Mark your calendars for the Volunteer Summit, entitled "Develop your Personal Leadership Skills."

This event will be held on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Whether you're a long-time member of MPI, a new member or a member looking to become more involved, this event will have something for you.

A light dinner will be served, followed by a speaker on "Leadership." Then, we will divide into three groups to discuss content relevant to existing volunteers, those members looking to learn more about volunteer opportunities and long-time MPI members.

More details on this event will be available shortly, so please "Save the Date"!

 

The Holiday Gala is a once-a-year gathering of MPI Toronto members, colleagues, sponsors and friends. This year's Holiday Gala will be held on Thursday, December 5, 2013. Location will be revealed in the coming weeks – see you there!

 

National Meetings Industry Day (NMID) will take place across Canada on April 10, 2014. Last year’s NMID was awarded the MPI RISE award for Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas. This award was presented to the Canadian chapters at the World Education Congress in Las Vegas. We plan to move full steam ahead, taking new strides to bring the meetings industry into focus.

Keep your eyes peeled on the MPI Toronto Chapter website for more information on this great event. We look forward to seeing you on April 10, 2014.

 

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a professional designation more and more event professionals are obtaining every year. More than 14,000 people in 47 countries have this designation! Isn't it time you got yours?

The CMP program aims to increase the professionalism of meeting management professionals in all sectors of the industry by:

• Identifying a comprehensive body of knowledge in the meeting management profession
• Promoting industry standards, practices and ethics
• Stimulating the advancement of the art and science of meeting management
• Increasing the value of Certified Meeting Professionals to their employers
• Maximizing the value received from the products and services provided by CMPs

To apply, potential CMP candidates need a minimum of three years’ experience in the meeting and events industry and have a minimum of 25 hours of continuing education in our profession during the last five years.

If you wish to write the CMP exam in May 2014 or August 2014, the first step is to apply. The next application period starts on Monday, October 21, 2013, and ends on Monday, February 3, 2014. The application form can be found at: http://www.conventionindustry.org/CMP/CMPCandidates/Requirements.aspx.

Once you have decided to apply, the MPI Toronto Chapter’s CMP Study Group Committee is here to help you succeed! There will be a CMP information night in early 2014 and a CMP Study Group in the spring of 2014. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact Christine Gruber, chair of the CMP Study Group Committee, at christineg@orea.com or the MPI Toronto Chapter Office at 905-567-9591.

 

With the Fall season upon us, we all experience the desire to start fresh and take on new initiatives. MPI Toronto’s Mentorship Program, (MP)², is seeking new mentors and mentees within our chapter community! For those of you who have been lucky enough to either have been mentored or have been a mentor, you are well aware of the win-win benefits that the mentor-mentee relationship can provide! These pairings offer a chance to expand your network, learn a new skill or be exposed to new ideas, and grow both personally and professionally through building a new relationship. For students and young professionals, the Mentorship Program is an amazing opportunity to receive career guidance, learn leadership and best practices. For senior professionals, what better way to give back to the industry and in the process learn something new yourself?

Let’s roll with the season by growing and learning together. Shared knowledge across generations is powerful and as a chapter community we can benefit greatly!

For a full list of Mentor and Mentee Guidelines and further information on how you can join (MP)², please visit www.mpitoronto.org.

 

With autumn brings bulky sweaters, crisp air, warm specialty coffees and an overall feeling of rejuvenation. We hesitantly say goodbye to the final patio days of summer, send the kids back to school and take time to reset. This Fall, the Communications Committee has focused our reset on rebranding ME3TING magazine. We are currently working on the new design, with a fresh look and feel! The launch is scheduled for the January/February issue – stay tuned for updates!

New to MPI? Rounding out your first or second year with the organization? Been a long-time member? Wherever you stand, we want to hear from you – your input matters! Each month, we will provide different topics for our MPI LinkedIn discussion series and encourage you to speak up and keep the conversation flowing.

This month, we ask the question "Do you consider your current role in the industry as a 'job' or a 'career'? How is this mindset important to your career development?" To contribute, please visit http://ow.ly/pfiTG

Like, share, comment!

Wondering how else can you stay in touch? Social media, of course!  We want to increase our social media presence, using it as a tool to connect in additional ways!  Find us on Facebook, Twitter (@mpitoronto) and, of course, LinkedIn. We look forward to a successful year ahead!

 

ECOS/MPI Connect is getting ready to put in place our CSR Inititatives for the 2013/14 fiscal year and having your support as we head out into the community to lend a helping hand. Stay tuned to the Toronto Chapter Group on LinkedIn and e-news for updates as to what is going to be happening, when and how you can get involved.

Our next MPI Connect will be in January 2014. The committee welcomes your thoughts and suggestions for locations and topics of discussion. Would your organization be willing to host a brown bag breakfast or lunch? If so, please contact the ECOS/MPI Connect Chair Stephanie Rapko at stephrapko@hotmail.com. 

 

The TEC Committee is very excited, eager and has already gotten things rolling for TEC 2014. After the success of conferences in years past, we have big shoes to fill, and we know that we will be able to do it and provide our attendees with a great conference filled with meaningful education.

This is a call to action to our chapter members for your input on discussions and sessions that you would like to see next year. Your opinion and feedback is so important so that we can make this the educational conference to be at next year!

Please reply with your responses on LinkedIn to the MPI Toronto Chapter Group or on Twitter #MPITEC14.

Thank you,

Your 2014 MPI TEC Committee

 

The Strategic Task Force (STF), in its third year of existence, is tasked with supporting and encouraging the strategic mindset of the Toronto Chapter's Board of Directors (BOD).

The STF's goal of making recommendations to the BOD on Structure, Capacity and Skill-Building Resources (see below) is to help position the chapter to be future-focused (strategic).

Structure includes organizational policy and procedure guidance, general makeup of the leadership team, and what the methodology of how we develop the skills is and can be realized.

Capacity is supporting the leadership team to be effective in its execution of strategy through specific recommendations.

Skill-Building Resources encompass identifying what resources are required to build the capacities and communicating this to the BOD and Leadership Committee.

The STF members consists of the Executive Team of the chapter and one member-at-large, who acts as the chair. If you'd like to hear more about the STF, please contact office@mpitoronto.org.

 

Allen Smith Named President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts announced that Allen Smith, currently CEO of Prudential Real Estate Investors, will become President and CEO of the luxury hotel company. The announcement follows an extensive global search overseen by the private company's long-term shareholders, Kingdom Holding Company, Cascade Investment and Triples Holdings. Mr. Smith, 56, took his new position on September 23, 2013. For more information on Four Seasons, visit http://press.fourseasons.com/ and follow on Twitter @FourSeasonsPR.

Delta Hotels and Resorts Appoints Executive Director of Sales
Delta Hotels and Resorts is pleased to announce the promotion of Laura Pallotta to Executive Director of sales effective July 2, 2013. Under her new role, Pallotta serves on Delta's corporate leadership team, leads Delta's overall sales strategy and oversees national, regional and field sales. For more information, please visit http://www.deltahotels.com/

bb Blanc to Create Event Magic at The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon
bb Blanc is pleased to announce its appointment as the new and exclusive in-house audiovisual supplier to the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, part of the iconic Toronto Reference Library, one of the city's most distinct venues. For more information, contact Michele Ranjbar, Manager of Marketing and Design, 416-360-0440 ext. 303, toll-free 1-877-360-0440 or email marketing@bbblanc.com.

Danyelle MacCulloch Joins Base Consulting and Management
Toronto Chapter member Danyelle MacCulloch has joined Base Consulting and Management Inc. as an Account Executive. Danyelle can be reached at dmacculloch@baseconsulting.ca.