The members joining the board on July 1, 2010, will be:
I am thrilled to welcome each of these individuals to the Board of Directors. Deciding to apply and run for a Board Position is a big decision and I appreciate that each of these individuals has agreed to give of their time and volunteer to serve our chapter. I know we had many candidates for each position and the decision was a tough one for the Nominations Committee. Thank you to those individuals that were a part of the screening and interviewing process. As a reminder, the scholarship applications are available online at www.mpimn.org. Make sure and apply, the chapter has money that we budget for each year and in the past we have not given it all out. This year you tell us what you need and why you need it, and the committee will review and decide where the money goes. Instead of specific scholarships this year, the Scholarship Committee and the Board have agreed to allow you to write your own request by thinking outside of the box. The scholarship winners will be announced at the May Gala on Thursday, May 20th at Treasure Island Resort and Casino. And lastly, don’t forget to register for the April monthly meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at the University of St Thomas Minneapolis Campus. Talk about Meeting on Purpose…my prediction is that this month’s program will be one of the top three of our fiscal year. This is a half day education program loaded with so much content that we may need a part two down the road. The day starts off with a Keynote by Joan Eisenstodt talking about Ethics, followed by a breakout session on Contract Negotiations. Other breakouts include topics on: Learn more and register early and make sure you pick out your breakout session so we can anticipate the seating for each room. The first quarter of 2010 is behind us, things are picking up and we are well on our way to what hopefully is a recovery of our industry. Keep up the great work everyone! BE BOLD! BE BRAVE! BE BRILLIANT!
Social media is not the wave of the future anymore but very much the present. Yes, it is one more thing to maintain, but after the initial set-up (which is true with any technological advancement right?) it’s actually easier and fun to keep up with friends (more Facebook), industry colleagues (more LinkedIn) and hot topics (more Twitter). And “keeping up” with the constant change is what keeps each of us professionally relevant. Social media is basically the cliff notes. MPI MN recently moved their Facebook platform from a “group” to a “page”. Click on the links below to become a fan and follow our chapter’s news.
Click here to view notes from the March 17 meeting where Michael Foley gave an inspirational, productive and interactive session, “Speaking on the Spot – The Art of Persuasion”.
When: Wednesday, April 21, 7:30 AM-11:00 AM Join us for this half-day education session. The day will start with an interactive keynote presentation by Joan Eisenstodt on Ethics. Then you will be able to choose one of six breakouts sessions including:
Click here for more meeting details and to register.
When: Thursday, May 20, 4:00 PM - 10:30 PM Please join your colleagues for MPI MN’s Annual Awards Dinner and Celebration on Thursday, May 20, 2010. This year will be An Evening at the Golden Globes, complete with Hollywood style presentation of our Annual EMPI (Excellence in MPI) Awards given to fellow chapter members in recognition for their outstanding volunteer efforts. We will also present scholarships and meet the new Board for 2010-2011 as our current president, Jaimie Mattes, passes the gavel on to his successor, Donna Foppoli Patrick. Bring your spouse or guest and enjoy the evening! Treasure Island Resort & Casino will be providing a bus for those guests wishing to park in Bloomington and ride out to the property. The bus will depart at 4:00pm from (Bloomington location TBD) for Treasure Island, departing for return at 8:30pm. They are also providing the first drink per person complimentary, an excellent menu for dinner and play money for those who wish to stay on and enjoy the casino. Rooms are available at $49.00 rate (but if you nominate someone for an award—the rate will go down to $29.00!). Come and enjoy the event, then stay and play!
2010-2011 MPI Scholarship is open to all MPI members in good standing. The MN MPI Chapter would like to offer its members the opportunity to write their own scholarship based on individual needs and wants and to be used during the fiscal year of July 1, 2010-June 30 2011. Your scholarship can be used for any MPI sponsored event including: MPI membership fee, monthly meeting card, CMM, CMP, WEC, MeetDifferent, European Meeting and Events Conference, Global Training+ and other MPI sponsor events. You can access all information regarding these programs on the MPI website. If you have any questions please contact Lisa Anne Venne at lavmsp@aol.com, Sean Schuette, Vice President of Finance, at sschuette@intrinxec.com, or Emily Nelson, Director of Finance, at Enelson@umn.edu. Applications are due on Friday, April 9, 2010 and are to be filled out on the MPI MN website here.
I am very pleased to have won the MPI MN Student Scholarship last May. What an exciting group this is to join, always doing something new and unusual, always at the front of what is happening. My first experience with MPI was at the Knowledge Quest last winter. But, let me back up and tell you how I got that far. All my life, I have wondered what I wanted to do when I grew up. Now, this is a great thing for a high schooler to say, but I am quickly approaching a maturation level far, far beyond those young and tender years. I am still on my way to growing up, I’ve had a wee bit of experience along the way and now believe that I know more of what I want in life. Presently, I work as a Division Secretary for the MN Department of Human Services. Many days this is a fast-paced position where I stomp out fires as quickly as they start – I am involved in many aspects of running the Division. While casting about for new challenges, I began thinking what was it that I liked most about working as a secretary. Very quickly, I decided it was lunch! Not only did I enjoy eating it, I enjoyed planning a good lunch for meetings. And, soon that extended to the logistics involved in planning the meetings, themselves. I should also tell you that I have belonged to a nationwide social-singles group for almost 15 years and have served on their board of directors in numerous capacities. Here again, the position that I enjoyed most was planning the events and activities for the group. I have made many cherished friendships through this group and there have been a few mentors along the way and I have, in turn, mentored others. One chilly evening in November, I was chatting with a new friend and she asked, “Nancy, what exactly would be your ideal job and why aren’t you working towards it?” Well – that gave me pause for reflection! Why, indeed, wasn’t I working towards my ideal job? It was becoming time to think about my future instead of just reacting to what was going on. I started wondering if going back to school would or could be an option for me. And then, the Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) spring catalog ended up in my mailbox! DCTC is the only Tech College in the Twin Cities area that offers a program in Event and Meeting Planning. Although it was late to get started, I went to an open house, applied for financial aid, and requested my transcripts from the college I had attended those many, many years ago. Everything fell into place and I was signed up to start classes in January. It happened so fast, it sure made my head spin! January 16th arrived and there we all were with new pencils and notepads! Rosealee Lee stood at the front of the class and told us to look around and get to know each other because the people we were seated with would become our hospitality network. In the days to come, we would be working with and for each other. In the days that came, we bonded and worked Rosealee’s assignments together, we volunteered and worked events together, we put together our own showcase and, we even ate lunch!! Four classes and four plus months later, we were on our way to becoming Event Planners! Knowledge Quest happened during those cold, winter months. A day of fun and learning with other Meeting Planners out at Mystic Lake Casino on the far-flung southwestern edge of the Twin Cities. Rosealee said – go to this event, you will learn many new things, network with the warmest, happiest group of people and the lunch will be fantastic. Oh, and there will be door prizes! Well, six or seven of us actually attended and we huddled together at one table, looking for all the world like the scared rabbits that we were. Rosealee got hold of us and told us, “GO – mingle – these are your people, for gosh sakes!!” Okay, maybe she didn’t say “for gosh sakes” but we got the message and split up. We talked, we mingled, we went to different sessions and talked about them afterwards, we ate fantastic food. And we won door prizes. We toured Mystic Lake and because we were students, they took us on the “behind the scenes” tour through the kitchens, spa and country club and we met the people who made all that fantastic food! Rosealee organized field trips for us to many venues around the Twin Cities. First, we went to the Minneapolis Convention Center. We were a day early to see The Wedding Show but got to see pipe and drape before it all went up, flower arrangements in the making and bridal gowns in profusion. Then we toured the St. Paul River Center / Excel Energy Center / Roy Wilkins Auditorium complex. And who could forget the St. Paul Hotel tour? Elegance abounded. A doorman to open doors and a continental breakfast that just couldn’t be beat! “Here,” Rosealee said, “there are scholarships to apply for and people to meet.” I went to the MPI website and thought – I have to do this. I put it off because I had homework, meetings to plan, and other coursework to attend. The next thing I knew, it was April 14 and only one day to put together a scholarship request! On contacting Rosealee and asking her to write a letter of recommendation for me, she responded with, “you write it and I’ll sign it.” I did, she did and the emails flew back and forth and when I had all the information collected I sent it off to Marilyne Bouteiller at the Holiday Inn Minneapolis Metrodome. She responded to say that she had received my application and would get back to me in the fullness of time. It became early May and I was getting emails from my hospitality network asking who was going to the MPI May Gala. I had not been contacted about the scholarship, but it was to be awarded there so sent in my registration. Several fellow students joined me and off we went to Downtown Minneapolis on May 8th. Again, we mingled, we had drink coupons, wonderful hors d’oeuvres and then it was time to go in for dinner. A marvelous repast was offered and the program began. The May Gala is the MPI MN awards ceremony so there was much laughter and applause and cheering. Half-way through the scrumptious dessert, the Scholarship was awarded – to me! I barely got the chocolate wiped off my face in time to climb the stairs on the stage. And then pictures were taken and instructions on how to receive the award were given to applause that thundered in my ears! And then we danced. I have rarely felt so immediately at home with any group of people. I think I have finally found my niche. Now, to finish the rest of the year in studies… I hope it goes as well as the first semester, you see – it is not easy to remember at my age! Thank you for this opportunity – I am so looking forward to being with all of you and learning the right way to plan meetings and events.
Holly is a new member of the Education committee, and a rising star. She has taken on a large part of the April monthly meeting and is really working hard to make sure that the speakers are well taken care of and ready to present their breakout session at the meeting. She is going above and beyond and doing what it takes to get the job done in spite of her busy work and home life. To thank Holly for her leadership, she will receive a Target gift certificate for $50 sponsored by Brackett's Crossing Country Club and a gift box from Tastefully Simple. Please help us honor Holly and her efforts. Leaders of the Month are nominated by board members. If you know a chapter volunteer that deserves recognition, please share this with your committee’s Board liaisons or any board member.
by DENISE WOODS, CMP, AGC of Minnesota & MPI MN CMP Chair, Education Committee, dwoods@agcmn.org 1. You are planning a city-wide convention using nine hotels and the convention center for exhibits.
2. You anticipate 2,500 will register for your meeting. It turns out that 1,000 people pre-register,
Refer your industry friends and associates for membership in MPI. For each referral submitted, you will be eligible to win monthly prizes and a Grand Prize drawing for a Weekend Concert/Entertainment Package from Treasure Island Resort and Casino! Referral Forms are available online at www.mpimn.org. In addition, for each referral you submit that joins MPI as a full member, you will receive a $25.00 credit toward your own membership dues! Take advantage of this great savings. Details and brochures are also available from the Membership Team at our monthly meetings.
1. How did you get to your current position? 2. What is your current job description? 3. What has been your greatest professional challenge? 4. In your past history, has anything happened that was unexpected? 5. How long have you been in MPI and what have you learned since becoming a member? 6. What is something you would like to share with us about your personal life? 
Congratulations to the following members who have been recognized for their continued commitment to MPI MN and who celebrated their monumental anniversary. Thank you for your continued involvement and commitment within our chapter. 5 Years 15 Years
Meeting Professionals International is the association for the global meetings industry and is committed to delivering success for its 21,000 worldwide members by providing innovative professional development, generating industry awareness and creating business development opportunities. Founded in 1972, the Dallas-based organization delivers success through its 68 chapters and clubs in 20 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.mpiweb.org. Minnesota Chapter Office International Headquarters
Meeting of the Minds is the official publication of the Meeting Professionals International Minnesota Chapter and is published 11 times yearly. Statements of fact and opinion within this newsletter are the responsibility of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the officers or members of MPI. Articles submitted are subject to editorial revisions. Articles for Meeting of the Minds are always due on the fourth Wednesday of the month prior to distribution, and articles for News Notes are always due on the first Thursday of the distribution month. |
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One of the efforts of the Leadership Development Committee is to recognize everyday leaders within the chapter. These Leaders among us are people who go above and beyond to make sure our chapter goals and objectives are met or exceeded. This month we recognize the work of Holly Knutson.
Kris O’Brien