We all have warm moments surrounded by food.

 Maybe it’s your grandmother’s pot roast, a beloved Indian restaurant you’d travel across town for, or a bottle of wine you shared on your first anniversary—be it a job, friendship or romantic one. Food can elicit a comfortable feeling, one that makes us at ease and often nostalgic. That’s why it’s important to remember the power food can have at events.

In partnership with Sustainable Brands, the Events Industry Council will host an informative and action-driven Sustainable Event Professionals Certificate (SEPC) course at SB’19 Detroit from 2–5 June 2019. Combining active learning and experiential elements, this programme is designed to enable participants to implement their own sustainable events. Topics will include:

• Understanding the business value of sustainability for the events industry
• Practical solutions for improving environmental performance in food and beverage, transportation and supply chain management
• Effective methods for achieving corporate social responsibility goals

Registration: $595 USD

Event details

Dates: Sunday, 2 June – Wednesday, 5 June 2019

Location: Cobo Center, 1 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226

Partner hotels: Book your hotel room within the Sustainable Brands hotel block to take advantage of pre-negotiated rates.

Two CMPs were part of a team that took home top honours at the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Indiana Chapter banquet in April. The American Legion was honoured as the Best Overall Event by the MPI chapter.

American Legion Division Director Bridget Robinson, CMP, and deputy director Andrea Watson, CMP, were part of the team that coordinated the American Legion’s 2018 National Convention in Minneapolis. Stage coordinator Reggie Mathis, administrator Ellen Miller and travel administrator Joyce Hamilton were also honoured at the event.

Five CMPs were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the events industry at the PCMA Visionary Awards on 7 May. Several other CMPs were nominated in all categories. To see a full list of winners and nominees, visit PCMA's website.

• Eduardo Chaillo, CMP, CMM, CASE, was awarded the 2019 Supplier Lifetime Achievement Award. Chaillo founded Global Meetings and Tourism Specialists consultancy in Northern Virginia as a bridge builder between the global meetings community and the business events industry members from Mexico and Latin America. 
• Lauren Kramer, CMP, CAE, MTA, was awarded the 2019 Educator Lifetime Achievement Award. Kramer the founder of Meeting Priorities LLC, and has served as a mentor in the industry. She has a passion for developing educational programme formats and global business event management.
• Christine Faiman, CMP, was awarded the Community Advocate Award. Faiman, a global account executive at Marriott International, was honoured for her work with young people in the industry. Faiman was instrumental in creating the PCMA Capital Chapter flagship internship programme.
• Janet Cooper, CMP, was awarded the Digital Experience Strategist of the Year. Cooper serves as the director of meetings and convention services for RSNA, where she grew the company’s livestream exponentially and created one of the largest online events.
• Elisa Sandoval Wong, CMP, HMCC, received the Outstanding Service to a Chapter Award. Wong is part of the Northern California Chapter of PCMA, and is also an account director for the St. Regis San Francisco. She was honoured for her work with the chapter, specifically the engagement opportunities she’s sought and created for members.

By Amy Calvert, Events Industry Council CEO | Originally Published May 10, 2019

Inspiration and connections fostered through tourism and travel is at the heart of what we do as event and meeting professionals. Whether it’s traveling to a far-off destination for a major event, or highlighting local "in the know" scenes and experiences to our attendees to explore when the meeting isn’t in session or connecting to communities through social impact projects, a huge aspect of a meeting is not only why, but where.

5-11 May is National Travel and Tourism Week, a time meant to celebrate travel across the United States. This year’s theme is "Why Travel Matters," and I think the message is extremely important. Travel doesn’t just impact the traveler. Every dollar spent in a community affects the health of a local economy, which in turn affects those who are living there.

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Spring Events Industry Council Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Less than two years ago, Puerto Rico and neighbouring islands were devastated by Hurricane Maria. U.S. officials estimate the hurricane caused nearly $91.6 billion USD in damages. What has become evident to all is that the spirit of the people living and working in Puerto Rico has indeed not been damaged.

In May 2019, Amy Calvert took over as CEO of the Events Industry Council. With more than three decades of experience in the events industry, Calvert is poised to grow the organisation's programmes and educational offerings. She previously worked for Visit Baltimore, where she served as the senior vice president of convention sales. Insights recently sat down with her to talk about her passion for the events industry, as well as what she hopes to accomplish in her new role.

Christine Faiman, CMP, is the global account executive for Marriot International Global Sales Organisation. In May, she was awarded the 2019 PCMA Foundation Community Advocate of the Year Visionary Award, which honours PCMA members who have developed and managed a unique and impactful programme benefitting the community in which their meeting was held. Faiman helped develop the PCMA Capital Chapter Flagship Internship Program, and has a passion for helping young people acquire training that will propel them forward in their careers. She also serves on the CMP Governance Commission, which governs the CMP programme and ensures it is a reflection of the meetings industry today.

The Events Industry Council recently sat down with Faiman to discuss why she believes this is such an important part of the industry, and why young people should consider obtaining (and maintaining) certifications.

Have you been quoted in an article? Do you have some exciting news to share?

Contact us at insights@eventscouncil.organd we can share it with the leading individuals and companies involved in the events industry!