Member Spotlight - May 2012
Susan Raque

 

Have you met Susan Raque, Regional Sales Manager for French Lick Resort? Susan has been a member of our chapter for a little over the year and is a current member of our Board of Directors, Director of Special Events for the Chapter and is Co-Chair for Fusion 2012 . 

When asked how membership in MPI has added value to her career and career goals Susan said, “MPI has helped me meet my current clients and potential clients and has enabled me to reach my sales goals.”  Susan also reinforced how volunteering and involvement with MPI has helped her grown in her career through leadership and work closely with some great people.  “I want to get my CMP and hope to do that soon also. I have the books but they are still in the box!”

Susan got her start in the Meeting Planning business as a Sales Secretary at The Brown, A Hilton Hotel in Louisville Kentucky during pre-opening of the Historic hotel. She sold over 3000 gift certificates before the Grand Opening and was subsequently promoted to Sales Manager.  Susan recalls fondly, “We did not have computers or emails back then – it was all done over the phone!!”

Currently with French Lick Resort, Susan represents the Southeast and is based in Nashville.  She works as an account representative and also develops new business for every segment from a girls spa weekend for 10 to a large conference of 500.  When asked to describe the best part of her job Susan replied, “I love networking, getting to meet new people, visiting the Resort, wining and dining my guests and seeing the look of astonishment when my clients enter our Atrium for the first time at West Baden!!!”

When asked to share a fun story about herself Susan said, “One of my favorite bands of all time is Arrowsmith - At The Brown Hotel I met Steven Tyler in the elevator!”

 

 

Member Spotlight - April 2012
Lisa Skinner Hood

 

Have you met Lisa Hood Skinner, Senior Vice President of Ackermann Public Relations in Knoxville? Lisa has been a member of MPI for three years; her work in the PR world gives her the opportunity to flex a variety of meeting planning skills.

When asked how she entered the meeting planning arena, Lisa said, “I actually  only plan meetings ‘part-time’, in that my specialties at our PR agency include trained facilitation of meetings, branding and top-of-mind work for clients, crisis communications and other work.  In public relations we all find...at one time or another...that a client is going to want some kind of event, whether it’s a press conference, 50-years-in-business celebration, workshop, new business seminar, etc. etc. I began working in earnest planning international meetings about six years ago with an international client, and since then have planned long-distance meetings in Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Sao Paulo (Brazil), and Hamburg Germany. In the US, I’m all over the map, with meetings in D.C., Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Dallas, etc. This year, I’m planning meetings in Montreal (May) and Tel Aviv, Israel in the fall.”

Lisa and her husband, a retired Naval officer who later became a Veterinarian, have lived and worked all over the world.  Which Lisa believes prepared her to meet the needs of her current international clients, “I had incredible jobs where I did business with vendors in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, the Marianas Islands, and every island in Hawaii. At one point, I worked for an Anchorage, Alaska ad agency but opened up a branch office for them in Honolulu. I’d get on the plane in flip flops in Hawaii and get off in Alaska wearing boots and stepping into 3-feet of snow.”

She works with a variety of industries and is currently working with companies in the legal, engineering, healthcare, and hospitality community.  She also co-owns Knoxville Animal Clinic with her husband and a business partner; adding pet care to her repertoire!

When asked to describe the best part of her work, Lisa pointed to diversity.  “I never ever know what’s ahead. My to-do list never gets to-done. And I never know what type of event I will plan...I’ve done gala dinners on a hilltop overlooking Rome, to a quaint reception on the banks of a lake in Holland underneath windmills.”  Her work also helps fulfill her love of travel; she and her husband are scuba divers, “we’re trying to work in some dive trips with work trips....hmmmm......wonder where GaMPI will be this year? I’ve attended their SEA conference for the last 3 years in Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Cancun...love that group!”

Lisa is a key supporter of MPI in East Tennessee and believes her membership has been invaluable in support of her career goals.  “I NEVER knew all the things that I didn’t know, until I joined MPI,” she said.  Specifically pointing to education in contracts, vendor and supplier knowledge, best practice networking, and the opportunity to teach others about social and digital media as a featured speaker in the region during the month of February.  

 

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Member Spotlight - March 2012
Maggie Young

Have you met Maggie Young Owner of Plan Ahead Events of Memphis and Senior Meeting Planner at Medtronic? Maggie has been a member of our chapter for nearly four years and is the current Chairman of West Tennessee, previous Scholarship Co-Chair, and previous Speakers Co-Chair. 

 

When asked how membership in MPI has added value to her career and career goals Maggie said that MPI completely changed the way she viewed meeting planning and that the education she has received and the connections that she has made have inspired passion in her job and the industry as a whole. 

 

Maggie got her start in planning events in high school by participating on the Prom Committee, progressing to social events for her sorority, and then began her career with Medtronic in the customer service department.  Her first foray into planning professionally began in the Sales Training department as a meeting coordinator for Medtronic after her first year of employment. 

 

Currently with Medtronic, Maggie is now responsible for all sales training, district and regional sales meetings, and product training.  As the Owner of Plan Ahead Events of Memphis, the nation’s first meetings and events franchise, Maggie works on trade shows, conventions, corporate meetings and social events, outdoor events, and incentive travel trips, among others.  Maggie considers the best part of her job the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people and enjoys facing new challenges daily. 

 

When not working, Maggie is an avid traveler, which started in college where she participated in a Work Abroad program.  She obtained a four month work visa, packed her bags, bought her plan ticket to Ireland, and stepped off the plane with $500 dollars.  Quickly finding a place to live and assuming temporary jobs around Dublin, Maggie considers this the most daring and exciting thing she has ever done, and felt it granted her a new perspective on life.  Which we are sure has enhanced her ability to plan fabulous meetings for her clients as well!

 

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Member Spotlight - February 2012
Don England

Have you met Don England with GAGE Creative Event Solutions?  He is as passionate about MPI as I am and his attitude about MPI is infectious.  Don has been a member of our chapter since the year 2000.  It is exciting to see how his being a member has influenced our members, our chapter and our global MPI community.

Don is a Past President of our chapter.  He served on our board in various roles from 2004 through 2010.

Prior to that and after his presidency, he served on various committees.  He has been an instructor for the Meeting and Event Planning Certificate Program at Belmont University.  He had also been our representative for the Tennessee Tourism Roundtable. 

I want to share with you some comments that Don made on a recent blog………

A new year often finds me contemplating my passions.  Passion is a “life” word for me.  When I see a work of art, experience a great theatrical program, hear a song or musical composition, the passion behind the piece is evident and gives me renewed energy for my own passions.  

I often think those working in corporate America can feel as though the evidence of their passion get lost in the mundane.

As meeting professionals, we have the privilege of not being lost in the mundane but actually have the opportunity to help our colleagues experience a renewed energy for their passions through the work we produce in meetings that communicate the core essence of their work.

A few years back I was speaking with a colleague; also a leader in the meeting and events industries.  The topic turned to why I was involved in these industries and I immediately said, “I believe every meeting or event changes the world.”  While I had a solid “belief” in this statement, I did not have the resources to substantiate my conviction.

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) released a marketing campaign “When We Meet, We Change The World” for the World Education Congress (WEC) 2009.  YES!, finally my conviction has been vindicated and I have resources to validate my belief!

Don shared some interesting thoughts with me about his MPI membership and overall experience.  When I asked him what MPI meant to him, he said “My Career”.  He also shared that his being President meant the most both personally and professionally.  He said that he has had multiple learning experiences that are a direct result such as negotiations, social interaction, leadership skills, real time-real business experience and managing people.

He talked about how through MPI he developed mentor relationships.  From the first day of becoming an MPI member, he and Gary Musick had been trying to find a way to work together.  In 2009, that became a reality.  Now with Don at GAGE Creative Event Solutions, they are collaborative competitors.

Through the mentoring program Don said that he has learned about generational difference, corporate responsibility, Strategic Meeting Management  He loves helping our profession understand our responsibility to the corporate world – how meeting impact us and why they are important. 

Don has been a wonderful influence for me personally with MPI.  It is because of Don that I took on the role of developing the East Region.  It is people like him that make being a part of MPI a joy. 

At our next event, seek him out.  He will make you smile.  Thank you Don England for being such a dedicated member of our Tennessee Chapter and MPI worldwide!

By Melanie Clifford
Vice President of Membership