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TuESdAy, AuG 5
The OFFICIAL award-winning daily publication of MPI’s 2014 World Education Congress
@wec
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on Twitter at #wec14.
closing Night:
The Great Outdoors,
Minneapolis Style
How do you incorporate
wellness into your meetings
or everyday work?
“I am finding increased demand for vegetarian meals
by meeting attendees that I don’t think are even vegetarians. They are just hearing that vegetarian menus
are more healthy and sustaining.”
Shannon Smith, university of houston Law center
“In the wellbeing programs I plan for corporate meeting groups, the biggest skeptics are the ones who give
us the biggest hugs and become the biggest advocates
when the program is finished.”
Monica graves, the chopra center, carlsbad, calif.
“I think the good feeling that I create by being respectful and positive when I am dealing with suppliers for an
event seems to make them more likely to go the extra
mile for my meeting when something goes wrong at
the last minute. Creating good karma is important.”
Leigha Schatzman, association for high
technology distribution, waukesha, wis.
closing General
Session: Finding New
Norms at the Fringe
Tuesday afternoon’s closing general
session (4:15 - 5:15 p.m., Main Auditorium / Level 1) features Scott Schenker,
general manager, events and production
studio, at Microsoft. Schenker believes
there is magic in discovery and innovation. However, the process of discovering and innovating is not magical—it
comes from observing what others are
doing, tapping the collective imaginations of empowered and engaged individuals and embracing the fringe for
new norms.
Developing a habit of appreciating,
understanding and being energized by
these new norms, rather than fearing
or dismissing them, has been one of
Schenker’s keys to success in the event
industry.
Scott will share insights on how he
approaches innovation, searches for
new ideas and “borrows” them from
completely different industries to introduce them into the events he and his
team organize.
p. 4
Ticket
to Ride p. 4
Steve wozniak
Preview
Lunch:
Find Your
Breakthrough
at WEc 2015
Big Ideas for Better Business
A Quick Study
Situated within walking distance of attendee hotels and the Minneapolis Convention
Center, Orchestra Hall and the adjacent
Peavey Plaza will provide a perfect setting
for a send-off like none other at the Closing
Night Celebration (7 - 9:30 p.m.). This is an
informal, outdoor event, and guests are encouraged to dress in a navy-and-white color
scheme.
Meet Minneapolis is offering free tickets
to a Minnesota Twins baseball game to the
first 500 interested attendees during the
Closing Night Celebration (each attendee
will receive one ticket, and transportation
will not be provided). The game is at 12:10
p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Sponsored by Delta Air Lines and Orchestra Hall.
Today’s Flash Point session (9 - 10 a.m.,
Main Auditorium / Level 1) will offer even
more big ideas in small packages (15 minutes, to be exact).
Can you tell the story of your event in 60
seconds? Ruud Janssen and Roel Frissen
will explain how the event model canvas is
a practical, game-changing prototype for
understanding, designing and implementing meetings and events—a tool that helps
you get to the core of your event in a manner never before possible.
Sam Richter (sponsored by Élan
Speakers Agency) will show you how to
find information about others in ways you
never thought possible and give you prov-
en methods to grow your business. Read
Richter’s article about Facebook damaging business opportunities on Page 8, and
he’ll be signing copies of his book at the
MPI Bookstore on Level 2 today from 1:15
- 1:45 p.m.
Laura Schwartz, former White House
director of events, sheds new light on how
being in the moment increases your value
everywhere from business meetings, client lunches and conference calls to social
events and sitting at the family dinner
table. Read our interview with Schwartz
on Page 10, and she’ll be signing copies of
her book at the MPI Bookstore on Level 2
today from 12:30 - 12:45 p.m.
San Francisco is the mother of invention.
Well, at least a few. The first cable car. The
early development of all-electronic television. Levi’s. The martini. And in recent
years, the “innovation capital of America”
has witnessed one breakthrough after
another—mind-altering Twitter, Tesla and
Apple products.
San Francisco Travel and our Northern
California partners will host today’s closing
luncheon on Tuesday (12:30 - 2 p.m., Ballroom A, Level 1) to mark the beginning of
a few firsts we plan to share with you at the
2015 MPI WEC. No one represents the area’s
hot bed of creativity and innovation more
than Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple
Computer, who joins Warren Berger, author
of A More Beautiful Question, on stage to discuss game-changing ideas. (See our interview with Wozniak on Page 12.)
ONSITE
Schedule
at-a-Glance
7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
cMP/cMM Breakfast
(Invitation only)
Level 2
Sponsored by Dominican
Republic Tourism Board
7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Sunrise education Sessions
Level 1
7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Registration
Level 1
8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
MarketSquare
Levels 1 & 2
8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
career & Learning central
Mezzanine Foyer
8:30 - 9 a.m.
coffee
MarketSquare Area
9 - 10 a.m.
flash Point general Session
Main Auditorium / Level 1
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
tech café
Mezzanine Level
10 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Puppy cuddling
Level 1
10:15 - 11 a.m.
education Sessions
Levels 1 & 2
10:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
campfire Sessions
Mezzanine Level
11 - 11:30 a.m.
Break
Levels 1 & 2
11 - 11:30 a.m.
Book Signing:
Pat Schaumann
Bookstore / Level 2
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
education Sessions
Levels 1 & 2
12:30 - 12:45 p.m.
Book Signing: ashley
darkenwald and Laura
Schwartz
Bookstore / Level 2
12:45 - 2 p.m.
wec 2015 San francisco
Preview Luncheon
Ballroom A / Level 1
1:15 - 1:45 p.m.
Book Signing: nolan
Bushnell and Sam Richter
Bookstore / Level 2
2 - 4 p.m.
tech café
Mezzanine Level
2:15 - 3:45 p.m.
education Sessions
Levels 1 & 2
2:15 - 3:45 p.m.
campfire Sessions
Mezzanine Level
3:45 - 4:15 p.m.
Break
Levels 1 & 2
4:15 - 5:15 p.m.
closing general Session
Main Auditorium / Level 1
5:15 - 6:15 p.m.
european Reception
(Invitation only)
Seasons Ballroom / Level 2
Sponsored by Regent
Exhibitions, Ltd.
7 - 9:30 p.m.
closing night celebration
Orchestra Hall and Peavey
Plaza
Tuesday Sessions
Download the new MPI Global Event App—available for Android, iPhone and iPad devices—to learn much
more about these sessions and to get the most out of your WEC experience, from managing your education
schedule to finding locations for offsite events. Search your mobile device app store for “MPI Global Events.”
7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
fast and functional fitness!
101 B
Role Models: how to give effective
feedback
101 E • 1 clock hour
9 - 10 a.m.
flash Point general Session
Main Auditorium • .5 clock hours
10:15 - 11 a.m.
ask for it! the Power of the Planner to
Shift our industry towards Sustainability
- Part 1
205 D • .75 clock hours
can i go to Jail?
(healthcare Meeting compliance)
205 A • .75 clock hours
engagement is the eye of the Storm
101 B • .75 clock hours
Meetings Outlook: a deep dive into
the Latest trends
102 A • .75 clock hours
Mobile integration: thoughtfully
incorporating Mobile into an established
Meeting Program
101 E • .75 clock hours
MaSteR cLaSS: “know More!”
accelerating Relevancy in your
Business Relationships
Auditorium 1 • 1 clock hour
MaSteR cLaSS: eat, drink and Succeed
200 E • 1 clock hour
nerve Breakers: the Path to top
Performance
Auditorium 3
Tuesday
campfire
Sessions
10:15 - 10:45 a.m.
Planning globally: how to deal with
cultural differences in Business
205 A • 1 clock hour
Passport to Productivity
SESSION REPEATS
.5 clock hours
Social tsunami: how to drink from the
information fire hose by using a Straw
200 B • 1 clock hour
The Meeting Professional, MPIpulse
and MPIspotlight: the inside Story
the consultative Role of the cvB Sales
Professional (for cvBs only)
101 E • 1 clock hour
11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
#hiring: finding a Job using Social Media
the Planners’ guide to understanding
hybrid events
101 B • 1 clock hour
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
2:15 - 3:45 p.m.
12 - 12:30 p.m.
a Peer-to-Peer app Session: discovering
what your industry colleagues are using
200 B • 1.5 clock hours
innovations in the Latin american
Meetings Marketplace
.5 clock hours
the event alley Show!
Master class: finding the next Steve Jobs
Auditorium 3 • 1.5 clock hours
2:15 - 2:45 p.m.
Motivational health
200 E
Risk Management 101
205 D • 1.5 clock hours
Passport to Productivity
.5 clock hours
Sales deal of the day: top 40 Persuasive
tips in 40 Minutes
Auditorium 1 • .75 clock hours
Serve this, not that
200 E • 1.5 clock hours
2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
the Meeting Professional’s ultimate guide
to internet connectivity
200 B • .75 clock hours
Strategic Meetings Management: Be a
Strategic Meetings champion!
101 B • 1.5 clock hours
10:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
the attendee Journey: Before, during,
and after the event
102 A • 1.5 clock hours
deep dive: how Leaders and changeMakers use the event Model canvas
(Additional Registration Required)
208 A • 3.25 clock hours
the epic Battle: Seller vs. Buyer
205 A
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
are you Smarter than a college
hospitality Student?
102 A • 1 clock hour
ask for it! the Power of the Planner to
Shift our industry towards Sustainability
- Part 2
205 D • 1 clock hour
Space and Places are changing: what to
Look for on your next Site visit
.5 clock hours
the Surprise SMM: how Smaller companies
are outpacing Larger ones
3:15 - 3:45 p.m.
the Paperless conference Binder: how
Meeting Professionals can use tablets to
eliminate Print at events
Auditorium Room 1 • 1.5 clock hours
+good: adding a charitable component to
your Meeting
the tRuth on SMM: increases in data
Quality Lead to More Meetings
town hall Meeting: your conversation
with MPi
101 E • 1 clock hour
4:15 - 5:15 p.m.
closing general Session: finding new
norms at the fringe
Main Auditorium • 1 clock hour
download the MPi global events app to see all
of wec’s education sessions and events.
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
MPI ONSITE
3
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A Quick Study
Focused and motivated student member
Antwone Stigall has his eye on an MPI board
spot some day.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
Invigorated, inspired and awed. That’s how
University of Memphis student member
Antwone Stigall (MPI Tennessee Chapter)
describes his experience in Minneapolis:
his first-ever WEC. But as the saying goes,
this is not his first rodeo.
“The first event I planned was my own
10th birthday party,” says Stigall, 25. “I was
booking the venue, food and beverage and
entertainment, and negotiating with sponsors to fund the event—my parents. I was
an event planner before I knew that existed as an actual career field.”
Now he knows that career path concept
very well. After he graduates with a hospitality management degree with an emphasis on event planning in 2015, he plans to
seek a job as an in-house corporate event
planner. After doing that for 10 or 15 years,
he would like to start his own meeting
planning company. Oh yeah, he also wants
to be on the MPI International Board of Directors some day.
Stigall’s aspirations would seem achievable to anyone who knows this industry
and has had the pleasure of talking with
the young man for a few minutes.
“I completely related to something (MPI
Chairman) Kevin Kirby said in a speech
here at WEC: ‘Own it. Own the opportunities and education you can get at this
WEC. Own your career in this industry,’” he
says. Stigall has shown the focus to do
exactly that.
He already had an in-house event planning job with the New Direction Church in
Memphis, of which he is a member, when
the local economy was sour in 2011. His
supervisor at the church said his position
needed to be eliminated, but encouraged
Stigall to start his own company and contract with the church for events.
4 MPI ONSITE
“I realized that meant I could take on
other clients in addition to my church,” he
says. “So I sought advice from meeting professionals in Memphis, and I noticed these
letters ‘CMP’ in their titles. So I asked them
what that was and that’s how they steered
me to join MPI.”
Since joining, he has set a priority on
earning his CMP, and he has also reached
out to hospitality entities, associations and
other businesses in Memphis, offering the
services of his company, Events With EAS
(Stigall’s full name is E. Antwone Stigall.)
He won a scholarship through his MPI
chapter to come to WEC 2014, and says he
knows there will be many more WECs in
his future.
“I love the education sessions, the workshops and the idea sharing, and I also very
much have enjoyed the general sessions
for the information and the inspiration you
get from listening to the speakers,” he says.
“And of course there’s the very important
process of simply meeting people, listening to them and learning from them.”
Though he’s fairly new to meetings and
events, Stigall already knows that this is
first and foremost a relationship-based
industry.
“You can learn a lot of great information through electronic media,” he says.
“But everybody knows that it is the people
you meet face-to-face who will create the
relationships on which you will build your
business. I don’t see
that ever changing in
my career.”
Rowland Stiteler is
editor of The Meeting
Professional.
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
Ticket to Ride
The not-really-a-taxi-service taxi service
Uber is disrupting status quo transportation
and welcomed by some WEC attendees.
BY Michael Pinchera
Many cities are actively fighting Uber and
similar transportation networks for reasons ranging from safety, insurance and
taxation concerns to, well, let’s be honest,
the disruption of taxi monopolies. Minneapolis, however, officially legalized and
began regulating Uber last month (just
in time for WEC), a move welcomed by
attendees.
“It’s usually faster and cheaper,” says
John Chen (MPI Washington State Chapter), CEO of Geoteaming, in summarizing
his attraction to the alternative transportation system that he’s been utilizing for
more than a year, including in Minneapolis
during WEC.
Needing to get to The Big Deal from another venue, he opened the Uber app on
his phone and, “Oh my god, there was a guy
right in the neighborhood!” he says.
Beyond convenience, he cites the digital
payment element as a major benefit.
Bill Voegeli (MPI Georgia Chapter), president of Association Insights, first learned
about the service from his son and sees it
as an ideal option.
“I’ve used it in four cities in the past six
months—maybe 50 rides in total,” he says.
“I’ve used it four times already while at
WEC.”
The first driver in Minneapolis was so
outstanding that Voegeli asked for his
phone number and established an arrangement with him, still through Uber, as
something of a personal driver—including
his ride to the airport later today.
“The best part is you just get out, walk
away—the receipt is emailed to me,” he
says.
In his experience, the concerns many
people have regarding taking a taxi—such
as safety and honesty—aren’t a concern
with Uber.
“The experience is consistently good,”
he says.
My first encounter with Uber took place
in Minneapolis this past weekend. On Sunday night, I installed the app and registered
for the service, which took all of three minutes. I could then see that Uber vehicles
surrounded my hotel—a perfect time to
test out the service on my way to experience one piece of an incredibly unique
Minneapolis event, the Minnesota Fringe
Festival. While still in my room, I ordered a
ride using the app then immediately went
to the elevator—I waited on the sidewalk
for less than a minute before Adam, the
driver, arrived. He was friendly, knew his
way around the city and was safer (without wasting time) than the taxi ride I experienced from the airport upon arriving.
After midnight, Uber vehicles were
much less prevalent, but I tapped my ride
request into the app and was given an estimated wait time of eight minutes. In reality, I waited more than 20 minutes, but
there were no taxis in sight—and when
did you last get a taxi ride for $6.15, anyhow? Additionally, I wanted to successfully complete my first round-trip Uber
journey.
Heads up: Uber and Lyft (a similar service) are widespread throughout
San Francisco—the
host city for WEC
2015.
Michael Pinchera is editor
of The Meeting Professional.
JEFF LOY
ONSITE
Moving Forward
Kevin Kirby eyes continued advocacy and face
time with members as he begins his term as
2014-2015 chairman of MPI’s international board
of directors. By Rowland Stiteler
It literally started when he was a baby;
the long, perspective-shaping process that
prepared Kevin Kirby to lead MPI’s international board of directors (IBOD).
“I was one of nine children in my family,
so working with groups and being part of
a team literally goes back to the time I was
learning to walk and talk,” he says.
6 MPI ONSITE
Growing up in the small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, near Cleveland, he also had
more than 20 cousins, so the frequent extended family get-togethers involved anywhere from 20 to 30 kids who were not
just acquaintances, but relatives and close
friends.
“That experience didn’t make me a plan-
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
ner or a supplier, but what it did was give
me the group perspective that is part of the
fabric of who I am and always have been,”
he says.
Kirby and each of his siblings had a
paper route or worked in a store or a restaurant or any of a dozen other part-time
jobs to not only earn their own spending
money, but contribute to the financial wellbeing of the family as a whole. It was family
as the quintessential team.
Because of that life experience, Kirby is
a great believer that while life can be like
one of his beloved roller coaster rides, with
ascents and descents that sometimes come
at you at blinding speed, the journey will
ultimately take you where you are destined to be.
Kirby considers it to be no small irony
that he began his professional life, after
graduating from Bowling Green State University with a dual major in international
business and sales management, as a
group coordinator at one of the Midwest’s
original shrines to the roller coaster experience, a small, century-old theme park
called Geauga Lake.
“I was coordinating group experiences
like family reunions and picnics,” Kirby
says. “It was really good, fundamental
preparation for my career because in that
business, you had 110 operating days to
earn your revenue for the entire year, and
you went to work every morning with a
sense of urgency and focus.”
Fast-forward to 2014, and Kirby has a
résumé and professional life experience
that’s totally right for his term at the helm
of MPI’s IBOD. He most recently spent eight
years as senior director of worldwide sales
for Hard Rock International, including the
last year or so as the organization’s head
of international sales and marketing, guiding the strategies and execution for Hard
Rock Cafe branding activities in 55 countries. Add to that the six years he spent as
national director of sales for Walt Disney
Parks and Resorts and the four years he
spent in special events and conventions for
Universal Orlando, ending his tenure there
continued on page 14
Meet Kevin Kirby Today!
2:15-3:45 p.m.
“Town Hall Meeting: Your Conversation with MPI”
4:15-5:15 p.m.
“Closing General Session”
ONSITE
I’ve witnessed and heard stories
from executives about people who have
done damage to their reputations based
on what they post on Facebook. Worse, this
damage has caused the posters to miss out
on major business opportunities. Most often, the person posting had no idea about
the damage they did to their own business
or career. Here are some examples:
“Could Facebook
damage my business
opportunities?”
WEC Flash Point speaker Sam Richter uses
real-world examples to demonstrate the dangers
of carelessness in the social media realm.
8 MPI ONSITE
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
• I was delivering the keynote presentation at a large association meeting. In preparation, I randomly researched a number
of the association’s members and their
companies so I could ensure I tailored my
talk to their interests. One of the members,
the president of a large company, had multiple Facebook posts sharing his disdain
for labor unions. I can only think that he
thought his Facebook page was private.
Why? Because in doing further research,
one of the articles I read was about the
upcoming negotiations this president was
about to have with the union representing
his employees. Oops.
• An exceptionally talented woman posted on Facebook that her husband had a
“successful medical checkup that morning,
and although all is looking good, there’s
still a long road ahead.” She probably just
wanted to share the news with her friends.
But the “law of unintended consequences”
was about to strike. This woman was also
on the short list to get a six-figure marketing job. After the post, she was not even
included in the final list. The small business that was going to hire her didn’t want
to take the risks of large healthcare cost
increases or that the woman might one
day request weeks off to care for her ill
husband. Unfair? Yes. Heartless? Probably.
Illegal? Maybe. Realistic? Absolutely.
Read the full article in the July issue of The
Meeting Professional.
Sam Richter at WEC
TODAY:
9-10 a.m. “Flash Point” (one of four speakers)
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. “Master Class: Know More!
Accelerating Relevancy in Your Business Relationships”
ONSITE
You Must Be
Present to Win
Former White House director of events Laura
Schwartz wants to help you create opportunities
and build partnerships. But you’ve got to be in
the room—starting with her WEC sessions today.
By Elaine Pofeldt
Growing up in the small town of Plymouth,
Wis., Laura Schwartz (MPI Chicago Area
Chapter) witnessed the power of professional meetings long before she took over
as White House director of events during
10 MPI ONSITE
the administration of former U.S. President
Bill Clinton. When she was in second grade,
her father lost his job with A&P Cheese due
to a corporate buyout—a devastating blow
to the family. However, this led him to tap
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
a lifelong passion for photography and he
and Laura’s mother Judith opened a studio,
Schwartz Photography.
“The same day, they applied to be members of the Wisconsin Professional Photographers Association,” Schwartz says.
Eager to attend the group’s state conference to learn how to build the business, but
unable to afford a babysitter, they brought
Schwartz and her older sister. She listened
to talks by the motivational speakers and
joined her parents at networking events.
“I saw my parents’ response,” she recalls. “They felt more confident every time
we went to the conference. They brought
back what they learned to the studio and
couldn’t wait to try it. It changed my life.
I saw that everything my parents learned
about the business and to bring out my
dad’s talent was all through the association
membership and quarterly meetings.”
That childhood experience ignited a
lifelong passion for meetings and events
for Schwartz, who still attends the conventions when she is in the area. Years later,
she went on to create and run more than
1,000 meetings for the White House during the eight-year Clinton administration.
The gatherings included State arrival ceremonies and dinners, America’s Millennium celebration, NATO’s 50th Anniversary
and the Concert of the Century. Despite the
volume of events she planned, the novelty
never wore off.
“I still get this little-girl excitement for
every conference I attend,” she says.
Now an award-winning professional
speaker and author of the networking
playbook Eat, Drink & Succeed: Climb Your
Way to the Top Using the Networking Power
of Social Events, Schwartz will share her
insight at the World Education Congress
today through both a quick-hit Flash Point
session and a more in-depth Master Class.
If there is one thread that runs through
Schwartz’ career in the meeting industry,
it’s a focus on giving back, a mindset she
discusses in depth in her book.
“That is absolutely what drives my energy,” she says. “So many people have a ‘What
can you do for me?’ mentality. For me, it’s
‘What can I do for you?’ I always make the
point in my presentation that when we
help others, we achieve ourselves.”
And the meeting industry is full of opportunities to give back. By looking for
ways to build bridges for guests at an event
to connect with each other in meaningful
ways, meeting professionals will inevitably
create opportunities for themselves, too.
“As we’re building bridges for others, we
often realize what bridges we were meant
to cross ourselves,” she says.
Schwartz got a crash course in the importance of giving early in her career. She
gained entrée to working at the White
House by donating her time. As a 19-yearold college student, she volunteered to
answer phones in the White House press
office. She eventually worked her way up
to staff assistant, Midwest press secretary,
director of television and, ultimately, di-
rector of events. In her high-profile role as
director of events, she put her versatility
to the test, producing gatherings ranging
from one-on-one meetings to the first carnival on the White House South Lawn.
“I truly believe there is no better way to
communicate a message than through a
powerful event,” she says.
At the White House, Schwartz also
learned that no matter how much fanfare
is included, professional meetings are still
about business.
“I had the realization that a State Dinner
is more than a black-tie event—it’s a meeting in black tie,” she says.
Making the most of such events, she
says, requires meeting and event organizers to balance entertaining guests with
helping them get things done. Offering free
food and drink isn’t enough.
“The power of the host is the ability to
create an event that is both enjoyable and
productive,” Schwartz says. “That is certainly how the president and Mrs. Clinton
approached every meeting at the White
House.”
Getting the right people in the room
was a big part of this. At the Sept. 29, 1994,
State Dinner for then-Russian President
Boris Yeltsin, guests included luminaries
such as Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and
Jeffrey Katzenberg. She noticed that the
trio, two of whom were newly acquainted,
started a conversation that continued late
into the night, off in a corner. Three weeks
later, they announced they were creating
the DreamWorks film studio.
“That wasn’t in Hollywood,” she says.
“That didn’t happen on a studio lot. They
were at a State Dinner.”
After leaving the White House, Schwartz
traveled around the globe, often with former President Clinton, planning events
for him as he embarked on initiatives such
as The Clinton Foundation. It was during
this period that the Miss USA Pageant approached her to be the keynote at a conference about women and power.
An editor at Today’s Chicago Woman
magazine heard the speech and was intrigued and invited her to write a column
to develop her ideas further. Soon her writing morphed into Eat, Drink & Succeed,
published in 2010.
In her Master Class today, Schwartz will
expand on what she calls her “Eat, Drink
and Succeed” theory. The premise is that
professionals must be present and focused
continued on page 14
Laura Schwartz
at WEC
TODAY:
9-10 a.m.
“Flash Point”
(one of four speakers)
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Master Class: “Eat, Drink
and Succeed!”
Meet Woz:
The Other Steve
MICHAEL BULBENKO
ONSITE
The designer of the personal computer
revolution shares best practices for
management and innovation. By Michael Pinchera
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple
Computer, has a keen grasp on how to
engender a successful creative and collaborative workplace, although he’s never had eyes on entering management. 12 MPI ONSITE
With engineers he saw that perhaps 5
percent to 10 percent of them were truly
special. Based on his experience in business, he reckons the same holds true for
managers.
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
To create a mindset and an environment of openness and creativity, he says
managers and organizations have to put
a lot of responsibility into the hands of
their creative tools—the people that
work for them.
“Motivating your workers is the most
important thing, and a key to motivation is to give them a lot of autonomy so
they can make a lot of decisions on their
own,” he demands. “Let them choose the
approach to attack a problem, don’t just
feed it to them—‘You will do this, you’ll
screw this screw in, this person will put
that bolt on, this person will draw a red
line and this person will draw a little
blue line’—no, you don’t want that, that’s
anti-creativity. No. You want people to
believe that they have creative power
in themselves first. Also, make sure that
they see the end result of what they’ve
done and that they know it’s valuable.”
The worst management practice he’s
seen during his decades in Silicon Valley
is when managers take all of the credit
for a project—“when they act like only
they can be in charge of what a final project will be and why it’ll be done. And they
aren’t even necessarily creative.”
The result, he says, is that the actual
creators are inhibited from applying
their creativity.
“That bothers me a lot,” he says.
When it comes to meetings and events,
though, he’s straightforward in his experience and his thoughts on improving
them.
“I’ve never thought about what’s missing because [conferences] tend to go
pretty good,” he says. “I’m not a conference producer, so I don’t really think,
‘How could I make it go better?’ Sometimes [organizers] try to tape a little microphone to my head and it’s a format
that doesn’t stick well to beards, and it
comes off and I have to hold my hand up
to keep it in…well, they could get rid of
those for good.”
Beyond beard-friendly microphones,
there’s a lot more that meeting and professionals can learn from this one-man
personal computer revolutionary.
Don’t miss Steve Wozniak
during the WEC 2015 San
Francisco Preview Luncheon
today, 12:45-2 p.m.
Read the complete interview
with Steve Wozniak in the
September issue of The Meeting
Professional.
ONSITE
Moving Forward
continued from page 6
as vice president of special events and conventions.
Kirby recently left Hard Rock and formed
The KIRBY Consulting Group. Consider, too,
the 15 years he has been an MPI member,
including the past five years on the IBOD,
and you have a leader who is right for the
times and the journey going forward for
MPI as a global professional association.
Kirby sees MPI in the right fundamental position to move forward, thanks to the
leadership of board chairs before him such
as Sébastien Tondeur, Kevin Hinton and Michael Dominguez, as well as MPI President
and CEO Paul Van Deventer.
“We have been involved in a refocusing
of this organization in the recent past and
I think it is going in the right direction
and sets the table for great strides going
forward,” Kirby says. “This is not a basketball game or a football game or a soccer
game where there’s just 90 minutes and
then it’s done. This is a long-term effort
in which there are things that we have
to consistently do to keep pushing this
brand forward. And while we have done
a lot, there is a lot more ahead to do.
“We need to keep making the consistent, strong efforts toward industry advocacy that [Dominguez] did. Our association is chapter-centric, so the visits made
by board members to chapters to listen
are critical. Mike visited something like
35 of them in his tenure. We need to understand what’s happening in their world
and how we can be a useful and relevant
resource for MPI members’ own personal
and professional development.”
If Kirby’s professional experience has
taught him anything during the last two
decades, it is to look at every undertaking
in which he is involved through a global
marketing perspective.
“Through that filter, I ask, ‘Are we representing the brand the same at every touch
point?’” he says. “It’s at the chapter level.
It’s in our shows and event presentations.
It’s in our publications—it’s in all of our
resources. And our job going forward is to
present that brand consistently. We need
to ask, ‘Is our portfolio desired or are our
products underutilized? Are we good storytellers about the impact of our brand?’
We started that with the ‘I Am MPI’ program and we need to continue to push
that.”
Industry Advocacy
Just as his predecessors on the international board felt, Kirby sees playing an
increasingly significant role in travel industry advocacy as key for MPI.
“We’ve asked ourselves, why we can’t
become the Google of our industry and
that is a very relevant question,” Kirby
says. “We need to not only be relevant in
our vertical segment; we need to be relevant in parallel segments—partnering
with others. We need to have relevance
across a lot of different segments.”
The new board chair is optimistic
about what can be achieved by MPI moving forward, in part because of the strong,
worldwide resource that is the association’s headquarters team.
Kirby sees himself traveling a lot over
the coming year to get out among the
chapters around the world and to interact with other industry leaders and advocates.
“I really feel you have to be there,” he
says.
And while he sees his tenure as board
chair a full commitment of his time and
effort, he says he always likes to stay
grounded with his wife, Jennifer; daughter, Taylor; and son, Colin. Family will
always be important to Kirby because,
among other reasons, that’s where he
learned to be part of a group—and part of
a team—from the beginning.
You Must Be
Present to Win
continued from page 10
to win at whatever they are pursuing—
something that can be hard amidst the
distractions of the digital age and the time
pressure that many face.
“We can’t afford to miss a moment,
professionally or personally,” she says.
“It’s really about how, in this incredible
age of technology and demand, we can
remain present. When we’re present,
we’re more valuable to ourselves, our
relationships, our community and our
industries. It is really about partnerships
and what we can accomplish together.”
An important place to be present, she
says, is at professional meetings. With
the meetings world and other fields
changing rapid-fire, it is vital for colleagues to support each other in mastering the changes.
“I see it across all industries: This is
an opportunity to share your challenges
and find a solution,” Schwartz says. “Instead of competing against each other,
you can raise each other up and make
each other better.”
14 MPI ONSITE
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
ONSITE
chapter challenge Winners
Eureka
Winners!
Congratulations to the winners of Monday’s WEC 2014
discovery Game, brought to
you by San Francisco Travel!
These four chapters had the highest chapter membership registration percentage to WEC 2014 for their categories (based on April 1, 2014, member numbers).
Each winning chapter will choose either US$1,000 for their chapter or three
registrations to WEC 2015 or EMEC 2015. The Chapter Challenge was sponsored
by Great Wolf Lodge.
chapter within driving distance: Wisconsin, 14 percent participation
chapter in u.S./Mexico/Brazil: Kansas City, 13.3 percent participation
chapter in europe/asia: Germany, 5 percent participation
chapter in canada: Greater Calgary Chapter, 7.69 percent participation
viP one-on-one Meet and greet with
Production guru Rebecca coons
Julianna Fazio
Bobby Hart
Need a
Professional headshot?
thanks to orange Photography, this
year’s official conference photographers.
Be sure to stop by to have your free professional headshot taken on Level 2 and
the Mezzanine Level.
Photographers will be available:
Tuesday: 8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m., 3:30 - 4:15 p.m.
flash Point viP Seating
Alexandra Carvalho
Linda Clemmer (MPI Potomac Chapter)
Paul Fogerty (MPI British Columbia Chapter)
Elaine Ho
Vanessa LaClair, CMP (MPI Northeastern
New York Chapter)
Melissa Moskal, CMP, CMM (MPI British
Columbia Chapter)
Shawna Suckow
Wins the Big Deal
The MPI Foundation played host to an evening of high-stakes poker at The Big Deal.
Shawna Suckow, CMP (MPI Minnesota Chapter), founder of SPIN and The Hive Network,
won the tournament, a trip for two to Las Vegas and a seat valued at $10,000 to compete for millions in the 2015 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, courtesy of Caesars Entertainment. Allison Kinsley, CMP, CMM (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), of Kinsley
Meetings finished second, followed by Tammia Zdenahlik (MPI Chicago Area Chapter)
of Wyndham Hotel Group. Sponsored by Caesars Entertainment, Hilton Worldwide and
Encore Event Technologies.
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
MPI ONSITE
17
ONSITE
catch WEc highlights in
your hotel room with MPI TV
(available in select conference
hotels), brought to you by Convention
News Television and sponsored by
Tourism Toronto.
Minnesota Fun Facts
from www.50states.com
• Minnesota inventions: Masking and
Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal,
Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda
beauty products and Green Giant
vegetables.
• Minneapolis’ famed skyway system
connecting 52 blocks (nearly
five miles) of downtown makes it
possible to live, eat, work and
Sweet
Tweets
@Slidoapp
shop without going outside.
• The first open heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant
in the United States were performed at the University of
EPIC conferences are Experiential,
Participatory, Image-driven,
Community-based.
Minnesota.
• The first U.S. intercollegiate basketball game was played in
Minnesota on February 9, 1895.
• Twin Cities-based Northwest Airlines was the first major airline
to ban smoking on international flights.
@MPIGcc
Emotions are tied to ability to
create change in the brain. Ensure
your events allow for emotional
engagement to create change
@Juraj_holub
Thank You WEc Sponsors!
ALHI
Aria
Atlantic City
Baha Mar Ltd
BearCom Wireless Worldwide
BI WorldWide
Bloomington
Bowlmor
BX Worldwide
Caesars Entertainment
Carlson Rezidor
Carlson Wagonlit
Cendyn
CenturyLink Center Omaha
CNTV
Colorado Springs
Cort Furniture
Crave Catering
Creative Concepts
Dallas CVB
D’Amico Catering
Delos Living
Delta Air Lines
The Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel
Detroit Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau
Disney Destinations
DJ Splyce
DMAI
Dominican Republic Tourism Board
DoubleDutch
DüsseldorfCongress
Veranstaltungsgesellschaft mbH
edgProductions
Élan Speaker Agency
Event Lab
Event Power
EventGenuity
Experience Columbus
Explore Minnesota (Meet In Minnesota)
First Avenue
Freeman
GeoTeaming
Great Wolf Lodge
Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention
& Visitors Bureau
Greater Raleigh
Greensboro CVB
Hell’s Kitchen
Hilton Minneapolis
Hilton Worldwide
Hyatt Hotels
IMEX
Interactive Meeting Technology
Kalahari Resorts and Conventions
Kindle Communications
18 MPI ONSITE
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
Loews
Lumi
Meet Minneapolis
Meeting Metrics
Meetings & Conventions Calgary
metroconnections
Mexico Tourism Board
MGM Resorts International
Minneapolis Marriott City Center
Minneapolis Marriott Northwest
Mintahoe Catering & Events
Myrtle Beach CVB
Native Pride
Neon
New Orleans CVB
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New York & Company
Orange Photography
Orchestra Hall
Park City Chamber of Commerce/CVB
pc/nametag, Inc.
Philadelphia CVB
Plano
Premier Transportation
Puebla Tourism
Puerto Vallarta
QuickMobile
Renaissance Depot
Rosemont Convention Bureau
San Francisco Travel
Showcare Event Solutions
Showcore
SmartCity
Social Point
Sonic Foundry
Staywell
Summit Apparel
SwarmWorks
Taylor Made Events
Thrivent
Tourism Toronto
Tourisme Montréal
Travel Alberta
Ultimate Events
Venetian Palazzo
Visit Florida
Visit Indy
Visit Norfolk
Visit Omaha
Visit Orlando
Visit Seattle
Wischermann Partners
Wisconsin Department of Tourism
Wyndham
doodle=to make spontaneous
marks to help yourself think.
@Devieh
Excited for Flashpoint seeing Tuu
Weh. Oh and Chris heeter too!
@asixie
@dalepartridge flash point
assembly. Awesome energy!
@Lori_MITcanada
Great time @MPI CSr Central I built
bike. Turned over Ikea project to
fellow Canucks. Thanks Katie & Paul!
@AmandaDePh
Everyone has time for Food Plinko!
Stop in CSr CENTrAL!
@KatieKeeneRiggs ·
“have the courage to bring all of
who you are to all that you do”,
Chris heeter
@SBDonaghy
Love these flash point sessions speaker @dalePartridge was
awesome! #PeopleOverProfit
@pageme43
@chrisheeterWILd “A monkey can
do your job. Took me awhile to take
that as a compliment” @MPINCC
@alexpatcarvalho
loving all the dogs at this
conference
FalkMonica
sevenly.org People Over Profit.
LOvE IT!!!
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
All photos by Orange Photography
World Education Congress 2014 • Tuesday, August 5
MPI ONSITE
19