President's Message - July 2012
by Caroline Platz, MPI:TN President 

Throwing the Gauntlet…

How many industry meetings have you attended in the past couple of years in which whatever the topic, Steve Jobs is presented as the paradigm? When we talk about trends, behaviors, economics, marketing, leadership--and even my fav, Disruption—Steve Jobs is a speaker’s go-to standard to get the message across. There is certainly not a more current illustration of Disruptive Innovation than the iphone and ipad. I agree that he is brilliant (only because that’s the popular answer and not because I read his book or anything), but suggest that Mr. Jobs is an anamoly. Don’t you think speakers using him as the basis of their conversation are setting the bar a little high for the rest of us? Inspiring an actual change in our behavior may be more conceivable with less lofty correlations.

As we move forward this year, our intent is to offer our members educational content that is disruptive—just a new, louder take on the same old ideas. Our takeaways may be of the edutainment variety, but I’m confident hidden in the message will be applicable, invaluable nuggets of information for everyone to enjoy. The twist is that I challenge our speakers to do so without mentioning Steve Jobs—really just for kicks and giggles. Though mention of him is permissible, I will keep a running tally just to humor myself.  

If you attend WEC later this month have some fun with it. Count how many presentations cite the late, great Mr. Steve Jobs. Maybe we can Tweet about it. 

Over and out,

 

President's Message - June 2012
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN,

I’ve always heard that “good things come to an end”.  For me that time is now.  It has been quite an honor to be your President for this amazing chapter.  We have made great strides this year and I hope that you are proud to say that you are a member of MPI:TN!

Some MPI Chapters have seen their membership decline, I’m happy to say that at the time that I’m writing this we are officially at 301 members!!!  Have we given our members all that they wanted this year?  That’s a tough one because we all want something different.  Did we learn enough?  Did we network enough?  Did we volunteer enough?  I do know that the opportunity was there and that is because of the hard work of the 2011/2012 Board.

Just a sample of what we accomplished:

· Creation of our MIX (Meetings Industry Xchange) Events
· Volunteers from 50 to 70
· Creation and control of our Web-site
· Overall Satisfaction; MPI Survey, score of 8.29%
·  Winner of MPI RISE Award for Community Achievement in Knowledge & Ideas

(will I see you at MPI/WEC on 7/29 at the Rise Awards Luncheon?)

On a personal note; thank you to Ray Waters and Jenny Cruise with the Hilton Nashville Downtown Hotel for my many overnight stays at your wonderful hotel.  None of this would have been possible without the support of Craig Smith, my boss with The Peabody.  There was never a “no” in anything that I asked that had to do with MPI:TN.  Considering I travelled over 6,000 miles this year and was out of the office at least once, sometimes twice a month, there certainly was the opportunity.

I’m very excited about what your incoming President, Caroline Platz and her Board will bring to the chapter and what their accomplishments will be. 

Remember what you put in is what you get back.  Get involved, let your voice be heard.

We are MPI:TN, we are TENNESSEE!

 

President's Message - May 2012
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN,

It is with great honor that your 2011/2012 Board of Directors announce that MPI:TN has been selected as a Rise Award Winner for Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas!!

Our Chapter is one of only 6 chapters that will be recognized.  Think about it, out of 21,360 members and 71 chapters we are 1 of 6!!!!!

Press release from International:

MPI Announces 2012 RISE Awards Recipients
Recipients shape the industry and how business is done

April 25, 2012 – Dallas, TX – Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is proud to announce the 2012 Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Award winners. Six recipients will be recognized for exceptional achievements related to individual, community and organizational initiatives. Award winners will be acknowledged at the RISE Awards presentation and lunch on July 29, 2012 hosted during MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC) in St. Louis, Missouri.

The RISE Awards include annual awards in three categories: individual achievement, community achievement and organizational achievement. Recipients are recognized for innovation, influence, global transferability and impact within the meetings and events industry. This is the second year that the awards will be presented during a WEC luncheon.

“Each year the RISE Awards offer a glimpse at the possible. MPI articulates what these people and organizations have done in ways that inspire our members and the industry to new heights,” said Brian Palmer, CMM, Chair of the RISE Awards Judging Panel.

The RISE Award for Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas will be presented to the Tennessee Chapter for the Let MPI Rock Your World Road Trip. Taking place over three days and touring 440 miles of the state's three regions, chapter leaders collaborated with supplier members to host duplicate events for the purpose of advocating its “One State, One Chapter” philosophy. The events incorporated live entertainment with progressive education and business networking opportunities. The impact of these events includes ongoing recruitment, increased attendance at regional events and growing engagement in social media. The program is now considered a MPI Chapter Best Practice and has been translated into five languages.

I am so proud of all of our members and those that participated in our “Let MPI Rock your World Road Trip”.  Kudos to Melanie Clifford and the Membership Team for taking this from a thought to reality!

The presentation of the award will be during the WEC in St. Louis, luncheon event on July 29, 2012 from 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Will we see you there???

MPI:TN truly ROCKS…we are MPI:TN…we are TENNESSEE!

 

President's Message - April 2012
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN,

Spring is here!  I will have to say that it is definitely my favorite time of the year.  All of the flowers, plants, trees forcing their way out in all of their gorgeous colors!  MPI:TN is also experiencing a new beginning, our slate is out for the 2012/2013 Board of Directors.  Caroline Platz, your incoming President has put together a great group of MPI:TN volunteers to lead this organization.  I look forward to what they have in store for us next year.

BUT…we still have a ways to go this year!  Our schedule is full of numerous opportunities for our members to be able to network, showcase their products and educational events.  Please go to MPI:TN events and see all of the events for the entire state!

Don’t forget, our annual awards and auction, FUSION is June 20^th.  If you haven’t submitted an item for the auction, we still need you too.

Take some time to enjoy what Mother Nature has given to us this year, it may have been a little early but I think that we were all ready for it!  Something tells me the “heat is on” soon enough!

 

President's Message - March 2012
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN,

We all need a little laughter in our lives and for those of you that attended our Luncheon/Meeting on Wednesday, February 15th, that’s exactly what you got!  Ollie Mannino’s “This is My Last Nerve:  You’re on it” was a hoot and we all learned a little about each other!  I don’t think I’ll ever eat another pronto pup that I won’t think about Ollie!

Some say there is no such thing as luck.  Try telling that to people who play the lottery!  We are lucky to have some great opportunities for Education, Networking and for the Suppliers to showcase their products.

March starts out with a bang in the Eastern Region with our CONNECT event on March 6^th in Knoxville.  Suppliers, it’s not too late to register, do it today! It’s a great chance to get you in front of the planners from the Eastern part of the state.  Planners, we need you too!

For those in the Western part of the state we have our Monthly Luncheon program on March 13^th at The Peabody.  “Boring Meetings Suck” will be presented by Jon Peltz.  Invitation will be out soon.

Nashville’s meeting is on the 21^st at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  Holly Duckworth will present a session titled “Generation Now:  7 Strategies to Build Future Leaders, Staff & Meeting Professionals”.  Invitation will be out soon.

On March 29^th our next “After Hours” networking event will be at ILEX Flowers in Nashville.

Suppliers, you have a great opportunity at the 7^th Annual Industry Education Day:  Trends of the Industry.  This event will take place at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro, Thursday, April 7th.  What other event can you attend as a Sponsor/Exhibitor and get to see people from 3 different organizations?  TBTA (Tennessee Business Travel Association), TNSAE (Tennessee Society of Association Executives) and MPI:TN come together for this great event.  You definitely don’t want to miss this one.  Click on this link for more information and registration:   http://www.tnsae.org/cde.cfm?event=370833

There are a lot of members that are dedicating their time and energy to organize these events, let’s get lucky and break some attendance records!

Looking forward to seeing ALL of you at one or two of these events and “may the luck of the Irish” shine on you!

 

President's Message - February 2012

by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN

Time sure flies!  We’ve heard this all of our lives and for some reason the more seasons we see (yep grow older) we can certainly understand that yes, it does.  We are already half way through our “MPI year” and we certainly started things off with a Bang!

For those of you that were able to attend the Luncheon/Meeting on January 18^th in Nashville, you certainly got to hear a fantastic speaker, Kaplan Mobray.  His presentation of The 10K’s of Personal Branding really got you thinking about yourself; not only how you see yourself but how others see you.  Have you perfected your “elevator speech”?

We also had our first MIX Event in Nashville, a Bourbon Tasting.  Believe it or not, even if you don’t think you like Bourbon this could have changed your mind.  We were fortunate to have the only female Master Taster there to teach us things that we had no idea were associated with Bourbon.  Great job to our Special Projects Team.

There are some upcoming “special” events that I want to make sure that you know about:

Eastern Region:  March 6^th Connect: Trade Show/Education Event.  A Cvent invitation has already gone out for this event.  Suppliers – don’t miss this event, it’s a great opportunity to get in front of the planners from the Eastern part of the State!

Middle Region:  April 12^th Industry Day, Trade Show/Education Event with TSAE and TBTA.  Suppliers and Planners from ALL regions should mark this on your calendar to make sure that you can attend.  More information to follow.

FUSION:  This is our annual Silent Auction and Awards Gala, date in June to be determined.  The committee has already sent out information to our members to start collecting items for the Auction.  Planners, think you can’t help?  Think again, where did you hold your last meeting?  Contact that property and ask them to donate to this wonderful event.

To receive the maximum marketing benefit for your donation, please have your auction item, description, and attached donation form to us by March 25, 2012.

There are numerous other events that are happening throughout the state and regions, please see upcoming events so you can plan accordingly.

February also brings us a special day…Happy Valentine’s day to all.  Hope Cupid gets a hold of you!

 

President's Message - January 2012
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Happy New Year MPI:TN,

This time of year we hear about making resolutions and also so much about how to keep your resolution(s).  I’ve never been big on making resolutions; and I’m really not sure why.  Is it because they say about 80% of us don’t keep our resolutions and we just don’t like to fail?  I think I prefer the word goal, I think that for some reason it sounds a little more short term!!!  We have goals in our personal life as well as our MPI:TN life.  There are numerous goals for our chapter for the year.  I think one of the most important goals that we have is to increase new members by 75, we are currently at 29 new members.  It’s important to get new members but it is also important keep members.  Our retention goal is 77%, currently we are at 76.93%.  May I ask that each of you have a goal or if you prefer a resolution to recruit at least one new member?  If you all did, we would knock that number out of the ballpark!  Also when your renewals come from MPI International, get that paperwork rolling so you don’t forget.

The New Year is also a time for reflection.  As I look back on our MPI:TN year, it’s been just awesome.  I’ve had the privilege of travelling this great state and getting to know more of you better.  I look forward to the rest of the year and hopefully with your help we will exceed our goals!

Happy New Year!

 

President's Message - December 2011
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN!

The Holidays are fast approaching and if you are like I am, you tend to get a little stressed at this time of year.  I have to remind myself that this time of the year is filled with wonderful moments that become great memories.  I’ve heard and I agree to a certain extent that Christmas is for the children; that magical look in their eyes when even the word Santa Claus is mentioned and of course the “threats” to be good because Santa is watching.  I was never blessed with having children of my own, but am grateful that my friends are always willing to share theirs with me!

I remembered how important it was to learn to share so I asked Donna Thomas, VP of the East Region and Janice McCallen, VP of the West region to share some information with you guys about their latest events in which they are very proud.

Donna writes, the East Tennessee region hosted a remarkable education luncheon on November 15, hosted by the Marriott Knoxville. We thank everyone at the Marriott for providing an over-the-top venue for our event which featured Mike Lyons presenting an engaging topic titled “Dream It, Believe it, Achieve It.” Mike captured the audience with his insights and tangible and manageable tips to implement and put them on track to chase their daydreams.

The East region, while comprising 12% of the MPI:TN population (and still growing!), enjoyed an attendance of 28 members and guests. This great turnout can only be attributed to the loyalty and enthusiasm of our expanding member base. We look forward to welcoming even greater attendance at the December 14 After Hours Mixer hosted by the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and All Occasion Catering of Knoxville. Join us for an evening of networking and holiday cheer!

Janice writes, the Mind Your Meetings Event just keeps getting better and better.  The Agricenter International in Memphis was the site for this year’s “Mind Your Meetings” Industry Day and Expo held on November 9.  This annual event, sponsored by HSMAI and MPI:TN, attracted over 60 meeting planners and suppliers for a day full of networking, presentations, and delicious food.

The day began with a multimedia presentation about top trends in the meetings industry, presented by Kevin Brewer and Sarah Fiser of Destination King.   The planners had 2 hours to move through the expo.  A number of fantastic door prizes were awarded to planners during the expo time, including the grand prize of $500 cash, sponsored by Nolan’s.

Laura Schwartz with White House Strategies, former white House Director of Events for the Clinton Administration, was the guest speaker during the luncheon, provided by Bailey’s Executive Catering.  Laura’s inspiring stories about producing the President’s events on the world’s stage captivated the audience.  She later autographed copies of her book, “Eat, Drink and Succeed” for audience members.

HSMAI and MPI:TN would like to thank all of the suppliers for their participation and sponsorships, along with all of the planners who attended this event.

I’m thankful for the passion that these two have for MPI:TN and their commitment to have our Chapter succeed.

Here’s wishing everyone a joyous, stress free holiday season maybe even try looking at it through a child’s eyes.  Happy Holidays!

 

President's Message - November 2011
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN!

Fall is definitely upon us.  The drive from Memphis to Nashville the other day was beautiful.  The trees were just starting to turn into those gorgeous colors that Mother Nature gives us; yellows, orange, rust and reds, I’m just hoping that when I make the drive to Knoxville in November that the leaves hold on!!!

As we go from one season to another, there is a change that seems to happen to us personally.  It gets darker earlier, meal time changes and of course our wardrobe.  What else changes with the season?  I think that we are all reminded that life in general seems to pass way too quickly.  But are we making the most out of our opportunities?

For those of your who attended the October event with Deborah Gardner, CMP, you may have asked yourself some of those questions that she asked us to consider.  Did you know that competition is part of every facet of our lives…in business, in our families, in dating, in our daily activities and even within ourselves?  Deborah gave some great advice on how to compete better now and also how to think outside of the box.  Kudos to our Education team that created an event for us that followed this theme perfectly!

I’ve spoken to you about your Board making a commitment to give you the best speakers so you can receive quality education.  I think that Deborah provided that and I’m looking forward to hearing our future speakers and the opportunities provided to us statewide.  Check out the list of upcoming events and register as soon as you get the invitation.  Don’t let the “season” pass you by.

 

President's Message - October 2011
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN!

Fall has arrived!  Not only are we experiencing cooler temperatures, but there is something finally to watch on TV besides re-runs!  I look forward to this time of the year the most because of the College Football Season.  The anticipation before a game, hoping for a win and of course sharing time and fellowship with friends tailgating; enjoying some awesome food & drink!

We all want our teams to win, but unfortunately there has to be a loser.  What does a team do to prepare for the win?  How does the Coach get the players up for a really big game?  We’ve all heard of the pre-game speech; motivation for the players to get out and do their best.

Your MPI:TN Board is motivated to do the best for our members.  MPI International has seen the Education satisfaction survey numbers go down in the past couple of years.  We all know that most of us join MPI because of the opportunity for Education and Networking.  International feels so strongly about this that beginning this year, a portion of your membership dues will go toward the speakers for our Education.  International has been working very hard to get the best speakers available for us so we can provide our members quality Education.

Happy members stay with an organization, happy members talk about their experience which can lead to new members.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn something and of course have a little fun too!

 

President's Message - September 2011
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:TN!

WOW, it’s amazing what can happen when someone thinks outside the box!  Let’s do something a little different, something that no one has done before.  What did we do?  Melanie Clifford, VP of Membership and her team put together an event that happened in our state last week, the Hard Rock Road Tour.  I was fortunate enough to drive the entire length of this state and see for myself the passion that our members have for this chapter.  We also had many guests that attended and you can bet that the Membership Team is already following up with them to get us more members!

MPI International is amazed by what we accomplished, the word is out, MPI:TN Rocks!!!  See the article below for more information on how we were “tweeted” around the world.

Receiving emails, do you feel as though you are inundated? I feel that way a lot during my day, especially when that person in the office always replies to all!  I’ve heard from some of you that you get too many emails from MPI:TN and of course some say “I didn’t know about that event”!  I agree that there is a lot of information that comes to you.  But please know, we would rather you have too much information in this case than not enough.  Since we have three different regions that holds events, we need to let all of you know what is going on across the state.  We have no idea what event you might want to attend and yes it might be in a different region, after all, we are TENNESSEE!  Did you know that if you cannot attend an event that was sent to you via Cvent that you can decline the invitation and you will not be sent any reminders?  And of course, sign up for the event when you get the invitation and then you will be all set.  Just a little tip to save you some time during your day!

Looking forward to seeing you at the next MPI:TN event.  Who will be the next member to come up with an idea outside the box?

President's Message - August 2011
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Congratulations to MPI for the success of the World Education Congress (WEC) held in Orlando last month. The Tennessee Chapter had 21 delegates attend the event; great showing from the state of Tennessee!

The Opening General Session was awesome. The speaker, Simon Sinek’s topic was The “Why” Behind Meetings. He talked about how human survival depends on our ability to meet, interact and build trust. “Nothing replaces human connection” he said, even the most committed social medial enthusiasts will gather for a meeting! Most of us talk about the “what” (the price and features of a product or service) instead of the “Why”.

Why are you a member of MPI? Why do you volunteer? Why do you get involved? As Simon says…its human instinct. We are very fortunate to have a Chapter that provides us with the tools to meet, interact and to build trust.

Outgoing MPI Chairman Eric Rozenberg, CMP, CMM asked the 2010/2011 President’s to stand; he then announced them as the collective winner(s) of the 2011 Chairman’s Award(s). Congratulations Robyn on an awesome year!

The Committee Fair/Sign Up was held at the July meeting in Goodlettsville. If you signed up for a committee thank you and congratulations. If you were unable to attend, reach out to anyone wearing the pink “Ask Me” ribbon, they can assist you in finding a committee that is perfect for you. Remember; get involved, you will definitely get something back!

We are making Chapter History in August with our first ever Statewide Membership Drive & Education Showcase sponsored by the Hard Rock Café. See more information below about this historical event. If you are a member, you have to be there! I’m sure that you know someone that is not a member, pass the invitation on to them, and ask others to join MPI:TN.

I look forward to seeing everyone in August across this great state! We are a MPI:TN…we are TENNESSEE!

President's Message - July 2011
by Sheryl Baker, MPI:TN President

Hello MPI:Tennessee! I’m so excited about the upcoming year and what lies ahead for all of us. Since not everyone can attend the Fusion Gala, I wanted those that couldn’t be there to at least be able to read the message. For those that were there please forgive the redundance!

I am honored to stand before you as your President. And as the first President of MPI:TN to be chosen from the West Region of the State. Who knew when Kathy Naïve and Cindy Brewer had this crazy idea 9 years ago that someone from another end of the state would be chosen to lead this Chapter? Geographically challenged??? I don’t think so…we are MPI:TN, we are TENNESSEE!

We have had many accomplishments as a Chapter; getting to the 300 member mark (by the way, something that we had gone below and proud to say that we are currently at 306 members) and retention at an all-time high of almost 81%!

There are numerous other accomplishments that I could mention, but I do have to our give a shout out to the Eastern part of the state…the growth in that area has been phenomenal.

We are a TRUE state chapter….We are TENNESSEE.

I am just one of many that believe that this organization can give me something back…is it for personal reasons? Growth? Business? We all have our different reasons for being involved with MPI. What is your reason? There is no correct answer as we are all different…that’s what makes this organization so special. Who are we? We are MPI:TN, we are TENNESSEE!

One of our most famous Presidents, JFK stated in his inaugural speech…”ask not what the country can do for you - ask what can you do for your country” so I will ask you…ask not what MPI:TN can do for you, but what can you do for MPI:TN???? If you give 50%, then only expect 50% back. If you give 100%, then expect 100% back. Did you like the speaker? Did you receive any value? Did you like the food? If not then give us an idea of what you think could help us become a better organization. This is not a one person show; we are all part of the success of this Chapter. We are MPI:TN, we are TENNESSEE!

MPI International judges our chapter on 3 metrics of our choice, one of these is to increase attendance at our educational events; another is to increase satisfaction of our education programs. For us to succeed we need all of you to be involved so the outcome can be positive. The third metric is to increase Volunteers, we are only asking for an hour! Become involved, get on a committee! I thought that this metric fit us perfectly, considering that we are the VOLUNTEER STATE!!!

The Board of Directors is the face of MPI:TN. They have taken a vow to give up their time to help provide education, networking and numerous other events. They are eager to hear what you have to say…please make sure that you let them know what your ideas are. State wide we are the same, we all have the same issues…we are MPI:TN, we are TENNESSEE!

We have a lot to accomplish in the coming year, but I know with the Board that we have in place and our awesome members it can all be achieved.

Thank you for giving me this honor; I look forward to speaking with each of you and listening to what you have to say.

Remember it’s not about me, it’s about you…our MPI:TN, our TENNESSEE.