The Language of Leadership
Ann Godi, CMP, embraces her new role as MPI chairwoman at a crucial stage in the timeline of the meeting industry.
By Jessie States
For the length of her career, Ann Godi, CMP, has urged industry colleagues and friends to “speak the language of business.” And now that the roughshod economy and media scrutiny have ferried meetings to the public courtroom, Godi sees her longstanding mission with ever-increasing clarity. In fact, the 2009-2010 MPI chairwoman has promised to educate the meetings and events community on how to communicate the value of meetings to their business leaders.
“Today we set out to create a new world where the words boondoggle and junket are replaced by the language of business,” she says emphatically. “Where the business value of meetings is understood and valued by the media, government leaders and all levels of organizations—including the c-suite.”
There is sincerity, leadership and fluid passion in her voice. Godi is one of those women you instantly trust. Her large, brown eyes smile as she speaks, and her welcoming smile speaks volumes. When she lays out her ideas that will lead the MPI community into a future focused on the language of business, you believe she will succeed. Godi’s business acumen speaks for itself.
She held upper-level event and marketing positions at several multinational, Fortune 500 organizations before establishing Atlanta-based Benchmarc360° in 1991. Under her direction, the company has become a leader in conference, meeting, incentive and event management for corporations across the globe. With this distinct knowledge of strategic business management, marketing and strategy, Godi wants to shape MPI’s place in the global meeting and event industry.
“One of the reasons I got involved in the meeting industry was because it needed to expand its message,” she recalls. “Corporate executives felt we were insular with no proven value and we were not trained to communicate that value to our senior leaders. The current business environment has placed us in the driver’s seat, and I have long wanted an opportunity like this for our industry. Now is our time to shine and show our importance to the world. We must work together to do a better job of communicating that message.”
In fact, Benchmarc360° formed from that very idea—that meetings must contribute to overall marketing strategies and work toward deliverable objectives.
“Once the international business community understands and recognizes the power of meetings and events, we as meeting professionals will have the ability to transform our value proposition.”
As part of this goal, Godi has determined to define Level 8 of the MPI Global Knowledge Plan—executive leadership education—because as the industry matures, more and more meeting professionals will hold executive roles within their respective corporations.
“We will create an enhanced value proposition for meeting executives and establish a leadership program for those who are setting strategy and managing meeting practitioners,” Godi iterates. “We also need to look at the net of careers that our industry represents and look at adjacent spaces in travel, content design and event marketing. Our members have these responsibilities, too. We need to make sure we represent the way this industry is evolving and expanding around the globe.”
To meet these goals, Godi has established three volunteer groups to discuss, create and implement several core components of her plan: the Body of Knowledge Task Force, the Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) Work Group and the Faculty Task Force. These groups all have specific assignments and deadlines for proposing changes to MPI’s knowledge plan and student and faculty outreach.
Meanwhile, Godi plans to utilize one of MPI’s greatest assets—its chapters—to communicate her messaging to the organization’s 24,000 members. As a former Georgia Chapter board member, Godi has fervent faith in the ability of chapters to reach the MPI community and touch individual lives.
“I know first hand what can happen at a chapter when we deliver education that is relevant and gives someone the tools to do a better or different job,” she says. “When a chapter sets course on a path, it can change the world.”
As for the global community, Godi knows the path MPI must take to ensure a successful future. Now industry professionals will band together to make it happen. One+
JESSIE STATES is assistant editor of One+.