Megan Solomon, CMP, Events Manager, King & Spalding

Who are you & which organisation do you work for?
Megan Solomon (maiden name Wolszczak), and I am an Events Manager at King & Spalding.

How long have you been a CMP?
I received my CMP certification in May 2019.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a suburb of Rochester, NY. Went to college in Albany, NY, and then was ready to branch out and ended up in Atlanta, GA, for the past seven years.

What advice would you give, either to your younger self or to newer professionals now?
Network, network, network. So many of the opportunities I’ve had today have been from meeting industry colleagues at events and networking or meeting people who have been able to introduce me to someone else. This industry is tight knit, and people have many connections. Give yourself a leg up by utilising those resources!

What advice would you give to anyone preparing to take the exam?
Join a study group and tap into all the resources available – especially if you’re like me and 5+ years have passed since you took any type of exam or formal education course. The textbooks can be long and daunting, especially if you’re simultaneously working full-time and only have so much time to dedicate to preparation. I joined a local study group and it was so helpful to bounce ideas off each other, stay on track with chapters and lessons, and study as we got closer to exam time.

When did you first hear about the CMP designation and what drew you to this certification?
I am very lucky to have a boss who encouraged me to pursue my CMP before I even knew what that meant. She is a past President of an MPI chapter, a CMP herself, and a great mentor that sees the value in obtaining the designation.

What inspires you the most when you think about the future of our industry or the impact of our industry?
Change and innovation. While the past two years have many cons, we as an industry were forced to change and adapt. And some of those changes were long overdue. It was challenging to convince people how successful or interesting a hybrid or virtual event can be, now many of us can say we expanded our portfolio with new skills and experiences that can also translate back to in-person events.

What is the biggest life lesson you have learned during the pandemic?
That you can’t plan or control everything. As a Type A planner to the core, it was quite the shake-up to have a lot of unknowns thrown at you all at once. Many of which continually changed and evolved just when you thought you had a solution. The pandemic taught me to slow down, review the bigger picture, and take things in stride.

What is the most memorable virtual event you have done so far?
I’m going to modify this question to the most memorable virtual event I’ve attended. Last year, my husband and I were looking for something different than another Friday night with take-out on the couch watching TV. I surprised him with tickets to a virtual magic show by Dan White, who has performed many times on Jimmy Fallon and at the NoMad Hotel in NYC. It was an interactive show and such a fun night!

What are the benefits you like of hosting virtual events?
Eliminating the unknowns of travel and weather. It’s nice to eliminate some variables that can cause chaos in events. Virtual events come with their own challenges, but it’s nice to not worry about some of those things that are beyond a planner’s control.

What do you miss the most about in-person events?
The food, entertainment, and interactivity. Some of that can be accomplished virtually but not to the same degree. Many of my most vivid and enjoyable memories – personally and professionally – are centered around an event that had amazing food, a really unique interactive experience, or live entertainment that WOW’d the audience.