In this issue:september 2010
MPI MN is on:
This now brings me to my newsletter topic this month: relationships. Any relationship, both personal and professional, requires four main fundamentals: trust, honesty, commitment and follow-through (or “walking the talk,” as I like to refer to it). One of this year’s chapter goals is to bridge the relationship between planners and suppliers in order to make it easier to do business together. The Leadership Development Committee has formed a group called Supplier Circle of Excellence, which is led by Jamie Compton of Crave Restaurants and Nara Berson of Crowne Plaza Saint Paul. Planner and supplier relationships are critical for the success in business and for the chapter. We cannot be successful with one and not the other. In my experience in my role at Medtronic as manager of our Strategic Meeting Management Program (SMMP), our supplier relationships have been directly tied to our success. We’ve involved them from the beginning, which gave a base dialogue to our organization’s culture, challenges, opportunities and ideas on how they can assist. It’s been a win/win relationship. The board has heard from members that they want to see this initiative happen. So trust us that we have committed to gathering honest feedback from both planners and suppliers and we will follow through (“walk the talk”) with taking actions based on same.
You may have noticed that we’re trying to end each article with a question to you, the reader. We really want to encourage your participation in the conversations around our chapter and our industry. In the coming months, you should see a redesign to the newsletter that will more easily facilitate those discussions. In the interim, please use the hotlink to respond to the article’s author via e-mail or send a note to me, as your editor, if you have some comments. I also want to take a moment to remind everyone about our social media communications. Next time you are in your Facebook account, please invite your friends to be a “fan”. It’s super easy and FB already knows who is currently a fan so those people will be automatically removed as an option to reselect. Please take a moment to help build our network and “chat”!
When: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 | 11:00 AM-1:30 PM As the luncheon motivational speaker, Ross Bernstein will be doing a 45-minute program entitled “The Champion’s Code,” which is based on his best-selling series of “Code” books that feature more than 500 interviews with professional athletes, coaches, referees and media personalities about the unwritten rules—or “codes”—in sports. Ross will talk about what it takes to become the best of the best, and about the unique and distinct characteristics that differentiate an athlete from a champion. Read the speaker’s bio, get more details and register.
When: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 | 3:30 PM-5:30 PM Save the date for future All Team Meetings! December All Team Meeting February All Team Meeting Enhance your professional skills, learn how to develop new skills and meet new people during the networking activity. You will meet with your committee, interact with partner committees and then we’ll come together as a group to share priorities. Agenda: There is no cost to attend the All Team Meeting and it is open to all active committee members and the board of directors. Questions? Contact:
At these monthly events, we sometimes take for granted the effort that goes into their preparation. I can tell you from personal experience that, with the plans and execution from Melissa Leal and Lisa-Marie James as education board members, the staff at the Sheraton, Event Lab with the décor, and IML technology, every detail was given full attention. When these components all work in unison, the seamless nature of the event is very evident.
An overview of each committee was next. Rather than present the usual spiel, I felt it was important to give more of a summary mixed with some totally subjective interpretations of what types of personalities are attracted to each committee. One memorable moment came when I mischievously described the committee members of the leadership committee as being “bossy boots.” This comment was received with a chorus of animated guffaws, which either confirmed my observations or was a measure of disparagement at my own personal view. Finally, it was again time to involve the attendees. From the first slide, we found that the room was almost evenly split between suppliers and planners. We also saw that 35% of the attendees were of the view that the chapter as a whole is a “clique.” I agreed. It is a clique! And, as someone who joined the chapter without knowing a single soul, it is a clique that is very easy to become a part of. Join the clique—don’t vilify it. Ultimately, the message to our members is that we want you to get involved. You are unique. You have had experiences that cannot be matched. Your talents can be harnessed to improve our operation. Your ideas can help our chapter broaden its appeal. Your knowledge will benefit our members and our industry. The presentation and its success really come down to the attendees and their response afterwards. If you decided to get involved, congratulations! Our year is off to the best start. Our mantra for the year is “We Meet, We Learn, We Lead.” Now let’s do exactly that.
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Over the past few years, I have cherished my involvement with MPI, made some life-long friends, and built many professional relationships with fellow members. I have crafted successful partnerships with MPI supplier members, with whom I frequently do business in the Twin Cities. As a young professional, I feel I have benefited from participating in the Mentoring: Power of 2 program. I hope to be paired with another mentee, or possibly be mentored by someone myself, in the coming months. I have enjoyed being on the Leadership Development Committee serving on the sub-committee of communications and writing leadership tools articles for the monthly chapter newsletter. This summer, I began my new role as Director of Communications. I’m excited to become even more involved by serving on the board. In addition to attending the monthly Minnesota chapter meetings and learning from the educational content the chapter provides, I feel one of the most educational pieces of MPI is attending the annual World Educational Conference (WEC). I have attended the last two years and loved every minute of it! I have met so many fantastic people by attending WEC. After coming home from the shows, I’ve been able to keep up relationships with the people I’ve met at WEC and help parlay those connections into helping me with the events I source and contract on a regular basis. I have attended some amazing education sessions and been able to learn more about two key cities that Honeywell regularly sends business to. Overall, I’m very grateful to be part of the wonderful Minnesota chapter. I think we have strong leadership and brilliant members, and I hope I can continue to be part of this chapter for years to come!
 
Donna joined MPI in November 1998. She has been with Medtronic for nine and half years. Medtronic provides medical devices to help alleviate pain, restore health, extend life for patients with chronic disease including cardiovascular, diabetes, neurological, ear/nose/throat and spine. Why did you choose MPI? What would you like to accomplish through MPI this year? Share something about your personal and professional life.
Quick Links: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
StaffVolunteer Editor Production National Awards2010 RISE Award for Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas 2002-2003 Best Overall Online Newsletter – More than 250 Members 2001-2002 Honorable Mention 2000-2001 Best Design – More than 250 Members 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. |
I don’t know about you, but I’m still floating after our amazing August Monthly Educational Program that started what is to be a rockin’ year! I enjoyed the social media component, the venue, audio/visual and even John’s humor tying me to Don Corleon in The Godfather. I hope you were able to gain valuable information on the chapter, board and committees. Thank you again to all the sponsors, including John Cosgrove, Cosgrove Presents, Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, IML and Event Lab for making it a great success. It would not have been a success without your help.
Thank you to all the members who turned out for our kick-off meeting on August 18th at the Sheraton Bloomington. Inspired by our president, Donna Patrick, CMP, CMM, at our recent retreat, we wanted to set the tone for the coming year with energy, enthusiasm and, ultimately, engagement.
The presentation itself was divided into three segments. We started with an interactive trivia challenge to allow attendees to acclimate to the keypads for our Q&A session later. The first questions were fun and entertaining. As an example, we asked about the 3.5 million people who showed up to Coco Cabaña Beach on New Year’s Eve 1994 to see Rod Stewart. Who knew? Only two people out of the 168 attendees, apparently. The later questions covered content about our board, chapter procedures and facts. Congratulations to Holly Knutson on being the winner of the trivia challenge segment.
by NIKKI HUCKSTADT, Honeywell International, 
I joined MPI in 2007 when I started my job at BCD/Honeywell Meeting Solutions. Previously, I had been working in the advertising and public relations world and planned events and product road shows for my clients, but never experienced networking opportunities with other people in the meetings/hotel industry. My manager at the time was very involved with NBTA and suggested that I join MPI and become involved with my local chapter.
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