March 2017
|
Upcoming Events
Global Meetings Industry Day
Thursday, April 6, 2017
4:00 - 6:30 pm
Mazzone Hospitality
Corporate Headquarters
Click HERE to Register
May Educational Event
"Is What I am Doing Normal?"
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Roundtable Discussion Leaders are:
Mame Noonan, CMP, Heidi Longton, CMP, Dory Fisk and Linda Natoli
Courtyard Marriot - Lake George,
Click HERE for more information
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Discount for New Members!
Spread the Word
With more than 17,000 members in 90 chapters and clubs, Meeting Professionals International is the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry association. Join MPI at by clicking HERE and use code MPISMMAR17 to save 10% when you join as a new member before March 31st.
What Happens in Vegas
Stay in Vegas with You Forever!
Don’t Forget to Register for MPI World Education Congress (WEC). Calling all #eventprofs, join us in fabulous Las Vegas for #WEC17 June 19-22, 2017, MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Register HERE
Raffle Prize - Apple Gift Card
The winner will be drawn at our June 2017 Golf event. Tickets will only be sold at MPI NENY events throughout the remainder of the year! Tickets are $5 each, or 6 for $25, proceeds will support speaker costs for future education programs. Please see Steve Preston, Mame Noonan, or the registration desk at any MPI NENY event to purchase your tickets today!
MPI Foundation Offers
Educational Scholarships
It’s the mission of the MPI Foundation to fund education and pan-industry research that drives the success of meeting professionals. This happens most directly through scholarships to MPI members. There are scholarships for new members, professional development scholarships, conference scholarships and academic scholarships.
You might be eligible so go here for more details HERE
|
 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear MPI NENY Members:
I am in awe as I write this message and reflect on the past 8 months of my term. I’m in awe of the amazing people I get to serve with on the Board who volunteer enough hours to consider MPI a part-time job; I’m in awe of the committee members who share their ideas and give their time to make our events successful and our membership grow; and of course I’m in awe of our members who continue to support the our chapter any way they can.
Our chapter truly has the most amazing and supportive members. And the work that we are do together is impactful and something of which we can all be proud.
We kicked off 2017 with a phenomenal January membership event that celebrated YOU, our members! Judi Holler shared how each of us can promote ourselves and gain the edge we need to expand our networks – and from the rave reviews we received it sounds like it worked! A big THANK YOU to the membership team for putting this great event together, and to the Hilton Garden Inn Albany Medical Center for hosting.
February 1st was the kick-off of the Global Chapter Satisfaction Survey and once again our chapter was one of the top for member responses! Thank you to every member who responded. The survey is an important tool that empowers our members to give candid feedback and help shape our NENY chapter– so if you missed the opportunity this year, please plan to participate in February 2018!
In March we were back at it again with our outstanding educational offerings, with the SOLD OUT program ”Could You Do Just One More Thing?” which I would guess everyone in our industry hears at least once a week! Thank you to the education team and to the Hampton Inn Saratoga Springs Downtown for hosting this program!
All that and 2017 is just getting started! There is still plenty on the horizon:
The MPI NENY Partnership Opportunities brochure will be released this month with exciting opportunities for our members to gain exposure for their brand while helping to support the chapter financially.
The Global MPI Chapter Business Summit will take place March 30-April 1 in Dallas, TX. Four representatives from the incoming MPI NENY Board will attend. This is an excellent opportunity for them to learn and get inspired for their term!
Our GMID Networking Event will take place April 6 from 4 to 6:30pm at Mazzone Hospitality Corporate Headquarters in Clifton Park. Make sure to register and join your peers and the local hospitality community for an afternoon of fun and comradery.
We wrap up the 2016-17 term with an excellent May offering. Make sure to join us on May 18 at the brand new Marriott Courtyard in Lake George for “Is What I’m Doing Normal?” – an opportunity for planners and suppliers to sit together to share experiences and best practices.
Stay tuned for more information on a fun-filled Special Event that is in the works for June for our members!
I would also like to extend a warm welcome and congratulations to our recently named Board of Directors for the 2017-2018 term. The next few months will be a time of learning for them as they prepare to serve the members of this amazing chapter. I’m excited to see them assume their roles on July 1st and look forward to the many contributions they will bring, which will shape the future of our chapter.
Christine King
President
MPI NENY |
March Education Event Recap: "Can You Do Just One More Thing."
| |
Most groups would cancel their event if the power were out at their venue. But not MPI NENY! The hosts, organizers, speaker, and 50 attendees at MPI NENY’s March Educational Event “Can You Do Just One More Thing?” took it all in stride. The sold-out event went off without a hitch thanks in no small part to our hosts, The Hampton Inn Saratoga Springs Downtown.
And thanks, as well, to the experience and poise of our presenter, Lynne Wellish, CMP, CHSE of Triage Meetings and Events. Lynn regaled attendees with humor-filled, opportunity-focused approaches to dealing with the changing plans of our clients. She truly inspired all in the room to turn our daily frustrations into opportunities.
Lynn had the group sharing war stories and tips. One popular tip, shared by an attendee from the west coast, was to try Slack.com for team communication. (Thanks to Jamie Lee Tiffany who works in Del Mar and Alisa Walsh who works in Los Angeles for attending and sharing!)
A big thank you to our event partner: The Hampton Inn Saratoga Springs Downtown. Thanks also to Kristina Catrombone CMP, Carla Rosenbaum CMP, and the rest of the education team for another great event!
|
 |
Join Us on April 6 for MPI Global Meetings Industry Day
Join MPI NENY as we celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) with a special networking event! Join your peers and the local hospitality community for an afternoon of fun and comradery.
Face-to-face interaction is at the heart of the meetings industry. When we connect with colleagues relationships are forged, ideas are generated and business gets done. That’s what Meetings Mean Business is all about: showing the exponential buying power of industry professionals.
This event will feature an interactive pizza-making demonstration with Chef Sean Wilcox of Mazzone Hospitality. We will also be joined by Meagan Leary, founder of ProPreneur Marketing and author of Whiskey for Women, for a fun discussion of well-balanced cocktails featuring popular American whiskeys focusing on trends like fresh fruit and herbal syrups, premium modifiers and garnishes. You’ll learn about the cocktail’s construction and its role in team building and hospitality.
Agenda
4:00 - 4:30 pm Registration
4:30 – 6:30 pm Networking Event
REGISTER HERE |
Registration Information
MPI Members (Preferred & Premier): $25.00
Non-Members & Essential Level Members: $45.00
Student Members: $25.0
Faculty Members: $25.00 |
|
May Education Event -"Is What I am Doing Normal?"
 |
May 18, 2017 - Courtyard by Marriott, Lake George
Do you ever wonder if there is a better way to do some of the tasks you do on a daily basis as an event professional? When you get together with your MPI colleagues, do you ever say “Hey, how do you: Send an RFP? Grow conference attendance? Create a unique menu? Build your personal brand?”
This event will feature 4 roundtable discussions, where planners and suppliers in the industry will cover the many facets of our jobs as event professionals, will generate ideas for best practices, and will help you answer the question, “is what I’m doing normal?”
Our four roundtable Leaders will be: Mame Noonan, CMP, Global Account Executive, ConferenceDirect; Heidi Longton, CMP, Meeting & Events Manager, NYS School Boards Association; Dory Fisk, Education/Conference Planner, NYS Veterinary Medical Society; and Linda Natoli, Senior Sales Manager, The ONCENTER.
Register HERE for MPI’s May 18 Education Event now. It is an event you won’t want to miss!
Agenda:
Registration: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Welcome Address: 3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
15-Minute Roundtables: 3:45 pm - 4:45 pm
Wrap Up: 4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Networking Reception: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
|
Registration Information
MPI Members (Preferred & Premier): $30.00
MPI Essential Members: $70.00
Non-Members: $80.00
Student Members: $15
Faculty Members & Student Non-Members: $25
|
CMP Event: Meetings and Events Intensive Class
Friday, July 21 & Saturday, July 22, 2017
The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center
Do you stare longingly at the letters “CMP” at the end of signature lines in emails? Are you itching to order new business cards with credentials on them? Are you yearning to become a certified meeting professional, and put on the most successful, efficient and renowned meetings for your organization?
Then you should join us in July for this special CMP Event!
This two-day learning weekend is an intensive-style class that will condense the CMP exam material into manageable concepts and tie in real life examples to illustrate how this exam will truly assist you in your daily job functions, whether you are a meeting planner or supplier.
Whether you are just starting out in the process or finalizing your studies, this course is both a great jumping off and wrapping up point for CMP hopefuls.
Joanne Dennison will share her years of experience in the meetings industry, combined with her knowledge of the exam materials, to give you key concepts and knowledge to carry you through your CMP Exam experience successfully.
This two-day event will give you 16 credit hours. It includes breakfast, lunch and snack/beverage breaks for both days.
|
Thank You To Our Host Venue
Facilitator: Joanne Dennison
Registration to
Open Soon!
![]() |
Megan Brouwer, CMP
Senior Marketing Consultant
Site Solutions Worldwide
|
 |
Angelina M. McGrath, CMP
Senior Association Manager
Capital Hill Management Services, Inc.
|
 |
I was lucky. I knew what I wanted to do when I was in college. At a University that did not offer hospitality classes or classes on event planning, I majored in Communications with a Business Administration minor and I sought out an internship that involved event planning. I have been in the meeting planning field ever since.
For the position that I have today, I worked in many different aspects of meeting planning and built my knowledge and expertise. I am currently a Senior Meeting Consultant at a third-party meeting planning company called Site Solutions Worldwide. Site Solutions Worldwide works with clients to plan and execute all aspects of their domestic and international meetings and conferences. Currently, my clients include several different rare disease associations that hold both family and scientific conferences.
These conferences have been the most challenging and rewarding of my career. Learning about the different and specific special needs of each group and finding ways to make their conference experience as easy and memorable as possible is extremely fulfilling. Working alongside my clients, I have had the opportunity to witness breakthrough medical advancements and experience how these advancements dramatically improved the lives of families and gave their communities hope. Working with communities that are making such a difference is a very rewarding experience and I feel that, in a small way, I am also helping to make a difference.
After 15 years in this profession, I wanted to continue to expand my knowledge in this field and provide my clients with the best service and most current trends. Obtaining my CMP was about more than gaining knowledge and recognition; it was a commitment to myself and a validation that this is the career path I was meant to take.
|
Angelina (Angie) McGrath began her journey towards obtaining the CMP at Russell Sage College while pursuing a degree in communications and simultaneously holding various positions and internships with a heavy focus on event planning. After graduation Angie was offered a job at a PR firm in Albany where she focused on media relations but worked closely with the event management teams of the clients she represented; this is where her interest in event planning truly began to peak.
In 2009 Angie transitioned her career into association management when she joined Capitol Hill Management Services (CHMS) as an account executive. In this role Angie truly began to learn the ins and outs of event planning and had the unique experience of developing all aspects of an annual tradeshow for a statewide organization from the ground up. In her current position as a Senior Association Manager at CHMS, Angie serves as the Executive Director for two New York State trade associations and is responsible for numerous conferences, educational programs and webinars annually.
Angie is the 2012 recipient of the Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE) Rising Star Award and 2016 recipient of MPI Global New Member Scholarship.
Angie is extremely honored to have obtained the prestigious CMP designation and is truly grateful to CHMS and MPI NENY for providing the opportunities to advance her career.
|
| Are you MPI? Do you Love What You Do? We Want to Hear! |
 |
MPI's community is full of inspired members whose MPI experience has made a real difference in their personal and professional lives. Meeting and event professionals have a unique calling. We bring people together-all sorts of people. For all kinds of purposes.
Each of you has a story. Now you have the opportunity to share your unique story for the “I am MPI” campaign at www.mpiweb.org/stories. This site was created to celebrate the passions that drive the people in the MPI community.
Share your story now and become part of the MPI
mosaic—inspire yourself and others. |
|
Heidi Longton, CMP, CMM Completes MPI Facilitator Training
Heidi Longton, CMP, CMM has concluded her MPI Facilitator Training. She is available to contract with MPI Chapters to facilitate annual and mid-year board retreats. Heidi is a well-rounded Communications/Event/Marketing Professional with 25 years of service to the industry and a Capital District mentor to entry-level meeting planners interested in a career in the hospitality industry. She is also a local Meeting Professionals International (MPI) coordinator for the Certified Meeting Professional™ designation and honoree of Heidi Longton CMP Scholarship.
|
 |
MPI NENY Members Share Real-World Perspective with SCCC Meetings and Convention Class
Jess
Joralemon, CMP and Carla Rosenbaum, CMP were guest presenters at the
Meetings and Conventions class at Schenectady County Community College
on February 23rd. Their presentation covered Corporate and Association
meetings. Jess and Carla shared that the students were genuinely excited
to learn about MPI and the CMP, as well as some real life information
about meeting/event planning. “It was a really great experience for us,
and for the students too!” Carla Rosenbaum said. The class is taught by
Kimberly Williams, Associate Professor in the School of Hotel, Culinary
Arts and Tourism at SCCC and incoming MPI NENY Board Member.
Jess Joralemon, CMP is Manager of Events and Marketing
Communications for Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. Carla Rosenbaum, CMP is
Meetings, Marketing and Membership Manager New York Physical Therapy
Association |
Sara Brown
|
Katie Hamuka
|
Gina Calisi
|
Clare Hart
|
Donna C. Denley
|
Lori Hicks
|
Linda Finkle
|
Conor J. Hutchenson
|
Leslie E. Forbert Miller
|
Angela Kelly
|
Richard Golding
|
Loriann Kompare
|
Cara Groff
|
Lori K. Rehm
|
A Thank You from Our President Elect
March is here and there are only 4 more months in our MPI NENY year. And what a year it has been!
Looking forward, we are super excited about the
possibilities for the 2017/18 board and, as President Elect, I want to
thank you each of you, on behalf of the board and our entire membership,
for your involvement and support throughout the year. We count on each
of you to respond to the opinion survey, in hopes that we will continue,
every year, to get the highest percentage of survey responses, more
than any other chapter in the Global MPI system!
We
also want to thank you for submitting your nominations for future Board
Members; you did a great job again this year. Our new slate of
officers is packed with amazing people, including: 8 Planners, 5
Suppliers and a college faculty member.
We know you will all be there for our chapter for the
remainder of the 2016/17 year. And we thank you once again for all of
your strong support!
Steven Preston
President Elect |
 |
Welcome to the New 2017-2018 Board of Directors
|
| President |
Planner: Steve Preston
Conference Direct
|
President Elect
|
Planner: Kristina Catrambone, CMP
Site Solutions Worldwide
|
Immediate Past President
|
Planner: Christine King, CMP
Research Foundation for SUNY
|
Vice President, Fiance
|
Supplier: Nancy Jess
Saratoga Convention Center & Tourism Bureau
|
Vice President, Membership
|
Supplier: Melissa Carter
Courtyard Lake George
|
| Vice President, Communications |
Planner: Theresa W. Moore
New York State Council of School Superintendents
|
Vice President, Education
|
Planner: Carla Rosenbaum, CMP
New York Physical Therapy Association
|
Vice President, Special Events
|
Supplier: Renee Jenkins
Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown
|
Director of Membership
|
Supplier: Colleen Whitaker
Hilton Garden Inn Troy, BBL Hospitality
|
Director of Monthly Programs
|
Planner: Jennifer Kearney
New York Sttae School Boards Association |
Director of Special Events
|
VACANT |
Director of Sponsorship
|
Planner: Laura Vecchio, CMP
Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau
|
Director of Leadership Development
|
Supplier: Kayla Kreis
Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau
|
Director of Marketing/Advertising
|
Planner: Caitlin Gaborow, CMP
Delaney meeting & Event Management
|
Director
|
Faculty: Kimberly Williams
Schenectady County Community College
|
|