Podcasts about meeting professionals international

We are delighted to have one of the foremost industry leaders joining us today! As the Chief Sales Officer and Senior Vice President of MGM Resorts International, Stephanie Glanzer holds one of the most prominent and visible sales positions imaginable. She is also involved with the U.S. Travel Association and is a member of Meeting Professionals International. Stay tuned as Stephanie shares her unique perspective on leadership and industry trends. Connect with Eric Rozenberg On LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Website Connect with Stephanie Glanzer On LinkedIn MGM Resorts International  

This week on Finding Your Bliss, we have a show devoted to Joy! Celebrity Interviewer and Bliss Coach Judy Librach is joined by Joy Coach Robin Shear! Robin Shear is an international keynote speaker, bestselling author, founder of Joy To The World Coaching. She has spent decades helping “depleted givers”, like health care professionals, educators, parents and executives feel good, so they can give from a place of fullness and effectively lead again. Robin's message of how to choose joy when life's messy, is so universal, that it even caught the attention of TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Psychology Today. While many of Robin's elementary report cards read “Robin talks too much,” her former teachers are now among her biggest professional speaking fans. Her speaking clients have included TEDxDetroit, Meeting Professionals International, National Head Start Association, National Organization of Human Services, DisruptHR, Metro Detroit Oncology Nursing Society, Women's Living Expos, Affordable Housing Connections, Michigan Nursing Summit, and the Health Care Association of Michigan. Robin is known for her fun and engaging presentations with memorable audience interaction. Attendees have regularly reported that they have never laughed that much at a conference, and they walk away inspired to take action that enriches their lives – and, because joy is so contagious, these talks also inspire the lives of others. Participants have told Robin things like: “I've never had that much fun learning,” “90 minutes with Robin weren't enough,” and “Robin kept us engaged the whole time.” Several attendees of Robin's half-day conference said they wished that it had been a 2-day experience. One grateful nonprofit meeting planner said: “Thank you, Robin, for helping lift the spirits and bringing laughter back into the lives of our dedicated, hardworking, committed staff, as well as the property managers, local housing officials, and compliance specialists who participated in our Annual Industry Conference! It truly was a gift to be part of a room filled with over 100 professionals whom you inspired to dance and sing and share joy. You helped create a bubble of safety and trust among us that helps us all navigate this rewarding but demanding work to address the needs of thousands. I believe that your time with us has made a positive impact on our colleagues throughout the industry and that they left feeling SEEN and more appreciated. Thank you for the gifts of your time and talent and open heart!!” Sharing her exuberance was always natural for Robin, until she faced several hidden health issues and then her zest for living became a conscious choice. Within a 4-year span, she attempted 26 distinct treatments for chronic pain, was diagnosed with PTSD after 20 years of night terrors, had a gut health condition that meant eliminating most of her favourite foods, found one of her most important relationships in a nearly severed state, and suffered a head injury that took 21 times longer to heal than doctors predicted. Yet, joy was possible in spite of all of the mess. Her book, Messy Joy: How Joy Can Begin Before Your Difficulties End, chronicles her journey, but it doesn't stop there. With over 200 journal questions, it helps readers know how they can find joy even when their own circumstances are difficult. While the details were painful to share, Robin never actually intended to publish the book. But, after receiving offers from seven publishers, Robin was finally convinced that her story needed to be released in order to help others find joy in their imperfect lives. Within weeks of its release, with no formal launch plan, Messy Joy was named a #1 New Release on Amazon! Robin is a Certified Life Coach through the International Coaching Federation. She has served in many professional roles, including registered dietitian, teaching at the college level and running a private practice specializing in eating disorder treatment ...

In this episode, Cory Elford, Director of Marketing at MPI (Meeting Professionals International), joins host Lea Jordan and shares some background on MPI's purpose and mission, her takes on the top 3 trends shaping the events and meeting industry, some best practice examples on how MPI leverages technology, and a personal tip on how to keep on top of trends. Cory Elford is a standout marketing strategist most known for applying her fresh and innovative advertising expertise to the evolving landscape of meetings and events. Make sure to join Cory's keynote, ‘The Engagement Equation,' at the ITB Berlin Convention's MICE Track on March 05th at 2:30 pm CET in Hall 3.1.

Monday, October 16 was World Food Day, one of the most celebrated days of the United Nations calendar. The theme for World Food Day in 2023 is "Water is Life. Water is Food." To shine a spotlight on water as the foundation for life and food. In this special episode of the Eating at a Meeting which was recorded on Meeting Professionals International's Smart Monday as part of IMEX America, I talked with Michael Gulich, AIA, LEED AP, LFA, Vice President of Sustainability for MGM Resorts International and Eric Wallinger, Director Of Sustainability for MeetGreen® to understand and share how the Meetings Industry can contribute to the responsible use of water, a precious resource that "is threatened by rapid population growth urbanization, economic development, and climate change." Primary Topic for Sustainability in the Events Industry The role of resorts and hotels in environmental initiatives Commitment of resorts and hotels to environmental initiatives Regional sourcing and shortening supply chains Efforts to reduce water usage across properties Initiatives to minimize environmental impact MGM Resorts International initiatives for water conservation Sustainable food production and responsible water usage Water usage in food production Potential water savings from choosing plant-based meals Water conservation efforts and challenges Water equity and sustainability Conversion of water-intensive landscapes to desert-friendly landscapes Incorporation of high-efficiency fixtures for water reduction Food waste reduction efforts Water-related food rescue and composting Food donation initiatives Waste diversion rates and recycling efforts Social equity and environmental considerations in event planning and sourcing Environmental impact and minimizing footprint Efforts to measure and report environmental footprint Emphasis on the impact of event sustainability Integration of environmentally friendly practices The role of sustainability in food and beverage operations Importance of regenerative systems Embracing sustainability within food and beverage operations Call for planners to incorporate food and beverage sustainability earlier in the event planning process Efforts to reduce water consumption in building operations and supply chains Importance of venue selection: Choosing venues with water conservation goals Importance of reusables to reduce waste and conserve water Call for early incorporation of food and beverage sustainability in event planning   Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Jessie is a facilitator, educator, and speaker. She is at the helm of MPI's education arm. This was one of the best episodes I've recorded. We explore vulnerability, risk-taking, removing the audience-stage dynamic, and 'listening, validating, & celebrating' people you encounter. Jessie's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstates Register for WEC: https://www.mpi.org/events/wec24

Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/services/workshops/ In this episode of Negotiate Anything, host Kwame Christian sits down with Nidhi Tewari, an expert in emotional intelligence and conflict resolution, to explore the crucial role of self-awareness in successful negotiations. Nidhi shares powerful insights into the importance of acknowledging and understanding our own internal emotions within conversations, providing practical strategies to navigate defensiveness and foster productive dialogue. Tune in as they delve into the art of introspection, recognizing the impact of past experiences, and developing empathetic listening skills for optimal negotiation outcomes. You'll learn:  - How to identify and challenge internal emotions during negotiations - Strategies for regulating emotions and responding thoughtfully instead of reactively - The power of active listening and empathy in building trust and connection during negotiations Nidhi Tewari is a workplace culture and wellbeing keynote speaker, expert, & consultant. She brings a decade of clinical expertise as a therapist who specialized in working with high performing leaders to her work with organizations, leadership teams and event audiences who are looking to improve workplace culture, mental health, and leadership skills. Nidhi has helped to transform workplace culture with organizations like Godiva, NPR, and SHRM, and she has spoken to the World Economic Forum, National Speakers Association, UC San Diego, American Society for Quality (ASQ), Meeting Professionals International, and many more. She has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, TED Blog, Oprah Daily, Thrive Global, and HuffPost. She has built a community of over 10k Instagram and over 120k on the social audio platform, Clubhouse, which led to a collaboration with TED Global in 2022. She has collaborated on brand partnerships with Mars Inc., Adobe, Social Chain, TOGETHXR, among others. www.LinkedIn.com/in/NidhiTewariLCSW www.instagram.com/nidhitewarilcsw  www.Twitter.com/lcswnidhi www.Facebook.com/nidhitewarilcsw Contact ANI Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/services/workshops/ Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwamechristian/ The Ultimate Negotiation Guide: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/guides/ultimate-negotiation-guide/ Click here to buy your copy of How To Have Difficult Conversations About Race!: https://www.amazon.com/Have-Difficult-Conversations-About-Race/dp/1637741308/ref=pd_%5B%E2%80%A6%5Df0bc9774-7975-448b-bde1-094cab455adb&pd_rd_i=1637741308&psc=1 Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Confidence-Conflict-Negotiate-Anything/dp/0578413736/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PSW69L6ABTK&keywords=finding+confidence+in+conflict&qid=1667317257&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjQyIiwicXNhIjoiMC4xNCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMjMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=finding+confidence+in+conflic%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-1

Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/services/workshops/ In this episode of Negotiate Anything, host Kwame Christian sits down with Nidhi Tewari, an expert in emotional intelligence and conflict resolution, to explore the crucial role of self-awareness in successful negotiations. Nidhi shares powerful insights into the importance of acknowledging and understanding our own internal emotions within conversations, providing practical strategies to navigate defensiveness and foster productive dialogue. Tune in as they delve into the art of introspection, recognizing the impact of past experiences, and developing empathetic listening skills for optimal negotiation outcomes. You'll learn:  - How to identify and challenge internal emotions during negotiations - Strategies for regulating emotions and responding thoughtfully instead of reactively - The power of active listening and empathy in building trust and connection during negotiations Nidhi Tewari is a workplace culture and wellbeing keynote speaker, expert, & consultant. She brings a decade of clinical expertise as a therapist who specialized in working with high performing leaders to her work with organizations, leadership teams and event audiences who are looking to improve workplace culture, mental health, and leadership skills. Nidhi has helped to transform workplace culture with organizations like Godiva, NPR, and SHRM, and she has spoken to the World Economic Forum, National Speakers Association, UC San Diego, American Society for Quality (ASQ), Meeting Professionals International, and many more. She has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, TED Blog, Oprah Daily, Thrive Global, and HuffPost. She has built a community of over 10k Instagram and over 120k on the social audio platform, Clubhouse, which led to a collaboration with TED Global in 2022. She has collaborated on brand partnerships with Mars Inc., Adobe, Social Chain, TOGETHXR, among others. www.LinkedIn.com/in/NidhiTewariLCSW www.instagram.com/nidhitewarilcsw  www.Twitter.com/lcswnidhi www.Facebook.com/nidhitewarilcsw Contact ANI Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/services/workshops/ Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwamechristian/ The Ultimate Negotiation Guide: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/guides/ultimate-negotiation-guide/ Click here to buy your copy of How To Have Difficult Conversations About Race!: https://www.amazon.com/Have-Difficult-Conversations-About-Race/dp/1637741308/ref=pd_%5B%E2%80%A6%5Df0bc9774-7975-448b-bde1-094cab455adb&pd_rd_i=1637741308&psc=1 Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Confidence-Conflict-Negotiate-Anything/dp/0578413736/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PSW69L6ABTK&keywords=finding+confidence+in+conflict&qid=1667317257&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjQyIiwicXNhIjoiMC4xNCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMjMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=finding+confidence+in+conflic%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-1

A lot of time and effort goes into making sure the event runs smoothly, but what often gets overlooked is the guest experience outside the event. While you may have planned out the perfect menu, guest speakers, and venue, going the extra mile to ensure that your attendees have leisurely options outside of the event can help to make the experience a memorable one. In this episode, Melinda Burdette (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-burdette-cmp-cmm-84b9637/), Senior Director of Events with Meeting Professionals International (https://www.mpi.org/), and Jeffrey Howell (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-howell-55618685/), Director of Sales and Marketing at The Lodge Flying Horse (https://lodgeatflyinghorse.com/), join the show to talk about the key takeaways from Cvent's latest Pulse Survey. Listen as they share their insights on how to create a great guest experience. By planning your event in an area that has more to offer your attendees, you can increase attendance rates and make your guests feel good about attending. You'll also learn how being proactive with lead times can help decrease hotel booking problems, and how working with your partners can both lower event quantity and improve event quality. In this episode, you'll learn: How cost shifting can help maximize your budget The importance of hosting your event at the right venue Why building strong partnerships can create opportunities for events to run more smoothly

In this HCI Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Patti P. Phillips and Jack J. Phillips about showing the value of what you do. Patti P. Phillips, Ph.D., (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattipphillips/) is a consultant and researcher. Her workshops and conference presentations inspire audiences to align their work with outcomes that matter. When she is not consulting with clients, researching, or writing books, Patti supports the work of other organizations through board service. She serves on the UN Institute for Training and Research board of trustees, International Federation of Training and Development Organizations board, The Conference Board Human Capital Advisory Council, and the Institute for Corporate Productivity People Analytics Board. Patti has been recognized for her thought-leadership by organizations such as the Association for Talent Development, Center for Talent Reporting, and the Thinkers50 Marshall Goldsmith Achievement for Coaching. Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-phillips-phd/) is an award-winning thought leader in the field of talent development. As a teacher, consultant, and coach, he helps individuals show the value of their work in all types of organizations. Dr. Phillips has taught his proprietary methodology to over 50,000 professionals and managers in over 70 countries. He is a global keynote speaker and has written over 100 hundred books, and all focused on the importance of showing the value of the work. He has been recognized for his thought leadership by the Association for Talent Development, Thinkers50 Top Coaches, the International Society for Performance Improvement, the Society for Human Resource Management, and Meeting Professionals International. Dr. Phillips has served as an engineer, trainer, learning manager, HR executive, general manager, president, and college professor. Part of the LinkedIn Podcast Network #LinkedInPresents Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon and leaving a review wherever you listen to your podcasts! Go to HelloFresh.com/hci50 and use code hci50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free! Check out CrowdHealth and start your free trial at joincrowdhealth.com and use promo code HCI. Check out FindLaw at FindLaw.com. Check out Shopify at www.shopify.com/hci. Check out the HCI Academy: Courses, Micro-Credentials, and Certificates to Upskill and Reskill for the Future of Work! Check out the LinkedIn Alchemizing Human Capital Newsletter. Check out Dr. Westover's book, The Future Leader. Check out Dr. Westover's book, 'Bluer than Indigo' Leadership. Check out Dr. Westover's book, The Alchemy of Truly Remarkable Leadership. Check out the latest issue of the Human Capital Leadership magazine. Each HCI Podcast episode (Program, ID No. 627454) has been approved for 0.50 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®). Each HCI Podcast episode (Program ID: 24-DP529) has been approved for 0.50 HR (General) SHRM Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCPHR recertification through SHRM, as part of the knowledge and competency programs related to the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge™ (the SHRM BASK™). Human Capital Innovations has been pre-approved by the ATD Certification Institute to offer educational programs that can be used towards initial eligibility and recertification of the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials. Each HCI Podcast episode qualifies for a maximum of 0.50 points. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we're coming to you from the 2023 MPI Cascadia Educational Conference in Blaine Washington. The MPI Cascadia Educational Conference (CEC) is a joint regional conference for the Oregon and Washington State Chapters of Meeting Professionals International. Cascadia features educational breakouts, motivating keynotes, and opportunities for meeting planners and suppliers to network and connect in the hosted buyer program and the trade show. We sit down with planners, suppliers, and conference organizers about what they're excited about for the future of events, what they learned at this year's Cascadia conference, and how they like to recharge. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Cascadia: https://mpicascadia.net/agenda-2023/ Read about our session at Cascadia: https://mpicascadia.net/session/event-planner-hot-takes-trends-unpopular-opinions-and-more/ Learn about James Spellos (several attendees' top takeaway): https://mpicascadia.net/speaker/james-spellos/ Logan's Go-To Onsite Bag: https://amzn.to/3Yt6ZTa Submit Your Answers/Questions for the 100th Episode: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 Check out our new website: https://bettereventspod.com/ Connect with Mary: Website: https://epevents.org/ Instagram: @epeventsllc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryrosedavidson/  Connect with Logan:  Websinte: https://www.loganstrategygroup.com/ Instagram: @loganstrategygroup_events LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loganclements/ —— SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bettereventspod THANKS FOR THE LOVE! Love this podcast? Please share with your event friends, tag us, and leave a review! Leave us a rating on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ivq77TMgF5HhJHJOMe1V Leave us a review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-events/id1561944117 Visit our website: https://bettereventspod.com/ —— FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @bettereventspod @loganstrategygroup_events (Logan) @epeventsllc (Mary)

Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., is the author of Show the Value of What You Do and an award-winning thought leader in the field of talent development. As a teacher, consultant, and coach, he helps individuals show the value of their work in all types of organizations. Dr. Phillips has taught his proprietary methodology to over 50,000 professionals and managers in over 70 countries. He is a global keynote speaker and has written over 100 hundred books, and all focused on the importance of showing the value of the work. He has been recognized for his thought leadership by the Association for Talent Development, Thinkers50 Top Coaches, the International Society for Performance Improvement, the Society for Human Resource Management, and Meeting Professionals International. Dr. Phillips has served as an engineer, trainer, learning manager, HR executive, general manager, president, and college professor. He serves as chair of ROI Institute, a globally recognized consulting firm. Patti P. Phillips, Ph.D., is a consultant and researcher, and the author of Show the Value of What You Do. Her workshops and conference presentations inspire audiences to align their work with outcomes that matter. When she is not consulting with clients, researching, or writing books, Patti supports the work of other organizations through board service. She serves on the UN Institute for Training and Research board of trustees, International Federation of Training and Development Organizations board, The Conference Board Human Capital Advisory Council, and the Institute for Corporate Productivity People Analytics Board. Patti has been recognized for her thought-leadership by organizations such as the Association for Talent Development, Center for Talent Reporting, and the Thinkers50 Marshall Goldsmith Achievement for Coaching. She has written or contributed to over 50 books describing how individuals can demonstrate the value of their work.     Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/   Support the show on Patreon:  https://patreon.com/mspradio/   Want our stuff?  Cool Merch?  Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com   Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mspradionews/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/      

Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., is the author of Show the Value of What You Do and an award-winning thought leader in the field of talent development. As a teacher, consultant, and coach, he helps individuals show the value of their work in all types of organizations. Dr. Phillips has taught his proprietary methodology to over 50,000 professionals and managers in over 70 countries. He is a global keynote speaker and has written over 100 hundred books, all focused on the importance of showing the value of the work. He has been recognized for his thought leadership by the Association for Talent Development, Thinkers50 Top Coaches, the International Society for Performance Improvement, the Society for Human Resource Management, and Meeting Professionals International. Dr. Phillips has served as an engineer, trainer, learning manager, HR executive, general manager, president, and college professor. He serves as chair of ROI Institute, a globally recognized consulting firm. Website: http://roiinstitute.net/ Book on Amazon: Show-Value-What-You-Measuring Linkedin: jack-phillips-phd , roiinstituteinc  ROI Institute: ROI Institute

Patti P. Phillips, Ph.D., is the CEO of the ROI Institute, a researcher, and the author of Show the Value of What You Do. Her workshops and conference presentations inspire audiences to align their work with outcomes that matter. When she is not consulting with clients, researching, or writing books, Patti supports the work of other organizations through board service. She serves on the UN Institute for Training and Research board of trustees, International Federation of Training and Development Organizations board, The Conference Board Human Capital Advisory Council, and the Institute for Corporate Productivity People Analytics Board. Patti has been recognized for her thought-leadership by organizations such as the Association for Talent Development, Center for Talent Reporting, and the Thinkers50 Marshall Goldsmith Achievement for Coaching. She has written or contributed to over 50 books describing how individuals can demonstrate the value of their work. Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., Chairman of the ROI Institute and author of Show the Value of What You Do isan award-winning thought leader in the field of talent development. As a teacher, consultant, and coach, he helps individuals show the value of their work in all types of organizations. Dr. Phillips has taught his proprietary methodology to over 50,000 professionals and managers in over 70 countries. He is a global keynote speaker and has written over 100 hundred books, all focused on the importance of showing the value of the work. He has been recognized for his thought leadership by the Association for Talent Development, Thinkers50 Top Coaches, the International Society for Performance Improvement, the Society for Human Resource Management, and Meeting Professionals International. Dr. Phillips has served as an engineer, trainer, learning manager, HR executive, general manager, president, and college professor. He serves as chair of ROI Institute, a globally recognized consulting firm. What you will learn in this episode: Why measuring your business ROI is so important for any team How to build a successful PR and communications strategy by focusing on ROI Why you should focus on the intended impact of your message and plan your campaigns around that Why you need to understand your business objectives The steps to building a strong and effective communications campaign by focusing on ROI Jack and Patti's rallying cries for 2023 Resources: Website: http://roiinstitute.net/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattipphillips/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-phillips-phd/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roi-institute-inc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ROIInstitute/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/roi_institute Book: https://www.amazon.com/Show-Value-What-You-Measuring/dp/1523002271/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AN8AC50E6O6C&keywords=show+the+value+of+what+you+do&qid=1655389630&s=books&sprefix=show+the+value+o%2Cstripbooks%2C93&sr=1-1  

Elliott Ferguson is President and CEO of Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC. A 33-year veteran of the travel and hospitality industry, Ferguson leads DDC's efforts to generate economic opportunity for the District through meetings and tourism, overseeing the organization's convention and tourism sales, marketing, finance and business development operations. Ferguson celebrated his 20-year anniversary with DDC in December 2021. He began his tenure in December 2001 as the Vice President of Convention Sales, became Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Services in 2005 and has served as President and CEO since 2009. Prior to DDC, he was Director of Sales and Vice President of Sales at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and Director of Sales at the Savannah CVB. In January 2021, he was named Board Chair of Tourism Diversity Matters, an organization focused on creating diversity, equity and inclusion opportunities at all levels of the workforce. He has been instrumental in advancing conversations about race and racism throughout the hospitality industry. Ferguson was National Chair of the board of directors for the U.S. Travel Association from February 2019 to February 2021 and is currently chair of the compensation committee. He serves on the board of Brand USA from December 2021-December 2024. As the tourism industry faces the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferguson is focused on strategic recovery with many organizations including DDC's Recovery Advisory Committee, Connected DMV, the Downtown Recovery Work Group. He is on the board or a member of: Advisory Board of the Smithsonian National Zoo; DC Jazz Festival; Ryan Kerrigan “Blitz for the Better” Foundation and the United Way of the National Capital Area. He represents DDC as part of the Hospitality Alliance of Washington, D.C. Ferguson received a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Business Administration from Savannah State University. His many industry memberships include Professional Conference Management Association, International Association of Exhibition Executives, Destinations International, National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, Meeting Professionals International and American Society of Association Executives. Ferguson and his wife, Telesa Via, also a hospitality industry veteran, are longtime residents of Capitol Hill. He is active with Capital Partners for Education, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Delta Sigma Pi. Destination DC: the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC. Bio comes from Destination DC. Music Intro: John Tyler produced: www.acutevisions.com www.nopixafterdark.com Sponsors of NoPixAfterDarkPodcast Zeke's Coffee www.zekescoffee.com Maggies Farm www.maggiesfarm.com FoundStudio Shop www.foundstudioshop.com United Way Central Maryland https://uwcm.org Charm Craft City Mafia www.charmcitycraftmafia.com Siena Leigh https://www.sienaleigh.com Open Works https://www.openworksbmore.org Snug Books Baltimore https://www.snugbooks.com Baltimore Fiscal https://www.baltimorefiscal.com Pandora Box Boutique https://pandorasboxboutique.com CarVer Communications Group https://www.therealcarver.com  

In this episode of BragTalks, Liz Mohler shares how you can utilize mentoring in your relationships. This episode is hosted by Heather VanCura, who met Liz through Chief, a private women's network, where Liz is her Core Group Facilitator. Season 3 is all about mentoring, and this episode highlights how mentoring in your relationships can help to advance your career. Please subscribe, share and review this podcast! This isn't just a one way conversation either. Share your story and experience with us by subscribing and filling out the contact form on BragTalks.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn as well. Bio: Liz Mohler, M.S.,PCC currently serves as a CORE Guide Facilitator and Executive Coach for Chief, a private network that connects and supports women in senior leadership positions across diverse industries. She is a sought after keynote speaker and served on multiple boards including the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Coaches Federation, Meeting Professionals International, and the National Speakers Association. Liz consults staff, students and alumni from MBA programs at UCLA, Pepperdine, USC, LMU and beyond. She volunteers and donates a percentage of her income to Westchester Mental Health Guild which supports the work of the Airport Marina Counseling Service. Liz Mohler & Associates (LM&A) are dedicated to helping clients " ReaLIZe their potential, VisuaLIZe their goals, and ActuaLIZe their dreams.” For more than two decades Founder and CEO, Liz has helped individuals and organizations in transition navigate the challenges of change and work toward positive, lasting results. Skilled in executive 1-on-1 and group coaching, Liz brings a collaborative, inclusive approach to any coaching conversation with a style that's been described as energetic, engaging, and highly interactive. Clients call her a one session wonder as they gain insights and ephiphanies from her initial career check-ups. Clients report creating their VISTa Blueprint as one of the most beneficial take aways from coaching with Liz. Together with her team of Certified Professional Coaches, Liz co-creates custom, immersive events to meet the unique needs of C-suite professionals and their teams. Programs include communication, leadership, retention, career development and values-based decision making. LM&A also support clients through strategic retreats, full and half day training, and a popular lunch and learn series with topics such as networking, strategic career exploration and mindfulness. More information and testimonials on LinkedIn or visit LizMohler.com for her history. To book Liz or her Associates call 310-617-1294 or email MrsLizMohler@gmail.com.

138: From Cinderella to CEO with Cary Broussard Cary Broussard, the Founder, and CEO of From Cinderella to CEO is today's guest! Cary is an amazing industry leader! She started her career in Corporate America and is now an entrepreneur. She joins us today to talk about her journey and share her insights and experiences as a woman in the industry and an entrepreneur. We hope you enjoy listening to our inspiring conversation with Cary Broussard! Bio: Cary J. Broussard Cary is well known for establishing award-winning diversity, inclusion, and communication programs in several organizations, including Wyndham Hotels, Aimbridge Hospitality, Bank of Tokyo (now Union Bank MUFG), Carnival Cruise Line, Meeting Professionals International, and other organizations.  She has been interviewed by The New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, CBS This Morning, The Wall Street Journal, and other national media about her successful women's marketing programs. Cary's business book: From Cinderella to CEO (Wiley) features business lessons learned while climbing the business ladder and has been published in 10 languages. Interviews included in her book can be heard on her podcast Cinderella CEO On Air. She recently launched a nationwide tour for the Cinderella to CEO™Awards.  Dow Jones described her work as "the gold standard of women's marketing for Wall Street companies." Aimbridge Hospitality and Union Bank MUFG have implemented Broussard's Cinderella to CEO curriculum and mentoring program to rapidly increase the number of women in senior-level management positions. Cary has also designed a leadership curriculum for New York University. Cary Broussard provides business courses, corporate training, executive coaching, and business mastermind groups for equitable, career opportunities with positive, measurable outcomes for individuals and organizations.  Cary's background Cary had three sisters and went to all-girls schools. She came from a background of valuing women's opinions and input, but deep down, she wanted to be a boy because they could do a lot more and seemed to have more fun. After she started working in a hotel, however, she was thankful to have ample opportunity to share ideas and contribute to the overall business. How Cary joined the hospitality industry Cary unofficially began her career as a banquet waitress at the Hyatt at Lake Tahoe one summer while in college. Officially, she started her hospitality career as the Director of Public Relations at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Cary moved to Dallas and started her own PR business after leaving the Peabody. She later applied for a position as the head of PR at Wyndham Hotels and got the job because she was ambitious and had tons of experience in communication.  From Cinderella to CEO Carey wrote From Cinderella to CEO after creating the Women on Their Way woman's leadership program at Wyndham and through the MPI program. Her book is a reminder of how, with the help of women, the hospitality industry was able to transform and better itself.  The Cinderella to CEO brand  After launching the Cinderella to CEO awards, Carey created the Cinderella to CEO brand. It is a coaching, training, diversity, and inclusion effort to share advice from her own experience and the experience of others.  Transforming the industry through women In the past, few women used to travel on business. After Cary launched Women on Their Way, research showed that more women leaders and decision-makers in the meeting and corporate travel industry were traveling on business. Using ideas from women travelers, Wyndham transformed its image and how it operated as a hotel company.   The pandemic The hospitality industry dipped during the pandemic. Things are picking up now, so people are looking to hire a more diverse selection of candidates. This is an excellent time to join the industry because smart companies require diversity of thought, age, talent, and everything else it takes to make an organization great!  Some advice for women: Take control of your destiny.  Find a company to work for that matches your culture and values.  When traveling, always be sure to select a hotel that is clean and feels safe. Tips for traveling safely Plan your trip.  Contact hotels ahead of time to let them know what your needs are.  Ensure your room is easily accessible, away from dark corners, and close to the elevators.  If someone at the front desk says your room number out loud, ask for a different room. Take some time to look at reviews online before making a hotel booking. Use a VIP car service, like Alto. Be prepared to spend a little more for a safer travel experience.  Ideally, get someone to help you plan your travel arrangements and make your bookings to ensure your experience is safe and effortless.   Competition amongst women  In the past, women were considered too so soft or too family-oriented to cope with managerial positions. So there were few opportunities for women, and women used to compete against one another for the few available “breadcrumbs”. We have come a long way since then. Today, at least 50% of all general managers of hotels are women.  Good leadership Good company leaders offer training to help everyone collaborate and work together. Good leaders also ensure that nobody feels like they are competing against external competition. Advisory boards Entrepreneurs can sometimes be isolated and could benefit from having advisory boards. People interested in creating an official advisory board need to know that it requires a structured approach. Corporate experience As an entrepreneur, Cary has benefited from her corporate experience. Others could also benefit from learning about the systems and processes of the corporate world before deciding to become entrepreneurs.   Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website   Connect with Cary Broussard On her website On LinkedIn

Melinda has 25 years in the meetings industry. She is at the helm of event production at Meeting Professionals International. She is a sage at all things event production. In this episode, you'll learn about event design, different perspectives on personal progress, and the element of surprise. Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-burdette-cmp-cmm-84b9637/ MPI: https://www.mpi.org/

What does it take to manage food and beverage for one of the meetings industry's largest association conventions? Listen as Tracy talks with Tanya Philyaw, Senior Event Planner and Annette Gregg, Chief Revenue Officer for Meeting Professionals International about the organization's 2022 World Education Conference. They chat about how to use food to build community, what they are still learning about meal planning, how attendee dietary needs affects what they choose to serve the thousands of event participants, and pet peeves with food and beverage planning. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Meeting Professionals International produces one of the biggest event professional conferences every year and they recently celebrated MPI's 50th anniversary at The World Education Conference's (WEC) in San Francisco. Creating an event for event planners is no small feat. What does it take to pull off? We've got two MPI experts to share the tricks of the trade. Melinda Burdette, Senior Director of Events, and Drew Holmgreen, Chief Brand Officer, share valuable insights not only on how to put on an amazing event but also illustrate what it looks like to design intentionally and have fun breaking sh*t to make memorable moments.

How to stay relevant and bookable as a speaker In this episode of #SpeakingBusiness Podcast, I talk to Orvel Ray Wilson. Orvel is a veteran of the profession.  He is co-author of 6 books in the legendary Guerrilla Marketing series, which has been translated into 63 languages and more than 25 million books in print. He's spoken in more than 1,000 cities, in 47 countries, on 6 continents. He received his CSP in 1997, and in 2001 was honoured as “Speaker of the Year” by Meeting Professionals International. In an international Internet poll, he's has been voted one of the world's “Top 5 Sales Speakers” a record five years straight. After 30 years on the international circuit, he now coaches other speakers on writing their books, and growing their business.   Orvel shares with us the importance of writing a book to enhance your speaking business, the difference between writing a book and writing a book that sells you, what meeting planners look for when booking a speaker, how to set speaking fees and position yourself as an expert and some marketing and sales tips for speakers who need more bookings.   Learn more about Orvel Ray Wilson Connect with Orvel Ray on LinkedIn More about Maria Franzoni Connect with Maria on LinkedIn Listen here: Libsyn  Itunes  Stitcher Spotify

President and CEO Paul Van DeVenter discusses how the events industry organization had to find ways to remain viable during the pandemic — lessons that resulted in a new structure and focus. Staying relevant to members was not a problem for MPI over the past two years, according to president and CEO Paul Van DeVenter. More difficult was finding a way to stay financially viable. In this podcast discussion with Northstar's Sarah J.F. Braley, Van DeVenter describes how the association's structure was redesigned, how pandemic lessons learned are being applied to MPI's in-person events and how to achieve the goals that have been set in the group's five-year plan (among them, bringing the community size to 250,000 people by 2027; having a 40,000-person customer base; bringing in 20 percent of the association's revenue from outside North America; and having more than 20 affiliate partners). The association is now focused on creating a stronger meeting professional community that isn't solely based on membership. Among Van DeVenters insights are: How Covid underscored the importance of organizations like MPI (1:20) How MPI restructured in order to stay financially viable over the past two years (3:38) Challenges Van DeVenter faced at MPI and as volunteer chair for the Events Industry Council (9:15) How lessons learned during the pandemic are being applied to MPI's in-person events (11:09) How attendee desires have changed (13:24) What associations took away from the pandemic (15:40) Reaching MPI's 2027 goals (16:35) Bold predictions going forward (19:33) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori Pugh Marcum has 17 years of experience in the meetings and events industry on both the planner and supplier sides of the business. As Events Content Director for Path to Purchase Institute and Retail Leader, she creates and executes content strategies for all events, awards, and webinar programs. She also participates as an expert host and facilitator and creatively tests and refines content delivery ideas to delight attendees. Lori formerly served as Head of Meeting Innovation at Meeting Professionals International, where she was responsible for managing meetings and event production along with speaker and session management, as a part of MPI's global live and virtual event portfolio. She spent 6 years at Jacksonville's PRI Productions as both an event producer and manager of the Event Producer Department. During her time at PRI Productions, she managed events with partners such as THE PLAYERS Championship, Gator Bowl Association, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Prior to her role at PRI Productions, she was also Special Events Manager for the AAA Five-Diamond resort, Ponte Vedra Inn and Club as well as Events Manager for the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce. Lori holds a Bachelor of Science focused in Communications and Advertising from the University of North Florida and a Master's Degree in Meeting and Event Management from San Diego State University.  Lori was honored as one of MeetingsNet's 2021 Changemakers as well as Meetings and Conventions Magazine's 22 Millennials to Watch in 2016.  She also served as an anchor for MPI's Global Meetings Industry Day Broadcast from 2019-2021. You can connect with Lori Pugh Marcum at:LinkedInPowered by Pixilated

Anthony and Alex start this week with a little recap on the Home Start San Diego Blue Ribbon Extravaganza they worked on this past weekend and then they are joined by two San Diego State University Masters in Event Management Instructors. Returning Guest, Annette Gregg (Chief Revenue Officer for Meeting Professionals International) and making her Bollotta-FIDE debut Annie Revel, CSEP (Founder, Revel Productions). Get to know these powerhouses and their approach to building the curriculum, course format, and the unique program aspects in the SDSU MEM Master's program.

Billy talks to Rich Bracken, a global keynote speaker, media personality, and award-winning sales & marketing executive.   Listen to Rich's podcast Enrich Your Soul wherever you get your podcasts!  Rich routinely works with companies, firms, and individuals across the country looking to establish sustainable change and improvement in their approach to achieving their business and culture goals. Rich is a frequent speaker and writer on topics such as emotional intelligence, leadership, goal setting and achievement, sales/client service, and presentation skills.  Over the last few years, he has been featured through such media channels as Fox News, CBS News, Vice, Reader's Digest, Thrive Global, and has worked with such global organizations as MDRT, Meeting Professionals International, and the Legal Marketing Association.  He's here today to talk about how he uses his experiences as a DJ who has traveled the globe delivering block rockin' beats to help others further develop their emotional intelligence.Billy asks Rich:--Tell us the story about your first wedding DJing gig?  What lessons did you take from that experience?--One of your keynote presentations is an actual dance party where you incorporate your DJ talents and experience into your presentation. How does this presentation help others “tune in” and “turn up the volume” on their emotional intelligence?  --Tell us about the nuances of being a DJ and how those nuances helped you develop a growth mindset that you use to help businesses with their leadership and employee engagement.--Talk about the importance of reading a room in social and business settings.--During the pandemic, I imagine you have had to evolve as a presenter.  How have you evolved and how are you helping businesses evolve?--You've talked about the importance of having long-term goals broken up into short-term goals.  How did you use that to approach your weight loss journey?  How did you use those to get back on track when setbacks derailed you along the way?Thank you for listening to the Mindful Midlife Crisis!Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Topics you want us to cover?Email:  mindfulmidlifecrisis@gmail.comInstagram:  @mindful_midlife_crisisTwitter:  @mindfulmidlife"Like" and "Follow" us on Facebook: The Mindful Midlife Crisis PodcastPlease leave us a 5-Star Review!  Doing so helps other people looking for a podcast like ours find it!Support the show

Anthony and Alex are on assignment this week, so we are giving you an encore presentation of: Bollotta-FIDE x SDSU MEM Master's Class: IMEX-cited for This SeriesAnthony and Alex find time during the busy slate at IMEX America in Las Vegas to introduce a new ongoing series on Bollotta-FIDE. Master's Class follows Anthony's journey in the Meeting & Event Management (MEM) master's program at San Diego State University (SDSU). Carl Winston, Founding Director of the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at SDSU, joins the show, along with two of the school's master's instructors, Terri Breining from the Breining Group, and Senior Vice President of Experience at Meeting Professionals International, Annette Gregg. The star-studded cast tells you everything you need to know about master's degrees in meetings and events—short of actually pursuing one yourself, of course. Hear how the SDSU team, including Program Director and former Burger King CEO Jeff Campbell, developed a curriculum with the right balance of personal and professional development for a seat at the leadership table.Submit questions on the form at www.bollotta.com/podcastFollow @BollottaEntertainment on InstagramJOIN THE LIVE EVENTS COALITION at www.liveeventscoalition.org

Niki McKay is the Founder and CEO of Seattle-based Blue Danube Productions. She has been a dynamic, noteworthy leader in the event production space for over 20 years. Niki's expertise is demonstrated through the rapid growth of her company and the industry-wide recognition for her excellent work. She has served partners such as Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Facebook Reality Labs, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Having founded Blue Danube Productions in 2007, Niki has grown the company into one of the premier event technology companies in the Pacific Northwest. She has an exceptional ability to fuse vision with development, bringing about stunning results that combine the best of technical and logistic elements. She leads a team that transforms client relationships into powerful partnerships. Together, they pinpoint goals, target demographics, and achieve the best possible results for their clients. Niki is an influencer and a thought leader. She has been featured in Special Events magazine and has served as a keynote speaker for numerous associations including Meeting Professionals International and the International Live Events Association. In this episode… When starting a business, it's important for entrepreneurs to have a good understanding of their target audience and the value they will provide to that audience. This helps you find clients who share your values, and in the process, helps you build amazing relationships with them. So what does it mean to know your value? As a business leader, understanding your value means that you know what you deserve and what you need — and you are willing to go for it. It also means that you are not afraid to get paid for your expertise and precious time, and you get compensated for who you are and what you bring to the table. You also have to decide and choose the types of clients you want to work with. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Niki McKay, the Founder and CEO of Blue Danube Productions, to talk about the importance of knowing your value. They discuss Niki's company philosophy, the most challenging event she has worked on, and what she loves about her job. Stay tuned.

This episode is all about cultural weddings! Tune in as co-hosts Kristina, Mike and Sharon talk with special guest, Ellen Fox of ShaFox Weddings & Events, about the colorfulness, grandeur and traditions behind cultural weddings that go way beyond the traditional American bouquet toss and bride in an elegant white dress. Listen in to understand all that goes into coordinating, who does the planning and all the things that make these events so special.Ellen is a talented designer, an exceedingly organized leader, and extremely passionate about perfection.  She orchestrates detailed "behind the scenes" event execution, allowing clients and vendors an enjoyable and rewarding event experiences.  For more than 20 years, Ellen has been a leader in the hospitality industry serving on several boards, including past president of the Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter of Meeting Professionals International. Her relatability, innovative designs, and confident yet calming approach consistently produce events that amaze.Timestamps:• [2:48] Ellen shares about the work and education that led her to this line of work. • [3:48] Ellen discusses wearing all the hats as a business owner… • [6:29] Ellen talks about getting immersed in her client's culture to truly understand their wants and needs for their wedding. • [14:31] “Some of the things that I tell my clients all the time, is we only get to do this once. So, let's do it right.”For more information on The Ring The Bling And All The Things Podcast, visit: https://www.ringblingallthethingspodcast.com/Kristina StubblefieldCoaching & consulting: https://kristinastubblefield.com/Website: https://www.ringblingallthethingspodcast.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theringtheblingandallthethingsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theringtheblingandallthethings/The Ring The Bling And All The Things Community Platform: https://www.ringblingallthethings.com/Michael GaddieWebsite: https://www.lloydsflorist.net/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lloydsflorist/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lloydsflorist/ Sharon RumseyWebsite: https://aperfectplanevents.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APerfectPlanKentuckiana/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aperfectplaneventskentuckiana/Guest InformationEllen FoxWebsite: https://www.shafox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shafoxweddings/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shafoxweddingsOur vision is to bring vendors, venues, show producers, wedding groups and engaged couples to ONE amazing place! We have built a platform that you can use us to access local vendors, video and photo inspiration galleries, mood boards, wedding stories and articles, engagement stories, exclusive savings, wedding show and expo events in your area, online stores, resources like wedding registries and informative podcasts as well as education events! www.ringblingallthethings.com

Natalie Lowe is an entrepreneur, owning her event company for 17 years. She worked in gaming, hotels and events in operations, sales, and marketing. She is a certified meeting manager through Meeting Professionals International and a Climate Reality Leader through the Climate Reality Project. She co-founded The Sustainable Event Forum with a mandate to "Educate, Inspire, Collaborate and Act" and hosts "Earth Day for Event People" every April.

“The tougher the setback, the better the comeback.” ― Bernard Osei Annang, Life, The Theory of Everything: Succeeding in the 21st century and beyond This is by far, one of the hardest lessons to learn during a challenging season, and for the event industry, it feels like the challenging season has no end. Tune into this brand new episode ft Courtney Stanley - an award-winning changemaker recognized globally, a keynote speaker, and event emcee - as we will explore and demystify these topics: 1. how to turn your setbacks into comebacks in the events industry, 2. the purpose behind brand authenticity, and what does it take to build an authentic brand, 3. how imposter syndrome manifests in our lives and strategies to help overcome it. ————————— “Events: demystified” Podcast is brought to you by Tree-Fan Events and your Podcast Host is Anca Trifan. ————————— More about Courtney: Courtney Stanley is the CEO of Courtney Stanley Consulting (Keynote Speaker, Event Emcee, Career Coach), and she has spent 10 years helping professionals, entrepreneurs, and organizations engage in game-changing, impactful conversations that empower individuals to tap into their true potential, improve team and culture dynamics, and drive meaningful change, and she is recognized as one of the event industry's most impactful change-makers. Courtney is the youngest member to have ever been elected to Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) International Board of Directors. She is the recipient of Smart Meetings' 2020 Women in Events Entrepreneur Award, Meetings Today's 2019 & 2020 Trendsetter Award, MeetingsNet's 2019 Changemaker Award, the Association for Women in Events (AWE) 2018 Disruptor Award, the 2015 MPI Chairman's Award, and 2011 MPI RISE Award, named Collaborate and Connect Magazine's 40 under 40 in 2011, and is recognized as one of the event industry's most impactful change-makers. Courtney serves on the Events Industry Sexual Harassment Task Force, MPI's Women's Advisory Board, is a Meetings Mean Business Ambassador, and is the co-founder of the award-winning movement, #MeetingsToo. You can find Courtney on social IG/TW/FB @courtneyonstage or on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/courtneystanley ————————— For event and podcast updates, tips, and tricks of the trade, follow us on these social channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eventsdemystifiedpodcast Become a Patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/eventsdemystified ————————— Tree-Fan Events offers Hybrid Event Production Services: https://treefanevents.com/hybrid-event-services/ ————————— If you like our podcast, please show us some love by subscribing to this podcast on your favorite listening platform and following us on Instagram. By leaving a great review and hitting the 5 stars, you make this Podcast visible to other listeners with the same interests as you. Until next time! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eventsdemystified/message

How is it going, friends? Welcome to another episode of "Events: demystified" where we aim to demystify the world of in-person, virtual, hybrid event production and technology by sharing insightful tips, tricks, strategies, and tactics that will help you plan and execute successful events of all types, formats, and sizes! In today's episode, I have my new friend, Deanna Nwosu joining me - a hostess with the mostest - a CMP since 2017, and a DES recipient, also an active member of Meeting Professionals International, serving on the RISE Awards committee globally, and the membership and marketing committees for the Ohio chapter. Today we're demystifying these top topics: what does it look like to tap into the power of emotions at events, how NOT to be or hire a boring keynote speaker, presenter, etc immersive in-person or virtual experiences that delight all senses. “Events: demystified” Podcast is brought to you by Tree-Fan Events and your Unicorn Podcast host is Anca Trifan. ————————— You can find Deanna on LinkedIn, or on social @deannacamille ————————— For event and podcast updates, tips, and tricks of the trades, follow us on these social channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eventsdemystifiedpodcast Become a Patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/eventsdemystified ————————— Tree-Fan Events offers Hybrid Event Production Services: https://treefanevents.com/hybrid-event-services/ ————————— If you like our podcast, please show us some love by subscribing to this podcast on your favorite listening platform and following us on Instagram. By leaving a great review and hitting the 5 stars, you make this Podcast visible to other listeners with the same interests as you. Until next time! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eventsdemystified/message

We are delighted to be speaking to Sue Hershkowitz-Coore today! Sue is an amazing speaker, full of energy and enthusiasm! She has also authored two books about writing and choosing the right words to convince whoever you are talking to.  In this episode, Sue talks about her journey and tells some amusing stories about how she got into public speaking. She shares her knowledge about creating emotional certainty, using email etiquette, and communicating with people from different cultures, and offers advice for anyone considering starting a speaking career. We hope you learn a lot from listening to today's conversation with Sue Hershkowitz-Coore! Sue Hershkowitz-Coore's bio Internationally recognized communications researcher and sales trainer with multiple degrees and honors from prestigious universities, Sue Hershkowitz-Coore helps audiences increase profitability, professionalism, and productivity through improved communications. Skillfully blending persuasion research, business trends, anecdotes, insights, and studies from the social sciences into practical training, Sue has developed a winning communication system that creates amazingly successful and profitable customer relationships. Sue has authored Power Sales Writing (now in its 2nd printing: McGraw-Hill) named among the “Best Books for Sales Success” by Selling Power magazine, and How to Say It to Sell It! (Prentice Hall/Penguin). She provides a fresh, practical look at how what you say, and how you say it, can skyrocket success.  Speaker Sue is a past officer, board member, and President's award winner of the National Speakers Association, a founding member of Meeting Professionals International's Women's Leadership Initiative, was designated an MPI “Platinum” speaker for 12 consecutive years and named “Best in Class″ by Professional Convention Management Association.  Sue's educational degrees include a Masters of Counseling and a Fellowship supported by the University of California at Berkeley. Her presentations take her around the world including very recent appearances in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Spain, France, Canada and Mexico, and the US of course. Sue was awarded "Best Hospitality Sales Trainer - 2021" by LUXLife, the luxury lifestyle magazine. Sue's journey Sue taught seventh and eighth grade English until her son was born. She wanted to spend more time with him, so she gave up teaching. Later, she started knocking on doors to earn a living. While pitching a bank, her enthusiasm made up for all she lacked in terms of professionalism, so they hired her. Everything else Sue achieved in her career came about as a result of that original presentation.  Becoming a speaker Sue credits the National Speakers Association (NSA) for teaching her the fundamentals of being a professional speaker. Writing a book Listening to Larry Winget explain the steps you need to take to write a book at an NSA meeting motivated Sue to write her first book, Power Sales Writing. Larry suggested writing down 110 ideas, and then fleshing them out. On her flight home, Sue came up with 102 ideas. After that, she started writing the book.  Publishing her book When trying to find a publisher for her book, Sue got 42 rejection letters. So, she published the book herself. Then an agent saw the book and offered to publish it, but Sue refused. Part of a series Later, Sue was asked to do a second version of her book. That book resulted in her being invited to be part of a popular series of “how-to” books for business communication.  Customer-centricity Some of the most well-known brands in the world are Sue's clients. She teaches their salespeople that everything needs to revolve around the customer. Over and above that, they need to move away from transactions and towards emotional certainty.  Choosing brain-friendly words to create emotional certainty Research has shown that some words activate positive neurons in the brain and conjure up positive and pleasant images in the mind's eye. Other words, however, activate negative neurons in the brain and cause people to imagine negative things. Most of us fail to realize how often we self-sabotage by using words that are not brain-friendly. Moving to the next level To move to the next level of emotional certainty, salespeople need to create excitement and focus on customer-centric outcomes. Cross-cultural etiquette and best practices for email and texting etiquette Always honor the recipient when sending an email to someone in another country. When communicating with someone from a different culture, honor whatever their expectations are. Do not mention your name at the start of an email. Remember to give your name when texting someone for the first time. Be as authentic as possible when writing an email and infuse your message with positivity. Do not cross the line between being friendly and familiar when emailing or texting a client or customer. Do not send texts to your clients in the middle of the night. Choose your words carefully. People do tend to judge others by the tone and language they use in an email. Connecting with someone on LinkedIn When writing a message to connect with someone on LinkedIn, take a moment to do some research. You can read their home page, their “about” section, and quickly learn about the company they work for. Use some of that information to personalize your message. Remember that it is a business relationship, so be careful not to invade the personal space of the person to whom you are sending the message. Keep your message short, and never try to sell anything. Advice for starting a speaking career First, determine where your passion lies, and what matters to you. Then, figure out how to make that matter to the buyer. Always communicate from your heart, and keep on creating new content. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Sue Hershkowitz-Coore On LinkedIn On Facebook On Website  

Over the last 18 months, we've seen communities spring up faster than ever before—digital became the primary way for members to connect. So we reviewed data from more than one thousand association member communities to identify the most common trends. Check out this on-demand webinar with Higher Logic's resident online community experts, along with Cory Elford, Manager of Communities and Membership Marketing at Meeting Professionals International. They share key findings from this year's report, with insights on some of the most effective tactics you can implement to boost member engagement at your association (and how to sustain it).

Bollotta-FIDE x SDSU MEM Master's Class: IMEX-cited for This SeriesAnthony and Alex find time during the busy slate at IMEX America in Las Vegas to introduce a new ongoing series on Bollotta-FIDE. Master's Class follows Anthony's journey in the Meeting & Event Management (MEM) master's program at San Diego State University (SDSU). Carl Winston, Founding Director of the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at SDSU, joins the show, along with two of the school's master's instructors, Terri Breining from the Breining Group, and Senior Vice President of Experience at Meeting Professionals International, Annette Gregg. The star-studded cast tells you everything you need to know about master's degrees in meetings and events—short of actually pursuing one yourself, of course. Hear how the SDSU team, including Program Director and former Burger King CEO Jeff Campbell, developed a curriculum with the right balance of personal and professional development for a seat at the leadership table.Submit questions on the form at www.bollotta.com/podcastFollow @BollottaEntertainment on InstagramJOIN THE LIVE EVENTS COALITION at www.liveeventscoalition.org

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking to Holly Duckworth! Holly is a Mindfulness Specialist who has had a fantastic career in the meetings and events industry! She has spent the last decade working in the mindfulness space. Holly has written several books and recently formed the American Mindfulness Association. In this episode, Holly tells her story, talks about what she does, and shares some great tips for making mindfulness part of your business and everyday life. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Holly today and benefit from her excellent advice! Holly Duckworth's bio Holly Duckworth, CMP, CAE, CWMF, has been called the trailblazer of mindfulness for meetings. Owner of Leadership Solutions International for 20+ years she has worked to change how we think about the impacts of stress and meetings. As a certified workplace mindfulness facilitator, she leads the 2021 IMEX mindfulness efforts in Re-energize Reef. She is the founder of the American Mindfulness Association to advance mindfulness a key strategic business practice. As the author of 4 books at the intersection of leadership, sales, and mindfulness, Holly is a sought-after global keynote speaker. Look for Holly as a featured live mindfulness trainer on Insight Timer App, or as the host producer of the Everyday Mindfulness Show with more than 150 episodes, or as a co-facilitator of the monthly Chaos to Calm Challenge for mindful leaders. She has been recognized by Smart Meetings Magazine, BizBash for her innovative approach and commitment to the health and wellbeing of meetings for planners and participants.  Holly's journey Holly's journey in the meetings and events industry started when she worked as the Director of Corporate Communications for a baseball team in Oregon. Someone suggested that she should work for the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Portland, Oregon. She did so and loved the job! It allowed her to take her first leap into more formal meetings and conventions.  MPI While working as the Convention Services Manager for the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Holly linked up with Meeting Professionals International. Several years later, MPI recruited her to work for them.  Starting her own company Managing MPI's volunteer chapters in the Western US remotely eventually evolved into Holly starting her own company and writing books on association leadership and meetings.   Stepping away The stress and overwhelm of the meetings caused Holly to step away from the industry.  The American Mindfulness Association Holly got a degree in mindfulness. Then, she blended the meetings, associations, and mindfulness to found and create the American Mindfulness Association.  Leaving MPI Although she loved her work with MPI, Holly reached a point where she knew that her skills, talents, and services needed to be offered to organizations worldwide, so she left MPI and wrote her first book, Ctrl+Alt+Believe: Reboot Your Association for Success.  A trailblazer Holly was one of the early trailblazers in making mindfulness mean business. She educates people in applied mindfulness practices. Mindfulness versus meditation Mindfulness is being fully present and non-judgemental in the present moment. Meditation is one of many possible practices that you can use to become fully present in the moment. Infuse some mindfulness while washing your hands While washing your hands, take a moment to feel the water temperature and the soap on your hands. Take a breath, exhale, and feel your stress flowing down your whole body, and down the drain. Mindfulness in meetings Take a moment before stepping into a meeting to center and focus yourself, and visualize what you want to happen in the meeting. If you feel stressed in a meeting, use the affirmation “I am at peace”. Inhale and say to yourself, “I am”. Then, exhale and say “at peace”. You can also send an energetic message to anyone stressing you out to ease the tension. Being present Be present and in the moment before moving into an experience, like a sales meeting, a trade show, an event, or a conference. You can do it anywhere and anytime. IMEX IMEX has always been committed to wellness. Holly will be doing a mindfulness activity at the upcoming IMEX conference in Las Vegas. Seven Practices to Be a Mindful Meeting Professional Holly created a tool to help people become more grounded and calmer while at work, a sales meeting, an incentive trip, or even a trade show. She calls it Seven Practices to Be a Mindful Meeting Professional. You can download it here. Setting an intention You should set an intention to put your energy in motion for each day. It can be just one word, like joy, happiness, or calm. Repeat the word as you move into the day. It is a great practice to share with your team at a sales meeting. Mindfulness practices You can practice mindful movement by being fully present while walking or riding a bicycle. Be present in the moment while eating a meal. Take a moment and fully experience all the food on your plate. You can also encourage everyone at the table to express something for which they are grateful. Tips for being mindful at trade shows Permit yourself to be authentic. Allow yourself to be fully present with whoever is in front of you. Take a break if you feel you need some time out. Use this time to grow closer to others in your vulnerability, and notice those who are calm and present despite everything going on. Permit yourself to say no to things you do not want to do and say yes to your mental wellbeing.   Relaxation Reef Holly will be offering mindfulness meditations and training sessions at Relaxation Reef at the IMEX conference in Las Vegas in November. Holly's books Holly co-authored the book Sell More, Stress Less: 52 Tips to Become A Mindful Sales Professional. It has a mindfulness tip for each week of the year. Another of Holly's books is a daily wellness check-in reader called Everyday Mindfulness: From Chaos to Calm in a Crazy World. It has a daily reminder to set an intention, a daily inspirational quote, and an inspiring story for each day.  Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Holly Duckworth On LinkedIn On her Website Email Holly: holly@hollyduckworth.com Holly's podcast Everyday Mindfulness Show Download Holly's “Seven Practices to be a Mindful Meeting Professional” here.      

Today, I am delighted to be speaking to another icon in our industry! Miguel Neves, the Editor-in-chief of EventMB, is joining us. Miguel has had an amazing career in the meetings and events industry! In his current position, he oversees everything going on in the industry across the world.  In this episode, Miguel shares his insight and talks about what we can expect, what we should focus on, and the impact technology will have on events in the future. We hope you enjoy our fascinating conversation with Miguel today! Miguel Neves's bio Miguel is EventMB's Editor-in-chief and likes to describe himself as a "curious creator and caring curator of computerized content and a conscious connector of charismatic characters". He lives and breathes the event tech sector and is deeply engaged in the global online community of event professionals. He is active in volunteer roles across the industry and currently sits on the International Board of Directors of Meeting Professionals International. Miguel is a Portuguese soul who built a career in the UK and is now raising a young family in southern Denmark. Miguel's background Miguel started his career doing stage management, playing music, and being a roadie in the music industry. He was part of the team at the MTV awards in Lisbon in 2005. He was impressed to see how the back end worked and began to develop an interest in the teamwork required to put on that kind of event. He got involved in events after that, helping a company with some corporate events. Then he and a friend decided to open an event company. Unfortunately, it failed miserably, and Miguel realized that selling the organization of events is very different from organizing events. He went to London and got a Master's degree in Conference and Events Management at the University of Westminster. After that, Miguel wanted to build a network, so he got involved with MPI. He got an internship in California, with Synaxes Meetings and Events, after which he spent three years with the company, learning how the industry works. After that, he worked with the IMEX team for six years and then moved to Denmark where he had his own company for three years. Since February 2021, Miguel has been Editor-in-chief for EventMB. The user experience Miguel feels that even though it might be very tempting to add technology to an event, the most important thing at any event is the user experience.  Technology  Technology has developed at an incredible pace over the last eighteen months. Miguel finds it interesting to see how easy it has become to create online events. Most virtual events tend to go smoothly right now if the organizers take good care of the setup and production. Trusting and using technology  When people trust technology and use it at events, it becomes something special and makes a big difference.  Holograms Miguel thinks that a good video feed is just as effective as a hologram at an event. Invisible technology People need to trust the technology that gets used at events. Miguel's goal is to make the technology used at events almost invisible. The business aspect of virtual events Virtual events have the potential to reach people anywhere in the world at a relatively low cost. Virtual events are vital from a top of funnel perspective when it comes to sales. Virtual events also work well in terms of content, speakers, and even exchanging information.  Social In-person events work far better than virtual events when it comes to the social aspect. Unfortunately, in-person events are more costly than virtual events. Hybrid events The best solution is to have a combination of virtual and in-person events. Although Miguel does not think that the future of events will be all hybrid, he thinks that all future events should have an online component to record the relevant content. The future  The future is about finding ways to extend the reach of events, connecting with those who are not attending in-person, and creating community. Good technology Good technology allows people to consume the live content of an event from wherever they are. Connectivity  Good internet connectivity will be very valuable in the long run. Involve the community Understanding the target audience is very valuable for business owners. That is why Miguel advises business owners to involve their community or target audience as much as possible and find out what they want and expect. Simplify Technology should help to simplify things for people. Change The pandemic has brought about a lot of change. This is a good time for small business owners to do a recheck on what is relevant because the people they knew before or the audience they think they are serving might not be where they were any longer. People's needs have also changed since the pandemic.  Advice for small business owners Be very clear about what your product offering is. Figure out what you want to do and how you want to do it. Then, productize it by making it into something that people can easily understand and aspire to have. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Miguel On LinkedIn Book mentioned: When Coffee and Kale Compete by Alan Klement    

We have the great pleasure of speaking to a rockstar in our industry today! Courtney Stanley has received many awards. She is a keynote speaker, an emcee, and the founder of the women-inspired podcast, Dare to Interrupt. Courtney started a business just before the pandemic and is full of ideas and optimism! She is joining us to share what she has learned about the importance of being authentic and understanding why you do what you are doing. We hope you enjoy our inspiring conversation with Courtney today! Courtney Stanley's bio: Courtney Stanley is recognized globally as an award-winning changemaker, keynote speaker, event emcee, and acclaimed creator of the women-inspired podcast, Dare to Interrupt. Courtney has spent ten years helping professionals, entrepreneurs, and organizations engage in game-changing, impactful conversations that empower individuals to tap into their true potential, improve team and culture dynamics, and drive meaningful change. Courtney is the youngest member to have ever been elected to Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) International Board of Directors. She is the recipient of Smart Meetings' 2020 Women in Events Entrepreneur Award, Meetings Today's 2019 & 2020 Trendsetter Award, MeetingsNet's 2019 Changemaker Award, the Association for Women in Events (AWE) 2018 Disruptor Award, the 2015 MPI Chairman's Award, and 2011 MPI RISE Award, named Collaborate and Connect Magazine's 40 under 40 in 2011, and is recognized as one of the event industry's most impactful change-makers. Courtney serves on the Events Industry Sexual Harassment Task Force, MPI's Women's Advisory Board, is a Meetings Mean Business Ambassador, and is the co-founder of the award-winning movement #MeetingsToo. How Courtney joined the meetings and events industry Courtney started university in the medical field, but after a year, a conversation with someone prompted her to look into a program at Central Michigan University with hospitality, event management, and international tourism. She loved the program after her first class, and she knew then that she wanted to be in the meetings and events industry. Her first role Her first role within the industry was an internship with the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee.  Marketing She later worked as part of the event marketing team for an event technology company based in Toronto, Canada, where she began to explore an area that was more strategic and more focused on marketing. A side-hustler Even when working for others, Courtney was always side-hustling. As her career progressed over the next eight years, that area continued to grow significantly.  A leap of faith The exponential possibility of growth and being able to do whatever she wanted to do eventually outweighed the security of working for someone else. Courtney also realized that the side-hustles she had grown excited her more than anything else, so she decided to take a leap of faith and become an entrepreneur. How to create an authentic brand A good place to start with building an authentic brand is getting to know who you are, what you are skilled at, and the value you have to offer. You need to know how you want to be seen and if that aligns with how you feel and who you are. You cannot please everyone Know that you will never be able to please everyone. Rather than trying to be what you think others want you to be, just be yourself and do the things that feel right for you. Be proud of who you are, and the right people are sure to come along. Respect and kindness If Courtney sees anyone not operating without the right level of respect or kindness toward others, she knows that something is going on with them that needs their attention. Worth Your worth is not connected to your work. Courtney has learned that it is vital that those who have been let go or furloughed understand that they are not their job and are still valuable. Rebuilding confidence Courtney encourages those who have lost their jobs to look objectively at themselves and make a checklist of all the skills, experiences, and strengths they have, personally and professionally. Getting some feedback from supportive individuals can help to rebuild lost confidence. Overcoming life's setbacks There is always a lot to be learned from difficult situations. There are many silver linings and opportunities to grow from any setback you might experience in your life. Being an entrepreneur There was a lot about entrepreneurship that Courtney did not know when she went into it. She feels that even though being an entrepreneur is risky and uncomfortable, it is still wonderful! She strongly believes that the most growth is to be found in discomfort. Hard times Most entrepreneurs go through hard times when they wonder why they are doing what they do and question whether or not they are doing the right thing. When that happens, it can be helpful and encouraging to speak to an entrepreneur with more experience. A tough year It took a tough year of grit, going back to her why and her purpose, and getting to understand who she is to get Courtney to where she is today. Dreaming big Dreaming big, putting her goals down on paper, and feeling everything from the inside out was the fuel that kept Courtney's engine going last year when there was no income coming in. Coaching Coaching others to navigate the pain of rejection she went through when she lost her job makes Courtney feel purposeful, and it helps those she coaches feel more purposeful. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Courtney Stanley On her Website  

The Event Brew crew is on a roll of covering events this summer. Will attended a 15,000-person event and Thuy recently raved about her experience as a virtual attendee at PCMA EduCon 2021. Today is Nick's turn to share his story. In June, he flew to Las Vegas to go to Meeting Professionals International's World Education Congress - or MPI WEC 2021 in short. Granted, it's been two months since he shook hands with fellow event profs in Caesars Forum, but the memories linger on. Nick shares what he loved about it and why he thinks that the event didn't qualify as a proper hybrid event experience. A candid conversation that segues into future predictions about the events industry as well, it's an episode not to be missed!

We are honored and happy to be speaking to an incredible businessperson today! Mike Massari is the Chief Sales Officer of Caesars Entertainment and the new Co-chair of Meetings Mean Business. Mike has had a massive impact on the Meetings and Events industry. In today's episode, he talks about his career and discusses how he operates his business. He also explains the value of Meetings Mean Business and shares some points for business owners to focus on to build and grow their businesses and keep in touch with people. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation with Mike Massari today! Michael (Mike) Massari's bio: Chief Sales Officer Michael Massari is a leader and innovator in the travel and tourism industry as the leader for the meetings, conventions, and events business for Caesars Entertainment's portfolio with more than 50 U.S. properties.  Michael Massari was recently appointed co-chair for Meetings Means Business and has served on the board for Meeting Professionals International.  Since 2011, he has successfully led a nationwide reorganization of Caesars Entertainment's property meetings businesses into one team including sales, catering, convention services, and banquet operations. This provides unique benefits for customers. The restructured sales force-placed team members in metro areas throughout the country to be closer to customers.  The unique organizational structure gave the company a competitive advantage, changing the paradigm for the company's meetings business and redefining managing multiple properties within a market. The groundbreaking strategies paid significant dividends for Caesars Entertainment, increasing revenue and market share and establishing Caesars Entertainment as a leader in the meetings and events industry under Massari's guidance.  In March 2020, Caesars Entertainment opened CAESARS FORUM, a 550,000 square-foot conference facility that redefined offerings for meetings and events in Las Vegas.  Massari also made a significant impact on Atlantic City. He staked his career on the building and opening of the Waterfront Conference Center, which is an innovative meeting experience and the largest hotel conference center complex from Baltimore to Boston. This ushered in a new era for Atlantic City, resulting in a substantial boost in travel. Massari has spent more than twenty years in various executive roles within Caesars Entertainment. Before he was appointed the head of the meetings and events division, Massari was the Vice President of Las Vegas Meetings.  A Philadelphia native, Massari earned his bachelor's degree from Cabrini University before achieving an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. He currently resides in Las Vegas with his wife and two daughters.  Athletics Mike sees it as no coincidence that so many executives today have had athletic careers. He is happy to have had an athletic background because those experiences have helped him in his business career. Mike's career Mike has had a wonderful career! He worked at a catered event for the first time in Pennsylvania, in 1985, at the age of fifteen, and since then, all his work has involved catered events. He has done every job possible in the meetings and events world and enjoyed every moment! He has been with Caesars Entertainment for the last twenty years.   Keeping in touch LinkedIn has been a savior for Mike to know what others are up to and keeping in touch with them.  Properties Caesars Entertainment has many different properties in their company. Most of their business happens at their properties in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe, and Reno.  Sales Mike came up through the operations side of the business before transitioning to the sales side, where he spent a good portion of his career. Sell or die  Mike runs a business that has only one channel. It is direct sales because that is the only way that you can purchase a meeting or event. In Mike's business, if they don't sell, they die. So they spend a lot of their time on sales.  Operating a business Mike urges everyone in the Meetings and Events business to keep reminding themselves that they are operating a business. Mike Massari's formula for a successful sales process In a small business, the proprietor is often the primary salesperson. To transition to a larger business, they would have to put an executable, scalable, and repeatable sales process in place. That process should not be based on the charisma or the network of the proprietor, according to Mike. Unfortunately, most small business owners tend to struggle with doing that. Team members Mike has a great team! His team members are treated with dignity and respect. They are happy to have well-paid jobs in a great environment and help execute meetings and events again!  Las Vegas For the last thirty years, Las Vegas has been one of the fastest-growing markets in the country. It is now reaching a point where it is big enough to warrant the extra things that smaller cities generally do not have, like the big NHL games. Mike believes that Las Vegas will continue to grow. Mike Massari and Meetings Mean Business Meetings Mean Business started just after the recession began in 2007-2008. Mike was a founding member and has been a proud partner ever since then. For Mike, Meetings Mean Business is about advocacy for the Meetings and Events industry.  There are two things that people tend not to understand about Meetings Mean Business: The first is that nothing good in this world has ever happened without someone having had a meeting first. The second is that every part of society that the Meetings and Events industry touches benefits from meetings and events happening in their community. Meetings Mean Business exists to articulate that to everyone, but mostly to government officials, to help them understand how they can help their communities.  Get involved Mike urges everyone in the Meetings and Events industry to get involved with Meetings Mean Business. Many people do not understand what the meetings and events business does, so that needs to be articulated to help them understand. The strength of MMB lies in its distribution, so more people advocating both locally and nationally will ultimately be better for everyone involved. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Mike Massari Email Mike: mmassari@caesars.com

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking to another amazing person! We are delighted to have Kevin Kirby, the Executive Director of the MPI Foundation, joining us as our guest!  Kevin started his career with companies like Universal and Disney and went on to work for Hard Rock International. He has a lot of knowledge and some great points to share today that will benefit everyone in our industry!  In this episode, Kevin talks about his challenging transition from Universal to Disney, volunteering, building relationships, rebranding, and believing in yourself. Enjoy our conversation! Kevin Kirby's bio: Kevin Kirby is a senior global sales and marketing executive with more than 30 years of experience advancing entertainment-centered hospitality brands. He has served in leadership roles for Universal Orlando, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, and Hard Rock International. He led the marketing efforts of regional theme parks in Ohio and Western New York earlier in his career. While at Hard Rock International, he championed locally designed, multi-platform sales, promotions, and advertising campaigns in over 55 countries, including China, Russia, and India. He directed both B2C and B2B segments initiatives while collaborating with operations leaders and franchise owners. He has led teams with multiple discipline representation (creative, IT, finance, operations, and C-level roles). Kevin has been a member of Meeting Professionals International since 1998. MPI is the world's largest meeting and event professional association spanning 70+ countries and over 15,000 members. Throughout his 23+ years as an MPI member, he has served on numerous international committees (awards, marketing, and brand development), as an international board member in 2008-2010, and as an executive committee member from 2011-2013. Throughout 2014 and 2015, he traveled extensively as the appointed chairman of the International Board of Directors due to an extended-term. His journey with MPI has come full circle with his appointment as Executive Director of The MPI Foundation (MPIF). In his new role, he collaborates with countless industry partners to develop scholarships, grants, and fund research to complement the growing demand for experiential marketers and event organizers. The foundation has been critical to assisting financially distressed individuals and ensuring that chapters continue to offer value to their community. Kevin Kirby's story Kevin describes himself as an accidental meeting professional. Early in his career, he was involved in theme parks in Ohio and Western New York. His love of hospitality eventually got him to Universal in Orlando, where he got introduced to the meeting and events business.  Transitioning  Making the transition from Universal to Disney was not a voluntary choice on Kevin's part. He lost his job with Universal because they went through a corporate reorganization. It was a humbling experience for him after all the good work he had done and the success he had achieved. Disney Kevin received a call from someone at Disney, inviting him to join their events team.  A challenge It was a challenge for Kevin to move from Universal to Disney, which has one of the strongest cultures and brands in the world.  Volunteering Volunteering has always been important for Kevin. He was a member of the non-profit MPI for more than twenty-four years, and now, he works there and feels passionate about it. A once-in-a-lifetime experience Kevin was fortunate to deal with some great people at Hard Rock. He loved giving people a once-in-a-lifetime experience during his time there because he feels that is what the meeting and events business is all about.  Kevin Kirby's philosophy on building relationships Creating an emotional experience for people involves building relationships, being a good thought-partner, and helping people out. That has been a common theme throughout Kevin's career, and it is what he enjoys about the meetings and events industry. Repositioning after 2020 Business owners have to find new ways to keep their businesses open. Rebranding   Recovery appears to be on the horizon. Have faith and take some time to self-reflect. Then take the opportunity to reintroduce your brand as something compelling. Be aware of your environment. Let people know that you care about them, and you will do your best to adapt to their changing needs. Building trust Always remember to take care of your team. That is a critical aspect of marketing. Building trust is as much about your team as it is about building external relationships.  Conferences Attending conferences is about cultivating relationships and finding business opportunities. Conferences are also there to provide professional education.  The best business relationships  The best business relationships come out of mutual respect, understanding, and genuinely caring. Face-to-face Nothing equals the impact of a face-to-face meeting. The body language, handshakes, and hugs let people know that they appreciate one another and what they do.  MPI MPI betters people's lives by upskilling their abilities and providing career opportunities. Last year, they distributed just less than $700,000 to more than 2,230 distressed members and non-members globally. They are rolling out some initiatives towards planned giving for people in the late stages of their careers, and they will soon introduce some new partners. They are currently motivated to bring in money to help people. Support Last year, the leaders of the IMEX group decided to support the efforts of MPI by donating $250,000 to the organization.  The key Relationships have been the key to what MPI has managed to achieve. They have a board of trustees that believes in what they are doing and continues to support them. Humor Kevin has always enjoyed being able to laugh at himself and at any situation he finds himself in.  Kevin Kirby's thoughts on faith There will always be moments of self-doubt. Have faith, trust in a greater calling, believe that there is a path for you, and don't take anything personally, according to Kevin. Know that there is a better opportunity waiting in every circumstance,  Believe in yourself Trust yourself. Trust your gut, and surround yourself with people who support you. If you believe in something, push it. You will be surprised at the outcome. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Kevin Kirby Email kevinkirby@mpi.org On LinkedIn On his Website

News of the “death of in-person meetings” is greatly overrated. While Covid has inflicted great harm on the meetings and convention industry, things are coming back in a big way. In fact, 2022 could break records as people flock to in-person events, meetings and conferences. In this fascinating interview with Paul Van Deventer from Meeting Professionals International, we discuss what was lost, gained and learned from a year of “virtual” meetings.   From a recognition of the importance of unexpected in-person connections to a renewed commitment to health and safety and the challenge of replacing skilled workers lost to other industries, Paul offers an optimistic view and a unique perspective of what role we all play in getting back to business in the new next.   Tune in to this fascinating conversation that affects everyone in every industry. You can find David Avrin on, www.davidavrin.com www.linkedin.com/in/davidavrin twitter.com/DavidAvrin www.facebook.com/therealdavidavrin www.instagram.com/therealdavidavrin You can find Paul Van Deventer on, https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvandeventer https://www.mpi.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WELCOME to a RIDICULOUSLY energizing and inspiring episode of On the Way UP! Let me just start by saying, this has been one my very favorite podcast conversations. Rich is such an incredible person and his positive aura is on another level. Rich is one to watch, as I guarantee he will be a household name. He has big goals and dreams, and I am BEYOND fortunate he was willing to contribute to this show and share his time and content with all of you as well! Rich will actually be the KEYNOTE speaker at a very exciting LIVE event in Vegas this June for Meeting Professionals International, and he has some really fun “tricks up his sleeve” for this presentation! Rich not only hosts his own podcast, the EnRICH Your Soul Podcast, but he has been featured on MANY other media outlets, including Fox 4 News Kansas City. During our conversation we get into discussing some deeper topics. As we all know, in our everyday lives we are faced with challenges of all kinds. Especially during the last year, we have been triggered and challenged in more ways than we probably even realize. This is where emotional intelligence comes in. You are probably familiar with the idea of people having an “IQ”, but what about an “EQ”? Emotional intelligence plays a huge role in our everyday lives and helps us make decisions, interact well with others, and overall helps contribute to our wellbeing and success. In this episode we discuss: -How emotional intelligence plays into leadership and business -How humility, gratitude and mindset have everything to do with success -The importance of daily habits and your personal “anchors” that help you stay grounded, resilient and energized. -That it's OK to be imperfect—we all are human and we all struggle! It's how we choose to manage the struggle that counts. Find out more and check out Rich using the links below! Media handles: Website: www.richbracken.com IG: www.instagram.com/richbracken1 Twitter: www.twitter.com/richbracken1 Resources: Have we connected yet? If not, we need to! Jump on over to: www.valerielynnconsulting.com and let's get in touch! I love hearing from YOU so please also come hang out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-lynn-5aa73b1b/ or on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/valerielynnconsulting Topic or Guest Speaker suggestions? Send me an idea or let me know if you'd like to be a guest on the show by emailing me: valerielynnconsulting@gmail.com. Music by: Nimbus --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/valerielynnconsulting/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valerielynnconsulting/support

Global Meetings Industry Day (https://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/ (GMID)) held on April 8, is an international day of advocacy that showcases the undeniable value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities. It is being celebrated around the globe in dozens of regional events.   In this episode is a rebroadcast of the panel discussion which was held in Las Vegas at the brand new expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center. This panel, moderated by Rich Luna of Meeting Professionals International, was with 5 of the industry leaders in Las Vegas. The panel includes   ·      Chandra Allison, Senior VP at the Venetian Resort ·      Stephanie Glanzer, Chief Sales Officer of MGM Resorts International ·      Chris Flatt, Exec VP at Wynn Las Vegas ·      Steve Hill, CEO & President of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ·      And Michael Massari, Chief Sales Officer of Caesars Entertainment --> LINK to exclusive interview with Michael Massari: https://tradeshowu.biz/episodes/ep-085-importance-of-live-meetings-with-michael-massari/ (Ep 085: Importance of Live Meetings with Michael Massari)   GMID was developed by https://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/ (Meetings Means Business )– an industry-wide coalition which showcases the value of what meetings, trade shows, conventions and travel mean to the economy and communities all around the globe!   This Episode brought to you by https://www.caesars.com/meetings (Caesars Entertainment). Caesars Entertainment is excited to be presenting the Las Vegas Meetings industry experts panel for Global Meetings industry Day. Caesars Entertainment is committed to the meetings business with more than 50 properties around the country with 10 first class resorts in Las Vegas. CAESARS FORUM, the 550,000 square foot conference center is the latest addition. Please visit http://caesarsmeansbusiness.com/ (caesarsmeansbusiness.com) for more information. Get a free Gift and join the Trade Show University newsletter! Visit tradeshowu.biz

Elizabeth Sherry works closely with the MN Chamber of Commerce events team to secure sponsorship for large projects like Session Priorities, Business Day at the Capitol, the Annual Meeting and more. She serves as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications on the board for Meeting Professionals International and is the Director of Events for The Twin Cities Wedding & Event Professionals. Her expertise has been highlighted in Corporate & Incentive Travel Magazine, Bustle, Star Tribune, Medium, Meeting Minds Podcast, Wedding & Event Insider Podcast, and more. She has won three International Live Event Association awards in the past couple years. Elizabeth has been a three time speaker at national Special Event Conference in 2013, 2014, 2015. Elizabeth Sherry most recently comes from the Guthrie Theater. Her responsibilities there were focused on venue logistics and event orchestration. One of her largest projects with the Guthrie was successfully planning eight Super Bowl events, all taking place within 52 hours leading into the big game.

Tara Liaschenko, Owner and Chief Creative Officer of The Link Events shares advice for printers to connect with event and meeting planners effectively, and why presenting ideas to these professionals is more important than ever.  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Tara Liaschenko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-liaschenko-6860981/ The Link Events: https://www.thelinkevents.com/ Project Peacock: https://projectpeacock.printmediacentr.com Meeting Professionals International: https://www.mpi.org/ ILEA: https://www.ileahub.com/

We have the great pleasure of speaking to yet another icon in our industry today, Elliott Ferguson. He is the President and CEO of Destination DC and the current national chair of the board of directors of the U.S. Travel Association. In this episode, we will be talking about three main topics. We will discuss how DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) can help business owners navigate the current situation and what will come after the pandemic. We will also talk about diversity, equality, and inclusion and the leading role Elliott has taken in that area. Finally, we will look at Elliot's role as the chair of U.S. Travel and what will be coming next for our industry. We hope you will enjoy our fascinating conversation with Elliott as much as we did! Elliott Ferguson's bio  Elliott Ferguson serves as President and CEO of Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC. A 30-year veteran of the travel and hospitality industry, Ferguson leads Destination DC's efforts to generate economic opportunity for the District through meetings and tourism, overseeing the organization's convention and tourism sales, marketing, finance, and business development operations. Ferguson began his tenure with Destination DC in December 2001 as the Vice President of Convention Sales, became Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Services in 2005, and has served as President and CEO since 2009. Before working at Destination DC, he served as Director of Sales and Vice President of Sales at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has also served as Director of Sales at the Savannah CVB. Ferguson currently serves as National Chair of the board of directors for the U.S. Travel Association, where he guides the board and association's efforts to advance policies that facilitate more international and domestic travel. He also serves on the board of directors for the following organizations: Advisory Board of the Smithsonian National Zoo; DC Jazz Festival; Ryan Kerrigan “Blitz for the Better” Foundation and the United Way of the National Capital Area. He represents Destination DC as part of the Hospitality Alliance of Washington, D.C. Ferguson received a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Business Administration from Savannah State University. His many industry memberships include Professional Conference Management Association, International Association of Exhibition Executives, Destinations International, National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, Meeting Professionals International, and American Society of Association Executives. Ferguson and his wife, Telesa Via, a hospitality industry veteran, are longtime residents of Capitol Hill. He is active with Capital Partners for Education, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Delta Sigma Pi. Joining the industry In the early 1990s, Elliott got an opportunity to work with the Savannah Economic Development Authority organization. The focus was on economic development and bringing business to Savannah and Georgia by way of industry relocating or expanding. The person running the Business Bureau was on the board of that organization, and he approached Elliott one day to offer him the opportunity to join the Business Bureau. Back then, there was not much diversity in the industry, and the board member of the Business Bureau liked what Elliott was doing and felt that he and Elliott would work well together. Being young and naïve at the time, Elliott avoided him for six months.  Joining the organization After spending six months thinking about it, doing some research, and learning about what the organization did, Elliott joined the organization. Now, more than thirty years later, he is still doing that. Moving to Washington DC Elliott moved to Washington DC in December of 2001, just after 9/11.  The last twelve months Having lived through 9/11, Elliott felt accustomed to things affecting business travel and tourism to Washington DC. Although the last twelve months have been the hardest to deal with, there is strength in numbers. After coming out of a state of denial and dealing with the shock of the reality of the situation, all Elliott's peers around the country started talking about recovery, being more proactive, and looking towards the future. What Americans need to work on As Americans, we need to work on our tendency to believe that some things that affect the global community will never happen to us here, in America.  The Da Vinci Code You can visit Washington DC, based on the book, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. There is a program that shows the different places from the book in Washington. There was also a tour that showed Washington through the eyes of those who followed the Dan Brown movies. Diversity, equality, and inclusion  Elliot feels that things are improving slightly in terms of diversity, equality, and inclusion because when he entered the industry in 1992, there was only one black male who was the CEO of a DMO.  The National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners  Elliott was actively involved in the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners. He realized that there were opportunities and diversity at the lower level of the pyramid in our industry, but as you got further up the pyramid, there were fewer and fewer opportunities. Diversity and inclusion within DMOs In 2021, America is a nation with 600-700 DMOs, and less than ten of them are run by people of color and females. There are still many opportunities and enough time to look at that and dissect it through a different lens. A wake-up call Last year was a wake-up call for Elliott. He realized that COVID could happen in America, and he needed to do a lot more in terms of diversity and inclusion within the industry.  Elliott Ferguson's idea of doing better Doing better for Elliott Ferguson is not only about white people recognizing and understanding the plight of the black community. It is about understanding that there is something wrong with being one of only two black people walking into a room filled with white people in 2021. Also, when representing an industry that he loves and not seeing the diversity, seeing the opportunities to have conversations about that. Discrimination Most discrimination comes from ignorance. Seeing diversity in the future Because of the things they have seen and experienced, kids entering the workforce in the next few years will expect to see some diversity in the companies for which they work. If not, they won't want to work for those companies. Those who want to believe that it is just a black problem, a Jewish problem, or a problem that does not affect them will be left behind. Diversity within companies Sometimes, people don't even realize that the things they are saying are racist. So, people need to challenge themselves to be more purposeful with the conversations they have within their companies. They need to understand that those diverse companies are the most profitable and they are usually the places where the most people want to work. Elliott's role is coming to an end In the next few weeks, Elliott's role as the chair of U.S. Travel will end. He spent two years in that role, and it was an interesting time for him. Dealing with a pandemic As we continue to focus on stressors like Black Lives Matter, the change of administration, and homeschooling, we realize that we are dealing with a pandemic, and people will be losing their lives. Elliott appreciates the direction the Biden administration is taking in terms of prioritizing the focus on the pandemic.  The focus of the U.S. Travel Association In the short-term, the U.S. Travel Association is focusing on domestic markets and on building relationships. Now, when there is no travel at all, people are paying attention to what is missing and how important the travel industry is. The new chair of the U.S. Travel Association  The new chair of the U.S. Travel Association will be focusing on ensuring that the U.S. Travel Association is dealing with the priorities tied to recovery and getting back on track so that people can start traveling again. Something to be proud of The U.S. Travel Association has done two webinars with NDEI, focused on diversity from the standpoint of being black in America. There were more than two thousand people on each Zoom.  Racism that Elliott Ferguson experienced at IMEX The U.S. Travel Association won two awards at IMEX. A few seconds after Elliott Ferguson got off the stage to accept the awards, someone came up to him and asked him to fill their glass of wine. Everyone was shocked! Although Elliott's first inclination was to reassure everyone and make them feel okay, he felt deflated. Creating awareness After that incident, he decided that he would no longer focus on making other people feel comfortable in those situations. Going forward, he would rather prioritize helping people understand what is being referred to, in terms of marginalizing people because of the color of their skin.  Leading the way Elliott feels that the hospitality industry should be leading the way in terms of understanding people's cultural differences. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Elliot On LinkedIn On Website

Antti Lumiainen is an event enthusiast with over 10 years of industry experience and a strong believer of face to face and the power of events. Having a diverse background in associations, exhibitions and event management, Antti is now working with Helsinki Marketing, promoting Helsinki as a meetings and events destination. He has been active for several years in the local chapter of Meeting Professionals International and currently holds the position of President Elect. He is passionate about giving back to the industry that has created so many possibilities for his career. Nadja Rubtsova has more than 10 years of experience in the meetings industry. Before starting her own business in 2020, Nadia has worked in 4 different countries as well on the suppliers' side as from the client's side. Nadia specialises in business development, sales and negotiations. During this episode we will cover the following topics together with Nadja Rubtsova and Antti Lumiainen: Why has Helsinki chosen to put influencer marketing for the meetings & events industry on their agenda? How do you select the right influencer for your city? Based on which criteria did Helsinki choose for Nadia to work together? How do you create a relevant content calendar in these challenging times for our industry? What are the tasks of the influencer during the campaign?

We are happy to be speaking to Roger Rickard today. Roger is an icon of advocacy in our industry.  In this episode, Roger talks about what we can do as business owners, in terms of advocacy, particularly in these challenging times and also over the long term.  Roger Rickard's bio Roger Rickard is the Founder and President of Voices in Advocacy® and author of 7 Actions of Highly Effective Advocates. He has more than 30 years of experience as an advocacy professional, speaker, trainer, consultant, and author. As a recognized expert in advocacy engagement and grassroots activation, Roger works with a wide cross-section of organizations from diverse industries. His vibrant personality and a good sense of humor make for engaging and interactive programming that is packaged and delivered in an easy to understand, easy to apply format combining his education, experience, and enthusiasm to drive advocacy success. Roger is a proud Penn State Nittany Lion and confessed political junky having received his education in Political Science. He has been an advocate for citizen involvement since the age of 13. Elected three times to public office as a young man, served as a state legislative staff member, and has worked on many political campaigns from his very own clear up to presidential campaigns.  His work spans a cross-section of local, regional, national, and international organizations. He has served in numerous industry associations' leadership roles, is a recipient of several international industry awards, and is a member of Meeting Professional International's prestigious “Community of Honorees”. He is often interviewed by radio, print, and television media, highlighted by the MSNBC show Your Business. Smart Meetings Magazine did a cover story on Roger, entitled Passion & Purpose, Roger Rickard's Call to Action. Successful Meetings Magazine named Roger one of the Six People Worth Watching in the Meetings Industry. Meetings Focus Magazine named him to their inaugural list of Meetings Trendsetters, and in 2020, Connect Magazine named Roger to their inaugural Class of 15 over 50 influencers. Roger is a BIG man at 6'8”, a BIG thinker, and he has BIG ideas for helping you succeed with advocacy. He is casually known as the BIG GUY with a BOW TIE. Roger's history Roger started his career in security. He started working in hotels for a private security firm contracted to those hotels. His job was to learn how to deal with things discreetly and diffuse them. That later rolled into a job where he got professionally trained to be a bodyguard as well.  Getting to know the meetings industry Working in different positions in hotels, Roger came to know and understand the meetings industry. Eventually, he owned a DMC (Distillation Management Company) in the industry. After selling that, he went on to work for a national organization that did high-end corporate incentive programs.  Advocacy as a result of the meetings industry The advocacy pillar of Roger's experience came into place as a result of the meetings industry. A boycott in Arizona in the 1990s, around whether or not the government was willing to celebrate the Martin Luther King Day holiday, cost the state of Arizona a tremendous amount of meetings business. That was the first time that meetings ever got used as a tool to get back at the government for their actions.  Getting involved with Meeting Professionals International After that, Roger got involved with Meeting Professionals International. He sat for some time on their Government Affairs Committee and eventually led the committee.  Creating programs to teach people how to be better advocates That led him to create programs to teach people how to be better advocates to help them speak out when they felt that issues of government or other groups were affecting their ability to be leaders in their business. That led Roger to where he is at today. Roger Rickard's advocacy Roger Rickard is involved with advocacy towards everything related to government and public affairs. He is also involved with the advocacy of demonstrating that people are leaders in their field, regardless of the industry in which they are.  Roger Rickard's advocacy myth-busting In one of Roger Rickard's programs, he does a segment of myth-busting about advocacy because advocacy is about your ability to speak in favor of a cause or an issue. There are seven branches of myth-busting. They are: Public affairs Media Public service Brands and Industry Cause Wounded warriors Business leaders and people who advocate for things Advocacy leadership If your prospects are uncomfortable, they are not going to keep on being your customers. If your employees are unhappy with the way they get treated, and you don't stand up as a business leader and defend and protect them, that cog of the business will not run as well as it should. You also need to stand up for your vendors and suppliers and defend them, plead for them, work with them, and share the responsibility, or they will not be there for you when you need them. The definition of an advocate An advocate is a person who pleads the cause of another person. The advocacy role of business owners in our industry  Small businesses, which make up a high majority of the people in the meetings and events industry, have the incredible power to tell their personal stories. Roger wrote a pocket guidebook called 7 Actions of Highly Effective Advocates to explain how business owners and entrepreneurs can be the most important advocates in the mix. One of the best advocacy actions they can perform is to tell their story.  Having a huge impact Anybody can reach out to get other stakeholders. You don't need to change your lifestyle to have an impact. All you need to do is use your personal story as the vehicle to tell a bigger story. Meetings Mean Business and Global Meetings Day  If you feel you cannot reach out to other stakeholders, join Meetings Mean Business, or be a part of the Global Meetings Day on April the 8th 2021, to find out how business gets done and how people advance their businesses through education and training. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Roger On Website Or email him at roger@voicesinadvocacy.com 

Mike's mission is to support people in receiving the gift of emotional wellness. When you are emotionally well, you will be more PRODUCTIVE and your company will be more PROFITABLE. He is proud to be a member of the Society for Human Resources Management(SHRM), National Diversity Council, Meeting Professionals International, the National Speakers Association, and the Rotary Club of Wall Street New York. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/asipofinspiration/support

We are absolutely delighted to have Karen Norris (@freckleface23 on twitter) join us on the podcast today. Karen Norris is the conference manager at the Canadian Association of General Surgeons and manages the Canadian Surgery Forum, the largest annual meeting for Canadian general surgeons. In this episode we talk about what the future holds for conferences in a COVID world, including how organizations can optimize their virtual conferences and what hybrid conferences might look like. Links: 1. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/319055/the-art-of-gathering-by-priya-parker/ 2. Meetings Mean Business Canada Advocacy Video: https://vimeo.com/367271986 3. Meetings Mean Business webpage: https://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.ca/ 4. TraumaCon: https://traumacon.org/ 5. Mike Morrison (Twitter): https://twitter.com/mikemorrison?lang=en 6. Article I referenced about one conference using unique networking opportunities: https://www.bizbash.com/production-strategy/virtual-events/article/21202973/how-american-film-markets-virtual-conference-created-spontaneous-networking-opportunities 7. The Canadian Association of General Surgeons: https://cags-accg.ca/ 8. The Canadian Surgery Forum: https://www.canadiansurgeryforum.com/ Bio: Karen Norris has a degree in Political Science and Sociology from Queens University, a diploma in Event Management from Algonquin College and in 2015 she achieved her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation from the Events Industry Council. She is the Conference Manager at the Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS) and manages the Canadian Surgery Forum which is the largest surgical meeting in Canada attracting 1000+ delegates annually. Before her position with CAGS, she had coordinated conferences for the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the Coaching Association of Canada. She has sat on numerous boards and committees with Meeting Professionals International (Ottawa Chapter) and The Professional Convention Management Association (Canada-East Chapter). She has also sat on various tourism advisory boards for major Canadian cities who host business events and she currently sits on the Algonquin College Event Management Program Advisory Board. She was awarded Planner of the Year in 2018 by the Ottawa Chapter of Meetings Professional International and was a member of the team who won the 2019 “RISE” Award for most Innovative Educational Programming by Meeting Professionals International for an inaugural conference entitled “The Event”. Whenever she can, she works with Meetings Mean Business Canada, the advocacy arm of the business events industry for Canada to garner support from government officials and the public about the economic impact of conferences and events.

Jennafer Ross, CMP, CED is a recognized leader in the meeting and event industry, past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of Meeting Professionals International, and is a 2018 recipient of Smart Meetings, Smart Women in Meetings Entrepreneur. Jennafer earned her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 1996, her Certified Event Designer (CED) designation in […]

Jennafer Ross, CMP, CED is a recognized leader in the meeting and event industry, past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of Meeting Professionals International, and is a 2018 recipient of Smart Meetings, Smart Women in Meetings Entrepreneur. Jennafer earned her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 1996, her Certified Event Designer (CED) designation in […] The post Jennafer Ross with JR Global Events appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

The Changing Role Of The Meeting Planner James Taylor interviews Jessie States and they talked about the changing role of the meeting planner. In today's episode Jessie States they talk about the changing role of the meeting planner. Jessie States, CMM, is the manager of professional development for Meeting Professionals International, where she delivers education in support of MPI's global live event portfolio. Jessie has been a part of the meeting and event community since 2006 when she joined MPI as a storyteller for The Meeting Professional magazine. Since then she has written hundreds of articles and blogs on meetings and events; penned six editions of the International Association of Venue Managers' Business Barometer; and served as primary editor for MPI's research initiatives on strategic meetings management, meeting design, business value of meetings and virtual and hybrid events. In 2017 she was named one of the 25 most influential people in meetings and events by Successful Meetings Magazine. What we cover: The Changing Role Of The Meeting Planner From event tactics to event strategy The rise of Flipped events Inside the mind of the event professional Resources: Resource MPI Planner Resources Please SUBSCRIBE ►http://bit.ly/JTme-ytsub ♥️ Your Support Appreciated! If you enjoyed the show, please rate it on YouTube, iTunes or Stitcher and write a brief review. That would really help get the word out and raise the visibility of the Creative Life show. SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW Apple: http://bit.ly/TSL-apple Libsyn: http://bit.ly/TSL-libsyn Spotify: http://bit.ly/TSL-spotify Android: http://bit.ly/TSL-android Stitcher: http://bit.ly/TSL-stitcher CTA link: https://speakersu.com/the-speakers-life/ FOLLOW ME: Website: https://speakersu.com LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/JTme-linkedin Instagram: http://bit.ly/JTme-ig Twitter: http://bit.ly/JTme-twitter Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/IS-fbgroup Read full transcript at https://speakersu.com/the-changing-role-of-the-meeting-planner-sl085/ James Taylor Hi, it's James Taylor, founder of SpeakersU. Today's episode was first aired as part of International Speakers Summit the world's largest online event for professional speakers. And if you'd like to access the full video version, as well as in depth sessions with over 150 top speakers, then I've got a very special offer for you. Just go to InternationalSpeakersSummit.com, where you'll be able to register for a free pass for the summit. Yep, that's right 150 of the world's top speakers sharing their insights, strategies and tactics on how to launch grow and build a successful speaking business. So just go to InternationalSpeakersSummit.com but not before you listen to today's episode. Hey, there is James Taylor, and I'm delighted today to be joined by Jessie States. Jessie States CMM is the manager of personal development for meeting professionals International, which delivers education in support of mpis Global live event portfolio. Jesse has been part of the meeting and event community since 2006, when she joined MPI as a storyteller for the meeting professional magazine. Since then, she has written hundreds of articles and blogs on meetings and events pinned six editions of the International Association of venue managers business barometer, and serve as primary editor of mpis research initiatives on things like strategic meetings, management, meeting design, business value of meetings, and verge on hybrid events. In 2007, she was named at one of the 25 Most Influential People in meetings and events by successful meetings magazine. It's my great pleasure to have Jesse join us today. So welcome, Jesse. Thank you so much. So share with everyone what's going on in your world just now. Jessie States Well, right now I'm gearing up for the CMP conclave, it's coming up in a few weeks in DC. I'm also working on some of our regional poi events planning to be a gbta in Frankfurt and putting together educational program for next year. Awesome. James Taylor So I mentioned at the start there, you kind of came into the meeting and events industry in about 2006. How did that all kind of began, just tell us that the early journey for you and interesting. I mean, who were those early mentors for you when you first got started? Jessie States Yeah, I think that I've always been a storyteller at heart. And so I took my degree in journalism, and was offered a job here at an industry magazine. And I was able to convert that love of storytelling into selling the stories of meetings and events, and the true behavior change and business drivers that they've become over the past decades, and really taking the opportunity to truly help businesses understand how important meetings are for creating new business for creating new growth for for growing organizations for changing behaviors within organizations. And I converted that as I moved throughout my career into the research initiatives. And again, making sure that those initiatives, not only academically were rigorous and valid, but also had that storytelling to them. So that it wasn't just a series of statistics and data, it was a story that we could share. And then I started to realize, through no fault of our own, but meeting professionals are just a little too busy to read 100 pages of research. So I took that same storytelling strategy and started to create education out of those research initiatives. Because while we can't always take a couple of hours to sit down and try to understand what research is telling us, we can sit and listen and discuss what that research means for the future of meetings. James Taylor So I'm interested as well, I mean, when you first started was Was there someone at MPI that was a key mentor for you. Was it maybe someone in the industry that can take you under their wing? Or did you just kind of have to like gonna build your own way into the business? Jessie States No, I think that there were there were several women who were important parts of my early and mid career, who I could definitely call out now Vicki Howerton, who went on to be the CEO of the venue managers Association, Cindy Diaz, who is now the head of CLIA, the cruise line Industry Association. There were many, many women here at MPI, who were mentors and who took me under their wing and really encouraged me to grow James Taylor in that. I'm just thinking now, I mean, I'm sure that in the course of your work, you're always meeting people are just coming into the industry for the first time. They're just getting started. You know, what's that maybe a key piece of advice that you give them, someone that's just just getting on that note that first year of themselves themselves in some point at some part of the events industry. Jessie States It's funny that you asked me that just earlier today, someone sent me an email and said, Hey, I was a homemaker for a long time. I'm now going back and getting my degree in marketing, and I'm really interested in readings, what should I do? And so I really love the opportunity and cherish the opportunity to to help people who are entering the industry, the The great thing is, is that it's the perfect time to enter meetings and events. The research shows that 30% of organizations are hiring full time employees right now. That's a huge number. US Bureau of Labor Statistics says that industry job growth is going to increase by 10%, between 2016 and 2026. So it's a great time to be in meetings. And absolutely, I think that one of the biggest pieces of advice is to get out there, be part of industry associations, go to networking events, go to educational professional development events, find a mentor, someone who's going to encourage you to grow, and just really put yourself out there, even if you're someone who's not comfortable in these types of situations, set goals for yourself. I'm not the easiest person at networking events, either. It's really, really hard for me to go to people, I don't know. But if I set goals for that networking event, if I know what I'm trying to accomplish while I'm there, if I've set objectives on how I'm going to do it, then I feel much more comfortable stepping out of myself and meeting new people. James Taylor So you mentioned you kind of started in the industry about 2006. I'm interested in, because you're right, you're dealing with people in the industry all the time. How is that? How is the role? I mean, we often will hear that phrase that your event planners, let's say, and I tend not to use it that that that phrase, so my event professionals is the one I tend to use because it's it's a broader category. But how has the role of what we maybe think of as an event planner, or event professional changed since you started to where we are, where we are today, and where perhaps we're going to be going in the future? I think Jessie States that's a pretty loaded? It's a pretty interesting question. Um, when you look at what happened to meetings, when the great recession hit, you look at the way organizations cut them as if it was something that was expendable, as if it was something that wasn't a business necessity. I think that that's when the role would our role in meetings truly started to see as a huge paradigm shift. Before that we had meeting professionals out there who understood the strategy behind meetings, who could articulate their value to organizations who could share how much ROI was being delivered by their meetings. But if we weren't able to, to conceptualize that, if we weren't able to communicate that to our senior leaders, that's where we truly ran into trouble. And that's why our own meetings outlook business barometer, right before the recession hit about six months before it hit, we started to see a huge cut in meetings and events that we couldn't articulate or understand. And about six months later, we realized it was because the recession was coming. And the first thing that businesses were cutting were their meetings and events. And so what we don't want to see is for that to happen again. But we don't want to see as for businesses not to understand the crucial role that meetings play in, in the strategy behind their businesses, and how meetings truly drive change, impact the bottom line, and positively, positively impact the business. And so the better we're able to articulate that as an industry and take our role away from what you described as the logistics of meeting planning and truly describe the value that we're bringing to businesses, we're going to be much better off the next time we had an economic cycle, I guess also applies in terms of in the world of politics and policy, public policy, because the thing I never realized until very recently was was that the events industry is bigger than the automobile industry. I mean, it's just I mean, it's a massive when you take all these different component parts of it as well, but always feels like, you know, there's some other great recession when that happened. You know, there's a lot of automobile companies getting bailed out for the different things. But it felt like the events industry maybe kind of got overlooked. It didn't seem to have a seat so much at the table at that point. Exactly. There was there, there wasn't any kind of a realization, any kind of research out there, really, that was showing the value that meetings but now, we do have research now you have studies now that show that businesses that didn't cut their meetings fared better than the competition that did we didn't have it at that point. So so it's I think it's it's very interesting way for us to look at the way we articulate our value to to these event owners to these business owners. James Taylor Now know one of the things that you and I both really passionate about, and really kind of interested in is how things like artificial intelligence are changing the events industry as well. Can you maybe talk now what you're saying, because because part of your role is really looking at the research and looking at where things are going to in order to help train, you know, meeting professionals to what's what's going to be coming up soon. So what are some of the things that you're starting to see, especially when it comes to AI, perhaps automation and robots I watched, Jessie States I watched a really interesting YouTube yesterday about a product that's just come out into the marketplace. It's an artificial intelligence personal assistant. And this personal assistant will schedule meetings for you. They'll reach out to the other person who you want to hold a meeting with. Find a common time put it into your calendar, if you need to cancel the meeting or reschedule this artificial intelligence service will go and reschedule find a new time where you both can meet sending emails back and forth to this other person. And I started and I've been thinking but but if this video Kind of illustrated what I've been thinking. And that is these logistical roles that meeting professionals do now the ordering of meals, the finding of venues and destinations, all of these things are something that in the near future are going to be very easy to automate, they're going to be very easy for our artificial intelligences to to calculate the different things that we use formulas for now to to book meeting rooms to to do some of the the the tactical elements that make up the meeting profession right now. And so what does that mean for meeting events, when and looking back at some of the industries that have been lost to automation in many ways, is that is that future meetings is the is the meeting profession as we know it going to be gone in 10 years. And if it is, if that is the case, that all of these things will be automated that AI and robots will be taking care of all of these things they'll be doing. But we have algorithms that calculate the perfect number of coffee cups, to put in a room based on your attendees. last 10 years of consumption. If all of that is true, then we need to have a completely different value proposition as an industry, we need to completely change the way we talk about what our roles are, what our jobs are. And the strategy behind what we do, we need to really be move ourselves from a logistical logistical job description to a consulting job description to one that talks about strategy. And and the words that we use as we articulate who we are and the value that we bring to the C suite. And to senior level managers, it's going to be really very important. James Taylor It's funny, I just as you were talking, saying that I'm reminded of the industry, I first came from the music industry where we first saw it where if we think about any kind of industry, where you have the kind of content and then you have the community, you know, around it, or the you know, the the networking side around it. And what we saw was that the content part kind of came back in term stuffing and the value because so much content was very freely available out there in different ways, watch YouTube videos, watch TED Talks. But the the community part actually went up. And if I look at now, live events are absolutely booming, like life festivals. Absolutely. So it's like, so even though we've seen this massive new technology and digitalization, actually the community aspect, and it has gone up, and I don't know how you feel, but I seem to I feel this as a speaker, where that it used to be it was like maybe 5050, it felt often like the the content and you know, the keynotes and the discussions and things. And then the other 50% was was the kind of community net, the networking, it feels, to me a long time where the networking part is actually become more important now, and I guess we're AI, you talk about that, those tools to be able to schedule meetings and find the right connections for you to have that that's going to really start to come into its own now. Jessie States Absolutely. And the reasons that people that people attend meetings, the reasons people come together, they spend money to come together that's changing. And in the past, it has been to to listen to the subject matter expert to hear the panel discussion, to sit back, and, and, and, and receive information. And that's just no longer the case. Actually, people attend meetings to meet each other, and they want to meet each other, they want to learn from each other. And they want to learn from subject matter experts. And they want to learn in their own context as well, because they curate their own educational experiences every day using technology. And when they come on site at a meeting, they have their own unique challenges that they want answered, and they won't get ROI. And they won't feel like they had a good conference unless those specific challenges are answered. So how are we connecting people together? technology is getting there. Technology is getting to the point where we're having Amazon type recommendations based on your profile of who should you should meet while you're on site at an event. But how are we as meeting professionals curating those experiences? How are we bringing people together in new and unique ways? How are we helping them engage by the ways that we design the experience itself? And so it's it's a paradigm shift? Again, it's a big shift in the reasons why people are coming on site to meetings events, if you think about it, our youngest generation one entering conferences right now ages 24. So that's, that's Gen Z already. They're coming. They're here already. They have huge communities, friends, huge community, industry communities, they've never even met in person before. So how powerful is that experience to really meet somebody face to face for the first time. And that's going to be the power of meetings moving forward. James Taylor I guess on that point. Think of it that that Gen Z that's coming through and the millennials, you could argue is that they've been that first generations that have been going through the flipped classrooms at school. So you know, the idea of like, I don't know, maybe you and I are at school, we we kind of go to that and you sit there in a lecture and someone would talk for an hour or 90 minutes or whatever, and then you would make notes and you get up and you go that's compelling. changed in schools, I, you know, all that stuff, you know, all that kind of pure kind of content like lecture style, they're getting online, so that they're actually the time that they are coming together is much more exploratory, much more creative, you could argue as well, because they really, they don't have to do all that stuff. It's, you know, it's there. I love that there's an expression where we're moving from the stage on the stage to the guide on the side. And so you're almost at Utah at the storytelling, like those kind of great event pressures, they're moving almost in that kind of storytelling curation role, rather than just being very logistics, you know, thinking about it. From that perspective, Jessie States I think a couple thoughts on that, we're seeing about half of meeting professionals saying that their audience sizes are going up right now they're going up by about 1%, about the same amount of meeting professionals saying that their virtual events are going up by about 2.5%. And we're finding that meeting professionals are being much more strategic about when they hold an on site Live Meeting. And when they have a virtual event, they're realizing that they can move some of that educational content, some of that hard content, the thing that doesn't require any interaction that can be moved online before an actual event, the very flipped classroom style that you're talking about. So that when people come on site, they are focused in on that personal experience on having conversations about that content on creating solutions around that content on on facing the challenges that they as a group face, and in creating opportunity out of that. So we're seeing a rise in open space, we're seeing a rise in in conferences without agendas. We're seeing a rise in democracies and all kinds of different ways sector grants, all kinds of different ways that people are engaging with each other, and these new kind of learner formats. James Taylor So it's always isn't that what you're talking about there is that, you know, the idea of the meeting professional is moving from being a tactician to being a strategist, that is going up too high. I mean, that's great. You know, if we think about where the future of jobs are going with, you know, ai speak on a lot where, over the next 20 years, 40% of jobs are just going to be gone. They're just being automated, and obviously new jobs will be created. But what that requires is that the people are working to invest in those kind of higher quality skills, like the creativity, innovation, for example, as well. So like, it sounds like the new event pressures, many of them are already kind of they get it they're there they can have they realized that having to rescale for that new new environment. Jessie States Absolutely. So what we're seeing is the rise in strategic conversations. So instead of being a one way conversation, the meeting professional as an order taker, the meeting professional as the consultant, okay, business unit, what are your goals for this particular meeting? And how can my design my strategic design the meeting itself, how can we drive your business? So really being the designer, the mean designer, and saying, okay, you're wanting to increase sales by this much. This is how we're going to just design experience that does that. James Taylor So I know, one of the things is a top of mind of a lot of people I've been speaking to recently has been the the safety and security aspects of events. I guess, and this is something that you're obviously doing a lot of research on, but you do a lot of training around this as well. Can you can you give me some of your thoughts on maybe someone that has, maybe they have their event there, they're running their event, but kind of the safety and security is, you know, they've kind of ticked the box to a certain extent, but they haven't really thought about it in a deep way and built some protocols and practices in there. Jessie States So half of meeting professionals don't have a safety insert security plan for their events. Wow, 50% of meeting professionals don't don't have a plan at all. A lot of many, many others have a plan, but it has to be dusted off the shelf every year, they don't realize that your safety and security plan needs to change it every single different event that they have, that every single destination comes with different risks, that every single event venue comes with different threats, that they're the very content of their event could change the security planning that they have. So analyzing your meetings and events, looking at the different risks that those events face, categorizing those risks in terms of what's communicable. What's an acceptable risk for us? How do we mitigate the risks that we do find access that we do find acceptable? And how do we create plans, with our venues with our destinations with local law enforcement with local emergency management, in order to create safe experiences for our attendees is absolutely something that we as an industry start need to start to have a conversation about. MPI has developed a six hour certificate class in discussing just that. It's the theory of safety and security and how you can apply that not just in terms of the risk that you're planning for but impromptu planning as well. What's that process look like? James Taylor I often wondered this when I see some event professionals Well, if I'm speaking at an event, we'll have some pre using our pre event conversations call we will touch on the safety security aspects and definitely when we're on the site, then we'll we'll go through those things as well. But you shared with me a really interesting kind of percentages as to, if something happens in a room, what people do, and this is going to just this is just like behavioral science really more than anything else. But you told me this, these numbers, I was really fascinated, and it got me thinking about as a speaker, especially if I'm that person, the lights on on the stage, what I need to perhaps do and the way I need to perhaps, you know, think and respond in situations. Jessie States So, this comes from a partner of ours, it's the NCS four group out of the University of Southern Mississippi, that's the national spectator sports Safety and Security Center. So they are they are mega events, they do the safety and security for marathons and, and Super Bowls. But they have, they have a number that they look at it, it's 10 at 10. So 10% of people are going to be very, very active in the case of an incident. In the case of something happening, safety and security wise 10 are going to be very, very active and trying to assure people out and get them to the right place. 80% of people are going to sit there and wait for you to tell them to do something. So if the fire alarm is going off, they're still sitting there, they're waiting for the keynote, the voice of God, whomever it is to come on and tell them what to do. And then you have an additional 10%, who are somewhat obstructionist, they're the ones who aren't getting up even after you've told them to. So James Taylor they're sitting there on their laptops, limited, everything's going on random. Yeah, that 10 at 10. That kind of blew, that blew me away. And and obviously, with the events recently in the news, it kind of got me thinking a lot more about it in terms of speakers as well, what we can do to ensure because if you are in a position where as a speaker, you're up on stage, and 80% of people are not going to do anything. That's a pretty mind blowing number that so thinking about what has to happen there. And I don't know if it was you mentioned, or maybe one of my other guests was talking about an event recently where something did happen. Thankfully, nothing, we were injured or anything but something happened. And the speaker completely froze on stage. And it is required when one of the organizers actually come on stage and pick that baton up and deal with it as well. But you can have lost seconds, you know, maybe even a minute there as well. Jessie States And I think that's part of your crisis planning process is that you have to be able to plan for the fact that at key times, some members of your crisis team are not going to be available. And whether that's because of a medical emergency, whether that's because communication has been cut off, or whether that's because they just froze in the moment. That has to be part of the planning process, too. You have to be able to have Plan A, B, C and D. So what happens if your first line of defense isn't there? Who steps in? And what does that look like, James Taylor you know, as as someone that is putting together events, you know, events can be stressful? You know, I think I saw a stat the other day that that event professionals is like the fifth most stressful job after like fire and you know, police and is like very out there. So what do you do in order to stay sane and stay healthy? Like during events and in the run up to events, when maybe things you know, there's a lot going on, I Jessie States think we as meeting professionals take a lot of care and making sure that our attendees are having really healthy, relaxing experiences that they are in the perfect Zen place to accept learning, you know, we work really, really hard for our attendees, and we just ignore our own health. So we were so bad, those long hours, late hours, not taking care of ourselves, or our teams, just running around being very, very stressed out. So I think that that's something that we as an industry need to look at, to make sure that we're translating those experiences that we're telling our attendees are necessary for them. And making sure that we're we ourselves are being really, really healthy. James Taylor So I know it's through the you have the MPI, the academy there as well, which kind of has a lot of these kind of training in spirit. I know you've got a lot of online site as well as the events. You know, what are you finding just now are people really looking for when it comes to the training piece? Is it still very much the tactical level? Or is it something new that's kind of coming into, you're getting a lot of requests for when it comes to training, Jessie States we're getting a lot of requests for experience design, we people are looking for new and unique ways to create amazing experiences we no longer talk about sometimes some people have even moved away from calling them events anymore, you know, with everything is an experience, people are expecting an experience, not a meeting. So we're seeing a lot of education in that area. We're seeing a lot of push in that safety and security area. We're seeing a lot of engagement. And we're also seeing a lot of investment in time and thought being put into creative creating inclusive experiences. Our audiences are so diverse and so global, that they come from so many different countries and places they come from so many different backgrounds, it making sure that every single person that comes on site feels welcomed and comfortable is gonna really be so important. James Taylor Yeah, I know. You mean, it's like, That's it? Yeah. It's like that it's funny because it's, um, I guess now with with a lot of these technologies, making some things like, you know, in terms of registrations much easier technologies around some of the artificial intelligence, it that time that hopefully is releasing for us to be able to think, Okay, I think more strategically in terms of like, what you actually want to achieve with this event, but then also thinking much more about that experience. And, and, and just, you know, releasing that time to be able to do that. I mean, I think about it a lot. Especially when it comes to AI where, I mean, I actually use AI in my my keynotes, I actually run, I'm running my keynotes now through IBM Watson, because I because they can tell me At what point in my keynotes things are gonna be a little bit flat, and I need to switch things up, you've been to story, you know, this in terms of a story, arc and things. So the way I'm using AI is, I can almost see it, this is great, because it's a tool for me, to allow me to focus on the thing that I'm hopefully good at, which is that you like telling stories, telling stories and crafting things and thinking much more strategically and thinking deeply and being more creative about stuff. And it sounds to me, like what's happening in the events industry more broadly, is that's kind of going on. So I don't have to worry about like, will this person have that vegan meal, because you know, that the systems will be in place, they'll be able to take some of those things. So releasing that time to go like, actually, what kind of experience do we want to create the efficiencies Jessie States that are going to be created by this automation or something that we have to be able to take advantage of? So right now, there's no real job loss because of automation, we're still so kind of early in that process. But as those efficiencies continue, what what does that make more time for for the meeting professional and how can we utilize that time to create even better experiences I think is crucial. James Taylor So let's go to maybe a little bit the more mundane my new whenever I go to any event speaking event I have my bag and there's certain things in my bag I never leave the home or the office without because they have to be my bag isn't that big school is usually things like clickers and all those things but but What's in your bag was in you know, you never leave Ted to an event without ensuring that it's in there Jessie States as a speaker but also as a meeting professional. I'm making sure that that my that I have everything in there that that helps me feel comfortable that helps me feel whole like we were talking a little bit about wellness what is it that you need to bring with you or what is part of your personal brand that's just going to make you feel like you wake up in the morning and you're ready to go and so making sure that you have something that's kind of personal to you in that traveling making you feel grounded and whole I think is really important some lady at some people it might be their you know, their meeting pumps you know, whatever it is that keeps you focused on business I think is something that I that I like to keep in the back I'm not sure that's what you're or James Taylor no actually funny if I was contacted recently by a friend of mine is in the music industry is working with Jennifer Jennifer Lopez and and her thing was candles and like very nice Jerome alone candles and which is a great British brand new Malone candles and and it just like sometimes sense for me I'm bigger than that as well. Like just having this like certain sense kind of makes me feel like home even if I'm in a different hotel room every night and everything. So sometimes for me that's the that's that's what does it. Jessie States So that's that's that's awesome. I love that. I mean now I feel like I'm deficient in some way I need to go find something that I bring James Taylor with me everywhere. We have to have a range of MPI candles. That's the next thing. We need to do the MPI candle rage for exclusively Jessie States marking that right now. James Taylor So what about online resources? Do you are there any kind of online tools or apps you find really useful to yourself? Jessie States Yeah, I think that that? Well, first, I've just wanted to let everyone know about the MPI Academy. We have an online Academy of over 200 hours of resources sessions that you can attend, those are free for our members, but they're pushable purchasable for non members. And you talk about the tactics of meaning profession that's going to go all the way from from your contracting negotiations through to the strategy behind your meetings and events. So all of those things that we've talked about that are really really important for us to start concentrating on above and beyond the kind of booking of rooms and spaces and and making sure that that our that our rooms are setting the capacities are right above and beyond all that what makes a meeting experience great what what drives business for for organizations, when they're looking at their meetings, that education is going to be crucial, and we have that that's available for everyone. We do online webinars every week. We we just want to make sure that the meeting community is having the right conversation is connecting with the right people in a truly global way to make sure that we're not going to be left behind. James Taylor Now you mentioned that you know the global aspects. I know you have these chapters. As you know, all over the, the globe as well. So when almost becomes an MPI member, as well as getting access to the academy into the, to the education side as well, I'm guessing there's a strong, actual live meetup kind of community aspect to what goes on as well, Jessie States absolutely. We've got 16,000 Global meeting professionals who get together every month, in different ways to connect, to learn from each other to talk about those to actually host the experiences that we've been talking about why it's so important for people to meet face to face. So when you're when you're, it's hard for us as meeting professionals to explain what we do to our families and friends. You know, it's always like, Oh, you travel so much, it must be so much fun, you know, oh, you play in parties, you know. And so I think that at some point, you just need a family, you could go to understands who you are, and gets you and you can talk to them about your challenges. And you can create opportunities together. And you could do business together, because Gosh, darn it, you get each other. You know, it's I think that's part of the value too, in having a global community is the fact that, at least we don't have to, you know, give each other the elevator speech. James Taylor I'm just as you mentioned, the party planner, thing I'm reminded of someone I recently spoke to who said, they were at an event, and a very well known speaker was up speaking and, and it was in front of actually primarily event professionals as well. And they use the phrase party planner, like throughout the entire event. And as a result, that speaker obviously got the worst kind of ratings on the thing, the thing as well. So, so yeah, I mean, I think I think there's, you know, obviously, a lot of what the MPAA does, is educating its members as well. But I guess you've got that big role of also educating people more generally, including speakers, including new supply other people within, within the industry, you know, government as well as to the value of what, what meetings are about. Jessie States Absolutely. And that's, and that's what's going to be crucial, because you everyone who's attending this meeting today, or who's getting the this video or this content, you will you all get it. But there are hundreds of thousands of other meeting professionals out there who are just still doing tactics, who are just still being order takers. And and not only reaching them, but reaching business owners and CEOs and government agencies and sharing the value of meetings and the value of this role plays in driving business. Especially when we have people out there who don't know that yet, you know, how are we spreading that message? How are we sharing that story, because if we don't, we will be obsolete, and no one wants that to happen, we all understand the strategy behind meetings. So that's why it's so key and why I'm so thankful for your organization for hosting the summit. Because these are the kinds of conversations that we're going to be able to take back to our organizations, these are the kinds of global conversations that we need to be having, if we don't have them, we won't be here anymore. So not to pump you guys up. ratable what you're doing, and and it may have seemed small in the beginning, and you know, it's growing now, but the importance of what you're doing right now is going to change meetings moving forward. James Taylor And I think this is one of the great things about online, I know you do a lot of webinars as well is that if you know, if you don't live in some of those big cities as big areas, or places as easy to get to, for events to meet with other meeting professionals, it's kind of difficult, you know, finding out and you know, that was one of the reason we want to do this was like, you know, we're probably gonna have people in over 100 countries, you know, on this just now as well. And, and just so they can learn from the best regardless of where they are in the world. They can just learn from some of the best experts in this field. I just want to ask you one question as we start to finish up here as well. I mentioned like apps and things, but is there maybe a book that you would recommend to someone I'm a big, I'm a huge reader. And I know a lot of my friends a huge read is a book that you would recommend around the events industry. Jessie States I wish that I could remember the title of it, my my friend to hear it and Dean. She's a Canadian, and has been in our industry for a very, very long time. She just finished her new book on meeting design. And it's incredible. And unfortunately it's it's it's it's James Taylor escaping my mind right now but look her up Google her name to hear it and D and E n d e a n, it's it's a really deep dive into meeting design meeting curation that I would absolutely recommend. Well, that's what I'm gonna, I'm gonna make sure we're going to put a link here as well for that. So we're gonna have all these links here. So and we'll also going to have a link here for MPI Academy, because we've been talking about this just now and I'm sure that anyone watching this, if you're attending this event, you're obviously you care deeply about, you know, continued professional development as well. So we want to help you kind of continue that, that journey. So we're going to have have a link here, as well. Jesse, it's been an absolute pleasure speaking to you today and learning about the amazing work that the MPI does no amazing what you're doing with MPI As well, is there any any kind of final kind of parting kind of parting words that you would give maybe as someone that's watching this just now listening to this just now just getting started in the in the industry? Is there any kind of final words you would say to them, Jessie States what we do is so important to small businesses, large businesses, government agencies, geopolitics, the economics, tax growth, the number of jobs we touch, the number of jobs we create, the number of businesses that we drive. When we meet, we had MPI, say, when we meet, we change the world. And that's true on even the smallest of scales. Every time you hold a meeting, you're changing lives. What we do, what we do, to drive career growth, to create change in our industry is to bring governments together to to enact laws that help people every time we meet every time you bring people together, you're changing lives. And so just keep that in mind that the child struggles the everyday day to day the things that drive us mad the stress that we put our bodies through, just know how many lives you're touching. And that every time you bring people together, you're helping to James Taylor drive change. Well, Jesse has a beautiful way to leave this, this conversation and this interview. Thank you so much for coming on today. Sharing your brilliance sharing your enthusiasm about this amazing industry that we're all in as well. I wish you all the best I wish you all the best in the future as well. Jessie States Thank you so much for having me. James Taylor Today's episode was sponsored by speakers you the online community for speakers and if you're serious about your speaking career then you can join us because you membership program. I'll speak as you members receive private one on one coaching with me hundreds of hours of training content access to a global community to help them launch and build a profitable business around their speaking message and expertise. So just head over to SpeakersU.com to learn more. #speakersU #speakerslife

This episode of Lessons from Leaders is brought to you by Smart Meetings, the go-to source of information for meeting and event professionals. For more information on Smart Meetings, please go to https://www.smartmeetings.comOur guest on this episode is Michael Massari, the Chief Sales Officer for Caesars Entertainment. Mike has enjoyed a very distinguished and diverse career. He is proud of his humble beginnings at age 15 as a busboy at a suburban Philadelphia catering hall, which introduced him to the hospitality business. After graduating from Cabrini College, he became the manager of the same establishment and then moved on to the hotel business where he served in sales roles with the Sheraton Valley Forge and the Wyndham Franklin Plaza hotels (with a short stint in Boston in between) before moving to Las Vegas in 1998 to open the Venetian as Director of Sales. For the past 20 years he has worked for Caesars Entertainment in a variety of senior sales roles and was appointed Chief Sales Officer in 2017. Throughout his career, Mike has established himself as a trusted and respected executive in the hotel and meetings/events industry and has served on numerous boards including Meeting Professionals International and US Travel Association, among others. He earned his bachelors degree in business administration from Cabrini College and an MBA from the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine.In this thought-provoking podcast, Mike takes us on his journey from busboy to his current role, and shares his views on what it takes to be a good leader, in good times and bad.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmassari/ Website: https://www.caesars.com/

“Whoever said, do what you love, the money will come, they got that right. Lots of work, mind you, in between. As we like to say, your passions determine your purpose. But it's your decisions that determine your destiny.” - Michael Wilkinson I’m pleased to have Michael Wilkinson here with me today for Episode 9 of the Control the Room Podcast. Michael is the CEO and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, the largest provider of professional facilitation in the country. Michael, who grew up in the projects as what his sister described as a “Sesame Street Gangster,” eventually found himself at a New England prep school through an opportunity found through his job as a paperboy. After turning down an acceptance to Harvard Business School, Michael abandoned his 10-year plan to become undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development to begin a “faith-walk” that ultimately ended in his founding Leadership Strategies. In today’s episode, Michael and I talk about his path to the International Association of Facilitators Hall of Fame, what makes a facilitator great, and the six P’s of preparing for a meeting. Listen in to find out how Michael identifies and trains facilitators with great potential and how to ask the right questions in meetings. Show Highlights [1:38] Michael’s childhood in the projects of D.C. [5:39] Michael’s path to facilitation [10:30] What makes a great facilitator [17:17] Human connection in a virtual environment [26:07] Generating engagement when facilitating virtually [28:58] The only 3 reasons people disagree [35:16] The Six P’s of preparing for a meeting [40:56] Kumbaya facilitators [42:45] Asking the right questions [50:03] Leadership Strategies’ resources for facilitators Links | Resources Michael on LinkedIn Leadership Strategies Website About the Guest Michael Wilkinson is the CEO and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, a leadership training and strategy consulting firm that specializes in group facilitation. He is also the author of books such as Secrets of Facilitation, Facilitating Strategy, and CLICK: The Virtual Meetings Book. In 2016, Michael was awarded a place in the International Association of Facilitators Hall of Fame. About Voltage Control Voltage Control is a facilitation agency that helps teams work better together with custom-designed meetings and workshops, both in-person and virtual. Our master facilitators offer trusted guidance and custom coaching to companies who want to transform ineffective meetings, reignite stalled projects, and cut through assumptions. Based in Austin, Voltage Control designs and leads public and private workshops that range from small meetings to large conference-style gatherings.  Share An Episode of Control The Room Apple Podcasts Spotify Android Stitcher Engage Control The Room Voltage Control on the Web Contact Voltage Control Intro: Welcome to the Control the Room Podcast, a series devoted to the exploration of meeting culture and uncovering cures for the common meeting. Some meetings have tight control, and others are loose. To control the room means achieving outcomes while striking a balance between imposing and removing structure, asserting and distributing power, leaning in and leaning out, all in the service of having a truly magical meeting. Douglas: Today I'm with Michael Wilkinson. Michael is the CEO and managing director of Leadership Strategies, Inc., a leadership training and strategy consulting firm specializing in group facilitation. Michael is the author of the bestselling The Secrets of Facilitation, and most recently, Click: The Virtual Meetings Book. Welcome to the show, Michael. Michael: It is my pleasure, Douglas, and thank you for introducing me to your audience. Douglas: Absolutely. It's a pleasure to have you. And I guess, speaking of the audience, I think they'd love to hear how you got started in this amazing work of facilitation. Michael: Well, as you know, because you've been there, and many who are facilitators know, there is no front door to facilitation. It's not like you can go to college and go, “I want a degree in facilitation.” Most people enter through the back door. The major entry ways, many come through H.R. Others come through the processing-quality side. Some come through the I.T., the consulting side; from the D&I, diversity-inclusion side. I was on the I.T. side. So I was one of those kids—in fact, if you back up my story a little bit, I'm a projects kid. I grew up in the projects of D.C.. So for those who know D.C., back in the day, Anacostia, the worst neighborhood in D.C., and I have to confess, at six, I was one of those bad kids, where we’re stealing from the local grocery store. Remember the corner grocery stores that used to exist? We would—and this is really bad—we would, at six years old, we were tying kids to trees and leaving them out all night. I mean, it was before gangs were gangs. My sister called this the Sesame Street Gangsters. It was just not good. And by the time I got to seven, we moved from what I call lower-lower class—the projects of D.C.—to lower-middle class, out in what’s today is Suitland, Maryland. And at that time, and people who believe that place doesn't matter, place absolutely matters. The kids in that neighborhood, they were building clubhouses. They had a chess club. And so me and my brothers, we started doing what they started doing. Even got a paper route, if you can remember the old paper boys, where you deliver papers. Had two paper routes, making money for my family. And the change, the big change, in life came when, at 14, the Post building, the Washington Post, sponsored interviews for private schools, and any of the carriers could come for an interview. I got interviewed, got accepted to a couple of the really big private schools in New England, started going to this New England prep school. My graduating class, 50 people, 50 people in the graduating class, including—and you won't know these names unless you were into that movement—but the Wares of Long Island, Paula Ware; General Patton's grandson, the Stacks of Greenwich is—do you remember all superlatives in the yearbook, “first to make a million”? Well, we had a superlative, “already has a million,” and there were two names. These are trust-fund kids. But I had gotten pulled into that environment. And as a senior, I did a study of grades and test scores. I was a psych major at the time. So a correlation in prep school of the—and I got the grades and test scores of my graduating class. Of course, the registrar stripped off the names, but he left them in alphabetical order, Douglas, so it was too hard to find Wilkinson. And to say my test scores were lower would be true, but an understatement. I was so much lower than the next lower person, I clearly took someone's place. Talk about affirmative action, they reached out and got me. They were looking for a black kid, and I was the only black kid in my graduating class. But I graduated fifth in the class, which means it wasn't really fair that I took someone's place. But it also wasn't fair that I hadn't had the preparation that all the other kids did. So once I got it, I just excelled. Went off to a New England prep school, and I came out. I was going to be undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development. I had a 10-year plan—even back then, Douglas, I was a planner—a 10-year plan to become undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development. I was going to go back to Harvard Business School. I’d gotten accepted. I’d asked for a two-year deferment. Decided I wanted to work for two years in D.C. so I could see how Washington worked and how the different agencies worked. And somewhere along the line, got the spiritual thing. So I'm a son of a minister, so I got really clear on getting directed from the Spirit, and had that what we call the bathroom experience, the second major shift in life. So they’re actually the third. The first, of course, was moving out of the projects. The second, getting the scholarship to go to New England boarding school. The third was hearing in the shower, from out of nowhere, “Michael, if your most important relationship is your relationship with Me, how is going to Harvard Business School going to help you do that?” There you go. There's 10-year plan down the drain, Douglas. So ended up, I quit my job, I told Harvard I wasn’t coming, and went on a six-month faith walk, where just—and things are great when you do a faith walk, Douglas, where these things are great 29 days out of the month. It's when that rent is due, that’s when things get really hairy. But it was one of the most important times of my life and learned some really important lessons. And the most important one, because I was asking, “Okay, God, you don't want me to do this 10-year plan. It was clearly my plan. Well, what do You want me to do? You want me to become a minister? You want me to go off on a mountain and contemplate my navel. Do You want me to stand on the corner and say, ‘Have you asked, talked about, thought about God today?’” And I got that direction, and a really important direction, that each of us is called to ministry. Ministry is service. That's what it's called for. Some people, it takes the form of the pulpit. For other people, it takes another form. Facilitation is my ministry. I ended up facilitating, 1985 is my first official facilitated session, in a session where we were doing requirements analysis, and it was going south. Vendor was presenting, just going all over the place. I was the youngest kid in the room. We have, you know, the consultants. I was with Ernst and Young, the youngest consultant on the team, but nobody was stepping up. So I just got up and said, “You know what, let’s structure this a little differently.” And so here with the client people, with our own consultants, and with this vendor, restructured the conversation and led it for that three hours going forward. Afterwards, someone said, “That was a great facilitated session.” Douglas, I was like, “What? What are you talking about? What's this thing called…” I had no idea. And then when they explained it to me, I said, “Oh, yeah. It's easy. Everybody is good at it.” And that's where I learned everybody was not good at this thing called facilitation that I had been gifted with some natural talents that made me instinctively good at it. And so I started doing it, started facilitating for my church, started facilitating for the nonprofit associations I was a part of. And then the fourth major shift in life came. This is the call that actually changed my trajectory again. Connie Bergeron—I remember. It was March 1991. She called and said, “Hey, we're looking for a facilitator. I've just been named head of Meeting Professionals International for the Atlanta chapter. I'm getting my officers together for a retreat. It's going to be on this particular weekend. Would you facilitate it for me?” I looked over my calendar, Douglas, and said, “Sure. I'd be glad to.” And, again, she said the words that changed my life, “And we’ll pay you.” Really? I mean, I was willing to do it for free because it’s fun. So she paid me. It was great. Two months later she called me back. Mentioned the pay word again. Three months later called me back. It was November of 1992, 1992, yes. I was, at that point, 18 months from becoming a partner at Ernst and Young. I turned to them, Douglas, and said, “I'm having way more fun on the weekends than I'm having during the week,” and left and started Leadership Strategies, the facilitation company. Do you like to say world headquarters, our second bedroom, which is great. Big plans, but just getting started. And it has been an amazing blessing. Today, we're the largest provider of professional facilitation across the country. We have 600 facilitators under contract. We have a core team of 27 facilitators. We've trained 28,000 people in facilitation skills; written six books on facilitation, the two you mentioned and four others. It is crazy. Here's this kid from the projects, and it's been just amazing blessing. Whoever said, do what you love, the money will come, they got that right. Lots of work, mind you, in between. As we like to say, your passions determine your purpose. But it's your decisions that determine your destiny. And so it was just a bunch of decisions that helped me along the way. And it's been just a tremendous blessing. Anyway, long story, but thought your listeners might enjoy understanding, how did I get here? because it's been a crazy, crazy ride. Douglas: Yeah. I mean, wow, impressive. And, you know, I think most facilitators can relate to this kind of moment of—well, kind of two moments that you described—the moment where you start to—these kind of natural talents start to click. You know, for me, it was always, I always found myself in meetings where people were disagreeing, but really they were saying the same thing but just in different ways, or they thought they were agreeing but they were saying different things. And I always had to interject and say, “Hold on for a second. I think you're saying this and you’re saying this,” and they're both nodding their heads. And then they stop for a second and realize that they were saying different things. And that happened enough and enough and enough that I realized that, man, that's something that I'm not seeing enough out of other people. And so I think that's something that's a hallmark of a facilitator, when you realize that in meetings, there's something about what you're observing or the way things are unfolding that really align with this ability to help move things forward in a natural and productive way. So I think— Michael: You really have touched on something that’s really important, and many facilitators may know it or not know it. When we were doing training early on, I was recognizing that there were people who were learning the techniques but missing some things that were going to make them a great facilitator, even though they knew all the same stuff that others knew or that we were training other people in. And I realized, and you put it well, that we talk about now seven key characteristics to look for. And people ask us, “Hey, we've purchased your training class. We're going to have a training for 16 people. How do I choose the 16 people in the class?” And we tell them, “Here's some target characteristics to look for.” We talk about seven, and we tell them, “Really it's three that's really important. And oh, by the way, the first two we can do nothing about.” So those three, just quickly, one is you got to like people, right? If you don’t like people, this is not something you should be doing, because people give you lots of reasons not to like them. So you really have to have a starting point, where you really like people. Two, you have to be able to process information quickly because there's so much coming and your mind has to be listening and processing at the same time and being able to differentiate, yeah, this is the same as that. This is different from this. This is…while you're listening, being able to process that. And if you can't process quickly, really, all you're going to be is a meeting manager. And great facilitators are way more than meeting managers because they're able to capture the spirit of a group; help engage them; and help guide them; can see down the road and around the corner, see the car or the truck that's coming that they're about to crash into, long before they're getting there, because they're processing while stuff is going on. So clearly, you have this skill, and then could recognize, a lot of people don’t, “Well done, sir. Applauding you. Well done.” Douglas: Well, yeah. You know, it's funny. I don't know how many times you've been speaking with someone that's maybe interested in learning facilitation or even a prospect or whatnot, and it turns out they're conflating facilitator and moderator. And I think that's maybe the big—and I think when you say meeting manager, it's all in that same bucket of, like, not facilitator. Michael: Yes. And it really, I mean, it really is because there are some people, people who are great speakers, think, “Okay, I'd be a good facilitator.” People who are great trainers, “Wow. I could be a good facilitator.” And we say, okay, let's separate this, because, as you know, facilitation has got convoluted with a bunch of stuff. So ATD, the Association for Talent Development, uses the name facilitator for trainers. And that's fine. Training facilitators, that's good. We can infer very much. But we are more group facilitators. In our business, it’s kind of interesting because what we find is in general, this isn’t completely true, but in general, our best trainers are extroverts. Our best group facilitators are introverts. One of my people who worked for us many years, she said something to me one day, and it's like, this capsulizes it well. She said, “You know, Michael, I like facilitating, but I really love training.” I said, “Okay, Leslie, I'll bite. Why do you really love training?” She said, “Well, when you're facilitating, you really have to listen to them.” And there you go. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. You get where I get that? Really rings the bell of why introverts, who are, really, they value listening and processing a lot more than extroverts, who generally like expressing. And so if you generally like expressing, you may find that training is way more your passion than facilitating, where you're really listening, contemplating, and helping a group move in a direction and so on. Interesting, yes? Douglas: Yes. And, you know, I can find that really fascinating because usually we like to pair up someone who’s kind of a classical trainer— Michael: Yes. Douglas: —and has that air, that performance aspect with a facilitator in these training sessions, because then that person can put on the dog-and-pony show while the facilitator is making sure that learning's integrated, because if you're not listening and working with them, you don't know if it stuck. Michael: And so what's interesting, I’m going to take you a step further, and I'm really biased here, that I really think we figured out in our company or we'll wait to think about how to make training work, because we don't hire trainers to train people in facilitation. We hire facilitators to train people in facilitation because they understand and role model all the techniques. But then we teach them about how important it is, with one of our eight principles in our facilitation course, all has to do with energy and keeping the energy high because that's one of the hallmarks of our practice. So we have to be able to, we call it show time. As an introvert, I get my energy from within, and people often are surprised when they see me do my thing, and then at the end of it, it’s like I’m the thumb in the mouth. I need a blankie. It happened twice before I realized this was a bad idea, Douglas. Clients who, when I was about, I was going to facilitate a two-day training session. Let’s say it started on a Tuesday. The client said, “Hey. Why don’t you fly in Monday night, meet with the team, they’ll get to know you, and then we’ll get started Tuesday morning?” Douglas, I did that twice. I’d never do that again, never, ever, ever, because what happens is, because I'm a natural introvert, when they meet me Monday night, the side conversations. “This is our facilitator? Really?” because— Douglas: We got a meeting with this guy all day? Michael: —I’m quiet. I’m just, that’s who I am. But once I—I'm glad we meet with them Tuesday night, because after that, they've already seen me. And now they're asking me the questions, not looking for me to entertain them, because I'm not an extrovert. I’m an introvert. So very different. So it's what we do in order to make it work. Douglas: Well, and nowadays we're in the midst of a pandemic. So all the team dinners are a thing of the past. Michael: Well, actually, actually, think about it. It really is. We still need—the social engagement is central. And so we as facilitators have to recognize, how do we make that happen, even in a virtual environment? And so we do that. So we may have this session from eight to five, and then we have a virtual cocktail hour for everyone. We break for 30 minutes, everyone grabs their favorite drinks, and we have a virtual cocktail hour for 30 minutes, an hour, as we would if it was a real session. But it's an important piece, so we can't miss it. That's for sure. Douglas: Yeah. And the human connection is so, so critical. Michael: How are you all doing it in your business? How are you keeping the human connection going during this? Douglas: Man, you know, I think it's always been a part of the design. And I think as long as it's a focus as a guiding principle, when you're designing an agenda for a session, it'll find its way in. I think it's important to start there first, right? Michael: Oh, it always helps. Douglas: Yeah, yeah. And I love this notion of the cocktail hour. Everyone has demanding schedules in this virtual space, right? And so they might have kids to run off to— Michael: Absolutely. Douglas: —or they’ve slotted it in. And it's a lot different than, you know, having taken the effort to drive somewhere and like, “Okay, I’m here. Maybe I’ll just stick around for a little bit longer.” We always just make it clear that, okay, the plenary is done; we're going to be around a little bit longer because I know some people like to stick around. Because I like to refer to it as, you know whenever you're cleaning up the supplies, people stick around and ask you questions? Michael: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Douglas: In virtual, there are no supplies. You can just shut MURAL and Miro or whatever off, and we’re done. Michael: We’re done. Bye. Douglas: So I like to tell people, “All right. Well, now we're cleaning up, and we'll be around for a little bit longer. If you want to ask any questions, we'll be here. But don't feel like you have to stay if you have places to be.” Michael: That’s a great idea. Douglas, I’m writing that down. “Hey, we’re going to have a clean up or stick-around time for those who…” I like that. You’ll see a blog about that soon. I like that. Courtesy of Douglas. Douglas: I love the cocktail-hour notion, too. It's like, I'm just making sure we reserve that time for people. In fact, it was BBC released a report, and the headline was quite hilarious. It was like, “Research Finds That Most Meetings Are a Form of Therapy,” or “Most Meaningless Meetings Are a Form of Therapy.” And the point was, and you hear that and you're like, “Well, that seems kind of crazy,” but it's kind of interesting because it's like people gravitate toward having these meaningless meetings, these meetings that nothing comes out of them because they have this need to have connection. And so if you think about it, if we get really intentional about our connection during meetings and plan them in, then people don't have to plan these extraneous things that then waste time. Michael: Well done. Well done. And we think that the pandemic has changed a lot of things. Unfortunately, one thing it hasn't changed is poor meetings. In fact, they've gotten poorer in the sense that with this virtual thing that people actually think that, well, because it's a virtual meeting, it takes less preparation or because it's—and we are finding, just as in our training work, we've converted virtual sessions where maybe 5 percent, 4 percent of our business prior to the pandemic, now it’s 95 percent. And our facilitators are finding it’s way more work, whether it’s a virtual meeting or virtual training, way more work to prepare for it. Way more. And the key is, we call it the virtual details, that where before you would have, okay, let's say we have a process-improvement session. And so we're going to start with (a) introduction; then section (b) we're going to talk about how does that process work today? Let's say we're trying to fix the hiring process in the company; (c) we're going to talk about the problems and causes; (d) we're going to brainstorm potential solutions; (e) we're going to reformat the process; (f) we're going to put together implementation plan; and so on. Well, that's what we'd do if it was face to face. We'd go, okay, (b) here's what I'm going to do with the flip charts. I'm going to set them up. And we know instinctively to do that. Virtual, whole different world. We say with each of those agenda items, do what you normally would do. But you also have to figure out the virtual details. So (b) you know what, I'm going to do a poll; action (c) I'm going to use the whiteboard; action (d) I'll do annotations; (e) I'm going to use a breakout group with…and then we… So we teach a course now called the Zoom Plus. And what that is, is everyone is now using Zoom, and you know wow. All those people, Zoom meetings, they're not even using all the basic Zoom stuff. Annotation, whiteboard, breakout groups, and so on. So we show them. And we like to say, “We are going to play with the technique so that you do it. You’ll play with them. Then, we're going to take the camera and put it behind the facilitator so that you can see how the facilitator creates the polls, how the facilitator creates the breakout rooms, and then you're going to do it.” So that’s using the basic stuff. And then, Zoom Plus, the plus part of that is we then show them what our facilitators do. And these are 15 virtual-engagement strategies, things like rotating flip charts. How do you use—how do you have the groups rotate through? Last person standing, dump and clump, and all these other advanced engagement strategies, using them, doing them, and doing them virtually. All cool stuff. So we first tried to get them using the basics, which most people aren't using. And then we're showing them, here’s how you use the advanced strategies that will make your meetings absolutely stand out. And people, as we like to say, you know you've gotten there when you hear people go, wow, that was the best virtual meeting I ever attended. And unfortunately, as you can imagine, Douglas, it's easy to be the best, because most are so poor and boring. Douglas: The bar is so low. So low. Michael: It is. Exactly. You’ve had the experience. Douglas: So. Yeah. And, you know, I think there's so much—early on, folks were asking, “Oh, do we get a discount for virtual?” And I’m like, “Man, I’m thinking about charging a premium,” because it's not only the prep time, but, you know, having an assistant facilitator is so much more critical because someone has to manage the tech. Michael: Absolutely. And what we're finding is frequently—I would put it in the 20 percent time—the facilitator has an issue. So as an example, one of our rules is for client sessions, client sessions, you never underscore underscore. Use your microphone on the computer. You always call in over the phone. The reason is if something happens to one of the two, you still have the other. So for some reason, you lose Internet connection, you can still talk to them. Or some reason the audio goes out, you can convert to what's happening. So you actually want to have redundant backup. We often suggest that you have another computer connected. So you have two sessions going, one is the participant computer. So if something happens, you can transfer over quickly to make it seamless. So it's almost like you run out of flip-chart paper. You run out of flip-chart paper, you always have a spare right there. Well, how do you do that virtually? Douglas: Planning on the redundant systems, having the activity by activity, having what is the virtual equivalent of all of this? Have I taken the time to proof it and make sure it's good? I mean, that is a lot of extra work, and not to mention just the fatigue of these environments. And, you know, I recently spoke with someone. They were telling me that—I'm not sure where the research came from, so this is all anecdotal—but they were saying that any time we're typically working in a three foot kind of context, it's typically a fight or a mating scenario. Michael: Wow. Douglas: Because you don't get three feet in someone's face inside the meeting room. That would be awkward. But now we’re doing that with these computers and is very sometimes mostly charged, political, like, we're talking about some really intense stuff. And we go in, and we try to—one mistake we made early on was, let's have an eight-hour session virtually. And, you know, you can't do that virtually. Michael: Yeah, it’s much harder. Douglas: You have to do it much shorter. And so I think there's some training of setting expectations for clients, too— Michael: Absolutely. Douglas: —even ones we've worked with in the past. Michael: Yeah, yeah. And so I'm going to go a step further, because this will be—because you are correct that the virtual sessions, by their nature, the dynamic is very different. And I want to—everyone knows—not everyone knows—many are aware, and it comes out in our polls, when we ask people, what is the biggest challenge in virtual meetings? And we've asked this to thousands of people now through our webinars and so on. It always comes up with the same thing, and it's not even close. It's engagement, keeping people engaged, because people are multitasking, doing other things. And so as facilitators, that's got to be our number one focus. How do we keep people engaged? And here is something that we ask people to consider. We as a company, we do have, we have what we call the PDI Difference—Practical, Dynamic, Interactive. And the way we do that in face-to-face sessions is we ensure that if we're training people or having a facilitated session, there will be significant engagement every 20 to 30 minutes. Thirty minutes will not go by without significant engagement, and mostly 20 minutes. So somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes. Douglas, when you go virtual, cut that bad boy in half. You’ve got to have significant engagement every 10 to 15 minutes. So if you’re getting people together, if you are going 90 minutes between breaks, do the math. Even if you say, “Well, the beginning, there's obviously engagement. People are going.” And the end of that 90 minutes you have engagement, so that means you've got to have at least four others, at least four other engagements. And if all you know is the classic engagement question-answer, question-answer, man, that meetings will wear people out. That's why it's so important for people to have all these other engagement strategies—dump and clump, last man standing, rotating flip charts, all this other stuff, to help put in people's toolbox. And so really important for facilitators to recognize that it takes a lot more if it's virtual. And as you said, training our clients that, “Listen, you know, normally I would charge a day of prep for this, but it's virtual. And so therefore,…” Yeah. And making it clear it's extra. Douglas: Absolutely. Let's talk a little bit about the Secrets of Facilitation. Michael: Oh, my favorite book. Yes. Douglas: You have over 60 secrets in that book. Michael: It is. And really good stuff, I think, personally. Douglas: Yeah. I'm a fan. I have it on the bookshelf behind me. And, you know, beyond the basics, things like preparing and managing for dysfunction, what do you think the biggest secret that most people don't know? Like, what's the one that you’re just like time and time again does no one just…? Michael: There are a couple that come to mind, but let me focus on this one. And I'm about to make a statement, Douglas, that when I say it in our training classes—I mentioned we trained over 20,000 people—there are always people who go, “No, that can't be right.” And by the end of the teaching, they go, “Yeah, that's really true.” Here is the statement: there are only three reasons people disagree. Huge secret. There are only three. Every disagreement in the entire freakin’ world, there are only three reasons people disagree. Only three. Now, that's the good news, and that's really good news. But here's the bad news, and it's really bad news. If you have a level-three disagreement and you try to solve it with level-one techniques, you're going to fail. Level-three disagreements can't be solved with level-one techniques. Likewise, you have a level-one disagreement, try to solve it with level-two techniques, you are going to fail. Can't happen. So we as facilitators have to understand the three reasons people disagree. Have to be able to diagnose which reason it is and have strategies for addressing each one. Now, while that's a teaser, I probably should take a minute to say what are those three reasons people disagree. So let's break it down really quickly. So you probably have figured out one, two, or three of them. You want to take any guesses, Douglas, or you want me to reveal? Your shot. Douglas: Why don't you—well, you do the reveal. You do the reveal. Michael: Okay, I’ll do the reveal. So number one, and it's most disagreements, level-one disagreements, and you actually implied it when you were talking about learning that you were a great facilitator. That is, people disagree because of information. One has information that the other doesn’t have, and they’re arguing, bumping heads, even though once they realize and the information is put on the table, they'll realize they weren’t in disagreement at all. Level-one disagreements always end the same way. “Oh, is that what you meant?” There you go. And as we like to say, when you hear those words, your job is done, because they really weren't in disagreement. In fact, the book Crucial Conversations highlights that, they give it a name, violent agreement. They really are in agreement, but they were arguing. They were just using different words or one had information that the other didn't have. So you saw level-one disagreements, pretty simple. We as facilitators have to understand the difference between advocacy and inquiry. If you ever watched two people arguing, it's like they're fighting back and forth. Statement, statement, statement, statement. Each person is trying to advocate for theirs. If one of them would just step back and just ask the question, “Well, why do you say that? What do you mean by that?” they’ll then would clarify, and you would hear those words, “Oh, is that what you meant?” There you go. Resolved. So we have to move people from advocacy mode to inquiry mode, and you do that yourself by asking questions. In a business environment, there are specific questions we train facilitators to ask, because most level-one disagreements or business are based on either cost, time, who’s involved, or how it’s going to happen. And so we get the questions. Level-two disagreements are different. If the level-one disagreements are about information—again, we find most disagreements are level one—level-two disagreements are about values or experiences, that they have different values or had had different experiences that prefer one alternative over the other. They understand each other perfectly. They just value different things. Well, you can solve a value disagreement simply by identifying and isolating the key values. What are the key values that each person has? And then creating solutions, brainstorming solutions, that combine those values. It's not a compromise activity. It is a creativity activity, where, as we teach it, you can come up with some pretty novel solutions once you isolate those key values. It just works. In fact, we get more letters about that technique than any others because it really does work when you understand what you're looking to do. Level-three disagreement is different. It's not about information. It's not about values or experiences. It's about personality, past history with one another, or some outside factor that has nothing to do with the disagreement. It's not about the disagreement. They basically don't like each other. Can you solve a level-one disagreement by asking questions about the issue? No, because it's not about the issue. Can you solve a level-three disagreement by asking about the values? It’s not—yeah, you solve level-three disagreements differently. Take it to a higher source. You're not going to solve it at this level. You've got to take it up the chain. And so we talk about strategies for doing that. But most facilitators, that secret of understanding there are only three reasons people disagree, and so when you're listening to a disagreement, we train people to say, “Hey, next time you're listening to a disagreement, just say under your breath, ‘level two. Yeah, level one. Yeah, level three,’ so that you can get used to diagnosing what type of disagreement it is so that you keep that mindset of, okay, here's the technique I want to use to adjust this disagreement. So it's cool stuff and really one of those fun secrets out of the 60. Douglas: Yeah. I love frameworks like that, that can—are very actionable and we can kind of lean on them in the moment pretty easily. Michael: Well, you know, I find that the best facilitators are process oriented, Douglas. And I'm just going to give your listeners a heads up. If you were to see the prep work that Douglas had sent out to my office around the thinking that they've already done around how to have a great podcast, it was like, oh, my gosh, this is like a cookbook. All I have to do is this part. They're doing all these other pieces. And some great process thinking, very much appreciate it, because it makes it easy. In the same way, if you can give facilitators a process to use that's been tested, proven, that they can modify and make theirs, it makes all the difference. And that's one of the things I think we're good at: giving people processes. Douglas: Absolutely. If you could change one thing about meetings in general, what would it be? Michael: Oh, my gosh. Wow. You're asking big questions here. If I could change one thing about meetings. Yeah, I guess—yeah, that would have to be it. Douglas, the biggest challenge I find, and we find over and over again with meetings that other people are leading, is preparation. So few people do the preparation necessary. And quite frankly, it's not a lot of work if, as you would say, there's a framework for it. And so I'll just give your listeners a framework. We call it the six Ps. And it doesn't matter whether you are running a meeting for yourself or running a meeting for someone else, ask the six Ps, because once you know the six Ps, you execute on that and you can be really prepared. One, and you know it all starts with purpose. Douglas: Yes. Thank you. Michael: Why are we having this meeting? Douglas: Yes. Michael: Why are we having this meeting? What's the real purpose of the meeting? And then we say, “Okay, now that we're clear…” And so I'll give an example just to make it real for your listeners. Someone may come to us. “Michael, Michael, I’d love to have a team-building session for my team.” First P, purpose. “Really? Help me understand what's really the purpose of the team-building session?” “Well, I need my team working together better because, you know, we kind of snipe at each other sometimes. So I really want us to have a strong, bonding experience so that we can walk out of that room, moving together, working together, feeling better about each other.” “That's helpful.” Second P, product. “So what is the product you want to come out of that meeting?” “Michael, what do you mean?” “Well, think about it this way, in terms of the three Hs. When this meeting’s over, what do you want your team to have in their hands that they can see?” “Well, Michael, it’d be great if we had a team vision.” “Cool. Anything else?” “Well, maybe some team norms.” “Okay. Anything else?” “Well, maybe if we could walk away with what's going to happen if someone violates the norm, so we have that kind of…” “Anything else?” “No, I think that's pretty good.” “All right. Well, thank you. Well, let me ask you this. What do you want them to have in their head when the session is over?” “Michael, what do you mean?” “Well, what do you want them to know that they didn't know before the meeting started?” “Well, maybe I want them to know, hey, what makes a team great? What are the qualities of a great team and know how we assess against that, and what are the things we need to work on to be a great team?” “Cool, cool, great. So what do you want them to have in their hearts when the session is over?” “Michael, you getting soft on me?” “No, no, no. What do you want them to believe that maybe they didn't believe before this session was held?” “Well, I want them to believe that if we do these things, we’ll be a great team. I want them to feel committed to making it happen.” “There you go. Great. Well, so you’ve talked about purpose and product. Let me ask you this. Tell me about the people who are going to be in the room. Who needs to be in the room that we create these products and achieve this purpose?” “Well, I want my whole team there.” “Anyone else?” “Well, you know, do you think, Michael, my E.A., should be there?” “Well, let me ask you, do you think your E.A. is part of the team, work with the team? Is your E.A. part of getting things to happen?” “So, yeah, that's great.” “Anyone else? There we go.” “All right. Well, we talked about purpose, product, participants. Let me ask you this. What are the probable issues that we need to address? What are the things that we absolutely need to talk about if these participants are going to create these products to achieve this purpose?” “Yeah. We've had a couple of things happen over the last few months that we really need to talk about.” “Well, let's talk about what those are. Anything else we need to talk about? Great.” “Well, now let's talk about process. What's the process you're thinking we might want to take the team through so that we address these issues so the participants create the product and the purpose? Great.” And notice, by the way, Douglas, process is fifth. Many people think, “I want to hold a meeting. What's the agenda?” Wrong answer. There’re four questions you have to answer first—purpose, product, participants, probable issues—before you get to process. Never start with agenda. And then the six P is place, meaning—and it's all the stuff around the place. And in these days, the place is virtual. So let's talk about all the things around the virtual platform that needs to be. So we say when you have those six questions answered, the six Ps of preparation, you're now ready to do the work to get well prepared for your session. So we think that's a great way to address and make meetings so much better. Just most people don't do the work. They don't think about the six Ps. Douglas: Yeah, you know, there’re so many meeting—you talked about the lack of preparation, and it’s like— Michael: Yeah. Douglas: And so there's this weird spectrum, because on one end, no one's doing anything. So they're just kind of walking in blind, and they just threw something on your calendar called a meeting, and they're not even—so there's a lexicon and taxonomy problem. Michael: Yes. Douglas: And so that's a whole other thing we could get into. But then on the other hand, when they do the planning, their agenda’s just a list of topics— Michael: Yes. Douglas: —and it’s not thoughtful, it’s not informed by— Michael: Absolutely. Douglas: —the purpose. We were just talking earlier today about the problem with icebreakers and warmups, in that— Michael: Oh, my gosh, yes. Douglas: —people just throw them on the agenda, without thinking about the purpose and why they’re there. And I love this. I have this saying that if you can’t ask your participants after doing something like that, “Why did we just do that?” and have it erupt into a pithy conversation, you need to ask yourself, “Why did we just do that?” Michael: Oh, well said, Douglas. Well said. In fact, our company, in general, when it comes to icebreakers, we hate them because most icebreakers are just stuff. And we say, “It's good to break the ice,” but you want to break the ice with an activity that furthers the purpose and product of the session. If you say, “Hey, you know what, we’d like to spend a few minutes talking about your favorite vacation spot,” that's a great icebreaker if the purpose of our session is to choose a vacation spot. If it's not, leave that icebreaker at home. “Hey, you know what, we'd like to hear about your most embarrassing moment.” That is a great icebreaker if this session is about dealing with embarrassing moments. If it's not, leave that icebreaker at home. Whatever you use as an icebreaker, it should further the session result, not be something, as you said, that’s unpurposeful and inserted into the meeting. Facilitators have a bad rap of, “Hey, we help people hold hands and sing Kumbaya.” Read that from an executive standpoint, “We're great at wasting people's time.” That's how executives view the classic Kumbaya facilitators. Our job is to make sure every moment we spend with executives is productive. It's used to get to a result that they are willing to invest in. If they're not willing to invest, we have just added non-value activity. So non-value added activity is not helpful in a facilitated session. Douglas: Well said, my friend. So I would love to leave our listeners with one last piece of advice. And so if you could ensure every facilitator in the world had one skill, what would it be? Michael: That's easy. That's really easy. When you think about facilitators, when we walk into a room, our most important job is to pull out the most important information that's going to help this group get where they're going. That's our responsibility. To do that, we don't have to be good at asking questions. We have to be great at asking questions. We have to be really excellent at using questions to pull out the information that's going to help the group. As I said in one of my early, early ad set we put together, the ad said, “Hidden inside of your company are answers to some of the most important issues facing your organization. Your people have the answers. We bring the questions.” And so we teach something called the secret of the starting question. If you’ve ever facilitated a session and you asked this really great question and got complete and utter silence, if that’s ever happened to you, what we teach is, more times than not, the reason you got silence is that you asked what we call the “type A” question instead of a “type B” question. Type A questions lead people to silence. Type B questions get people putting up their hands, jumping up and down, trying to get you to respond to them. Or you're old enough to remember Welcome Back, Kotter. We called it the Horshack effect. “Ooh, ooh, ooh, Mr. Kotter. Mr. Kotter, call on me.” And that's what we want to get. And so, how do you get that? Well, it’s all in how you ask the question. And we call it the secret of the starting question. Now, just to give an example. Let’s go back to my hiring process. If we're in a room and we got a bunch of people, we're trying to figure out how the hiring process works today, that's one of the first agenda items. As a facilitator, we go, “Okay, great. We're all together. We're ready to get to that first agenda item. Let's get started. How does the hiring process work today?” Crickets. “Come on, folks. You know how it works. How does it work today? What are the steps?” Crickets. “Come on, guys. You know the…” There you go. Instead, you would ask what we call a type B question, and it sounds like this. “You know, we're ready to get started with documenting the current hiring process. I'd love for you to think about the last time you hired someone. Think about all the steps you had to go through, all the people you had to talk with, the forms or whatever you had to fill out to get that person on board. What are the steps in the current hiring process?” We call that a type B question. How is it formed? They're three steps. It's pretty easy. It's pretty simple, just not easy. Its first step is you start with an image-building phrase. “Think about the last time…,” or “If you were about to...” or “Imagine…” It doesn’t start with “What…” Here comes a type B question. You're going very direct. Or “Why…” or “How…” or so on. It starts with an image-building phrase because you're trying to create an image, because when people can see their answers, they answer right away. Then, you expand the image with at least two other phrases. Then, you ask the direct question. “Think about the last time you hired someone. Think about all the steps you had to go through, all the people you had to talk with,” and so on. Because when people can see their answers, they raise their hand. When people can’t see their answers, if you ask, “What are the steps in the current hiring process?” they're going to go, “Hm, let me think.” What are they doing? They're trying to imagine their answers. Why? Because you didn’t ask a question that helped them do it. Facilitation means to make easy. We've got to get them visualizing their answers. So that's just one of the things. We teach nine different questioning techniques. And if we could do that for every facilitator in the world—in fact, your audience have probably heard of TED Talks. If they were to go to the TED site and type in “secret of the starting question,” they would see me giving a TEDx Talk to the International Association of Facilitators on the secret of the starting question. Douglas: I love it. So good. It's funny, once you were starting to talk about the secret to—or the one thing that facilitators should know, and you started talking about questions, I was going to ask you, what is one of your favorite questions? But then, before I even had the opportunity, you gave us a framework for asking questions. So I'm still going to throw this at you for extra credit. Is there a question…? In fact, you threw out one of my favorites already, and that is, what did you mean by that? I think that's such a disarming question, especially if someone says something that is maybe judgmental or offensive in some way, and maybe there was no intention behind it, and we want to just give them an opportunity to unravel that or explain it. Michael: And it helps them do it. And that’s a great one. And I think one of the things you find is why questions and how questions are often challenging for people. And so you want to be careful, as we say, you want to focus on the tone. And probably my favorite, it's simple, is, “Help me understand, why is that important? Help me understand, why is it important?” because your tone could be, “So why is that important?” That’s a wrong tone. No, thank you. Yeah. So tone as you ask that question, “Why is that important?” is one of my favorite questions. There have to be questions because it gets to, oh, new understanding, because I'm thinking, perhaps if you could see my thought bubble, “What does that have to do with anything we're talking about?” And so sort of just, “Hey, help me understand, why is that important?” Douglas: Also, “Help me understand,” I'm taking the blame for not understanding it, which is great. It reminds me, too—I've been listening to a lot of masterclass. And Chris Voss has a really great masterclass, and he's a master negotiator— Michael: Oh, excellent. Douglas: —and author of that book, Never Split the Difference. And one of his points around not using why, he never asks any why questions when he's negotiating with a hostage. And it's because, remember when you were a little kid and something you broke, something by accident, and your parents were like, “Why did you do that?” So it's just like, it brings you back to those moments. So we don't want to psychologically hijack anyone when we're asking these questions that we don't really have much intent behind. Michael: There you go. Really important stuff. Questions are a key for facilitators. Really getting down a question framework for yourself, really good stuff. Douglas: Absolutely. And I encourage people to check out the type B questions and all the other great stuff, the six Ps, et cetera. It's really awesome stuff. And so if they were going to dig deeper into this, how can they find you? How can they unravel the secrets more deeply? Michael: Well, please, our website, www.leadstrat—that’s short for Leadership Strategies—leadstrat.com, and any of the resource pages. You can also, in our store, we have all the books—The Secrets of Facilitation is probably the one we’ve talked about the most, as well as Click: The Virtual Meetings Book. Those two are ones that in this pandemic people will find most helpful. And again, do check out— Oh, our gift to the industry, we recognize that as part of our—we’re the largest facilitation company in the country, that what we do, we typically do three or four free webinars a month. Most recently, we've been doing them on the virtual side of things, running effective virtual meetings, making Zoom hum, those kinds of things, just, really, free webinars. Of course, we do it because we know that once people get a taste of what we do, they may want to learn more. We’ve been doing them for over a decade now, these webinars. But please check them out. And you know what most webinars, Douglas, are thinly veiled sales pitches. For us, we go, “Okay. Please give us 60 minutes. You're going to get 55 minutes of real content, stuff you can use tomorrow. Then, the last five minutes we’ll talk about for those who want to learn more.” So really hardcore, hit-it content. And so it's really great. They get 400 or 500 people on every webinar, and so it's really fun stuff. Douglas: Excellent. Well, I can't wait to check one out. And, you know, it's been a pleasure to have you on the show today. Michael: Oh, likewise, being with you. It’s just been a fun conversation. Douglas: Absolutely. Well, thanks again, and we’ll be talking to you soon. Michael: All right. You take care. Outro: Thanks for joining me for another episode of Control the Room. Don't forget to subscribe to receive updates when new episodes are released. If you want more, head over to our blog, where I post weekly articles and resources about working better together

Welcome to another episode of the Pixilated Podcast. I’m Patrick Rife and I’m Alex McGlynn and today we’re going to talk about Why We Joined MPI | Meeting Professionals International.- Relationships- Information- Community- Product Feedback- Marketplace- BacklinksSo, that is it for today before we go don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe it helps us grow and we will see you soon.--Powered by PixilatedSubscribe at http://podcast.pixilated.com/Website: www.Pixilated.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetPixilated/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixilated/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixilated/Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixilatedYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/c/pixilatedphotobooth

Episode 7: Featured guests: Annette Gregg, Sr. Vice President, Experience at Meeting Professionals International and Jenn Artura, Senior Director, Global Events & Incentive Programs at Veritas Technologies LLC. What winning strategies have two of the industry's most accomplished women applied to their career journeys? Annette Gregg, Senior Vice President, Experience at Meeting Professionals International and Jenn Artura, Senior Director, Global Events & Incentive Programs at Veritas Technologies LLC., discuss how leaning into office politics, engaging sponsors with intention, and boldly creating self-visibility have been key to their professional advancement.

Do your Holiday 2020 plans include a toast via Webex or Zoom? What event strategy has your social committee proposed to boost employee morale? Are we destined to celebrate baby showers and team milestones virtually from now on? Let's find out, as we speak with Tammy Bradley, Past President of Meeting Professionals International, as she offers her insight on what's transpired, what's to come, and how you and your team can prepare for and deliver outstanding virtual events in 2020! Copyright © 2020 ADP, LLC. All rights reserved. This content may not be distributed, reproduced, modified, sold or used without the written permission of ADP. The information is provided "as is" without any expressed or implied warranty, is based on generally accepted HR practices and is advisory in nature. This content is provided with the understanding that neither the presenters nor the writers are rendering legal advice or other professional services. Employers are encouraged to consult with legal counsel for advice regarding their organization's compliance with applicable laws. This material is current as of the date of this episode (June 20 2020).

This episode of Lessons from Leaders is brought to you by Smart Meetings, the go-to source of information for meeting and event professionals. For more information on Smart Meetings, please go to https://www.smartmeetings.com/Our guest on this episode is hospitality industry veteran Michael Dominguez, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), an organization that provides global sales services for an exclusive collection of the world’s most prestigious hotels and resorts, cruise ships, destination management companies and similar travel partners.Prior to his current position, Mike served for seven years as Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer for MGM Resorts International. Prior to that, he directed sales development for Loews Hotels’ growing portfolio as their Vice President of Global Sales. In both roles, Mike provided strategic leadership, innovative business development, hands-on sales oversight and implementation of effective sales strategies in the MICE and transient segments. Over the years, Mike has been actively involved in a variety of industry organizations and has served on a number of boards including Meeting Professionals International, the U.S. Travel Association, American Society of Association Executives, and the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, among others.One of the best known and admired figures in the hospitality industry, Mike has been recognized with numerous honors including Smart Meetings’ Smartest Industry Leaders Award; HSMAI’s Top Minds in Sales and Marketing; and Hispanic Business’s “50 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.”, just to name a few.Mike is a much sought-after speaker to companies and associations within the MICE industry and beyond, and he has provided valuable updates and perspective on his social media channels throughout the COVID-19 crisis.In this podcast, Mike talks about his career evolution, challenges he faced, his definition of what makes a good leader, and his views on the current Coronavirus pandemic and its impact. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdominguez080389/ALHI: https://www.alhi.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/M_Dominguez

On Episode 2 David and Nick chat with Shannon Jones about Servant Leadership. Shannon Jones, CMP has been in the meetings and events industry for just over 10 years. She knew from high school that she wanted to be an event planner, but she didn't know what that meant or how to get there. Through a series of sales and events roles, she found her current stop on her career path as a meeting and event planner for a global law firm. Along the way, Shannon found community in Meeting Professionals International and became part of the Board of Directors. In her 7th year on the board, she currently sits as President of the MPI Tennessee Chapter. Shannon, her husband and their three children live just north of Nashville, Tennessee. Her love for people and the success of her teams is what excites her and creates her drive to be a servant leader. Article referenced- https://www.behindthemixer.com/servant-leadership/ David has over 20 years as a DJ and Game Show host in the event space, Nick is a Videographer fresh out of College. While their careers are on opposite ends of the experience scale, they have very similar views on business, life and the drive for success. Follow Nick on Instagram @nasvisualsllc Follow David on Instagram @davidhanscom Follow the show in Instagram @therookieandthevetpodcast --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/therookieandthevetpodcast/support

This episode of Lessons from Leaders is brought to you by Smart Meetings, the go-to source of information for meeting and event professionals. For more information on Smart Meetings, please go to https://www.smartmeetings.comOur guest on this episode is Paul Van Deventer, the President & CEO of Meeting Professionals International, the world's largest meetings industry association, comprised of more than 18,000 members. As CEO, Paul sets the association’s vision and strategic plan, leads the association’s global staff, manages MPI’s operating budget, oversees all membership programs and services, works closely with MPI’s Board of Directors, and serves as the executive liaison to the MPI Foundation. Paul has enjoyed a long, successful, and diverse career. Before he became CEO of MPI seven years ago, he served in several senior level positions with Walgreens, American Express and Mitchell International.In this podcast, he talks about his career start, the choices he made along the way, and what advice he has for professionals aspiring to reach the C-Suite. He also comments on the resiliency of the meetings industry as it faces its greatest challenge in the face of the global Coronavirus crisis. He is confident that MPI will endure and grow stronger as we all emerge from this horrible pandemic and look forward to a brighter future.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvandeventerMPI: https://www.mpi.org

Meetings Mean Business Co-Chair Trina Camacho-London on how the industry must be proactive in the face of global challenges. Last Tuesday, April 14, was supposed to be Global Meetings Industry Day — the annual day of advocacy for in-person events in which groups around the world gather together to celebrate. But due to lockdowns and travel restrictions in response to COVID-19, that was not an option this year. Yet the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, which created GMID, partnered with Meeting Professionals International and the Events Industry Council to create GMID Virtual. The online series of events and education sessions gave members of the industry plenty of insights and information, even if it lacked the face-to-face experience that has been part of the event in its previous four iterations.   To discuss the event and the state of the meetings industry at this critical time, we reached out to Trina Camacho-London, vice president of global group sales for Hyatt Hotels Corp., who serves as co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition. In this episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, Camacho-London discusses how the organization is working to address the COVID-19 crisis, working closely with the U.S. Travel Association and serving as a hub for its numerous meetings industry partners — and how MMBC aims to help the industry come out of this stronger than ever.  

In honor of International Women’s Day, we are featuring a powerhouse woman who could speak directly to levating women in the industry. Annette Gregg is the Senior Vice President of Experience at Meeting Professionals International. Her mantra in life is "Helping People Live More Authentic, Inspired and Successful Lives.” In our conversation with Annette, she shares with us how, we as a community can empower more women in our industry while educating others on the real challenges we are facing. Resources and links discussed: Cvent Connect http://www.cventconnect.com/ Connect with Annette Gregg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettegregg/

Planning a med-pharma event requires navigating a complex maze of regulations and laws on the federal and state levels — not to mention new rules in a growing number of international destinations. But keeping your eye only on compliance can dull the engagement elements. Health-care professionals are people, too, and want to meet at memorable venues, hear great speakers and partake in fun activities as much as any other attendee.   For this episode of Eventful, sponsored by Visit Seattle, we speak with experts on med-pharma meetings about how to create impactful events for these industries to ensure compliance and produce an engaging gathering. Guests include:   Pat Schaumann, president of Schaumann Consulting Group, the former senior director of health-care compliance for both Maritz Global Events and Meeting Professionals International. She is the author of Breaking the Code to Healthcare Compliance.   Windy Christner, senior director of meetings and expositions for the American Pharmacists Association, which hosts educational programming throughout the year, including a 6,000-person annual meeting in March and the 1,000-person Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar.   Katie Koziol, director of client services at Ashfield Meetings & Events, which specializes in health-care meetings and has published a series of guides and white papers on planning med-pharma events.   This episode is sponsored by Visit Seattle.

Inside Events Podcast, hosted by Megan Powers; Episode #3 - “The State of the Meetings & Events Industry with a Key Leader,” with guests Christy Lamagna & Annette Gregg. In our first half our host Megan Powers, from Powers of Marketing, discussed the news with Christy Lamagna. Some big news was announced during IMEX America, including Event Manager Blog being acquired by Skift, and Annette Gregg (guest for the show) having started in a new position at MPI Global as Senior VP of Experience that week. MeetingsNet came out with a great article on how we can use neuroscience-based tips to improve your attendees' learning, which tied into a session Megan attended on Smart Monday at IMEX. In the second half, our guest is Annette Gregg, Senior Vice President of Experience with Meeting Professionals International. Her many years of experience designing events, and educating event professionals positioned her perfectly for this position with  MPI. Annette joined Megan and Christy onsite at IMEX in talking about Annette’s transition from being Chair-Elect (volunteer) to being staff now. We also talk through the state of the industry, the role technology plays in these experiences we create, and about the priority being placed on “women in events.”*****************************************************************************  

Cary is well known for establishing award-winning diversity, inclusion and communication programs in several organizations including Wyndham Hotels, Aimbridge Hospitality, Bank of Tokyo (now Union Bank MUFG), Carnival Cruise Line, Meeting Professionals International and other organizations.    She has been interviewed by The New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, CBS This Morning, The Wall Street Journal and other national media about her successful women's marketing programs. Cary’s business book: From Cinderella to CEO (Wiley) features business lessons learned while climbing the business ladder, and has been published in 10 languages. Interviews included in her book can be heard on her podcast Cinderella CEO On Air.  She recently launched a nationwide tour for the Cinderella to CEO™Awards.    

“Someone’s story is what gets us most.” With a background in improvisational comedy and marketing, Judi Holler is an expert at crafting and remixing fearless stories. She’s also author of the new book Fear Is My Homeboy. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Judi Holler Judi Holler is a professionally trained improviser and alumna of the Second City Training Center Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois. Judi started working in the hospitality industry at the age of thirteen and has spent the past fifteen years working in the convention and meetings industry, specializing in sales and marketing for companies like Marriott, Omni, and Starwood Hotels before starting her company, HOLLA! Productions, in 2013. Judi is a past president of Meeting Professionals International, Chicago Area Chapter, and was named one of the 40 under 40 in the meetings industry by Connect magazine in 2015. Judi was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent ten years living in Chicago, studying improv by night and growing her career by day. Judi now resides in Hudson, Ohio, with her husband, Scott, and their amazingly adorable golden retriever, Tito. Judi is a proud stepmom to three badass boys— Sean, Sam, and Jack. She is also a gushing godmother and auntie to niece, Kiley Grace, and nephews, Finnegan and Jaxson.’ When Judi is not keynoting conferences, working as a corporate event emcee/moderator, writing, and creating cool stuff for you, she is most likely on her Peloton bike, deep in a book, or testing out a new fear experiment. Judi likes her books non-digital, her wine bubbly, and her music hip-hop. Episode Highlights What does improv training have to do with marketing and communication? I couldn’t wait to ask Judi this. Turns out, it helps a lot. “I call it my fear church. It keeps me from being stuck, safe, and boring.” “We’re all DJs.” When Judi said this to me, it caught me off guard. I don't think of myself as a DJ-type. Then Judi shared why it’s important to “remix” the content we read and share. Maybe I am a DJ! “Someone’s story is what gets us most.” But it may take a few times. “You have to share 7–9 times for the chance that someone sees it.” What brand has made Judi smile recently? Johnny’s Cupcakes! It’s been awhile since anyone has mentioned this smile-worthy brand on the show! We also talked about how Seth Godin's new Instagram mini-books have made us both smile. To learn more, go to judiholler.com, follow her on Instagram, and check out her book Fear Is My Homeboy on Amazon. Speaking of her book — text ‘brave’ to 4747-47 and you’ll get free access to a sample chapter! As We Wrap … Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

Judi Holler makes the case for exercising your bravery muscle and making fear your friend—one challenge at a time.   You'll Learn: The small things we do each day that slow our long-term progress Why technology is a great servant but a terrible master How to deal with fear when it never goes away   About Judi: Judi Holler is a keynote speaker, author, and a professionally trained improviser and alumna of The Second City’s Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois. Judi is a past president of Meeting Professionals International, Chicago Area Chapter, and was named one of the 40 under 40 in the meetings industry by Connect magazine in 2015 Judi’s book on Fear, titled “Fear Is My Homeboy: How to Slay Doubt, Boss Up, and Succeed on Your Own Terms”, was recently endorsed by Mel Robbins calling it: “relatable, relevant and most importantly ACTIONABLE!” Fear Is My Homeboy came out last week.   View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep446

We are kicking off the Event Masters Podcast with the always incredible Jorge Lopez! Known for his unparalleled talent behind the mic and flawless event production, Jorge and his team at J&M Events have scaled a small entertainment company into a multi-million dollar event production company. In addition to his own business, Jorge is a highly sought after speaker to help other event professionals achieve the same success. He has been invited to be a Master at ILEA's Meet the Masters 3 times and has also spoke at the Valley Industry Association, Meeting Professionals International, National Association of Catering Executives, and countless others. With that being said, take a seat in our Master's Lounge and hear from Jorge Lopez what it takes to become... an event master!  

On this episode Brenda is joined by Jennifer Beatty, Managing Director - Resiada. She is also the Chair of the Canadian Council for MPI Foundation and sits on the Global Board of Trustees. Brenda and Jennifer discussed her journey with Meeting Professionals International organization, the power of networking, the value of volunteering and how MPI focuses on the three pillars of career development, scholarships and research.  They also discuss: New formats for professional development Being an "accidental" planner The new Event Canvas   Key Learning: The positive ripple effect that associations have in the events and meetings industry.     ➡️ The Meeting Architect Podcast is proudly brought to you by The Howes Group

In Episode 31 we are live on Facebook, speaking to someone who has made crisis communication a key area he is speaking and teaching on. It's marketing's responsibility to share out information if a crisis occurs. Period. With the emergence of social media, that is now a key place to share it… And you MUST have a plan in order to do it properly! Our guest... Alex Plaxen – President/Founder Little Bird Told Media. Alex is passionate about using social media to amplify the reach of events. Little Bird Told Media's tagline is "Where Online Meets Offline." Alex Plaxen has a Crisis Communication Certification he's teaching for Meeting Professionals International, so he was the perfect guest to have to speak on this topic. Check out this quick show, and then go back to your organization and make it a priority.   We are "Making a Marketer"... in all ways. Check Ep.31 out -- and we would love for you to subscribe, rate, & review us on iTunes -- https://bit.ly/mamITuneNEW & get each episode when it drops! :: This episode is sponsored by Powers of Marketing - your communication should be strategic and POWERful :::

Today's show explores a topic that all venue owners and venue managers should consider, but I'm willing to bet that this might be an area where a lot of people haven't put a lot of focus. Or at least not as much as they could. How much thought are you putting into trash? Or waste of any kind? That might include extra food, unwanted décor at the end of the night, using a lot of plastic serving pieces, having a recycling program, and so much more. Lauren Chumbley is my guest today and having weddings work towards zero-waste and creating sustainable events has become a passion of hers. She's here today to educate us all on what we can be doing if we want our venues to become more sustainable and earth-friendly. Be sure to check out the free download checklist from the show today too! In this episode, you'll hear about: Meet Lauren Chumbley [1:50] How Lauren started her work for sustainable events [4:40] What is a zero-waste event [6:16] Are couples or vendors driving the more toward sustainable event [7:25] What kind of costs are involved if venues want to invest sustainability [9:38] What kind of training or set up needs to happen for staff [12:34] What is done at the venue vs. a third-party service [14:05] Who should a couple talk to first and at what point if they want to have sustainable practices [15:46] How should venues position sustainable events to couples [16:55] What is the biggest source of waste at a wedding [19:14] What are the first steps someone can take to reduce waste [21:07] Do DIY or high-end or other styles of weddings produce more waste than others [25:22] The easiest first step to take [27:17] RESOURCES WE MENTION:  Top Ten Tips for Hosting More Sustainable Events – Free Download The Venue Owner Shop – use code FIRSTORDER to save 15% on your first order Julia Spangler Events – Sustainable Event Consultant One Percent for the Planet – Donate 1% of your revenue to a sustainable cause ABOUT OUR GUEST:  Lauren Chumbley was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree in Public Relations. She went on to earn her Certification in Meeting and Event Planning, studying everything from Weddings to Trade Shows and Conferences. Over the years, Lauren interned at Elite Weddings and worked at In Style Weddings and Destinations before starting Eclipse Event Co. with Kristi DePew in 2015. Lauren has been a member of Meeting Professionals International and Wedding Network USA. She is currently serving on the Board of the International Live Events Association and is an active member of the Junior League and Associated Wedding Planners of Austin. BE A FRIEND:  Leave an iTunes review here. BE A GUEST:  Are you passionate about sharing your knowledge about running a wedding venue? Know someone who is? Email us at kelly@aislefilespodcast.com to let us know why you'd be a great person interview! Find full show notes from this episode here. — Connect with Aisle Files Podcast Online Website: www.aislefilespodcast.com  Email: kelly@aislefilespodcast.com Instagram: @aislefilespodcast Facebook: @aislefilespodcast The Aisle Files Podcast is created and produced by Kelly Ewell, owner of 48 Fields Farm.

On this episode of the Wealthy Speaker Podcast we are talking with Lori Pugh Marcum about what it takes to catch the eye of meeting planners.  We are excited to have with us, Lori Pugh Marcum from Meeting Planners International. Lori has 14 years of experience in the meetings and events industry on both the planner and supplier side of the business. As Lead Manager, Event Programs and Productions with Meeting Professionals International she is […] The post How to Get Noticed by Meeting Planners with Lori Pugh Marcum appeared first on Jane Atkinson.

Founder of Garrett Speaker International, Betty Garrett, CMP, has been active in the meetings industry over four decades. She came to Texas from Louisiana with the burning desire to work for an airline and her dream came true when Braniff International hired her. Betty was able to transfer her skills from the airline to meeting planning at Young President’s Organization, the business travel department at Mary Kay Cosmetics and Meeting Professionals International (MPI). She developed relationships with the many professional speakers she hired for her programs, so it was a natural progression to start GSI. Working as a speaker bureau owner, Betty realized there was a gap between ordinary speakers and those wanting to take their speaking career to a higher level. She has implemented a new division within GSI to coaching speakers on how to “get bureau ready” and grow their business. These are tips, tools and techniques that will get the traction needed for bureaus and higher paying fees. Betty is also an author, consultant and speaker. When her husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, she knew she needed help and there was nothing on the market to assist the caregiver. She authored From Chaos to Control: A Survival Guide for the Cancer Caregiver, a how-to manual for caregivers tending to cancer patients. She also developed the Caregivers Companion to assist caregivers in staying organized with the appointments, treatments, medications, etc. Her website is www.caregiversforcancer.com. Betty is a leader in Meeting Professionals International, having served as chapter president, and was the recipient of the Marion Kershner Memorial Leadership Award by MPI. The National Speakers Association named her the Partner of the Year, plus recently received the Dallas Business Journal award for Women in Business.  http://www.garrettspeakers.com

To learn more about Butterflies of Wisdom visit http://butterfliesofwisdom.weebly.com/ Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To find out how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/, or email Amanda Boxtel at amanda@bridgingbionics.org. John L is a sponsor and check him at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009152577407&fref=ts.   On Butterflies of Wisdom today, Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Mike Veny. Mike is America’s leading mental health speaker and a high energy drum circle facilitator. He delivers educational, engaging, and entertaining presentations to meetings and conferences throughout the world. Mike is fiercely committed to wellness, suicide prevention, and helping people work together more smoothly. If you are looking for a proven speaker who can address the stigma surrounding mental health and deliver a corporate drumming event, then you have come to the right place. With 15 years of experience electrifying audiences and making meeting planners look good, his mission is to empower people to connect authentically. Mike’s path to becoming a public speaker became evident at an early age. He convinced the staff at psychiatric hospitals to discharge him three times during his childhood. In addition to being hospitalized as a child, he was expelled from 3 schools, attempted suicide, and was medicated in efforts to reduce his emotional instability and behavioral outbursts. By the fifth grade, Mike was put in a special education class. Aside from getting more individualized attention from the teacher, he learned that pencil erasers make a great sound when tapped on a desk. He had no idea that drumming would become his career or his path to recovery. Event planners say remarkable things about the impact his work has their events. “MikeVeny has an innate ability to connect with people, draw them out, and get them to participate. This is not an easy task when you are responsible for closing a two and a half-day conference on a Friday.” MaryBeth Schneider – Assistant Executive Director for Training and Self-Advocacy, NYSARC “Mike’s ability to connect with students is a talent that very few adults have. His ability to address a group of 200 students and have them engaged for well over an hour shows just how deep his talent runs.” Jesicah Rolapp – Principal, Los Angeles Leadership Academy “MikeVeny participated in our 2013 community mental health awareness conference and was nothing short of outstanding. I believe his candor, humor, and transparency are applicable in a variety of corporate and community settings.” Sophie Clark – Executive Director, NAMI Washington, DC Similar benefits await when you hire Mike to take your event to the next level. What sets Mike apart from other speakers is his authenticity and his straightforward, easy-to-understand tools that audience members can apply immediately. It’s that simple! You can feel confident having Mike as your keynote speaker or workshop facilitator. Mike’s perspectives have been featured on ABC, NBC, and CBS news. He’s a regular guest on The Fresh Outlook TV news show, a writer for Corporate Wellness Magazine and HealthCentral.com. Mental Illness is An Asset, his compelling TEDx talk, has been used in college classrooms and gotten sensational reviews. Five things about him and his experience that might surprise and delight you – while serving your work together: He does not use Powerpoint or speak with notes in his presentations. He’s a member of Meeting Professionals International. He writes for his chapters magazine and is a supporter of Meetings Mean Business. He’s a member of the Rotary Club of Wall Street. Being a Rotarian has contributed to his happiness.He loves to travel and is obsessed with luggage, packing techniques, and travel checklists. He takes his morning routine very seriously. Connect with Mike today and explore how he can add value to your upcoming and give your audience the memory of a lifetime. To learn more about Mike visit http://transformingstigma.com/. To learn more about Win Kelly Charles visit https://wincharles.wix.com/win-charles. To follow Win on Twitter go to @winkellycharles. Please send feedback to Win by email her at winwwow@gmail.com, or go to http://survey.libsyn.com/winwisdom and http://survey.libsyn.com/thebutterfly. To be on the show please fill out the intake at http://bit.ly/bowintake. Butterflies of Wisdom sponsored by The Muscle Memory Group powered by Professor John. John L is a sponsor and check him at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009152577407&fref=ts. To learn about the magic of Siri go to https://www.udemy.com/writing-a-book-using-siri/?utm_campaign=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email. If you want to donate Butterflies of Wisdom, please send a PayPal donation to aspenwin@gmail.com. Please send a check in the mail so 100% goes to Bridging Bionics Foundation.    In the Memo section have people write: In honor of Win Charles.    Send to:  Bridging Bionics Foundation  PO Box 3767 Basalt, CO 81621   Thank you Win  

Meeting Professionals International held their annual World Education Conference in Atlantic City last month.  During the event over two thousand attendees came for education, networking and a bit of relaxation after the days events ended.  We attended, and we saw first hand the quality of offerings and the terrific job done by the hosts to show off their destination. Post event we had some time to sit down with Paul Van Deventer, the President and CEO of MPI to discuss how the organization went about reinventing it's signature event this year, as well as the changes to the organization itself over the past few years.  Among the more prominent changes; the membership model has been revised, there are multiple new educational offerings and an ongoing discussion of how MPI can continue to be an effective association for its members in both the near and the distant future.   In fact, there was so much discussed that we decided to split the talk into two segments.  This is part two.  Please note once again that we're posting these two segments slightly out of order to bring it to you in a more timely manner, rather than waiting for the next slot in out regular posting schedule.  We hope you enjoy part two!   

Meeting Professionals International held their annual World Education Conference in Atlantic City last month.  During the event over two thousand attendees came for education, networking and a bit of relaxation after the days events ended.  We attended, and we saw first hand the quality of offerings and the terrific job done by the hosts to show off their destination. Post event we had some time to sit down with Paul Van Deventer, the President and CEO of MPI to discuss how the organization went about reinventing it's signature event this year, as well as the changes to the organization itself over the past few years.  Among the more prominent changes; the membership model has been revised, there are multiple new educational offerings and an ongoing discussion of how MPI can continue to be an effective association for its members in both the near and the distant future.   In fact, there was so much discussed that we decided to split the talk into two segments.  This is part one and part two will be posted separately tomorrow.  We're also posting these two segments slightly out of order to bring it to you in a more timely manner, rather than waiting for the next slot in out regular posting schedule.  We hope you enjoy part one!   

Hints and tips for media appearances, speaking and social media. This week; Meeting Professionals International; Andy Lopata's book; Late News; Tons of texts; A Russian punch-up; You're not someone else; Current, Critical, Concise; The Social Media Cocktail; An interview with Meltem Priest; Music from Tiger Lilly