Dear CMP Colleagues,

As we enter the Thanksgiving Season in the United States, I wanted to make sure to reach out to all of you. To me, this is a season of reflection and looking at the joys, advantages and opportunities that we all have. I hope that you all agree with me that being part of the CMP community is something to be valued and appreciated. I know that there is a sense of great pride amongst all CMPs and that our designation is one of the core values for many of us. Most important, there are many advantages that we enjoy by holding our CMP designation. 

You may recall that in the beginning of 2015 I asked all CMPs to let me know why you were proud to be a CMP. I had many great responses – some of which were printed in subsequent articles. Let me pose another question and please, once again, feel free to contact me with your responses (jjoham@optonline.net).

My question for the Thanksgiving season is simple but significant because I know we are all so thankful to hold this designation: What advantages has the CMP designation afforded you on either a personal or professional basis?

I hope that all of you will take time to think about that question and I look forward to having the opportunity to print some of your responses in my final article in December.

Personally, I am thankful for the opportunities that the CMP designation has offered me in meeting and working with prospective CMPs and CMPs all over the world. Each new relationship has enriched my life and afforded me great insight into another culture or thought process. I am a better person because of my interactions with all of you. 

I wish you all a wonderful start to the holiday season and, no matter what country you live in, please make time to give "thanks" to everyone who touches your personal and professional life. 

With warm regards,

Joanne Joham, CMP
2015 CMP Governance Commission Chair

 

 

Join the Convention Industry Council’s CMP Only Group as a hosted buyer at IMEX Frankfurt 2016 – the show that’s constantly innovating and presenting new business discoveries, AND where you’ll find best in class education and inspiration at every turn. 

Qualifications:

• Must have planned three events that took place outside buyer's home country
• Two in the past 18 months and third can be in the past 18 months or in upcoming year, which must be a confirmed event
• Buyers from outside Europe, should submit at least one European event if possible.

Above all, IMEX puts you – the planner, the buyer, the director, the business owner – at the heart of the show. It’s your business agenda that matters here. 



Why join our group?

• Experience the only Hosted Buyer Group exclusively for CMPs
• Network with CIC staff and attend a hosted dinner
• Have flexibility to attend other events and no pressure

Why IMEX?
Thousands of like-minded meetings and event executives from all corners of the world make their way to IMEX in Frankfurt every year. Why? Because they know from personal experience that just one visit puts them ahead for the rest of the year. 

You can enjoy the same advantages:

• Achieving 6 months’ of supplier meetings in just 3 days. With the most flexible appointment system in the industry, as an IMEX hosted buyer YOU choose the exhibitors YOU want to meet at the show. Planning your business this way easily takes you half the time it would by email or phone!
  
  
• The credibility of meeting face to face. Forge and build new and existing relationships in the warm, welcoming and vibrant IMEX community. It’s hard work but it’s a lot of fun too!
  
  
• Inspiration and ‘a-ha’ moments round every corner. The educational opportunities at IMEX are second to none – with sessions across 10 different tracks covering everything from personal development, to technology and creative learning – all at no cost. 
  
  
• For Corporate and Association Executives: The IMEX team knows how much you want specialist education and private networking time together – that’s why they’ve created two special events dedicated to you and your specific needs. Both are on Monday April 18 – Exclusively Corporate @IMEX and Association Day & Evening.  

Why the IMEX Hosted Buyer Programme?
Flexibility is at the heart of IMEX – let them look after you from the moment you register. From taking care of your travel and accommodation, to helping you get the most from the show, IMEX genuinely treats you with the care, maturity and attention you deserve. This team is on your side.  


Watch this three-minute video to see why other meeting professionals never miss this show: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOX6RVdPJmI 

The world is constantly evolving and IMEX is too – with new exhibitors, new relationships and new educational opportunities. 

Say YES to the CMP hosted buyer group today and take advantage of all that IMEX 2016 has to offer. Go on. Give yourself an unfair advantage.

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

By Karen Kotowski, CEO of Convention Industry Council

On April 14, 2016, leaders from across the meetings and events industry will come together to showcase the real impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions have on people, business and local economies. They’ll work with their communities to host advocacy events and rallies, issue proclamations and champion the value of the meetings and events industry on social media.

In this way, Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) promises to be even better than its predecessor. North American Meetings Industry Day (NAMID), held for the first time in 2015, was a testament to the strength and value of our industry across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and parts of Latin America. It resulted in 88 events, more than 60 articles, 3.2 million social media impressions and a trending hashtag on Twitter.

In 2016, we’ll build on that success. And because meetings industry professionals know a thing or two about planning a great event, we hope you’ll consider these reasons for hosting a GMID event (or participating in another way):

1. To help raise the industry’s profile. GMID is an opportunity to engage with business leaders, elected officials, journalists and members of the general public to bring our industry story to the forefront. It’s a chance for us to come together on a single day and champion who we are and what we do with one loud and powerful voice.
   
   
2. To shine a light on the value we provide each and every day. The benefits our industry provides often go unnoticed. By recruiting individuals and organizations from every corner of the globe, we’ll use GMID to demonstrate the critical role that meetings play in developing personal connections, driving positive business outcomes and building strong local communities. Personal stories, tangible examples and proof points on the impact meetings have can go a very long way in making our case through the media, online and at events. Meetings mean jobs, education and training, cross-industry collaboration and billions of dollars in revenue. And we want everyone to know.
   
   
3. To make history. GMID will unite the meetings industry in a way that has never been done before. It will galvanize advocates – from the grasstops to the grassroots – and offer an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Here’s what you can do: First, sign up here and let us know that you’re interested in being a part of GMID. Second, visit www.MeetingsMeanBusiness.com/GMID to learn more about the resources available to you and your colleagues. How you participate is entirely up to you, but our hope is that it doesn’t require too much legwork! That’s why we’ve created a toolkit of materials for event hosts, including ideas for event day activities, a template press release, sample social media and newsletter copy – with even more resources to come.

Have a question about GMID or any idea you’d like to share? Email the team at gmid@meetingsmeanbusiness.com or tweet using #GMID16.

Have a GMID event planned already? Register it here.

 

By Judy Carter, Motivational Humorist 

Since I’m a keynote speaker who has spoken at more than 1,000 corporate events, I know that a keynote speaker can make or break an event. Let’s face it, as a meeting planner, after an event you want to find a letter on your desk from senior management thanking you for a fantastic meeting. What you don’t want is a memo from HR about the dozen or so policies your speaker violated with his inappropriate remarks. Whether your meeting is purely smooth sailing – or the voyage of the Titanic – depends largely on how you select and prep your speaker.

After working with Speaker Bureaus, meeting planners and corporate committees, I’ve put together a list of the 12 most common mistakes meeting planners make when picking a keynote speaker – and how to avoid them – to make certain you don’t hit any icebergs along the way:

12 Mistakes Meeting Planners Make When Picking a Keynote Speaker:

1.  You give up on your ideal speaker because they aren’t in your budget.
If you find a speaker you really like and can’t meet their price, there are ways to negotiate with us speakers. Very often an association, who can’t afford my price, turns to a vendor to sponsor my keynote to cover the difference. I then make a big deal about the sponsor from the podium and everyone is happy. Or, sometimes, we can make up the difference in my price by purchasing my books as a gift to the attendees as that comes from another budget. I’ve also have reduced my price by booking several events at once. We speakers can be flexible.

2. You hire a celebrity without watching their speaking demo.
There are many celebrities who are hilarious on a sitcom, but listening to them speak makes you want to poke your eyes out with a pencil. There are athletes who are amazing to watch in their sport, but are lifeless at a podium.  And there are authors who are incredible writers, but put them in front of an audience and they’ll be begging for the Cliff Notes. You might have loved their sitcom, book or jump shot, but be sure to watch a video of them speaking to make sure you also love them as a speaker.

3. You don’t get references from other meeting planners. 
Don’t be fooled by a snappy sales pitch and a fancy demo video – after all, you’re not hiring their graphic person. Talk to someone that’s hired him or her before and find out if their marketing material matches their talent. Most of my bookings come from referrals – the safest way to make sure you are booking a pro.

4. You forget to tell the speaker that the audience is very conservative. 
What will rock an audience in New York will elicit complaints in Arkansas. With EVERY booking, I always have a pre-call with the event committee to ask them about the challenges facing the audience and make sure I know what is appropriate. Make sure your speaker understands the culture of the audience they are speaking to and maybe substitute, "Oh my gosh!" for "Oh my God!"

5. You go for the least expensive speaker to cut costs. 
What is the value of everyone leaving your event with a smile on their face and advance booking for next year? A great speaker can do that. No matter if the hotel messed up room reservations, the women’s bathroom had long lines, or the air conditioning broke, an inspiring speaker can transform a disgruntled group into a hand clapping, laughing, and charged up group. Don’t cut corners on your speaker.

6. You don’t have a stage for your speaker. 
This seems obvious, but I’ve had events where the meeting planner expected me to stand in a hotel lobby with people milling around. Booking a speaker is very different than booking a Mariachi Band. We speakers can have the best content, but if no one can see us they will lose interest. A stage, even if it’s a 4x8 platform, will help the audience differentiate between the speaker and the waiters.

7. You surprise your audience by not letting them know your speaker is a humorist. 
As a humorist, it’s a good thing to make sure that the audience is setup to understand that I’m going to be a fantastic break from all the high content speakers. This is where they understand that now OK to relax, be entertained, turn off their "work brain" and laugh.

8. You have your keynote speaker present while dinner is being served.   
You could have the President of the United States speaking at your event, but if he or she has to compete with a sirloin steak and a baked potato – it’s the speaker who will lose. Serve up the food, let them chat and digest – and when they’re full and happy – bring in the speaker with coffee and desert.

9. You forget to check on the basics.
Good lighting, a reliable audio system, and working audio-visual equipment are vital for a successful presentation, but many meeting planners fail to make certain these essentials are in place and working as they should. A speaker might have a wonderful message, but if they’re shouting over the microphone feedback from a dimly lit stage, the only message the audience will hear is, "Our meeting planner is an idiot!"

10. You choose the wrong venue.
As someone who has spoken on a golf course (note – don’t wear heels on the 9th hole), at a football field and even a bowling alley, I know that the physical environment plays an important part to my success. Humor needs a ceiling. Laughter is contagious and if audience members can’t hear laughs, they stop laughing. An enormous civic center with 100-foot high ceilings is great for a basketball game or a tractor pull (after all, those exhaust fumes have to go somewhere).

Unfortunately, the Grand Canyon echo acoustics are terrible for speakers. Try really putting some thought into what is an appropriate venue. Make sure the acoustics, seating, stage height and size, and amount of space match up with your (and your speaker’s) needs.

11. You don’t wait for the audience to settle down before you introduce the speaker.
Don’t just assume people will settle down when the speaker starts. Do things to make sure everyone is seated – and quiet – before your speaker hits the platform. An announcement like, "If everyone will sit down, we’ll announce the winner of the $10,000 door prize," will probably do the trick.

12. You fail to do a post conference call with the speaker.
Many meeting planners think they are through dealing with a speaker after the presentation is over, and so they miss out on a great opportunity. The speaker you just hired is an expert, who now also has the benefit of hindsight as to how to make a speech for your group run as smoothly as possible. Why not follow up to get as many tips as possible to make sure your next event runs even better than the one you just held?!

As you hold more meetings, and talk to other event planners, you’ll no doubt have more items to add to this list (i.e., have an emergency plan in case your speaker gets laryngitis!), but these are the basics. Follow these simple rules and you’re well on your way to a successful event.

Judy Carter, www.judycarter.com, judy@judycarter.com 

About Judy Carter
Judy Carter discovered at an early age that the messes in her life were great material. She mined her stories into a standup comedy career performing on more than 100 TV shows, writing books (The Comedy Bible, The Message of You) that were endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, writing speeches for U.S. Senators and CEOs, and as an International keynote speaker, sharing the platform with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Judy’s message of using humor as a transformational tool led to her being featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN, as well as being a frequent contributor to NPR’s "All Things Considered" and a blogger for Psychology Today.

 

The new CMP Online Portal is almost a year old, and we want you to take full advantage of its benefits and capabilities! 

Benefits of portal: 

• Tracking your continuing education (CE) credits
• Submitting application or recertification
• Finding already-approved CEs in the new Preferred Provider Directory

Between now and December 15, all those who complete all sections of their online profile (Mailing Address, Billing Address, Work Details, Professional Profile, Other Designations and Directory Preferences) will be entered into a drawing for a $50 American Express Gift Card. CIC will draw five names of people who have completed their profiles during this time. 

It’s super easy! Here’s how to update your record:

• Login to your CMP Portal  
• Click "Update Your Member Profile"
• Click and complete each section listed on the left hand side of the page
• Fill out all empty sections*
• Click "Update" button at bottom of each page

Click here to update your portal today!

*Only those who fill out all the sections in their Profile will be eligible for the American Express gift card.

 

 

Sustainable Planning – Don’ts and Dos – 
Look to the Standards On: Communications

Don’t forget to communicate your sustainability policies, guidelines and objectives to appropriate personnel, suppliers and exhibitors. 

Do make sure you prepare and distribute your written environmental policies to all your suppliers, and others, as required by the APEX/ASTM standards. The standards can be accessed at www.conventionindustry.org/StandardsPractices/APEXASTM/GettingAPEXASTM.aspx. If you read the standards, you’ll know what is expected, so you can communicate effectively with all appropriate entities.

CIC making it easier: If you are not sure how to prepare and distribute sustainability communications, just use the SMPP® on-line system, found at www.SustainableMeetingPlanner.com. Use the CIC50 discount code to obtain a 50 percent discount at registration.

If you have a question on the Don’ts and Dos according to the standards, send it through the Contact Us form at www.SustainableMeetingPlanner.com.

 

"The International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ (IAEE) has selected the honorees of its 20 Under 30 recognition program, which affords young professional exhibitions and events organizers who may not be supported by their companies the opportunity to attend Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition to be held December 1-3, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The 20 Under 30 program provides education for professional growth in the exhibitions and events industry and helps program participants become better, more productive employees. It is sponsored by the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau and Austin Convention Center.

"We are proud of the level of involvement we have from young professionals in our organization as well as across the overall industry," says IAEE President & CEO David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA. "Today's young professionals will be tomorrow's leaders, so it is very important to IAEE to contribute to their training and development. It is a wonderful opportunity and win-win situation for us all."

In addition to receiving a complimentary full registration to Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition and lodging for three nights, honorees will be recognized throughout the annual meeting and formally at the IAEE Annual Networking Luncheon and Awards Presentation on Thursday, December 3, 2015.

Congratulations to all of the honorees, especially: 

LaShanna Mackey, CMP
Exhibits Associate
American Association for Cancer Research

For a complete list of awardees, click here. 

 

The Convention Industry Council’s CMP Preferred Provider Program launched in February 2015. Since the launch, we have added more than 90 Preferred Providers who offer quality continuing education for candidates and CMPs. 

CMP Preferred Providers are organizations that have formally registered with CIC and are committed to providing education that aligns with one of the 10 domains included in the CMP International Standards (CMP-IS). The CMP-IS domains are: Strategic Planning, Project Management, Risk Management, Financial Management, Human Resources, Stakeholder Management, Meeting or Event Design, Site Management, Marketing and Professionalism.

Preferred Provider education makes it easy to find and complete the educational requirements of the CMP program and have your attendance recorded in your portal record.

Claiming CE Hours

As part of the Preferred Provider Program, sponsoring organizations agree to upload the attendance roster of each of their pre-reviewed events. This usually is completed within two weeks after the event. If the email the attendee has provided to the Preferred Provider matches the email in their CIC account, their attendance will be recorded in portal record

After the roster is uploaded, attendees will receive notification from CIC that their attendance has been uploaded into their online profile. Once this email is received, attendees simply need to claim their CE hours. To claim CE hours, attendees log onto their portal account, scroll to the Add/Edit Continuing Education section and find the event. To edit the number of hours attended at the event, click edit and then add the number of hours attended for the entire event and click submit. 

Attendees do not report each session attended when claiming hours for a Preferred Provider Event. It’s easy! Find event, click edit, enter hours and submit.  

If the email address does not match the attendee’s portal account email address, the attendee will need to self-report their attendance by session and upload supporting documentation – proof of attendance and course description.  The attendee can also reach out to the Preferred Provider and ask if they can update their email address so that it matches their portal account and ask the Provider to upload the updated email address.

You can find a listing of educational opportunities on our website.

 

Melissa Boland, CMP,  is now Director of Sales & Catering with Northern Quest Resort & Casino. She was previously the company's Catering & Conference Service Manager with the company. 

Michelene Everett, CMP,  is now the Corporate Events and Sponsorship Specialist at BST Global in Tampa, FL. She was previously Sr. Meeting Planner for the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, TX.

Dana M. Garcia, CMP,  is now the Director of Meetings, Conventions, & Event Management for Convention Services Unlimited, A Kelly Company based in the D.C. Metro Area. Previously, she was the Director of Event Management with the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Kari Hennigan, CMP, is now Global Events Manager with INTL FCStone.

Traci James, CMP, is now a Global Account Executive with ConferenceDirect. 

Chrissy Lefler, CMP, is now Project Manager with Tipping Point Solutions. She was previously a Catering Manager with Epicurean Group Venue Sales. 

Eva Moore, CMP, is now a Travel and Meeting Planner at the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board in Arlington, VA

Virginia Quintero Rosell, CMP, CMM, is now Associate Director, Education and Meetings with the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. 

Melissa Ann Tarpley, CMP, is now Senior Specialist, Meeting Services at Tenet Healthcare in Dallas, TX.

Patrick "Kyle" West, MBA, CMP, finished his MBA and recently moved to Aecom, Federal Services Division to work as a meeting planner for the Department of Veterans's Affairs account. He was previously with the Heart Rhythm Society.

Make an awesome career move? Let us help you celebrate! Send the details of your latest career triumph to  cmptoday@conventionindustry.org.  And while you're at it, be sure to log into  www.conventionindustry.org and update your official CMP record.