MPIKC Times
MPI - Kansas City Chapter
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Happy New Year! I can't believe that it is 2011 and we are already almost halfway through February! Time travels so fast in this industry—we are always planning for the next big thing or forecasting months to a year out, so we sometimes forget to stop and enjoy the present! As I enter the halfway mark for my second term as your president, I have the opportunity to look back and evaluate what has been achieved by our chapter so far this year. I am pleased to report the following ongoing achievements: — Solid financial footing as a result of chapter fundraising efforts (Levy and Field2Table) and conscious spending control by committees. — Successful implementation of the chapter strategic alliance database system. — Events throughout the year in 2010 were each successful and brought great knowledge and networking opportunities to our members. — Hosted first ever Kansas City Industry Holiday Party. — Completed chapter needs assessment. I am so very thankful for our board and all of the active chapter leaders. Their continued passion and commitment is extraordinary. Thank you to everyone that has committed their time to KCMPI this year. I wish everyone a prosperous and happy new year. I hope that in this year, 2011, that you find the time to slow down every once in a while and enjoy the present! Warmest regards, Michelle Lizak, CMP |
Dear KCMPI Members and Friends,|
Whether you're a supplier or whether you're a planner it is very likely that you have informatipn to share with your fellow KCMPI Members. KCMPI's Newsletter committee is calling upon you to submit information for potential publication in KCMPI Times. Your KCMPI Times newsletter provides each of you the power of connection! We encourage you to reach out, to share relevant information about your organization or yourself. Whatever you want to share with KCMPI members, submit it to your KCMPI Times committee for consideration as news in KCMPI Times. Inquiring minds want to know. KCMPI Times is a great resource to our members, and your input is valuable and necessary. "Connections and networking are very important to our industry," says Michelle Lizak, KCMPI President. Don't know what to write or how to write it? No worries! Simply contact your KCMPI Times newsletter committee: Debra sweeten debra.sweeten@yahoo.com (913) 422-1149 or Kathleen Murray kmurray02@gmail.com |
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KCMPI gathers monthly for educational programs and networking events that allow members to evolve their careers to positions of influence while developing new and powerful partnerships. Although educational and informative, the programs also offer the perfect opportunity to network, socialize and discuss how other planners and suppliers deal with issues relating to the industry and their careers. KCMPI 2011 Monthly ProgramsFebruary 17, 2011 [register] March 10, 2011 April 14, 2011 May 19, 2011 [info/register] May 18, 2011 [register] June 9, 2011 |
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Planners—does this sound familiar? Suppliers—are you puzzled? Being Better Partners will review how communication between planners, suppliers, and operations can break down . . . and how to make it work. This interactive and fun chapter meeting will show how to get your message across loud and clear. |
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Ever wonder, "What's the deal with HD video, do I need it, and why does it cost so much?" Or wonder what’s the difference between 4:3 versus 16:9 aspect ratio and why should you care? Or do you just want some straight answers to your AV and technical production questions? Do you ever feel those AV "experts" you've hired are simply making up words and jargon to confuse you? Do you just want to know what's available and how it can help your meeting be more successful? Bill Hartnett from Harvest Productions and Mitch Collins from Vista Productions, share their experience of hundreds of productions for a plethora of clients with both large, small and non-existent budgets. If you're a meeting professional who uses audio, lighting and video in your meetings and events, you should come and hear about new trends, new technology, and get your questions answered about AV and other production elements. BRING YOUR LAPTOP! We will be demonstrating a new LIVE event video streaming service that can extend the value of your events well beyond the ballroom. Finally, a simple comprehensive service that easily takes your meeting to the web. When: 11:00 am on Thursday, March 10, 2011 Bill Hartnett |
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Please Save the Date of March 24, 2011 for the annual Membership Appreciation Reception. At a brand NEW event space, Black on Burlington in North Kansas City, we’ll be hosting and toasting KCMPI members for their dedication and involvement throughout the year! Be on the lookout for your more details in the weeks ahead! |
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Hosted by 801 Chophouse, this event will take place in the wine room which is their largest of multiple private dining areas. Customizing parties from six to eighty, 801's walls reconfigure for the perfect amount of space, tables change for seating and conversation, and custom menus range from cocktails and hors d'oeuvres to full course dining. 801 Chophouse will accommodate and impress with its sleek and traditionally fabulous atmosphere. Join us on Thursday, April 14 at 11:30 am at the 801 Chophouse (www.801chophouse.com) on the corner of 14th Street and Walnut in downtown Kansas City. Registration opens at 11:30. |
Have you ever sat down to a business dinner, looked down at your place setting, and panicked? Why are there so many forks? What am I supposed to do with my napkin? Which glass of water is mine? Don’t worry, KCMPI is here to help! Let us teach you the basics of proper etiquette, including dining, internet communication, and even networking! Guest speaker, Colleen Rickenbacher, (
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Golf Tournament to Benefit Autism It may be cold and snowing outside but the 2011 KCMPI Golf Tournament is in full swing for May 18, 2011! Looking forward to a beautiful day in May on the amazing Falcon Ridge Golf Course. Save the date now! Watch KCMPI.org for more details. Various types of sponsorships are available on a first come first serve basis. Please contact Deb Arbo at deb.s.arbo@gmail.com or Lorie Scott at lscott@helmsbriscoe.com for more information. |
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Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd; Sound familiar? I’m sure it does; for me, it brings back childhood memories of growing up here in Kansas City and going to ball games with my family. However, seeing the printed lyrics after singing the song hundreds of times shows that I’ve been singing it wrong for the last couple of decades . . . Cracker Jack, not Cracker Jacks. For some reason I always made it plural. Huh . . . now I know. You learn something every day after all. Speaking of learning something new, the 2011 Professional Education Conference, KCMPI's PEC Education Day at the K, is coming to Kauffman Stadium on May 19th and bases are loaded. That's right. Kaufmann Stadium will host our one-day Professional Education Conference. Catch a full seven-hours of industry education and discover how to work with a unique venue. 8:00 am - First Pitch - Keynote Kicks Off the Conference With keynote speakers such as Kristi Casey Sanders, Jeff Havens, Jim Mathis and Dianna Booher, you’ll be sure to have a grand slam experience at the K. Okay, okay, I know, enough with the baseball lingo. But seriously, you’ll have a great time. We won’t throw any curve balls at you (last one, I swear!).During the one-day event you’re sure to learn a great deal of insightful information to help propel and enhance your career, not to mention the all-important baseball stadium benefits:
For more information on our speakers and topics visit the PEC Web site www.kcmpi.org/edcon. |
KCMPI Job BankThe KCMPI Job Bank serves as an informal, confidential liaison for those seeking employment and is located under member resouces in the KCMPI website. If you are an employer with open positions, please feel free to submit your job opening on the website. If you are a member, please e-mail the job bank committee for a user name and password to access the open positions currently posted to our website. |
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WASHINGTON, DC (January 2011) – Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) announced that it has acquired Hinton + Grusich (H + G), which merges two of the largest and most respected independent National Sales Organizations in North America which specifically serve the meeting, incentive/recognition, convention, and exhibition marketplaces exclusively for their hotel and resort member portfolio. Fully effective January 1, 2011, the acquisition of Hinton + Grusich in its entirety will result in the significant expansion of ALHI’s National Sales team, in order to address the growing business demand being experienced from corporate and association meeting professionals, incentive/recognition specialists, product launch specialists, and business executives across North America. The merger effectively augments ALHI’s National Sales network in order to be even more far reaching and effective in serving its impressive membership portfolio of more than 130 Four- and Five-Diamond quality member hotels and resorts worldwide, with over 100,000 rooms, which focus on meetings and conventions. The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed. Expansion Timely In Order to Serve the Growing Demand
Gabri added, "We’re joining forces in order to build the most professional, formidable, and effective National Sales organization in North America that specifically serves the meetings marketplace. Both ALHI and Hinton + Grusich are highly-respected, with decades of experience, strong core values and character, top talent, longstanding relationships built on trust, and a strong desire to serve our clients. It is a logical ‘marriage,’ that will truly serve our clients and our members. The future is definitely very bright, and it is a great way to start our 25th year with this significant announcement." With the H + G acquisition, Kevin Hinton has been named Executive Vice President of ALHI; Bill Grusich, CMP, Senior Vice President; Kathy Kozminske, Vice President of ALHI; and the majority of the staff of H + G are being added to the ALHI national sales organization. Gabri remains president and CEO of ALHI, and while the ALHI family will be larger, he assures the core values, and commitment based upon personal sales relationships for serving accounts remains unchanged. ALHI will expand its ALHI Chicago office, while all others will remain integrated into the current regional NSO operations in their cities. Stacy Lucherini, Regional Vice President for ALHI Midwest and Canada, will remain in leadership of those regions. Chris Riccardi and Ashly Balding will be leading the ALHI West and Southeast regions, and ALHI’s senior executive team of Don Macumber and Mike Coutu remains unchanged. "We’re very proud to be joining together with such an outstanding and respected organization as ALHI," said Kevin Hinton. "Rather than compete for the same business, we are now able to combine efforts and work together to better serve the business community and the hotel and resort members of ALHI. This is simply a merging of two great companies to become an even stronger resource for the valued clients of today and tomorrow. Planners and our hotel members now have an even stronger National Sales team to meet and exceed their needs; as well as having consolidated NSO contacts, which will save them valuable time and resources. We are all excited." ALHI may selectively extend membership opportunities to some of the Four- and Five-Diamond quality hotel and resort members in the H + G portfolio, which address market demand. With the addition of Hinton + Grusich, ALHI’s national sales professionals staff expands (to nearly 50) and its market presence for its members will grow even larger nationally, particularly with gains in the Midwest area (as Hinton + Grusich was headquartered in Chicago). ALHI maintains its 16 professionally staffed National Sales Offices to serve the meetings marketplace, with locations in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Louisville, New York City, North Carolina, Orange County (CA), Orlando, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Diego, and Toronto. ALHI is simply expanding its professional staffing levels. Go to www.alhi.com to identify the "ALHI Contacts" for sales professionals in your area. "Like with ALHI, H + G has served the marketplace on a dues-based basis with a no cost to planners’ or executives’ organizations’ platform to utilize and benefit from the dedicated national sales services to research, identify, and to book specific program solutions. The members’ dues fund their and our National Sales services, making this merger even more compatible," added Gabri. 100,000+ Reasons For Merger With a worldwide portfolio of over 100,000 rooms and suites and more than 10 million square feet of meeting space, ALHI provides planners and their organizations experienced National Sales services with diverse options among its outstanding worldwide member hotels and resorts which specialize in meetings and incentive programs requiring from 10 to more than 6,500 rooms, with easy and professional one-call local access. Member hotels include extraordinary meeting and incentive resorts, incomparable city hotels, exclusive smaller hotels, golf resorts, historic and landmark properties, island destinations, resorts with spas, properties in international destinations, and hotels and resorts with world-class gaming and entertainment. For a complete list of ALHI’s entire worldwide portfolio, visit www.alhi.com, and preview details of ALHI’s impressive portfolio, including easily useful information on several defined specialty segments within the ALHI portfolio to serve specific meeting, convention and incentive travel event requirements and desires. Included among these are: "ALHI Level 5 Collection," for ALHI’s 18 hotels that have earned the highest and most distinctive recognitions including the prestigious AAA Five-Diamond rating, and/or the esteemed Forbes (Mobil) Five-Star rating; and the "ALHI Big Box 5-50 Solutions Collection," featuring ALHI’s 27 member hotels and resorts that offer more than 500 rooms, feature over 50,000 square feet of meeting space each, and have at least one 20,000-square-foot ballroom or more. Other specialty segments include: the "ALHI Historic Collection," consisting of 36 legendary hotels and resorts with more than 50 years of heritage; the "Mountain Collection," for planners desiring to conduct programs with inspiring mountain views; the "ALHI U-200 Gems Collection," consisting of ALHI members with 200 rooms or under, which specialize in serving meeting and incentive programs; the "ALHI Golf Collection," consisting of ALHI’s 42 Four- and Five-Diamond golf resorts that cater to the meetings and incentive marketplaces; and the "ALHI Beach & Island Collection," featuring 33 Four- and Five-Diamond beach and/or island resorts and hotels with distinction which are designed to serve meetings and programs worldwide. To make it easy for planners to access options within any of the specialty segments, there is an "ALHI Specialty Segments" quick reference button on the www.alhi.com Home Page. The button provides easy access for planners to preview the options available in each specialty segment, to be augmented by their ALHI national sales executive, also easily identifiable at www.alhi.com . On the site, planners can quickly see details of the properties’ meeting, accommodation, recreational and dining offerings, as well as destination information and "Luxury on Sale" value opportunities. A photo gallery, meeting floor plans and specs, and a location map for each property are also easily available. For more information about ALHI, to inquire about a future meeting at any of the ALHI member properties, and/or to acquire a free copy of ALHI’s new "2010-2011 ALHI National Sales Guide To Meeting Facilities," contact your nearest ALHI National Sales Office, call the "ALHI Group Desk" toll-free at 866-303-ALHI (2544), and visit www.alhi.com . PR Contact: Karen Lamonica at (407) 788-7070, ext. 207 or klamonica@chisano.com |
"After 25 years of each successfully and passionately serving the meetings and incentive industry with our National Sales responsibilities for our member hotels and resorts, it is a logical step for ALHI and the H + G teams to join forces," said David Gabri, president and CEO of ALHI (|
19 Years! 16 Years! 14 Years! 10 Years! Marlys Arnold 5 Years! 1 Year! Matthew Wiggins Julie A. Chatelain Dorothy "Dot" Theisen, CMP Jesse Harrison Lucinda Grim Liron Bendor Casey Rose Baker |
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Sheri Hamilton Terra Heithaus Rachelle Herod Dustin Holcumbrink Carmen Johnson Anthony Nigro Sarah Snyder Cynthia Tompkins Suzanne Towles |
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Weighing 6 lbs. and 7 oz. with a length of 20 inches, adorable Taylor has blue eyes and strawberry blond hair. Congratulations from the KCMPI family! (Renee is the Western Region Sales Manager for Camden on The Lake in Lake of the Ozarks, MO.) |
Congratulations to Renee and Trey Price on the arrival of their first born, Ms. Taylor Eva Price, December 15th, 2010 at 12:45 pm. |
In-Kind Friend Found in Nature In-Kind Legacy |
