea
d in partnerCertiϐicate. Presented
ship with the Cruise Line Internation), the certi icate
al Association (CLIA),
course explores the advantages of
ruise ships comhosting events on cruise
pared to traditionall venues.
PROGRAMS LAUNCHING
NG LATER
THIS YEAR
• Experiential Event
nt Series.
MPI is partnering with highpro ile events in key areas
ntertainment,
such as sports, entertainment,
ga-events to provide
culinary and mega-events
n experiences.
unique education
actitioner Certiϐicate
• Sustainable Practitioner
(SPC). The SPC Program is an interactive training session designed for
individuals wishing to focus on sustainability within the meeting and
event industry.
• Healthcare Meeting Compliance
Certiϐicate (HMCC) Refresher.
Launching in October, this webinar
has been developed to keep MPI’s
HMCC recipients abreast of constantly
changing healthcare meeting compliance regulations.
IBTM
WORLD
✓
Barcelona
www.ibtmworld.com
NOV. 17-19
IAEE
EXPO EXPO! ✓
!
Annu
al Me
e
ting
Balti
& Ex
hibit
more
ion
www
.iaee
.org
DEC
. 1-3
✓MPI pr
ovidin
g edu
cation
CMP Healthcare Certiϐication (CMP• CMP-Healthcare
i is
HC) Boot Camp. This MPI training
intended for meeting professionals
working within the life sciences sector
and will commence in Fall 2015.
For more information about the MPI
Academy and its suite of educational
offerings, including the new MPI Professional Development Roadmap, visit www.
mpiweb.org/ProfessionalDevelopment.
28 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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The Foundation played host to an evening of high-stakes poker at The Big Deal.
Mike Maurer (MPI Northern California
Chapter) of Merchants Exchange Productions won the tournament, a trip for two to
Las Vegas and a seat valued at $10,000 to
compete for millions in the 2016 World
Series of Poker Main Event. Kelly Bush,
CMP, CTSM (MPI Georgia Chapter), of Manhattan Associates inished second, followed
by Gene Holt (MPI Tennessee Chapter) of
NASBA. Thank you to our sponsors Caesars
Entertainment, Hilton Worldwide, Encore
Event Technologies and Destinations by
Design for making The Big Deal possible.
Rendezvous, the MPI Foundation’s
signature networking event, was held at
one of the most historic music venues in
San Francisco—The Fillmore—where
attendees were taken back in time to the
tunes of the 1980s with a live performance
by The Spazmatics. For days after this
sold-out event attendees said it was the
best ever, and the Foundation looks forward to topping this experience at the
2016 WEC in Atlantic City. Thank you to
our sponsors San Francisco Travel, San
Jose, Universal Orlando, Encore Event
Technologies and SME Live Nation Entertainment, who helped make Rendezvous a
tremendous success.
The MPI chapters that made the highest contributions to the MPI Foundation in
iscal year 2014-2015 were also honored
at WEC. Congratulations and thank you to
the Potomac, Toronto and Atlantic-Canada
chapters.
In total, the MPI Foundation has distributed nearly $1 million in scholarships,
grants and research since January 2014.
For more information and to view the
Foundation’s 2014 annual report, visit
www.mpiweb.org/foundation.
multi-sensory dance loor experience
with next-generation sound system, video walls throughout and plenty of sponsored bungalows and cabanas.
Tickets are US$140 (discounts available for groups of 10 or more) and
available at www.mpiweb.org/rendez
vous-imex. Funds raised from this
event bene it the MPI Foundation Endowment, which funds grants, scholarships and pan-industry research for
MPI members.
MPI FOUNDATION SURPASSES
FUNDRAISING RECORD
THE MPI FOUNDATION has set a new
record for money raised at an MPI conference. The Foundation raised more than
US$270,000 during MPI’s 2015 World
Education Congress (WEC) in San Francisco last month through events such as
The Big Deal, Rendezvous and the Not-SoSilent Auction, exceeding the $170,000
raised during WEC last year. Proceeds
will go towards the MPI Foundation Endowment, which provides chapter grants
and scholarships to MPI members.
ROOFTOP
RENDEZVOUS
ON OCT. 14 IN LAS VEGAS, the MPI Foundation, along with host sponsors Caesars
Entertainment and IMEX America, will
present Rendezvous, the IMEX America
night, at Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub
located on the rooftop of The Cromwell.
This is the place to be on Wednesday
night during IMEX America. Last year
more than 1,600 people from around
the world attended this spectacular and
record-setting fundraising event, and
we’re expecting an even greater turnout
this year. Rendezvous will feature
360-degree views of the Las Vegas
Strip, all-inclusive premium bars, a
world-renowned DJ, an incredible
MPIWEB.ORG 29
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HAVE A MOMENT
30 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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UNIQUELY
SAN
FRANCISCO
WHERE:
San Francisco
WHEN:
August 4, 2015
For the Closing Night
Celebration at last
month’s World Education
Congress, MPI took it to
the street. The area in
front of the city’s dramatic City Hall, which recently
celebrated its 100th birthday, was transformed into
one of San Francisco
International Airport’s
runways, with buses
“landing” and putting
guests right in the middle
of a celebration.
ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHY
WHAT:
MPIWEB.ORG 31
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VIEWPOINTS
The Event Supplier Sandbox 36 | The Magic of De-Cluttering 38
You should
surround yourself
with things that
give you joy and
get rid of things that
lay dormant, unused
and unloved.
PAGE 38
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TRENDS
BY HEATHER HANSEN O’NEILL
Heather is an award-winning speaker, author and connection expert helping
associations and companies create better leaders and more cohesive teams.
She’s also former VP of education for the MPI WestField Chapter.
Contact her at www.innovativeteamdevelopment.com.
THE EVENT SUPPLIER
SANDBOX
There are times to network and let people know what you
do, but the real relationships are built in how you give.
LAST MONTH WE WERE IN THE SANDBOX
with the corporate planner. This month
we are playing with the event supplier.
Suppliers are an integral part of the meeting industry. Successful events would not
take place without positive supplier relationships.
If you didn’t have an opportunity to
read the last sandbox article, just close
your eyes and think back to your childhood. Think back to the playground and
the many lessons you learned about how
to successfully communicate and interact
with others. Those times on the courts,
jumping rope, taking turns on the slide
and, yes, playing in the sandbox can teach
us much about how to build strong business and team relationships.
Let’s take a lesson from one of my
twins. When it came to the sandbox he
was masterful. I saw the wheels in his
36 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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How does this relate in the business
world? What does this have to do with
teamwork? It has to do with our ability to
perceive others. What they need. What
they want. And to respect their different
personalities and styles—those differences
make the world go round and help to
create more effective teams. Think about
how you can be the person who sees the
personality dynamics and solves the problem. You’ll become indispensable.
When discussing teams, the supplier’s
“who” and “why” may differ from that of
the planner. But strong relationships are at
least as important in a supplier’s world.
Suppliers: Who’s on your team?
• Your sales team?
• Your support team?
• Clients?
• Planners?
• Other suppliers or alliances?
• Vendors?
• Subcontractors?
Be real about what
you can offer, what
you do and who you
are. Authenticity
and honesty build
strong bonds.
little head turning as he thought about
what he could do to make sure everyone
got along in his world.
There was a time when he was playing
with a friend and a bully came over. This
bully called them babies and even threw a
ball into where they were playing, knocking over their sandcastle. My son’s friend
was angry and about to scream at the boy,
but then I witnessed something extraordinary: My son gently placed a hand on his
friend’s shoulder, calming him, while
asking the bully, “Did you want to play?
You can play but don’t knock over what
we’re building, OK?” They all played together for hours after that. He intrinsically
knew that the bully was looking to play
but didn’t know how to appropriately
communicate that message.
Why is it important for you to consciously choose or acknowledge your
team? Perhaps your primary “why” is your
ability to build strong connections that
result in sales that will directly impact
your personal income as well as the bottom line of the company. But there are
many other “whys.”
• How much easier is your life when you
have loyal customers that come back
and refer business instead of always
searching for a new sale?
• How much more enjoyable is your
day when you interact with people
you like?
• How much more rewarding is it to know
you are doing the right thing in helping
and serving others?
A tip from Shelley Williams (MPI Toronto Chapter), director of sales, eastern
region, for Caesars Entertainment: “Working in a ‘mobile sandbox’ (a mobile sales
environment separated by many states),
where there are few daily or shared tasks
between your team, individuals can feel
their successes are uniquely theirs—but
on the lip side, unfortunately, their ‘oopsies’ can be felt that way too, in an even
more drastic way. Without the social playground nearby, their oopsies become a
lonely and un-nurturing environment
unless you can keep the sandbox alive,
available and encouraging. Encourage
communication, team competitions, team
strategies and projects. More importantly,
allow for peer help or peer ixes—let them
share their experiences and ixes, and
connect how their world resembles someone else’s.”
Additional Action Insights and Steps
to Consider
• Listen. You will stand out from other
suppliers if you practice the art of listening. Hear, process and con irm that you
truly understand what the planners and
clients want and you will be remembered.
• Be real about what you can offer, what
you do and who you are. Authenticity
and honesty build strong bonds.
• Exceed expectations at every opportunity.
• Come from a mindset of abundance.
Many broken relationships come from a
competitive, clutching, team mentality.
Open your mind to the power of collaboration. Creative juices and long-lasting,
pro itable unions will form.
• Continue the relationship with outstanding and value-driven follow up.
As a supplier in the MPI world I have
learned a great deal about the subtleties
of all that’s involved. There are times to
network and let people know what you
do, but the real relationships are built in
how you give. In contributing as a volunteer and offering your insight and expertise you’ll build a trust that would have
taken years if you remained only in the
“sales” cycle.
Also don’t forget the power of our
language.
“One of my pet peeves is when our
people use words like I, me and my—like
‘my client,’” says Terry Miller (MPI Middle
Pennsylvania Chapter), team leader with
PSAV. “I think it’s important to replace
those with us, ours and we. There’s a
distinct difference in thought process
when you alter your language. It’s a team
effort and an entire organization that
supports the client.”
Enjoy each interaction and those relationships will deepen and result in the
team and the sales you desire! Play along.
Enjoy the process and share your success
stories with me at heather@ irein ive.com.
Be on the lookout for the next acticle in
this series: “The MPI Sandbox.” ■
MPIWEB.ORG 37
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MEETING DESIGN
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).
THE MAGIC OF
DE-CLUTTERING
Having lots of stuff does not make for an
effective mind—or an effective meeting.
LATELY I HAVE BEEN FEELING CLUTTERED.
Clutter had invaded my study, consumed
my living room, bloated my wardrobes
and made my kitchen cabinets a hazardous zone. My of ice had become a no-go
area with many colleagues simply shaking their heads as they passed by. My
email clutter was similarly in disgrace.
When it crashed recently, the IT support
of icer remotely accessing by PC made
their opinion of me all too clear, letting
out a combined gasp and sigh. I felt
justi iably like a puppy standing next to
a very unfortunate accident. But I am
turning a new leaf.
A few weeks ago I visited a friend
who equally suffers from “clutterism.”
As I shuf led into the guest room past
piled up boxes, photographs, art materials and ornaments, I stumbled (quite
literally) over a small stack of books
topped by The Life-Changing Magic of
Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I could not
help but appreciate the irony of this
unopened ind. So I read it.
For those few who have not heard,
Marie Kondo is somewhat of a de-clutter
fanatic. Her tidying, folding and demand
to discard are revolutionizing people’s
homes and of ices worldwide. And now I
include mine. I now have drawers that
display my clothes like elegant, horizontal bookcases. My wardrobe does not
involve a losing and ever-more-ferocious
battle with coat hangers and I no longer
have to navigate a path through my
study. I have gotten rid of more than 15
bags of excess. My toiletries are categorized and for every item—be it an ex-
pired pack of paracetamol (acetaminophen) or a dress I have never worn—I
have asked, “Does this give me joy?” and
if not, I have thanked the item and discarded it. The process is challenging
emotionally and physically, but the principle is embarrassingly simple… that
you should surround yourself with
things that give you joy and get rid of
things that lay dormant, unused and
unloved. You should discard things that
you think “might come in useful one
day” because “one day” rarely comes
and in the meantime such items stop
you from getting to the things you love.
One of the most signi icant approaches Marie Kondo advocates is the categorization of “stuff.” Rather than moving and
tidying room by room, the Konmari
method involves categorizing all your
stuff wherever it is and placing it in one
(usually mountainous) pile. I had clothes
stored in ive (yes ive!) different locations, and so placing them all together
was a shock to the system. Now I may be
38 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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How much of
what we do in
meetings is habit,
for which we never
question the value
of the action but it
is simply what we
always do?
more cluttered than most, but I think
there is something to be said for an
approach that makes us look at the
excesses together in one big pile.
I wonder if we ought to do that in
our meetings, too. Are our meeting programs over cluttered with stuff we keep
without really thinking enough about
whether it gives our participants joy?
How much of what we do in meetings is
habit, for which we never question the
value of the action because it is simply
what we always do? How much do we
really consider content all together and
then item by item? My feel is that we are
often pressured to ill the space available. In my new uncluttered study, I can
see the things I need, I can focus without
distractions, I have space and content
but not clutter. At meetings I rarely get a
sense of that space and my suitcase is
often full at the end with lyers, booklets,
notes, pens and other paraphernalia that
will lay dormant in my drawers for far
longer than I care to admit.
The Konmari method is effective
because you have to make a decision
about the fate of an item as you hold it,
feel it, examine it and look at it in isolation. I strongly believe if we did that
more in our business we might stop
simply adding to the stuff we do and
might start to make more uncluttered
decisions that could focus the minds of
our participants and ourselves.
One big advantage that you may
gain from Konmari-ing your meeting is
simplifying it all. The quest for simplicity is a growing trend in the face of over
complexity and information overload.
Konmari helps us curate our content,
making our tops and T-shirts look like
book bindings so we can see what is
there rather than losing the most loved
pieces under a sea of other stuff.
I think there is much we could declutter in meetings—be it presentations
that sell a product rather than give us
any valuable information, the content
marketing to promote events that inundate us with the “10 best this” and the
“four best that” or even the in inite list
of awards and thanks that often rob us
of the valuable times we love such as
meeting people and thinking about the
things we are learning.
A recent example of meetings clutter
was an opening ceremony that lasted
two hours and consisted mostly of the
organizers telling us how important the
event was, thanking each other and
their teams for all the hard work, coffees and time spent arranging it all.
Imagine if you got that in a restaurant
or a shop—“I hope you enjoy this soup
ma’am, the chef spent a good few hours
chopping vegetables, stirring it, adding
seasoning…” You get the picture. Perhaps we should spend less time telling
people how important it all is, and
letting them feel it on their own. If we
applied Konmari to meetings I do wonder how much easier if might be to
identify excesses like these. How much
simpler it might become.
I long for a meeting where I do not
need a directory to ind out what is on
or where I need to be. I dream of a
meeting where the simplicity of the
design enables me to ind what I am
looking for without rummaging through
a manual or an app. Having lots of stuff,
lots of content is not a way to a tidy
brain—and it’s not the way to create
effective meetings. So a new approach
to apply to your homes, of ices and now
meetings looms. Dare you Konmari
your next event with the life-changing
magic of tidying? ■
MPIWEB.ORG 39
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SHOWCASE
A Cultural Celebration 44 | Front and Center 50 | The Greatest Cow Show on Earth 56
“The students are
now expected to fill
more of a marketing
and promotional role
and act as ambassadors
for their schools. So some
of our instruction is now
geared toward helping
both the students and
their coaches address
these issues.”
PAGE 50
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CHICKASAW NATION ANNUAL MEETING
Going the Extra Mile
Fun, cultural heritage, legislative business and a lot of driving highlight this
Native American gathering in Oklahoma.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
M
eeting planners ind themselves developing a lot of
unusual skill sets to make
their events work these days.
But the planners of the Chickasaw Nation
Annual Meeting & Festival in Oklahoma do
something that harkens back to 19th-century, circuit-riding judges in the Oklahoma
Territory—they travel long distances from
town to town, over and over again, to ful ill
their duties.
This annual meeting—held for 55 years
—and the heritage festival leading up to it
create a mega-event that stretches from the
last Saturday in September to the irst Saturday in October, and across much of the
13-and-a-half Oklahoma counties that make
up the Chickasaw Nation, and attracts about
20,000 attendees.
“Because this is a cultural celebration for
the Chickasaw Nation and we want to make
sure the various communities in the nation
are involved, the events are held in several
different towns,” says Sheilla Brashier, director of special events and outreach for the
Chickasaw Nation. “So a big part of our job as
planners is traveling between those towns.”
To get a feeling for the geography involved, one needs only to look at the weeklong celebration’s individual events. The
44 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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festival kicks off with the sacred and centuries-old Stomp Dance held at the Kullihoma
Grounds, a 1,500-acre tribal reserve 10 miles
from Ada, Okla., where the annual Chickasaw
Princess Pageant is held. Ada is 33 miles from
Sulphur, Okla., where the Chickasaw Cultural
Center holds tours, classes and other events
throughout the festival. And Sulphur is 37
“Because this is a
cultural celebration
for the Chickasaw Nation and we want to
make sure the various communities in
the nation are involved, the events
are held in several
different towns.”
miles from Tishomingo, Okla., which is home
of the Chickasaw National Capitol and site of
both the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and sev-
eral other key events during the week. Finally,
there is Emet, Okla., home of the Chickasaw
“White House,” a historic, 117-year-old Queen
Anne-style mansion where the governor of
the Chickasaw Nation once lived. Emet is 10
miles from Tishomingo.
The distance between the various towns
means attendees will drive well more than
MPIWEB.ORG 45
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100 miles just to see their personal favorite
components each year. Brashier, with her
staff of three and several hundred volunteers, will drive considerably more than that
over the course of the year leading up to the
annual festival and meeting.
“Because of the size of the annual celebration and the number of events within
it, we pretty much start planning the next
year’s festival just about as soon as the current year’s festival is over,” she says.
But although there may be more miles
driven than for the average event, one thing that
unites the planners, the volunteers who support the
process and the thousands
of attendees who enjoy it
is that they are more than
happy to “go the extra mile,”
so to speak.
This event, which includes the type of annual
meeting many associations
have along with the type of
entertainment activity that
many events might have,
also includes something
that makes the prep work
a pure labor of love. The
Chickasaw Nation uses the
event to teach its culture
to generations of a Native
American Nation.
While the festival includes such typical summer
activities as golf and softball
tournaments, parades and
pageants, it also includes
centuries-old ceremonies such as the Stomp
Dance and generations-old tribal practices such as the corn stalk shoot, an archery
competition where participants shoot arrows, from a range of 50 to 125 yards, at a
pile of three-foot-long corn stalks stacked
three feet high and about three feet thick.
The corn-stalk-shoot tradition attracts tribal
teams from throughout North America, and
the winner is determined by accuracy and
velocity. Participants range from senior citizens to 12-year-old kids. Competitors consider this not just an athletic competition,
but an event that preserves a fundamental
skill that allowed Native American tribes
to sustain their very existence for centuries
into the past.
Another key to maintaining the Chickasaw culture and passing it on to future
generations are Chickasaw and Native
American history lessons taught at various
locations throughout the festival. The classes, open to children from schools throughout the region who come to the Chickasaw
Cultural Center in Sulphur, range from lessons in the history of the Chickasaw people
to hands-on learning in the art of making
fry bread, long a staple dish for Chickasaws
and other Native American tribes. They
also learn how to make stick- igure dolls
that Native American youngsters have
been playing with for centuries. Further
instruction for the general public occurs in
46 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBERT 2015
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“Because of the size of
the annual celebration
and the number of
events within it, we
pretty much start
planning the next
year’s festival just
about as soon as
the current year’s
festival is over.”
CHICKASAW HISTORY
The Chickasaw Tribe was irst encountered by
Spanish explorers who came to the southeastern part of what is now the United States in
the mid 1500s. The Chickasaw largely lived in
modern-day Mississippi and Tennessee, and
the tribal culture was geared to the forest and
river delta lands of the Mississippi region.
That all changed in the 1830s when it be-
came the policy of the U.S. government to forcibly remove all Southeastern Native American tribes from lands east of the Mississippi
so that their land could be settled by white
American residents. The Chickasaw were one
of the “Five Civilized Tribes” (the others being
the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw and Seminole)
who adopted numerous practices of European Americans in the early years when they
the form of historic re-enactments and displays of Chickasaw art works by exhibitors
whose booths go up each year on the grounds
of the Chickasaw Capitol in Tishomingo.
The Chickasaw State of the Nation address
is delivered each year at the annual meeting
by Bill Anoatubby, irst elected governor of the
Chickasaw Nation in 1987 and subsequently
re-elected seven consecutive times, including
this year.
Anoatubby is known for his optimism and
leadership, along with his skills in building
the economic viability of the tribe, and always
gives an inspiring address. During his 28 years
as Chickasaw governor, the crowd for the address given during the annual meeting has
grown to the point that the proceedings have
been moved to an auditorium on the campus
of Murray State College to accommodate a
larger audience.
While the annual meeting and State of the
Nation address and the festival were originally
separate events, they merged years ago, with
the weeklong festival leading up to the annual meeting (which is the culmination of the
week’s events).
The response to the State of the Nation
address given during the annual meeting is
nothing like the type of contentious response
seen during the State of the Union address in
Washington, D.C. There is unity within the governing body of the Chickasaw Nation, and no
antagonistic debates to be had.
“They tend to get on with their business
and move on to the enjoyment of the annual
festival,” Brashier says.
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lived in proximity to each other.
The eastern U.S. tribes were placed on
land in the then Indian Territory. Some
tribes, such as the Cherokee, refer to this removal as the “Trail of Tears” because members of those eastern tribes were forced by
Sept_Oklahoma Showcase.indd 48
the U.S. Army to walk to Indian Territory,
with many of the Native Americans dying
along the trail.
Chickasaws established their capital in
the town of Tishomingo, which is named for
a famous Chickasaw leader who died during
the Trail of Tears. Mississippi also has a
county named for Tishomingo.
Over the decades since their forced resettlement, the Chickasaw population has
grown to about 20 times the population that
left Mississippi more than 170 years ago. Today, there are more than 60,000 Chickasaw
descendants living in North America, largely
in Oklahoma.
The Chickasaw Nation has become hugely viable economically, with an estimated
annual economic impact of more than $2.4
billion in Oklahoma. The tribe owns 18 casinos, the largest of which is the WinStar
World Casino and Resort, with 1,395 guest
rooms and more than 500,000 square feet
of casino space (the largest U.S. casino as
measured by gaming square footage). WinStar is in the town of Thackerville, Okla., just
north of the Texas-Oklahoma border and a
one-hour drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth
metro area. With the casino, hotel and a 27hole golf course, the property is a signi icant
economic resource for the tribe. ■
8/25/15 2:18 PM
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COLLEGE SPIRIT CAMP
Bring It On
Teaching cheerleading and creating leaders
in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
BY MARIA LENHART
E
very year during a weekend in
mid-August, it’s a sure bet that
Myrtle Beach, S.C., will be illed
with good cheer. That’s when
the NCA & NDA College Spirit
Camp descends on the town, bringing some
1,200 members and coaches of college
cheerleading and dance teams from around
the region to work on technique, team spirit
and performance repertoire.
The event, which took place this year at
the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, is the
largest of six College Spirit Camps operated around the U.S. each summer by Varsity
Brands. Cheerleading is front and center
with Varsity, in a very big way: An estimated
350,000 students and coaches from around
the world attend these gatherings each year.
The Memphis, Tenn.-based company also
organizes dozens of other events—including educational camps, competitions and
clinics—for cheerleading and dance teams
at both the college and high-school level.
Now in its 20th year in Myrtle Beach, the
camp has retained its basic format, but its
goals and objectives are constantly evolving to meet the growing expectations that
many colleges have for their cheer teams,
according to Bill Boggs, senior vice president of Varsity Brands, who has run the
event since its inception.
“The students are now expected to ill
more of a marketing and promotional role
and act as ambassadors for their schools,”
he says. “When they’re not performing at
games, they may be sent out into the community to be the face of the school and its
programs. So some of our instruction is now
geared toward helping both the students
and their coaches address these issues.”
REAL LEADERS
Creating an exciting game-day experience
for the fans has always been a paramount
concern. Providing a ratio of one instructor
per 15 to 18 students, the Varsity onsite
staff includes more than 50 instructors—all
highly trained in the latest cheer and dance
techniques as well as safety measures.
Among these instructors is LeRoy McCullough, director of speed and college programs for Varsity Brands, who, like Boggs,
has seen expectations from colleges grow
more demanding over the years.
“One of our biggest techniques is to prepare the students to go beyond the competitive aspect of cheerleading to be real leaders when they get in front of the crowds,”
he says. “It’s not about ‘look at me’ but using your acrobatics and skills to lead the
crowd and get them engaged. This is what
the school administrators want to see—it’s
about creating school spirit.”
Instruction at the camp is intense and
proactive.
“We don’t just watch the students and
tell them what to do—we get in there and
help them maneuver and improve their
skills,” McCullough says. “The instructors
50 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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BILL SALLAZ (4)
“One of our biggest
techniques is to prepare the students to go
beyond the competitive
aspect of cheerleading
to be real leaders
when they get in
front of the crowds.”
become part of the team’s coaching staff.”
Instructional sessions for the 25 or more
team coaches who also attend the camp are
also part of the agenda, he says.
Lexi Berra, a recent graduate of the University of Louisville, has attended College
Spirit Camp for the past four years and has
learned valuable new skills each time.
“The camp really helps with the con idence you need to be an athlete,” she says.
“It pushes you mentally and physically in
ways you didn’t even know were there.”
Berra also likes the camp’s structure and
focus on the well being of students.
“It’s very structured, so you are never
lost and confused,” she says. “It’s constantly lowing, but the staff always seems to
know when it’s time for us to have a break.
They notice things and go with the low.”
When it comes to promoting College
Spirit Camp, which is nearly
always sold out, both Boggs
and McCullough have high
praise for Varsity’s internal
marketing team.
“They’re absolute wizards at using every avenue
of social media you can
think of, plus email blasts
and brochure mailers,” McCullough says.
DRAWING POWER
WHAT I
LEARNED
ANNA LILLEMOEN
Sales Manager, Myrtle
Beach Convention Center
MPI Carolinas Chapter
“Myrtle Beach is really known for sports tourism
and, in particular, we’re a huge draw for youth
events. One of the major reasons is that the athletes can compete
and the family can enjoy the destination. Our affordability as well
as our amenities and entertainment make this possible.”
Boggs attributes some of
the drawing power to the
camp’s host city.
“Myrtle Beach is one of
the top tourist destinations in the country,
so that’s a marketing tool in itself,” he says.
“Plus, the CVB and convention center folks
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are very helpful in setting up the logistics.”
Having enough indoor space for its many
classes, as well as for a competition among
all the teams on the inal day, is an essential
aspect, one that led the camp to move from
a local resort hotel to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in 2012. While the staging
needs of the camp sessions are not complex, primarily requiring safety mats and
sound equipment, the attendees do need
plenty of room to move.
“Our camp grew so much that we now
use about 80,000 square feet—we need
open ballroom space for the dancers, plus
ceilings that are least 28 feet high to accommodate the cheer groups and their pyramid formations,” Boggs says. “Our previous
location had lots of outdoor space, but we
really prefer being inside and not having to
worry about weather conditions.”
Events such as the NCA & NDC College
Spirit Camp are a thriving specialty for Myrtle Beach, which has taken its reputation
as a youth and amateur sports mecca over
the years and run with it. The city draws
dozens of youth-sports-related events each
year, everything from high-school cheerleading competitions to spring training for
collegiate baseball teams.
Along with the Myrtle Beach Convention
Center, the city has a growing inventory of
state-of-the-art facilities for a wide variety of youth sports as well as other types
of events. In March, the city opened the
72,000-square-foot Myrtle Beach Sports
Center, which can handle everything from
indoor sports to trade shows.
Last year, the 160-acre Myrtle Beach Park
& Sports Complex opened with six baseball
and softball ields, eight soccer and lacrosse
ields, picnic shelters and a 2,000-seat amphitheater. At about the same time, the Ripken Experience-Myrtle Beach—a complex
of regulation- and youth-sized baseball
diamonds designed for spring training and
tournaments—expanded with the addition
of the US$1.2 million Crosley Field.
While many sports-related events draw
families to Myrtle Beach, the College Spirit
Camp is a bit different in that most of the
teams are traveling together. And, given the
intensity of the class schedule that runs
from early morning until 9 or 9:30 p.m.,
Boggs says the camp leaves little time for
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outside activities.
“Some teams will come in a day early
so they can enjoy Myrtle Beach,” he says.
“And some families will come along and
make a weekend vacation out of it, but not
a lot. Everything is pretty much focused
Sept_Carolinas Showcase.indd 54
on the camp.”
All of the camp’s meal service takes place
at the convention center.
“The biggest challenge comes with feeding 1,200 people during an hour and a half,”
Boggs says. “We have to coordinate things
so people go into meals in shifts. They go
through a buffet line and it’s pretty quick
service. And the food is good.”
A major logistical focus is securing space
at the convention center as well as room
blocks at the attached Sheraton Myrtle
Beach or other nearby properties. Bookings
need to be made two or three years in advance. While this may seem like a long lead
time for a three- or four-day event, Anna
Lillemoen (MPI Carolinas Chapter), sales
manager for the Myrtle Beach Convention
Center, says many of the other cheerleading events held at the convention center
require much longer advance planning,
sometimes up to six years.
“We have other cheer competitions going on all spring and summer—one moves
in right after the other,” she says. “Spring
is our high season for the facility, so these
need to be booked much further out.”
While Varsity Brands organizes several
other college cheerleading camps around
the country every summer, it’s the Myrtle Beach camp that gets arranged irst,
Boggs says.
“This is the largest camp we do and it’s
always the last one of the season,” he says.
“It’s always on a Friday-Sunday, usually the
second weekend in August, and we know it
may be the last opportunity for some students before they go back to school. So we
lock in these dates irst, then work backwards in scheduling our other camps.”
Another concern for organizers is keeping the event safe and secure, given the
relatively young age of the attendees—typically aged 17 to 23—and the fact that four
out of ive are female.
“Security is a priority here, especially
for events that involve minors,” Lillemoen
says. “We address this during the pre-event
meeting when we go over the details. Our
people are very vigilant to see who should
be here and who shouldn’t be. Everyone is
very mindful.” ■
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WORLD DAIRY EXPO
Cash Cow
Madison, Wis., welcomes a $30 million
bovine beauty show.
BY DONNA SMITH
A
t the World Dairy Expo (WDE)
closing ceremonies in Madison,
Wis., seven bovine beauties
competing for the Supreme
Championship of 2015 are backstage getting washed, blow-dried, clipped, primped
and a cow’s version of a spray-tan, a glistening sheen that re lects their perfectly coiffed
coats under the glare of the spotlight.
The cows don custom-made designer
sashes and stride down a runway while upbeat music blasts and the emcee spouts off
stats such as, “Venus is a four-year-old Jersey
with a production record of 16,248 pounds
of milk, 800 pounds of fat and 600 pounds
of protein.” Thousands cheer for their favorite breed while 2,500 dairy cows and their
caretakers hang back at the nearby Holland
Pavilions with the show live-streamed to
their Super Bowl-like barn party.
The lights darken and the announcer
calls for the crowd-favorite human, Alice in
Dairyland, to sashay down the runway with
a gold envelope containing the winner’s
name. Cows idget, and handlers nervously wait for a very lucrative announcement.
The value of the 2015 Supreme Champion
skyrockets to something comparable to the
sticker price of a 2015 Porsche Panamera
(average, US$96,000).
Venus’ win is the culmination of the iveday event, which is arguably the most prestigious dairy cattle show on earth.
WDE includes the Westminster-like Cow
Best of Show, a cattle market show displaying thousands of dairy cows, a trade show
with 850 exhibitors demonstrating Jurassic-sized farm equipment, symposia with
experts disseminating the latest advice on
“enhancing your cow’s reproduction” or
“making the most of manure,” virtual farm
tours with slogans such as “Cheese to meet
you,” school tours for thousands of fourth
graders (many of whom think chocolate
milk comes from a brown cow) and numerous social activities, including the World
Forage Analysis Superbowl.
“My job changes every day and you never know what’s going to happen,” says Liz
Matzke, marketing manager for WDE. One
day WDE’s team may be working on how
to get a 15,000-pound Italian feed mixer
with a foreign brand (thus unusable) trailer
hitch off a boat dock or making sure there’s
enough power at the pavilion to orchestrate
the housing, feeding, milking, cleaning and
grooming of thousands of cows plus some of
their caretakers.
The 11 staff members and 500 volunteers who organize the WDE not only have
to be logistical masterminds, but also must
know how to get a 1,500-pound cow on
stage on time for a beauty contest.
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NINA LINTON PHOTOGRAPHY (3)
“We would not be
successful without
our many hundreds
of volunteers and
stakeholders and
we greatly appreciate
the incredible commitment to Expo by the
Greater Madison CVB.”
A ROOM BLOCK FOR COWS
Where do you house 2,500 cows when they
come to town to attend a conference? This may
sound like a Henny Youngman joke, but when
WDE comes to town, bringing 70,000 guests
and $30 million in direct spend, Madison of icials know the accommodations for cows and
their two-legged friends need to be exceptional.
“Dairy is in our DNA,” says Scott Bentley,
WDE general manager. “It’s a demanding labor
of love built on tradition for our global cultural family. We would not be successful without
our many hundreds of volunteers and stakeholders and we greatly appreciate the incredible commitment to Expo by the Greater Madison CVB (GMCVB). The county-owned facility
provides world-class housing for some of the
inest dairy cattle in the world.”
WDE’s relationship with Madison is one of
mutual respect.
“Scott’s team does a great job planning the
event,” says Diane Morgenthaler, GMCVB executive vice president. “Our role is creating
the welcome. We don’t plan any other events
during the WDE because it takes up 9,000 hotel rooms within a two-county area.”
Planning for this highly regarded, world-renowned dairy industry event begins months
in advance. Billboards are a visible welcome
as the exhibitors arrive in town.
“Hotels put welcome posters in their lobbies, and we make sure our restaurants know
WDE is in town,” Morgenthaler says. “Most
international attendees extend their stay (to
see the destination) so we want everyone to
be prepared.”
Six GMCVB staff members are on the
ground at the event acting as concierges, available to answer community-related questions.
“We even make sure local clothing stores
carry the handler’s white pants, [which are]
mandatory for showing cows,” Morgenthaler
says.
Because WDE has been held in Madison
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“The theme is a
fantastic opportunity to rebrand each
year and build the
excitement.”
and Dane County for almost 50 years, these
counties embrace this event, even structuring the design of its convention facilities to
provide the highest quality agricultural requirements.
The Alliant Energy Center is a 164-acre
campus that houses two recently built Holland Pavilions, collectively accommodating
2,600 cattle. These cow palaces have covered wash bays, manure storage, outdoor
walkways and access to milking parlors.
Handlers usually sleep near their cattle, and
the result is a combination slumber party
and networking session.
The 75,000-square-foot Veterans Memorial Coliseum is cow-show central, making
plenty of room for cows such as Venus to
make her “Here She Comes” walk down the
center aisle.
Wi-Fi and PA systems are the lifeline of
organizing the show, keeping the humans
aware when their cows need to be front and
center. Events in the arena are broadcast live
throughout the complex and videos of all education sessions, including the Virtual Farm
Tours, go on WDE’s website the next day.
“Our goal is to make this ive-day event a
yearlong engagement. We know everyone
can’t make every event so we bring the conference to them,” Matzke says.
To accommodate the seminars and vendors utilizing the exhibition hall, the facility
offers 150,000 square feet of convention
space and 100,000 square feet of unobstructed exhibit space.
“I have attended the show and it’s nothing
like I’ve ever experienced before,” says Jodi
Goldbeck, CMP (MPI Wisconsin Chapter),
meeting and event management instructor,
Madison Area Technical College. “Madison
College has a course called Exhibition Management and the class often gets a tour of
WDE. As a meeting professional, I typically
spend a lot of time examining the logistics.”
MORE THAN A COW IN A PRETTY DRESS
“The theme is a fantastic opportunity to rebrand each year and build the excitement,”
Matzke says.
Announced a year in advance, the motif
is the touchstone of the event and a group
participation sport where creativity gets
milked. With the Designer Dairy theme, the
coliseum created an elaborate set reminiscent of a Paris haute couture fashion show,
including life-size sculptures of avant-garde-painted cows standing on the catwalk.
Brightly colored shavings are strewn
on the loor and 15-foot banners depicting
cows in fashionable dress line the coliseum’s walls.
“We’re thinking about those people that
have been planning to come to WDE their
whole life,” Matzke says. “We want them
to walk in to the showring and be overwhelmed with excitement. Our exhibitors
get excited too, and work the theme into
their advertising and displays. It keeps the
passion of the event going on all year long.”
Eight hot topics for educational sessions
are vetted by a committee of experts in the
industry, and speakers must be the predominant experts in their ield.
“We want speakers that have done the
actual scienti ic research,” Bentley says.
Speaker Sarah Cornelisse, senior extension associate, Penn State University, says
topical, value-added products resonate with
an industry that is largely dependent on
uncontrollable factors such as weather to
make a pro it.
“For some producers, a value-added en-
terprise will be a bene icial addition to the
business, allowing them to increase pro itability, expand the business for additional
family members or pursue a passion for a
product, such as cheese,” she says.
Marieke Penterman knows the bene it of
value-added products, and it’s all due to her
love of cheese. Born a farm girl in the Netherlands, she came to Wisconsin to marry
fellow farmer Rolf Penterman.
“I knew he was the one because while
dating he promised to take me to World
Dairy Expo,” she says.
Penterman delved into the cheese market when they stopped importing her beloved Gouda from Holland and decided to
make her own, despite not knowing anything about the process. She captured a gold
award at the U.S. Champion Cheese Contest
then went on to win the 2013 U.S. Grand
Champion title.
Located in Thorp, Wis., her business
replicates a wine-tasting vineyard in its presentation. The public can tour two facilities:
the Penterman Farm and Marieke’s Gouda
Store and cheese-making facility. The farm
has large viewing windows where the public can see cows relax in free-stall barns and
enjoy the “cow spa.”
At the store and cheese-making facility,
visitors view cows getting milked, follow the
milk pipeline into the cheese-making center
and then end at the store to watch Gouda
cooking demonstrations. The complex was
selected this year for a WDE virtual tour,
in which WDE assists by writing the script,
taping the walking tour and providing all
the technical support at the event.
“For some people it is a lifetime goal to
get to the WDE and we want this to be a
memorable event,” Matzke says. “We want
WDE to be their family.” ■
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8/19/15 9:03 AM
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FEATURES
RISING
UP
PHOTOS:
MAMARAZZI FOTO INC.,
ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHY
PHO
Recipients of MPI’s 2015 Recognizing Industry
Success and Excellence (RISE) Awards were
celebrated last month at the World Education
Congress in San Francisco for their impact on
mentoring, innovation and championing the
meeting and event industry. BY JENNA SCHNUER
Meet this year’s RISE Award recipients.
MPIWEB.ORG 63
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COMMUNITY
“Mentoring
is near and
dear to my
heart. I had
many people
assist me in
my career
journey and
feel it imperative that I
give back in
the same
manner.”
has produced new board members for the next board after
the program—twice, [the program] even produced six new
board members each for the
MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter
and the MPI Tennessee Chapter.”
The invitation-only program—set up that way to elevate “the caliber of participation”—is, Liaschenko says, “a
session for pre-board training.”
Trainees get an interactive runthrough of all the basics of being on a board, which “guides
the participant through their
own personal leadership roadmap within the chapter and
MPI global.”
She adds: “It takes away the
mystery of the process and
empowers [participants]
to take their own leadership future into their own
hands.”
But Liaschenko doesn’t
just provide mentoring
for future board members,
she also works with students and young professionals, and underwrites a scholarship for two students per year in their local MPI chapter.
And her desire to help others also goes beyond the meeting industry: she developed Girl2Girl Productions and partnered with St. Pete
Pride to “create a safe environment for women within the LGBT community to gather and celebrate and enjoy live music.” The organization
has planned events including the GirlsOutLoud Music Fest.
“Our plan is to restructure and turn it into a non-pro it that will
fund LGBT youth who get displaced from their homes,” she says.
That’s a long-term plan that Liaschenko can’t wait to see come to
fruition.
And although she isn’t exactly sure what her future and that of the
business holds, she’s never been more excited and energized about it.
No matter what comes her way, it’s clear that MPI and mentoring will
remain at the top of Liaschenko’s priority list.
“The association has been invaluable to me,” she says. “The professional development I gained being a meeting planner and a leader
has been outstanding. I never would have become a facilitator without
MPI. I’ve grown professionally and personally leaps and bounds due
to working hard within the organization. I am living proof that you get
what you give.”
MEMBER OF THE YEAR
TARA LIASCHENKO, CMM
TARA LIASCHENKO, CMM, KNOWS A THING OR TWO about the
member of the year process: she’s sat on the other side of the
inal process, helping igure out who would receive the award. So
she was, to put it mildly, surprised and delighted to ind out that
this year, the honor was hers.
Founder and creative executive of icer of St. Petersburg,
Fla.-based The Link Event Professionals and a past president of
the MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter, Liaschenko is well known for
her dedication to the association and its members—especially
through mentoring.
“Mentoring is near and dear to my heart,” she says. “I had
many people assist me in my career journey and feel it imperative that I give back in the same manner. I continue to work with
people of all ages and stages in their career to chart their career
and leadership paths. And there is nothing greater than witnessing them achieve their own success.”
To help ensure a strong future for MPI, Liaschenko developed
Elite Fleet, a strategic succession-planning program to address
the challenges of volunteer boards.
“We will cease to exist as an organization if we do not create a
strong and vibrant succession plan incorporating the next generation,” she says. “I’m thrilled to say that every Elite Fleet program
64 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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Peckinpaugh and his friend, Larry Luteran (MPI Potomac Chapter), “really started working on the next vision
for [the group] and what we thought was missing is really
having the industry stand as one industry, one voice.”
They decided to morph the group from its old focus as
a marketing initiative “to a true industry initiative”—the
Meetings Mean Business Coalition. The coalition would, in
many ways, be the industry’s irst line of defense, preparing for whatever challenges come next.
“Whether it is going to be another GSA scandal or the
attempt to control government meeting spending and the
list goes on and on,” Peckinpaugh says. “So we need to be
proactively prepared to defend the value of what it is our
industry stands for.”
And what is it that he believes it stands for? “Driving
the economy forward, being a great employer of people,
supporting the development of world-class communities—and, in our opinion, you can only do that when you
have face-to-face interactions and that’s really what we are
all about.”
Initiatives to work toward that goal also include North
American Meetings Industry Day, which, next April, will
become Global Meetings Industry Day, as well as a toolkit
app. The free app offers data, research, facts, igures, Q&As
and talking points.
“Really a wealth of information is now available at your
ingertips,” he says. “And that has allowed us to have that
singular voice.”
Peckinpaugh has also invested his talent to bring people together and help ight human traf icking—something
that is far from a comfortable topic for many people to
discuss—in signing ECPAT-USA’s Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code). Maritz became one of
the irst travel companies to partner with ECPAT in the
ight against child sex traf icking. Peckinpaugh irst started
learning about the subject three years ago through a supplier, Sabre Red.
“I was able to really start learning about this really despicable crime
that was occurring and is infused throughout our industry,” he says.
He formed an internal employee committee at Maritz to igure out
how to get involved—and he’s seeing change within the industry.
“A lot more organizations are now engaged and the reason we think
it is important is because this is happening in hotels, airports, airplanes,
convention centers, restaurants,” he says.
Working with ECPAT
and There is Hope for Me,
a halfway house in St. Louis, Maritz focuses on telling
the stories of people hurt
by traf icking.
“I really accepted [the
award] on behalf of everybody that’s engaged in and been involved [in ighting human traficking],” he says. “And I think it is a call for everybody to get involved,
whatever that hot issue is. Get involved, get engaged and let’s help make a
difference.”
MEETING INDUSTRY
LEADERSHIP
DAVID PECKINPAUGH, CMP
IT’S EASY, OH SO EASY (especially when times are tough) to go all “laser
focus” on yourself and your company, leaving the greater good to fend for
itself. But that’s not David Peckinpaugh’s way. As co-chair of the U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition, Peckinpaugh devotes
considerable time and energy to bringing people within the industry together as one voice to demonstrate the value of meetings.
“We were coming out
of some very dark days for
the industry,” says Peckinpaugh (MPI St. Louis Area
Chapter) of the time when
he joined Maritz Travel
as president in 2011. “We
had been under attack,
we had been seeing the
in iltration, if you will, of
technology and there was a big debate about hybrid meetings and virtual
meetings and would they replace face-to-face. You couple that with the
industry under attack—a lot of optics involved wasteful spending and
‘boondoggles.’”
“I think it is a call for everybody to
get involved, whatever that hot issue
is. Get involved, get engaged and
let’s help make a difference.”
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POLAND’S TOURISM INDUSTRY IS LUCKY that it has Kinga
Soćko, HMCC (MPI Poland Chapter), on its side. A conference
specialist with the Poland Convention Bureau, Soćko played a
key role in preparing the Poland Meetings and Events Industry
Report, which is used to prepare national and city budgets, and
in luences business tourism in Poland.
“It is a tool that is used to convince the authorities that the
meeting industry is very important for the local economy and
we need to focus on this sector,” Soćko says. She also worked on
Poland’s DMAI accreditation process, which opened the Poland
Convention Bureau to the North American market. Not enough?
She was also the project manager of the local organizing committee for MPI’s 2015 European Meetings & Events Conference
(EMEC).
That would be an impressive roster of accomplishments for
somebody with years and years of experience in the industry,
yet Soćko’s has only been involved for four years.
“I was very new in this business as it was my irst contact
with professional work. They gave me a lot of support and motivation to develop and gain new skills,” she says of beginning as a
trainee with the Poland Convention Bureau.
Soćko has a bachelor’s degree in tourism and a master’s in
cultural studies. But the decision to try her hand at work in the
convention bureau wasn’t her own.
“I was obliged to do an internship; my school chose an institution and it was the perfect place for me,” she says. “I found
the industry very dynamic and exciting. Inspiring and creative
people, a lot of career possibilities and no routine.”
For the Poland Meetings and Events Industry Report, Soćko
coordinated data collection, managed the relationships with
the involved cities and the co-authors and worked on the design, documentation and inancials. At EMEC 2015, which she
calls one of her “greatest professional experiences so far,” Soćko
handled logistics issues and communication between the local
organizing committee and the global MPI team.
“It was a challenge to follow all the guidelines, watch the
deadlines and help both sides to ind a conclusion,” she says. “It was the irst such big
international project for me.”
Working in the industry has also helped Soćko ind a new passion on the volunteer front—which she’s working on in conjunction with the convention bureau: helping foster kids. In 2010, Poland hosted the IMEX Challenge, a three-day event to help
kids and build networking within the industry. She now works with the Nasz Dom
(Our Home) Association, a non-pro it that helps kids living in foster homes.
“Every year, I ind one home and together with local industry representatives we
change the life of its inhabitants,” she says.
Over the last four years, Soćko has coordinated projects in four cities and helped
more than 100 children.
“Based on the 2010 model, every year I invite local industry leaders to get engaged with and support the Poland Convention Bureau in this project,” she says. “Garden alterations and creating a friendly atmosphere for reading, resting or recreation,
inancing lessons in English, swimming and dancing or organizing excursions for the
children and their foster parents: This is what the project is about.”
So, all that said, where does Soćko see herself in the future? She inished university last year, but plans to continue her professional education and personal
development.
“This year could bring a lot of changes in my career and I am ready for new challenges,” she says.
YOUNG
PROFESSIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT
KINGA SOĆKO, HMCC
“I found
the industry
very dynamic
and exciting.
Inspiring and
creative people,
a lot of career
possibilities and
no routine.”
66 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT
IN KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS
MEETING INDUSTRY
COUNCIL OF COLORADO
IT TOOK WORK for the Meeting Industry Council of Colorado (MIC) to get to “all for one and one for all”—but they
got there. The organization, which promotes collaboration,
networking and knowledge-sharing between members of
13 Rocky Mountain-area meetings-related groups, including MPI, the Rocky Mountain Business Travel Association,
the Colorado Society of Association Executives and others,
was nudged and cajoled into existence by Scott Friedman,
CSP, chief celebration of icer at Friedman & Associates.
Twenty- ive years ago, Friedman started getting members of various organizations together for breakfast.
“He kept calling them and saying, ‘Let’s brainstorm
some more, how can we work together, we are all in the
same industry,’” says Debbie Taylor (MPI Rocky Mountain
Chapter), MIC executive council member and past chair,
and founder of Taylor Made Events & Speakers.
Those meetings continued for 10 years until MIC was
of icially incorporated in 2000. This past March, MIC celebrated the 15th anniversary of its cross-organizational
event, the MIC Educational Conference and Tradeshow.
“Obviously several of these organizations compete. It
took a long time to get trust for everybody to know that,
when you collaborate, when you do things together, we’re
all so much stronger,” Taylor says. “We all have common
goals and we stand together to do one meeting a year.”
Planning for the annual event takes place at monthly
meetings, held in the VISIT DENVER of ices, which brings
together one board member from each association as well
as MIC’s executive committee.
Standing together has helped expand the reach for all
MIC members. Attendance has trended upward every year;
the meeting last March clocked in 1,160 people. And the
trade show always has more than 100 booths but now also
includes exhibitors from more distant destinations, such as
Canada and Puerto Rico.
With people coming from so many organizations and
locations, great business relationships are blossoming for
Colorado’s planning community.
“You’ve got an opportunity to build relationships with
people that you’re not going to see at your [association]
monthly meeting,” Taylor says. “The energy is better, the
relationships are better. Everybody understands what everybody else does. It’s just so much more fun.”
Taylor believes other states should really get in on
building a cross-association organization. And the love for
MIC—as well as its in luence and importance—has de initely grown. For the irst six years of the organization,
there was no competition for the association’s chair.
“But it’s so successful now, everybody wants to be on
the council,” she says. “We’re so proud of it.”
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COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT
IN MARKETPLACE EXCELLENCE
MPI POTOMAC CHAPTER
SPEED DATING ISN’T FOR EVERYBODY , but members
of the MPI Potomac Chapter (PMPI) get a boost from
it. Well, speed dating of a sort. The chapter’s annual
Flipped Marketplace, which started at the Mid-Atlantic Conference and Expo (MACE!) in 2010, has more
than doubled cash sponsorship for MACE!—which
has provided quite the boon to PMPI’s education
programs.
Designed to reach beyond the chapter, the
Flipped Marketplace came about when MACE! organizers were trying to think of ways to enhance the
experience.
“MACE! itself was a fantastic educational program,” says Matthew Wales, CMP, PMPI’s director of
strategic alliances and site selection. “But there was
this lingering component of how can we not just enhance it in terms of profile but also in terms of size
and value.”
The program, which has morphed slightly over
the years, was designed to give attendees a standalone period of time during which they could interact and have candid one-on-one business conversations. In order to really bring the program to life,
MACE! was expanded from one day to two.
During the Flipped Marketplace, planners set up
shop at small tables in a ballroom. They then have
10-minute, pre-scheduled appointments with suppliers and others, allowing them to meet, greet and
do business with loads of new contacts without having to move from their spot. The planners can have
up to five meetings the first hour and five during the
second hour. But those who don’t get appointments
aren’t shut out.
During the Flipped
Marketplace, planners
have 10-minute, prescheduled appointments
with suppliers and others,
allowing them to meet,
greet and do business
with loads of new contacts
without having to move
from their spot.
68 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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“We had waiters going around and serving glasses of
wine and cocktails,” Wales says. “We had reception food stations and the people were constantly able to mix and mingle
even when they weren’t in appointments.
“Just in the last couple of years we can already attribute
a few million dollars of business to interactions and connections that have taken place on that particular floor. We’re
really excited that not only are we succeeding with the program, but there’s a huge ROI on the other side of it as well.”
After the Flipped Marketplace ends, the event rolls
straight into the opening night kickoff reception, which is
also open to members who didn’t get “flipped” and brings
in an additional 50 to 75 planners.
“You know the third parties and the suppliers are loving it when they’ve got not only the captive audience that’s
there for the actual Flipped Marketplace, but the additional
outsiders that are coming in as well,” Wales says.
That growth in the opening-night reception has allowed
PMPI to obtain sponsorship money just to pay for it.
“[Last year,] Tampa Bay was basically the underwriter of
the entire opening night,” Wales says. CONT. ON PG. 70 
Nominate
the Best of the
Industry!
Honor the global meeting
and event industry’s finest by
nominating them for the 2016 MPI
RISE Awards! Categories include:
•
•
•
•
Young Professional Achievement
Meeting Industry Leadership
Member of the Year
Community Achievement in
Knowledge and Ideas
• Community Achievement
in Marketplace Excellence
• Community Emerging Excellence
• Organizational Achievement
Start thinking about who you’d
like to see recognized and mark
your calendars—peer nominations for the 2016 MPI RISE
Awards are open later this
month. For complete details,
including eligibility, nomination
forms and past recipients, visit
www.mpiweb.org/rise.
MPIWEB.ORG 69
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Nicole Coon, CMP (MPI Minnesota
Chapter), BATC marketing and events
manager, accepted the award for the
organization.
ORGANIZATIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT
BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
OF THE TWIN CITIES
WHEN IT COMES TO PUTTING TOGETHER a strong organizational foundation to move forward, nobody does it
better than the Builders Association of the Twin Cities
(BATC). But really, two years ago, the association decided
to dig deep into their structure and develop a new strategic plan.
That’s not unusual for an organization. What was
unique: what they decided to do and that they actually
did it (they just wrapped year two of a three-year plan).
And so far, it’s showing great results.
“So many times you get a strategic plan and it goes
on the shelf, and it doesn’t get acted upon, and it doesn’t
become the culture of the organization,” says BATC Executive Director David Siegel. “We really worked hard in
building out this plan and thinking about pruning and focusing and tying our efforts together. We really worked
hard to ensure that this actually was enacted and used.”
The key to the plan was in scaling back the association’s programs and making sure that everything that moved ahead tied into one of five major
strategic goals, including connecting members
to customers and becoming the leading voice for
builders and remodelers. The “great recession”
had decimated the ranks—and it was time to start
pushing toward an upward trend again.
They put together a spreadsheet and measured
all existing activities against the goals. Anything
that didn’t tie directly to one of the five got the
axe—including some long-time favorites such as
a fishing tournament.
The association was open with members about
not knowing if the plan would definitely work—
but that they thought it was worth a real try.
“You have to say, we have a pretty strong inkling based on all the work we’ve done that this
is the way to go, and we really want you to get on
board and give this a try,” Siegel says. “And if it
doesn’t work, we will go back and revisit.”
That included combining the awards programs
for both the builders and the remodelers, without
leaving either one feeling like they were the technical-award winners at the Academy Awards. So
they sat down with various groups, committees
and stakeholders for assistance.
The individual events usually brought in 300
people each—with lots of duplication. The combined event had close to 600 attendees. “People
were really excited.”
And recent results from a survey done by the
MBA students at The University of St. Thomas
make it clear that now people aren’t just satisfied
with the association, they’re very satisfied. And
that’s something on which to build a future. ■
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TRENDS
DOMESTIC CORPORATIONS HAVE A BOLD RENEWED FOCUS
ON MEETINGS AND EVENTS, WITH AN EYE ON OVERALL ROI—
NOT JUST HITTING BUDGET.
72 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
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AT
EVENTup, a Chicago-based online marketthem to life.
place that connects companies with meeting
“A lot of times [they’ll simply] ask, ‘I have US$110 per pervenues, employees have been hustling to keep
son—what can I get for it?’” Cooke says.
up with a recent uptick in corporate meetings.
At one recent event, EVENTup worked with a client in the
“Our team is on the phone all day, every day,” says CEO
automotive industry that wanted to come up with a creative
Jayna Cooke, CMP, a former vice president of business develalternative to a hotel-based meeting for 100 people. EVENTup
opment at Groupon.
arranged a dinner curated by a Michelin-rated chef in an old
Often, the meeting organizers are keen on creating better warehouse decorated with long, rustic tables. The chef preengagement or strengthening their irm’s culture, but they pared the meal in a trailer while guests mingled over cocktails.
don’t want the same old, same old—corporations are looking The event may have looked seamless, but the prep work was
for different options and opportunities. And this doesn’t just intense.
apply to internal meetings. Cooke is seeing more evidence
“We had to do a deep cleaning of the warehouse beforehand
that customer appreciation events are also making a come- and ship in tables, linens, plates and silverware,” Cooke says.
back.
“The trailer was hidden in the back. There are a lot of logistics
“We have seen a big uptick in consumer events,” she says, involved in this more experiential kind of event.”
citing a tech company introducing a new product to key in luAt other recent gatherings, her clients have rented manencers.
sions in Los Angeles, with prices
Cooke isn’t alone in facing a chalranging from $15,000 to $25,000 for
lenge long awaited during the reces100 people and, in the case of a store
sion: keeping a swelling number of
opening in Texas, arranged for footcorporate clients happy. In the 2015
ball players from Houston to meet
summer edition of MPI’s Meetings
and greet customers at store.
Outlook survey, 48 percent of re“There are a lot more engaging,
“IN THE
spondents cited domestic corporate
exciting types of events,” Cooke says.
PAST, PLANNERS
business as the segment of their orTo be sure, while growth in corHAD TO REALLY
ganization’s meeting and event-reporate meetings is strong in the U.S.,
lated business that has seen the
meeting professionals in some marBE CREATIVE JUST
greatest increase in activity—that’s
kets are seeing domestic corporate
TO STAY WITHIN
up from 37 percent one year earlier.
business return more slowly.
THEIR BUDGET.
“It’s a very dynamic, positive en“I think some corporate business
vironment we’re in,” says Bill Voegeis coming back,” says Alan Pini, CMP,
NOW THEIR CREli (MPI Georgia Chapter), president
CMM (MPI Italia Chapter), CEO of TeATIVITY CAN BE
of Association Insights, the Atlanknocongress, a Milan-based supplier
REDIRECTED TOta-area research irm that conducts
of events technology. “There has been
the survey. “Companies are spending
a general increase in the export busiWARD CREATING
somewhat more freely but not reckness by large corporations. These are
A SUPERIOR EXPlessly. They are still cautious and still
the people who make investments in
ERIENCE IN TERMS
driven by objectives, but their objeccommunications and events. That is
OF EDUCATION,
tives have changed slightly from
coming back—not because the local
budget conservation to ROI.”
market is growing but because of the
NETWORKING
In this new environment, Voegeli
demand by foreign markets, especialAND MORALE.”
says, meeting professionals are more
ly China and the Far Eastern markets.”
empowered to adapt content and exStill, Teknocongress has gotten
periences to the needs and desires of
new domestic business in connection
attendees.
with Universal Expo 2015 in Milan. At
“In the past, planners had to really be creative just to stay the six-month exhibition, more than 140 countries are showing
within their budget,” he says. “Now their creativity can be re- their best technology to guarantee healthy, safe and
directed toward creating a superior experience in terms of suf icient food to feed the planet. At the show, Teknoeducation, networking and morale.”
congress has supplied LED walls and “vidiwalls” to
EVENTup is doing just that through its concierge group, such Italian brands as Lavazza coffee and specialty
which helps corporate clients come up with ideas and bring meat purveyor Citterio, for instance.
MPIWEB.ORG 73
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MEETINGS
Corporate Meetings Growth
Compared to Other Sectors
In the 2015 summer edition of MPI’s Meetings Outlook
survey, 48 percent of respondents cited domestic
corporate business as the segment of their organization’s
meeting and event business that has seen the
greatest increase in activity over the last year.
RIGHT
NOW
“There is a huge demand,” says Pini, whose company has
made large investments in LED walls. “In that respect, we have
been successful in the ROI.”
In the U.S., meeting professionals say corporate clients are
looking to bringing more splash to events. In July, the Norwalk,
Ct.-based innovation agency Growth Engine was planning to facilitate a war-gaming session at an event for the top 50 to 60
insurance company executives during a three-and-a-half-day
conference in Napa Valley, Calif. In such war-gaming sessions,
executives anticipate potential disruption to their industry and
devise strategies for their business to respond to it.
“They’ve got some famous speakers they invited—an astronaut and a military general,” says Bryan Mattimore, cofounder
of Growth Engine. “It’s a little intimidating conducting the
war-gaming session with the general showing up the next day.”
Mattimore has seen corporate business coming back gradually to his irm—which currently does 40 to 50 meetings a
year—since late 2013. In early 2014, his irm was involved with
a 150-200-person event in Wilmington, Del., that reminded him
of the pre-recession era. The gathering was organized by a large
pharmaceutical company that was introducing a new drug to
its sales force.
“I have to say it was like the old days,” he says. “They had
video kiosks. Focus groups were set up where they had actors
playing consumers. We haven’t been in one of those events in
ive or six years where they were investing those kinds of dollars for the launch of a new drug.”
At some of the meetings, Mattimore has noticed a shift in the
organizer’s goals. They are increasingly realizing that spending
their time as a group reviewing sales data from PowerPoint presentations will not bring much value to the meeting. The new
attitude, he says, is, “If we are going to get together, we should
leverage these people to come up with new opportunities to
grow the business.” His role at the pharma company event, for
instance, was to help the participants generate creative ideas
for the launch of the new drug.
“For me that’s the biggest shift: moving from a rewards mentality to an ROI, ‘leverage all the talent in the room’ mindset to
anticipate the future,” he says.
%
48
Sept_Feature-CorporateComeback.indd 74
37
ONE
YEAR
AGO
International
Corporate
10% 26%
Domestic
Association
22% 14%
International
Association
Government
Other
74 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
%
DOMESTIC
CORPORATE
9%
14%
4%
6%
6%
4%
8/25/15 3:55 PM
As president and co-founder of Event Strategy Group, an
experiential marketing agency in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.,
that serves corporate clients, Norman Aamodt is also seeing
them more willing to invest in meetings. The 29-employee
irm lost 52 percent of its business during the recession, but
saw it come back by 2011. He estimates business has grown
30 percent in the last two years.
“As corporations around the world have changed the way
they do business and become more pro itable, there is more
money for corporate events,” he says. “Moreover, companies
are realizing the effectiveness of live events. They really
work.”
The clients Aamodt serves tend to have a couple of key
objectives.
“Some industries we’re in that are pro itable are spending more money to make it a better experience,” he says.
“With others, it’s about targeting what they are trying to do
and spending money on that. An example is Lenovo. They’ve
got a new brand and are spending money on the brand.”
That spending includes going to trade shows and making
sure the new brand is effectively articulated, Aamodt says.
Nonetheless, he has noticed corporate clients are still
keeping a close eye on the ROI of meetings, to the point of
coming up with creative metrics with which to measure it.
One case in point was a live Lenovo event in Beijing at which
the technology company tracked “shared moments” connected to the event, such as chats on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo and media hits. Aamodt says the event had
6.5 million of these shared moments.
From his point of view, these new forms of measurement
help his business.
“Social media and other media—and the ability of people
to use their phones to vote and discuss things—extends live
events much farther than the live event,” he says. “We’re actually starting to use that as a unit of measure with certain
clients, where we are trying to track
not only what happens at the event
“THEY’VE GOT SOME FAMOUS
SPEAKERS—AN ASTRONAUT AND
A MILITARY GENERAL. IT’S A LITTLE
INTIMIDATING CONDUCTING THE
WAR-GAMING SESSION WITH THE
GENERAL SHOWING UP THE
NEXT DAY.”
but its life in cyberspace.”
The data gives corporate clients who are investing heavily in meetings proof that they are bringing value—something that still matters to top leadership.
“Dollars matter,” Aamodt says. “If you can’t prove that
your work is successful and has returned something to the
company, whether it be brand equity or sales or relationship
building, I think executives are going to question why they
are holding a meeting.”
As business has come back, many meeting professionals
still grapple with a perennial concern—short lead times
(see Page 20). Contracts are being negotiated carefully and
decisions made slowly.
Karen Shackman, president of New York City destination
management irm Shackman Associates, has ielded a number of recent requests for quick-turnaround meetings from
corporate clients. She got a call in July from an Asian company based in the U.K. about planning 12 days of meetings
for 150 attendees in New York City in late August or early
September. Given the challenges of booking hotel rooms in
the city, where rooms can be pricey, she wasn’t sure it was
achievable.
“We said we’d look into it,” she says.
Shackman has also been seeing board of directors meetings and emergency product-placement meetings cropping
up with short lead times.
“They tend to be on the smaller side,” she says.
Some meeting venues are inding that accommodating
clients who urgently need space is helping their business.
Davinci Virtual, a Salt Lake City-based provider of virtual
of ice solutions, has been helping corporate clients ind
space for regional training and meetings for corporate executives, says Coco Quillen, vice president of operations.
“We’ve really tried to help them with their future needs,”
she says.
Dedicated meeting planners provide assistance with
tasks ranging from ordering breakfast to requesting video
equipment.
“We try to help them through every piece of
the booking,” Quillen says.
When one big beverage company recently
used Davinci Virtual’s facilities for an executive
meeting and training sessions around the U.S.,
but didn’t want to ship its own equipment,
the Davinci team worked closely with its
corporate client to provide LCD screens
and to arrange catering.
“The corporations we are
dealing with use those services quite a bit,” Quillen says.
And like many in the meeting industry, she’s well prepared for
the demand to continue. ■
MPIWEB.ORG 75
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Team San Jose
WWW.SANJOSE.ORG
G
reat ideas come in unexpected places
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Foster those great ideas at one of seven
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As the Capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose
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After the convention, attendees can maximize their free time by exploring the latest
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Team San Jose Special Advertisement.indd 76
Foster those great ideas at one
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Be sure to explore downtown’s 250+ dining and lively nightlife options in Japantown
San Jose, Little Italy and San Pedro Square;
stroll along an eclectic strip of museums
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Don’t forget: Rather than handing planners
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Book your next meeting in San Jose! Visit
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8/19/15 9:05 AM
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SPECIAL SECTION:
Capital Region
CONTENTS
PAGES 80-81
PAGE 84
Destination DC
Visit Alexandria
PAGES 82-83
VisitNorfolk
Capital Region Special Section.indd 79
8/19/15 10:15 AM
CAPITAL REGION SPECIAL SECTION
Destination DC
WWW.WASHINGTON.ORG/MEETINGS
F
rom the National Mall to the
National Gallery of Art, visitors
fondly remember Washington,
D.C., for its iconic sights. The same can
be said for meetings-goers attending
events to be experienced in no place
else but D.C. Plan an engagement on
the Newseum’s terrace and attendees
will see breathtaking views of the U.S.
Capitol Building. The Top of the Hay,
the crown of the historic Hay-Adams
Hotel, provides a panorama of the White
House and the Washington Monument.
A D.C. institution, museums also serve as
favored settings for events, too—especially after dark. The Corcoran Gallery
of Art and the National Portrait Gallery
offer their spaces for private functions.
With its array of air and spacecraft
installations, the National Air and Space
Museum is a favorite for ogling.
Washington, D.C., is in the midst of
several new development projects and
renovations, all bringing a $9 billion
makeover to the nation’s capital. The
city has seen a cascade of new restaurants open in 2015, and game-changing
developments continue to inch closer
to ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Many
Washington, D.C., is in
the midst of several new
development projects and
renovations, all bringing a
$9 billion makeover to the
nation’s capital.
projects near the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center are transforming the
downtown D.C. area. For example, CityCenterDC, a 10-acre development just
two blocks from the convention center,
now provides visitors with ample
outdoor space to catch up over coffee,
a two-story digital art installation to
interact with, restaurants featuring
savories from celebrity chefs and retailers sporting the latest fashion trends.
80 ADVERTISEMENT
Capital Region Special Section.indd 80
8/19/15 10:06 AM
0915_081.indd 81
8/11/15 9:27 AM
CAPITAL REGION SPECIAL SECTION
VisitNorfolk
WWW.VISITNORFOLKTODAY.COM
N
orfolk, the heart of the Virginia
Waterfront.
Norfolk is a city with vibrant entertainment and culture, delicious cuisine and
144 miles of beautiful shoreline. Groups staying in Norfolk are accommodated in a wide
variety of hotels, most of which are located
within walking distance of the city’s downtown meeting venues, shops, restaurants,
attractions and nightlife options.
With the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean
and countless rivers in Norfolk’s backyard, you
are never far from the water; you can experience intense watersports, leisurely sails or
simply enjoy the view from your hotel room.
Getting around has never been easier with
The Tide, Virginia’s irst light-rail system.
Norfolk has a very unique art scene including a brand new Arts District, the nationally
renowned Chrysler Museum of Art and the
Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. The night
scene is happening too, with the opening of
new breweries, Virginia’s very irst urban
winery, gastropubs and much more.
Norfolk’s Granby Street, also known as
“restaurant row,” and the historic Ghent
neighborhood are teeming with talented chefs
and ambitious restaurateurs. The city offers
everything from vegan fare to a highly lauded
seafood selection to culinary offerings from
around the world. Sign up for one of Norfolk’s
fabulous culinary or pub tours!
Norfolk is a city with vibrant
entertainment and culture,
delicious cuisine and 144 miles
of beautiful shoreline.
History enthusiasts can tour the Douglas
MacArthur Memorial, the inal resting place
for General Douglas MacArthur and his wife,
and Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest
naval base. Norfolk is also home to Battleship
Wisconsin, one of the largest battleships in the
world, which is docked in the city’s picturesque harbor and has served in both WWII
and the Gulf War.
If you’re looking to see the region, Norfolk’s
location makes for easy day trips to Smith ield,
Jamestown, the Eastern Shore or the Outer
Banks of North Carolina, among others.
A quick three-hour drive from Washington,
D.C., Norfolk is easy to get to by car from most
cities and boasts an international airport.
New to Norfolk is Amtrak train service. For
more information, call VisitNorfolk at (800)
368-3097 or visit www.visitnorfolktoday.com.
82 ADVERTISEMENT
Capital Region Special Section.indd 82
8/25/15 2:31 PM
0915_083.indd 83
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CAPITAL REGION SPECIAL SECTION
Visit Alexandria
WWW.MEETALEXANDRIAVA.COM
M
eetings Made Extraordinary - Minutes from
D.C. yet a world away.
On the waterfront within eyesight of
Washington, D.C., and National Harbor, ind a magical
place where authentic history and urban sophistication unite; where trendy restaurants, independent art
galleries and chic boutiques pulse with creative energy;
where picturesque cobblestone streets, 18th-century
architecture and genuine American heritage engage
your delegate—and where every detail is taken care of
by a team of destination experts.
Dozens of new shops and restaurants ignite historic
and off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, and the waterfront district emerges with new energy. Alexandria hums
with a cosmopolitan feel and a walkable, welcoming lifestyle—a hidden gem tucked beneath the nation’s capital.
Recognized by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure
and TripAdvisor for outstanding hospitality, Alexandria’s
Capital Region Special Section.indd 84
collection of hotels ranges from mid-level properties to
four-star luxury nestled in the heart of historic Old Town,
accommodating groups up to 800.
Nationally recognized as a culinary hotspot and
locale it for presidents, celebrity-chefs and masters
of mixology provide a full spectrum of dining and
award-winning cocktails for private events and dinearounds. Authentic historic and cultural venues let planners weave the area’s rich history, while contemporary
galleries and more trendy sites showcase Alexandria’s
cosmopolitan panache.
Just minutes to Ronald Reagan National Airport and
served by four Metrorail stations, it’s easy to see why
Alexandria is consistently ranked among the “Top 50
Meeting Destinations” by CVENT.
For more information, contact Lorraine Lloyd,
senior VP of sales, at LLloyd@VisitAlexVA.com or
(703) 652-5360.
8/25/15 2:32 PM
SPECIAL SECTION:
Renovations
CONTENTS
Renovations Special Section.indd 85
PAGES 86-87
PAGES 88-89
Visit Seattle
ARIA
8/19/15 10:01 AM
RENOVATIONS SPECIAL SECTION
Visit Seattle
WWW.VISITSEATTLE.ORG
S
eattle’s key ingredient for successful meetings and events is its rare combination of
natural wonders, urban charms and innovative facilities.
Seattle is set amid two stunning mountain
ranges, Puget Sound and pristine lakes. Its compact and uniquely walkable downtown district
offers sophisticated cultural attractions, ine
dining, entertainment, world-class hotels and a
wide range of meeting facilities.
Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, the
Washington State Convention Center (WSCC)
exceeds expectations for events with more than
414,000 square feet of function space—including
The Conference Center, which opened in 2010
with 71,000 square feet of high-end con igurable
space. The Conference Center received LEED
Silver Certi ication through its use of sustainable construction practices, furnishings and
equipment.
The WSCC’s recent $21 million refurbishment
of its meeting rooms, ballrooms, pre-function
spaces and exhibition halls represents a strong
sense of place that is tied to the Paci ic Northwest.
The upgrade incorporates sustainable materials, from carpet with 35 percent pre-consumer
recycled content by weight to Greenguard and
NFS-certi ied solid surfacing material. Way inding
was enhanced, as well, with new digital meeting
room signage and redesigned directional signage.
During 2015, the WSCC plans a major upgrade
of wireless and iber-optic connectivity. This
improvement will increase Internet bandwidth
from one to 10 gigabits and increase wireless
access points from 75 to a total of 180.
Seattle offers plenty of offsite venue options
for meetings and events, including attractions
that celebrate Seattle’s commitment to aviation
and music. At the Museum of Flight guests mingle
among vintage aircraft on display and test light
simulators. At the EMP Museum, attendees
browse the world’s largest collection of Jimi Hendrix memorabilia and record their own rock tunes.
Other unique venues include the Space
Needle, Seattle Art Museum, Woodland Park
Zoo, Seattle Waterfront and piers and Seattle
Aquarium. For small groups, Seattle’s private
dining rooms and award-winning restaurants are
famous for their fresh seafood, organic produce
and world-class wine. And for an even more
immersive vino experience, groups can visit one
of 100-plus wineries and tasting rooms in nearby
Woodinville Wine Country.
Downtown Seattle offers more than 10,000
hotel guest rooms and some 3,000 new rooms are
expected within the next three years.
For more information, contact Visit Seattle:
(206) 461-5800; conventions@visitseattle.org;
www.VisitSeattle.org.
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RENOVATIONS SPECIAL SECTION
ARIA
WWW.ARIA.COM
D
iscover ARIA’s unexpected indulgences
around every corner—whether it’s a
gemstone facial, liquid-nitrogen cocktails
or our state-of-the-art meeting and convention space. Step inside our AAA Five Diamond
Award-winning resort and casino and experience
luxury at its inest.
One indulgence you will be pleased to take
advantage of is our meeting space. A spectacular glass wall overlooking the pool lets light in
and enhances the experience. Three levels of
lexible space feature four ballrooms ranging in
size from 20,000 to 51,000 square feet, three
with fully functioning theatrical stages. Each
level offers additional breakout meeting rooms
from 800 to 3,400 square feet to host smaller
programs. Two executive boardrooms are
designed for intimate meetings with intricate
presentation requirements. Innovative technology combined with clean air, natural lighting
and 300,000 square feet of lexible space makes
ARIA the ideal meeting place.
Due to success in the convention market,
ARIA has committed to a $4 million refresh
in late 2015, with numerous additions and
upgrades including four media walls and a large
conference room in the business center. Always
feel connected with tech tables and charging
capabilities throughout the space.
After a successful meeting it may be time
for a bite. Choose from 16 unique restaurants
serving a ine collection of edible art. Or indulge
ARIA has committed to a $4
million refresh in late 2015,
with numerous additions and
upgrades including four media
walls and a large conference
room in the business center.
in our 80,000-square-foot spa. Breathe in our
Shio Salt Room and then moisturize with an
imported clay spa treatment.
When it’s time to retire, head up to your room
to enjoy a corner view. Every room has one. Or for
an elevated level of luxury, check in to the exclusive Five-Star Award-winning ARIA Sky Suites.
For thrilling entertainment visit ZarkanaTM by
Cirque du Soleil®, a visually stunning acrobatic
spectacular that de ies the possible.
One visit here and you’ll see what makes
ARIA a destination unlike any other.
this is how we vegasTM
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MPI PARTNERS
THANK YOU
WORLD
EDUCATION
CONGRESS
SPONSORS!
STRATEGIC
American Program
Bureau Inc.
BEARCOM
CadmiumCD
CORT Event Furnishings
Destination By design
Dominican Republic
Tourism Board
eventPower
Experience Columbus
Freeman
GeoTeaming
Giants Enterprises
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
Grapevine Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells
Greater Fort Lauderdale
Convention Center
iCompli
IMEX
IMEX America
Las Vegas Convention
& Visitors Authority
Latinamerica Meetings
S.A de CU
Louisville Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Meet AC (Formerly Atlantic
City CVA)
Meetings + Conventions
Calgary
Mexico Tourism Board
New Orleans Convention
& Visitors Bureau
New Orleans Convention
Center
Orange Photography
Panda Sportswear
PC/Nametag
Philadelphia Convention
& Visitors Bureau
PSAV Presentation
Services
PTE Productions LLC
QuickMobile Inc.
San Francisco Travel
Association
Sonic Foundry
Southwest Airlines Co.
streamlinevents inc.
T Skorman Productions
Team San Jose
Thailand Convention
& Exhibition Bureau
Totally Mod
Tourisme Montreal
Visit Anaheim
Visit Norfolk
VMware
WestJet Airlines
Wisconsin Department
of Tourism
Workspring
90 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL
September Sponsors.indd 90
SIGNATURE
ELITE
PREFERRED
PREMIER
CHOICE
ALHI - Associated Luxury Hotels
International
Legends Attractions & One
World Observatory
Colorado Springs Convention
& Visitors Bureau
NYC & Company
Greater Birmingham Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Tourisme Montreal
Greater Raleigh Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Greensboro CVB
PC Nametag
Travel Alberta
Visit Indy
Visit Orlando
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
Visit Seattle
Live Nation Special Events
Wisconsin Department of Tourism
SEPTEMBER 2015
8/25/15 3:37 PM
MPI FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTORS
LEGEND
EDUCATION
CORPORATE
($50,000+ Annual)
($25,000+ Annual)
($12,500+ Annual)
ANNUAL EDUCATION
($10,000 and below)
Air Canada
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
Hilton Worldwide Canada
M&IT
Maritz Travel
Porter Airlines
Social Tables
Stronco
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 91
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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
‘Tis the Season
to Get Spooky
Even though The Meeting Professional isn’t
published in October, we’ll be with you in spirit
as annual macabre festivities once again come
to life and thoughts shift to the unknowable
things that go bump in the night. Explore our
online showcase of haunted (and just downright
creepy) venues at www.mpiweb.org/blog.
WHAT’S BETTER
THAN A NIGHT
AT THE MUSEUM?
A night in an abandoned mental
institution! The Trans-Allegheny
Lunatic Asylum in Weston, W.V.,
welcomed patients for 130 years—
now it welcomes groups for daytime
or overnight gatherings. When
making a reservation, be sure to
select “team building” rather than
“transorbital lobotomy.”
PHOTO (CC) ZACK MCCORMICK
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