MPI Professional Development Day & Just Networking, November 21

MPI PD day was held on Thursday, Nov. 21 at Vantage Venues on King Street. Our guest speaker, Olympic athlete Jeremiah Brown, took us through his journey from watching the Olympics on TV to becoming a Canadian Olympic athlete on the men's eight rowing team, which won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London.

Brown shared his experience with us — from not knowing how to row to becoming an Olympic winner. He was honest, genuine and had a great sense of humor. We all got takeaways from him by learning his life lessons. Following Brown, we had a panel discussion with three MPI members: Miriam Figueroa, CMP, CMM, DES, CEO and strategic event officer of TO Social Meetings and Events, Sandra Moniz, CMP, CMM, business development manager, Eastern Canada for Meetings + Conventions Calgary, and Sonya Fervaha, CED, special events consultant. Topics included how to make time for yourself in a busy work environment, working or making changes in a difficult environment and trends for meetings in 2020 and beyond. Brown was the moderator and was truly engaged with the panel.

We wrapped up the PD Day with a “Just Networking" Event,” a wine tasting event sponsored by The Wine Sisters and Vantage Venues.