March 2017
  • Today's the day! Attend the March meeting tonight in Waltham!
  • What's coming up in April?
  • Get to know Liz Kordonsky, our March Student Member Profile!
  • Tax season is upon us- learn about the home office deduction!
  • CMP Tip of the Month!
  • We want to hear from you with story ideas and member photos - please let us know if you would be interested in contributing!

MPINE Annual Volunteer Recognition Awards
Let Us Know Who Has Made a Difference! The MPI New England is pleased to announce its 2017 Spring Awards Program!
The following categories are eligible for nominations:  
  • The Kathy Keegan-Cummings Professional Development Scholarship Award
  • This scholarship award is presented annually to an MPI member from the New England Chapter to provide a full-year of complimentary registration to all 7 educational chapter events. The candidate must present a rationale for receiving this scholarship, including why he/she would like to participate in Chapter educational events throughout the year, how this participation will benefit the candidate’s future professional goals, and how his/her participation will benefit the New England Chapter of MPI.  
  • Meeting Professional of the Year Planner/Supplier
  • These awards (one for Planner and one for Supplier) are presented annually  to a member of MPI in recognition of outstanding industry contributions, leadership and professionalism.  The awards are based on chapter participation, presentations relating to the industry in general, articles written in the hospitality industry press, community service, and industry recognition previously received.  The awards recognize a career of involvement, commitment and achievement.  
  • Chapter Leader of the Year
  • This award is intended to recognize the local commitment of a chapter member in influencing the life of the Chapter.  The award is based upon the ability of the recipient to motivate others, impact chapter functions, give a sense of direction and act as a catalyst to cause exceptional results that benefit the local chapter.  

  • Tomorrow’s Leader
  • This award is presented annually to an MPI member who has made contributions to the association at the chapter level. The candidate must be a current member of MPI in good standing. The candidate must be employed as a full time planner or supplier.  This award recognizes continued involvement, commitment and achievement.  

Nomination Process:

1. Complete the Nomination Form – this will serve as a letter of recommendation for the nominee (you may self-nominate or nominate a peer)
2. The MPI New England Awards Committee will contact qualified nominees to complete a full application.
3. Completed nomination forms must be received prior to the deadline of 12pm on Monday, May 1st, 2017.

Timeline:

1. Nominations will be accepted from March 1st, 2017 through May 1st , 2017 12 PM EST – No late entries will be accepted.
2. Qualified nominees will be notified by Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017
3. Completed applications from qualified nominees are due Friday, May 12th,  2017  12 PM EST 4.   4. Recipient selection will take place May 15th, 2017 – May 26th, 2017
5. The awards will be presented during the June Annual Meeting, Date and Location to be announced

Judging Process:

Applications are compiled by the Chair of the awards committee and reviewed for completion and compliance. Any nomination that requires further review will be considered by the Chair of the awards committee. Applications along with accompanying nomination will undergo a round of judging. The judges are a small group of volunteers representing a range of professions and expertise from within the New England Chapter. Judges will review and score all qualified entries.  The finalist is confirmed for approval by the Chair of the committee and will be announced at the June Annual Meeting in June 2017.

Questions:

Please contact the President-Elect & Chair of the awards committee, Molly Hudson, CMP, CMM at molly_hudson@hms.harvard.edu with any questions.


UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Us Tonight!

Why Engagement, Relationships & Communities Matter for Your Event


Join us on Wednesday, March 22 at The Westin Waltham Boston for a dynamic and interactive learning experience about practical ways to build engagement and facilitate relationships before, during and after your event. Planners, people will come to your event because of the content. But how much more valuable would it be if they are fully engaged and feel involved in your community?

Sponsored By:

Fun and Fit Chairman's Challenge Event April 27, 2017


Please join us once again in an MPI community-wide effort by participating in the MPI Foundation 2016-2017 Chairman’s Challenge!

This year our chapter will be at YMCA of Greater Boston, where attendees can sign up for a spin class and experience the YMCA’s facilities with their industry colleagues, participate in a fun cornhole tournament or karaoke, all in support of the MPI Foundation.
The MPI Foundation fuels the growth and advancement of MPI members by providing them professional development and career opportunities through grants and scholarships. The mission of the Foundation is to fund education and pan-industry research that drives the success of meeting professionals.

MPI New England is also raising funds/supporting the YMCA over the next 3 months leading up to our Fun and Fit Chairman’s Challenge on April 27th.  You are able to make donations on the February & March monthly meeting registration sites, as well as on-site in April. Your donations support the following programs: Families in Transition and The YMCA's Achievers Program. 
 
The Families in Transition Program offers 32 units at the YMCA to give homeless families a second chance to get back on their feet and provide services to transition them into permanent housing. Most homeless families are dealing with mental health issues, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and lack of education or job skills.  The FIT program aims to address these underlying issues so that families do not repeat the cycle of homelessness but are on track to achieve permanent housing and build a stable future for themselves and their families. 
 
Statistics show us that the racial gap in who's graduating from college is widening. Research also tells us that young people growing up in the low income communities the YMCA serves tend to be exposed to multiple risk factors that are barriers to their upward mobility. The YMCA Achievers program has been successfully helping teens pursue their college dreams  for many years through SAT preparation classes and other services. 
 
Any donation to these programs would be extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. Can't donate a monetary amount? We'll be setting up a wish list of items these programs need for people to bring with them to the April Chairman Event. Thank you! 


Take A Home Office Deduction!


Working from home?  A New Simplified Home Office Deduction Method Is Offered by the IRS

By Steve Hoffman, The Tax Translator

As meeting professionals some of you probably have a home office like I do and the IRS now offers a simplified method to give you a tax deduction for it.  You might have heard something about the home office deduction in the past but thought it might lead to increasing your chances of an audit.  So, you didn’t look into it even though it could save you money.  It has been a popular myth that taking the home office deduction would lead to an audit, but let me give you some news about how the IRS views this deduction now.

Beginning last year the IRS announced a new, simpler option to figure the business use of your home.  The rules are still the same for qualifying for the deduction regardless of the method chosen.  So, if you meet these rules, then Read the full story here >>>


March Student Member Profile

Get to know Liz Kordonsky, President of the Johnson and Wales MPI Student Chapter!

MPINEHow did you get interested in the meeting and event industry? 

LK: Ever since I could remember I have always loved being involved in and around some kind of event. In high school, I was accepted into a university program for Theater Arts where instead of pursuing acting and theater, I found a love for the art of production. I have always enjoyed embracing creativity with a hospitable approach. When it comes to planning an event I like to understand what people desire, learning details, and bringing their true vision to life. I have done this through family gatherings, school and work, which has eventually led me to what I love now- planning events.

MPINE: What made you decide to attend Johnson & Wales?

LK: When deciding on which college to attend and what major I wanted to study, Johnson and Wales stood out to me because of their city campus and the appealing major of Sports/Entertainment/Events (SEE). Although I started as an undecided hospitality student, I quickly realized that I belonged in SEE where I would be able to learn every aspect of the event industry, which was where I felt I belonged. 

Read the full story here >>>

CMP Tip For March-  Changes and Updates to Exam as of May 2017

By Joanne Dennison, CMP

Every five years the CIC (Convention Industry Council) conducts a survey and review of what skills and knowledge are required for competency in the meeting and event profession. This is done by a survey of people in the industry asking them “What do you do…. now?” We know that most industries change and with them what people do and what they need to know. Based on the information they get back it is reviewed and put into context and an updated view is created. At that time the CMP framework, formerly called the blueprint, and the International Standards (IS) is created to reflect the changes. This process was recently completed and with it comes changes to the CMP exam, effective May 2017.


Read the full story here >>>

Kudos, Moves And Changes
Alex Swenson is now Catering Sales Manager at the Colonnade Boston Hotel

Becky McDougal is now Event Manager at the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University

Bill Wilson is now in Meetings and Events Services at Art of the Event

Cezanne Macary is now Manager of Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe

Rebecca Lee is now Event Services Manager at Cliff House Maine

Bill and Kristy Wilson welcomed their baby girl, Olive Ruth, in January – she joins big brother Ronan. Congratulations!