As meeting and event professionals, one of our goals for the upcoming year should be to get more involved in our industry. I came across this list of industry and professional associations that were shared in a recent publication. This list provides easy access to all the key organizations we
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As a veteran hospitality industry professional, I was recently asked to serve as a member of an advisory board for Ferris State University in Michigan, my alma mater. It is for the College of Business which is where the School of Hospitality Management resides. During our last meeting, we were
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Many of us attend meetings, events and trade shows multiple times each year. For those of us that host these meetings and events, we are continuously searching for ways to engage participants and improve the overall experience for our attendees. We strive to exceed their expectations in one or more
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I got a meeting crush…hopefully this comment does not cause the same stir in the meetings and events industry that it did in country music for Little Big Town when they released their single; Girl Crush. The song made me think about our life in the meetings and events industry.
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After nearly 20 years on the hotel side of the hospitality industry, I have enjoyed the last 8 years as an independent meeting planner. The one part of meeting and event planning that I do not enjoy is the rush to sign contracts at month end, quarter end and year
Read more“Life is about moments; don’t wait for them, create them.” Anthony Robbins We all want to create meetings and events that our attendees are excited to attend and rave about afterwards. Recently, I have been reading some of Tony Robbins (motivational speaker, personal finance instructor, life coach and self-help author)
Read moreThanks to a recent trip with a group of young professionals in the hospitality industry, I have learned a new acronym, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). The fear of missing out is discussed mostly among the younger generations. However, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we all suffer from
Read moreIf you are a corporate meeting planner or a meeting management company that works with corporate customers, you know that outside influences can impact your calendar of events. A few of my corporate customers have been going through mergers and acquisitions. With these reorganizations, comes the need to change the
Read moreOver the dates of April 19-22, 2015, the meeting and event professionals from ConferenceDirect will be gathering in Dallas, TX for their Annual Partner Meeting. The Top 10 Reasons I am looking forward to attending this event are: 10. Becoming more familiar with the Dallas destination and hotels to share
Read moreAfter a long break, I went back to school…the Hospitality Management School at Ferris State University (FSU). I am a proud graduate of FSU and they invited me back to share with the students (primarily upperclassmen) my 25+ year journey through our dynamic industry. I was introduced by a senior
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