For anyone who has taken the proverbial “30,000-foot look” at the four chapters that won the 2017-2018 MPI Chapter Excellence Awards for Overall Excellence—North Florida, Tennessee, Ohio and Connecticut River Valley—a pair of factors common to all the chapters stand out.
First, they are focused on providing lots of educational experiences—largely centering on providing information that will enable their members to earn CMP certification, but also including just about any skill training that will make their members more effective meeting professionals.
Secondly, the leadership of the winning chapter was focused from the beginning of the year on performing the measurable achievements that would put the chapters in the position to win the Excellence Awards—with the idea that meeting those metrics would also raise the quality of what the chapters offered their members and potential members.
“At our chapter board retreat at the very beginning of the year, I challenged our board members to do whatever it takes for us to win the Chapter Excellence Award,” says Lisa Perry, CMP, president of the North Florida Chapter. “And they embraced that fully. We knew we had what it takes to be a chapter of excellence and we set out to meet that goal.”
Starting in this issue and extending throughout 2019, The Meeting Professional will publish profiles of the chapters that won 2017-2018 Chapter Excellence Awards, starting with those recognized for Overall Excellence. Here’s what the leaders of the North Florida and Ohio chapters say about their awards.
Perry attributes success during 2017-2018 to a key factor: A deep level of enthusiasm for the chapter’s mission runs all the way to the individual member level.
“Our board, of course, played a key role in this, but our membership is so incredibly engaged in our chapter and I really, truly think that that is the basis of our success,” says Perry, who is also a principal at Meeting Creations Inc. of Daytona Beach and has spent 25 years in the meeting industry. “Their enthusiasm and participation at all of our chapter events is really what drives our achievements.”
A key focus of the North Florida Chapter is education that is customized to the members’ needs and goals. Members are surveyed after each monthly education session as to what type of speakers they would like to hear next, and are surveyed annually on desired education topics as well.
Building membership is another priority. The chapter’s goal for 2017-2018 was 5 percent growth. It achieved 11.76 percent growth.
Community outreach initiatives include partnering with the Wounded Warrior Project (which the chapter has been doing for four years) and a recent, event-driven project in response to Hurricane Michael.
One aspect of the Ohio Chapter’s excellence that is clearly visible: the chapter not only offers high-quality experiences for its members, but also offers a large number of them that are widely diverse both in content and geographic location.
“The majority of our members are in the Columbus area, but there are also members in Cleveland and Cincinnati as well, and across the state, so we embrace the fact that we are the Ohio Chapter and hold events all over the state, which provides lots of opportunities for meeting professionals throughout Ohio,” says Amanda Stredney, Ohio Chapter president during the 2017-2018 term.
The year starts off with the annual MidAmerica Conference (MAC), for which the chapter partners with the MPI Kentucky Bluegrass Chapter. It’s an education-based, two-and-a-half day conference that also draws exhibitors. Last year, the MAC drew attendees from 24 U.S. states and several foreign countries.
Another key event is the Ohio Planners Forum, which is a planner-only conference, although is it hosted by suppliers.
“We try to do it quarterly and we spread it around the state, so it’s a good opportunity for networking and a great opportunity for suppliers across Ohio to show their best to Ohio planners,” says Stredney, a Marriott account executive based in Columbus.
Last year, the Planners Forum was held in Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati.
Another popular event is the annual member recognition awards ceremony at which the chapter’s planner of the year and supplier of the year are recognized. The awards carry the name of Christy Selby, CMP, a longtime, revered member of the chapter.
“The awards ceremony is an emotional event for us because Christy was so widely cherished by our professional community,” Stredney says.
The chapter also awards a US$1,000 CMP scholarship in Selby’s name.
The chapter raises funds for Out of Darkness, a group that battles human trafficking.
MPI North Florida Chapter at a Glance
Founded: 1994
Number of chapter members at the end of 2017-2018: 152 members, 54 percent planner, 46 percent supplier
Membership growth at the end of 2017-2018: 11.76 percent
Financial growth during 2017-2018: 18.6 percent
MPI Ohio Chapter at a Glance
Founded: 1977
Number of members at the end of 2017-2018: 304 members (52 percent planner, 33 percent supplier, 15 percent student)
