December 2018 - Taking our Chapter to the Next Level

Tim Barrett, CMP Director, Meeting + Program Operations Destination South Meetings + Events Chapter President Member since 2014

Taking our Chapter to the Next Level

At the recent holiday luncheon we co-hosted with our sister associations, IAEE Southeastern and PCMA Southeast, I had the opportunity to address the audience to recognize our sponsors. Our chapter success is reliant upon the generous support and reach of our supplier relationships. The ongoing commitment of in-kind sponsorships, donations, and monetary contributions provide our committee chairs, volunteer members, and board of directors to ask – and answer – the question of “what if?” What if we were able to do this? What if we were able to bring in this speaker to address our membership? What if we were able to create this environment to foster community building?

Your board of directors just returned from a two-day strategic planning retreat in Greenville, South Carolina, where we spent a great deal of time brainstorming and planning. Keeping these unique opportunities in mind, we posted a sign that read “membership” on the wall, because we understand that any amount of financial or human resource investment would be in vain if the results don’t meet your needs. We discussed bold ideas. As we continue the momentum in 2019 to take our chapter to the next level, I look forward to receiving your feedback to ensure we are heading in the right direction.

I’m thrilled with our accomplishments in the past six months. The July and September educational programs were well received with near perfect scores on our post-event surveys. Rennie Curran shared the importance of teamwork and overcoming obstacles to be the best we can be. June Cline, CSP and Bronkar Lee gave us the license to use humor in crafting our meetings and events. We welcomed many future members to our August and October networking events and were introduced to cool venues to host our own future events. In November, we hit the links for the annual Fall Classic Golf & Bocce Ball Tournament (view photos) which exceeded our registration goals and provided ample opportunities for networking and supplier recognition. Another impactful event was working with our new community outreach partner, Covenant House Georgia. The outreach committee members and other volunteers served dinner, but more importantly, they provided a compassionate gift of time for residents. This organization provides housing to 18- to 24-year olds; many that have escaped from sexual exploitation. Sex trafficking was the educational topic of our December holiday luncheon, and we collected donations for the Covenant House.

With your involvement, 2019 promises to exceed expectations. The January educational program will focus on the hottest legal topics in the event industry with renowned speaker, Joshua Grimes. In March, we hope you plan to attend the Tech Summit. This is an annual program that has evolved based on your feedback, and we are so excited to announce the new elements. We will be hosting additional networking opportunities in February and April. Global Meetings Industry Day, spearheaded by PCMA, brings together leaders from across the meetings and events community. Meeting professionals across the world participate in the international day of advocacy. In May, food and beverage is on the menu as the focal point of the meal and discussion.

Trust that our “virtual” door is always open to you. We are a member-focused organization with a board of directors that welcomes your feedback and suggestions as we seek to answer the question of “what if?”