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  • Posted by David Basler at
    12:00AM 05/07/2012 • 3 Comments

    Our Industry Remembers Orlando's Gary Sain

    JUNE 4, 2012, UPDATE: The memory and contributions of Gary Sain will be honored by U.S. Travel, as well as other friends from the travel industry and beyond, on June 26 in Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the event, which will include receptions before and after the tribute program, will benefit the Gary C. Sain Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

    You can help carry on Gary’s legacy through participation in this event. You may pledge sponsorship, purchase tickets, buy an ad in the special program or simply send a contribution through a specially created event website. For more information, contact Peggy Marilley at (703) 739-4480 or peggy@teamprecision.com.

    The news of Orlando CVB president Gary Sain’s passing was top story on the evening news in Orlando Friday night. 

    The Orlando Magic held a moment of silence prior to Saturday afternoon’s NBA playoff game in Sain’s honor. 

    Both displays were testament to a man whose passion for his city showed in everything he did—from promoting the city he loved, to volunteering countless hours within its many communities. 

    Last July, when Sain presented during the Opening General Session at MPI’s World Education Congress 2011, which was held at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, the crowd roared with applause for a man whose influence within the meeting and event industry spilled out way beyond the city limits of Orlando. The success of our WEC conference last year had everything to do with the success of our many valuable partners in the Orlando area—and as the premier host sponsor of the event, Sain and the Orlando CVB led the charge.  

    “Gary was one of those few individuals whose personal passion for his community and our industry synched perfectly with his gift for story-telling,” MPI President and CEO Bruce MacMillan wrote on his blog over the weekend. “He made both his community and our industry better.” 

    Gary’s career in Orlando was, to say the least, impressive . . . and his passion for the meeting and event industry was legendary and second to none. It was well known in Orlando, Gary’s passion was bringing success to every conference or event that entered his city—promoting all that is good about Orlando. 

    We, at MPI, would like to offer our sincere condolences first and foremost to Gary’s family and extended family and also to his family at the Orlando CVB. We bid farewell to a great man who has left an indelible impression on our industry. We encourage you to share your memories of Gary as a comment below. 



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 09/21/2011 • 0 Comments

    [AUDIO] The Latest on Industry Sustainability


    I recently caught up with Roger Simons, MPI Manager, CSR & Sustainable Events via Skype. Although he gave himself a hard time for his last appearance on Engage, the conversation was lively, informative and showed the commitment from MPI to delving into the acronyms and international bodies that shape, inform and influence CSR in meetings and events.

    We discussed the recent CSR projects designed for WEC Orlando, the GRI Event Sector Supplement and the evolution of the SEMT and more. The resulting discussion is below. Have a listen and find out what you as an industry professional can expect in the upcoming months. 

    LISTEN: Industry Sustainability and What It Means for You



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 08/11/2011 • 2 Comments

    So Much Better Than a Three-Hour Tour

    It goes without saying that Visit Orlando does a fantastic job of showcasing their city for media. The tour created for WEC writers, in my opinion, went beyond the expected: the writers saw a side of the city I’m quite sure that not many, not even Orlando natives, have an opportunity to experience.

    Friday night, the host hotel for the media, Peabody Orlando, started everything with a welcome reception in the Rocks bar, where the journalists had a fantastic view of the refined dining space and the outdoor pool and water park area. The Peabody recently finished a half billion dollar renovation, and the results are dazzling. From there, it was on to the One Ocean Show in Shamu Stadium at SeaWorld Orlando. The Show, with trained killer whales as the entertainment, not only entertained but educated; between sets, the audience learned about the conservation efforts of the park. Afterward, the group even got to meet some of the animals helped by SeaWorld: a toucan, sloth and other curious animals that delighted everyone and caused a flurry of pictures. We capped the evening with an informational dinner in the private event space and a Q&A on how groups can enjoy the kind of experience we just enjoyed.

    Our group got an early start the next morning at the Citrus Club for a tourism roundtable with Visit Orlando CEO Gary Sain. While enjoying a private breakfast, the media learned about the city’s role as a leading meeting destination and the more than $4 billion in new developments. Gary had a great comment how Orlando works with planners to not only create incredible return on investment but also a return on ideas. After this, the topic turned to sustainability at a Clean the World hands-on recycling event at the organization’s headquarters. Clean the World works throughout the hospitality industry and the sanitizing session demonstrated the dedication that the organization and its volunteers have to providing soap for impoverished areas of the world.

    Next we were off to the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), part of the University of Central Florida’s Center for Emerging Media. Truly a highlight, the reps at FIEA explained the growth of the interactive and digital media industry, its tie to the local economy and how groups and associations are making use of the technology in learning and presentations.

    A behind-the-scenes view of the Amway Center, home to the Orlando Magic, revealed several spaces available for events, each with a distinct environment. The added bonus was a catered lunch provided by Amway in the Fairwinds Tower Room, with a clear view of downtown, and the opportunity to speak with Scott Joseph, Orlando restaurant critic and writer, who discussed the evolution of Orlando’s fine dining scene.  The day ended with a tour of Medical City at Lake Nona, an attraction for medical groups who use the research laboratories and education facilities, and one of the venues that makes Orlando a popular destination for medical meetings. After an extensive Q&A, the group was ready to make it back to the Peabody and prepare for the opening night reception at Disney’s Epcot Alive!

    A huge thank you goes to Jennifer Dienst and the Visit Orlando team, all host venues, the media themselves for being such a receptive audience to the locations and everyone involved. 



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 08/08/2011 • 0 Comments

    Summing up the WEC Experience

     

    You know how you see a kid at the fair, little arms wrapped around those huge prize stuffed panda bears, filled with such glee? That’s how I feel when I try to encompass all the news, networking, education, connections, business and more from WEC 2011 in Orlando. With the new rules of engagement in full effect, our community embraced the energy and created an experience that people are still buzzing about.

    Let’s get a few statistics out of the way first:

    • More than 3,500 Hosted Buyer appointments with 225 participating supplier companies
    • 6,579 unique visitors to the WEC Live Online experience
    • A #WEC11 twitter transcript that is nearly 250 two-sided pages long
    • 55 participants in the Clean the World CSR project alone (seven total projects)

    Whew! That’s a lot said, especially in three days. The graciousness and professionalism of Orlando’s hospitality industry, the outstanding displays and culinary delights on show during the Epcot Alive! Opening Reception at Walt Disney World, rocking Closing festivities at Universal Studios & Hard Rock and the strength of the professional development and business opportunities presented at the Orange County Convention Center left attendees feeling empowered to enact what they learned in their offices and their lives.

    There are far too many favorites to properly list but several speakers inspired attendees, leading them to share the tidbits and quotes that resounded from presentations both on-site and online. Simon Sinek, the opening general session speaker, celebrated the importance of meeting professionals as the last line of defense in bringing people together in an increasingly digital world, and led attendees in questioning their personal “why” to bring clarity to their actions.

    Kathleen Madigan’s standup routine during the St. Louis (WEC 2012 host city) luncheon brought laughs and had the crowd excited about next year’s event. On Tuesday, Joe Calloway  and Kelly Cutrone enjoyed chemistry onstage during closing general session, leading to long lines at their book signings and a packed house at Kelly’s community Q&A session.

    The HIVE fulfilled the vision of being the epicenter of meeting technology and social media, with Tech Shootouts that enlightened those in search of solutions for meetings and events and starting conversations on social media inclusion best practice. And if anyone knows the identity of the Ghost of WEC11, who seemed to frequent the HIVE, let us know (seriously, best kept secret of the conference).

    Blog posts have a limited length before the mind becomes overwhelmed so I welcome readers to leave their own impressions from WEC in the comments. What was your favorite session/speaker? What kind of business have you generated? What session impacted you the most? Even more importantly, go and experience anew (or for the first time) dozens of the sessions from WEC 2011. 



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 07/24/2011 • 0 Comments

    Not Your Mom's Tee Time

    The sun coming over the horizon as a heron soars over the lake. No, it’s not a turn-of-the-century period movie. It was the scene for the MPI Foundation Players Golf Tournament, where East Coast versus West Coast wasn’t a reference to 90s rap music but to the Ryder Cup-style friendly competition between chairs Richard Harper, Executive VP of Sales with MGM Resorts International and Margaret Moynihan, Director with Deloitte.

    The game began with the shot-gun start from all 18 holes at 7:30 a.m.,  and continued as teams played through, with sponsored holes and a long drive competition, keeping the action and conversations going. Players discussed the ways that MPI Foundation helps the community, referencing scholarship and grants, as well as research, and the sense of community they feel in associating with their peers who value investing in the industry.

    When the dust settled, the East Coast won in points but everyone gained through the networking, sharing and sportsmanship experienced on the beautiful greens at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando. Thank you to all sponsors who contributed to the event; check out players’ feedback on the tourney through the WEC Live Online experience, where pictures and social media are constantly adding to the discussion around WEC 2011. 



  • Posted by Bruce MacMillan at
    12:00AM 07/21/2011 • 0 Comments

    The New Rules of Engagement

    It's #WEC11, and I have no fewer than four event flows to review, three sets of remarks to rehearse, two apps to download and one back to crack. But I’m PUMPED. As I connect to the energy of the banter on the various social networks, I get the digital equivalent a caffeine jolt. The relentless speed and breadth of our industry never ceases to amaze me, as does the constant thirst for information and connections.

    It's all part of the new rules of engagement that inspired the redesign of WEC 2011 in Orlando.

    At the Sunday OGS, TED-speaker Simon Sinek is going to first make sure we focus on the “WHY” as in “why should you care?" That’s not just an axiom for #WEC11 but for all of us on how we manage our businesses.

    One of the key new rules of engagement is what I call “thinking outside the room.” For #WEC11, we’re deploying an armada of mobile and desktop connection platforms aimed at enriching attendee value and also for those members who cannot make it to #WEC11. This includes our mobile apps, which this year also includes a #WEC11 tablet app AND the industry’s first-ever publication app for One+. And for those of our members that cannot make it to fabulous Orlando, you can get the conference experience on your desktop with MPI Live. Our partners at Fusion Productions are working with us to bring you some great #WEC11 content directly to you via the MPIWeb Home Page. While all these will fill up your mind and keep you up-to-date/connected, they’ll also not weigh you down and will reduce our carbon footprint by reducing paper.

    Then there is our marketplace experience. Gone is the traditional trade show, replaced with individual hosted buyer appointments and conversations. We weren’t sure how it would resonate. We’re thrilled that it sold out not once, but twice with almost 4,000 appointments scheduled and counting.

    There’s also the new formats and networking opportunities. In the spirit of co-creation, our spring Meeting Madness campaign helped guide some key session selection. Flash Point is back and the speakers are already connecting with our attendees in webinars and the like. I predict that the Solution Room is going to be a crowd fave. We rolled it out last February in Dusseldorf, and it was a highlight reel all on its own.

    Finally, there’s Orlando. One of the most creative cities on the planet. There’s no better place to seek design inspiration when you’ve got the spirit of Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter everywhere. The host committee is pulling out all the stops to blow us all away.

    In closing, reading this…and it's not a complete list…I cannot help but be BLOWN AWAY by what our entire team has delivered. You all ROCK! And that’s probably what’s got me most excited of all.

    Safe travels…have a great #WEC11.


  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 07/20/2011 • 0 Comments

    WEC Daily Download Details

    As Theresa said in her post “With the Attendee in Mind,” one of the focuses of the re-designed WEC experience is including our community in the process of developing the content that is presented at conference. Daily Download, a new addition to WEC, will take the insights and opinions of attendees that are shared online throughout the day and filter into one session onsite. The event design team is using Wiffiti, a service of Locamoda, to crowd-source the social media stream from Foursquare, twitter and Flickr, as well as mobile and web messages, and present it to Daily Download attendees. To make it easier for professionals to contribute to the discussion, the following hashtags have been specially created. We encourage attendees to tag their photos and tweets from pre-conference events, education sessions on Sunday through Tuesday and the Flash Point presentations with these hashtags:

    #WEC11pre (Friday/Saturday Sessions)
    #WEC11Sun (Sunday Sessions)
    #WEC11Mon (Monday Sessions)
    #WEC11Tues (Tuesday Sessions)
    #WEC11FP (Flash Point)


    You can also quickly send in details by texting "@WEC" and your message to 87884 or sending an email with the message in the subject line to wec@wiffiti.com. See you in Orlando!



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 07/14/2011 • 0 Comments

    WEC Must-See: Kathleen Madigan at St. Louis Lunch

    If you’re following the twitter and facebook conversations, you know there is a lot of excitement building up for WEC 2011. Thinking ahead to 2012, St. Louis is building excitement for their turn as WEC host with a promotional lunch at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 26. St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission president Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe will kick the lunch off with an overview of the Midwestern hospitality attendees can expect. If you’re not energized then, you will be when you see the main act: comic headliner and St. Louis native Kathleen Madigan!

    Not only is Kathleen an American Comedy best female stand-up winner, she is a regular with late-night giants Jay Leno and David Letterman and performed standup specials with HBO and Comedy Central. Her style is unpretentious, with a straight-forward delivery and wit that will have attendees on their feet. We’re excited to welcome Kathleen Madigan to WEC in Orlando, and hope to see all attendees there enjoying a laugh and finding out more about WEC 2012 in St. Louis, because when you register for WEC 2012 in Orlando, you receive $100 discount!

    The St. Louis Lunch requires a reservation, so update your registration now. If you have already completed registration, you are able to use the confirmation you received to add the St. Louis lunch. Then get a preview of what you can expect in Kathleen’s act from the below video. 



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 06/20/2011 • 0 Comments

    Innovation and Creativity

    Innovation and creativity are the new cause célèbres of the business world. I'm not complaining; I'd rather talk about how to foster creativity than discuss data any day of the week. And I'm not the only one noticing that creativity is on the forefront of the new business world. 

    "A 2010 study of 1,500 CEOs indicated that leaders rank creativity as No. 1 leadership attribute needed for prosperity," wrote Josh Linkner in Inc. "It's the one thing that can't be outsourced; the one thing that's the lifeblood of sustainable competitive advantage."

    In his informative article, Linkner offers seven steps to help create a better culture of innovation. While I'm no fan of the numbered list article, I do admit he offers some great advice. Consider his first suggestion: Fuel Passion.

    "Every great invention, every medical breakthrough, and every advance of humankind began with passion," wrote Linkner, who will also be a part of our Flash Point session at WEC in Orlando. "A passion for change—for making the world a better place. A passion to contribute—to make a difference. A passion to discover something new. With a team full of passion, you can accomplish just about anything. Without it, your employees become mere clock-punching automatons. One key is to realize that passion alone isn't quite enough: You must also focus that passion into a sense of purpose."

    Please read the rest of his article for the other six steps, and in the comments, please let us know how you foster innovation and creativity in your workplace and life. 



  • Posted by Veleisa Patton at
    12:00AM 05/24/2011 • 0 Comments

    Ante Up with "Go Kevin!" and The Big Deal 2011

    We all are familiar with that pivotal moment where the main character goes all in. The resigned push of all their chips, hopes riding on that one last chance for redemption. The dice roll, the final card comes out, the roulette wheel skips to a stop …

    This is not the story for Kevin Hinton, the 2010 The Big Deal poker tournament winner. As the final hand was played, Kevin went all in but for a different reason. He meant for his peer to win. Imagine his surprise to find out that he was the winner of the tournament and the recipient of a $10,000 seat at the 2011 World Series of Poker® Main Event, Las Vegas.

    The One+ team spoke with Kevin for the May issue, where he said he is ready to defend his title at the second annual Big Deal event in Orlando (July 24, 2011). Kevin is relying not only on his own intuition and skills picked up from TV but also on the guidance of his fellow meeting professionals.

    “Go Kevin!” is our campaign to keep you informed about Kevin’s progress in preparation for the WSOP® Main Event. While you read about his (mis)adventures, leave your words of wisdom, playing tips and advice on wardrobe (sunglasses versus visor versus hood) in the comments section. Then be sure to bring your skills to The Big Deal at WEC 2011, where planners attendees who register online get in for free and everyone can network like there’s no tomorrow!



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