MPI New England Chapter News

October 2019

Special Features In This Issue

President's Corner by Kristy H. Burns, President

Registration is Open for the October Membership Meet-up at Joe's Waterfront

Missed the September Meeting? Catch Up Here!

Registration for the November Educational Institute is Now Open!

Article: Getting the Most from your Supplier Relationships: Some Do's and Don'ts by Gayle Gilberto

Member Corner: Welcome to our New Members

Volunteer Member Spotlight: Kelly Cronan

Upcoming Chapter Events

President's Corner

By Kristy H. Burns, CMP, President

Autumn in New England is my favorite time of year; football, cozy sweaters, falling leaves and various harvest festivities. I have enjoyed my fair share of fall fests this year and I hope that you have too. I’m also excited about the upcoming MPI Events that our chapter volunteers are hard at work organizing and I hope you #joinme at one or both!

October’s Member Meet-up at Joe’s on the Waterfront is going to be a great evening and will provide the opportunity to connect with fellow members and also learn about getting involved in a committee as a volunteer. I am thankful for all of our chapter members but there is a special place in my heart for our volunteers who give back to our chapter with their time and skill. I hear from new members on a regular basis that they would like to get more involved and meet more members and joining a committee is the #1 easiest way to do that. We are in for a tasty treat at Joe’s as all the restaurants in the Tavistock Family will be sharing their culinary delights with us!

In November I am beyond excited for this year’s Fall Educational Institute at the Boston Park Plaza, this is the first year in a few that we have been in the City of Boston for this event and it’s a really amazing opportunity to both connect with fellow members and also partake in some topnotch educational content. I personally cannot wait for November 25 ^th to get here!

If you have any questions or want to connect please email me at [email protected]

#JoinMe

Wednesday, October 23, 2019 * 6:00pm – 8:00pm @ Joe's Waterfront

Come join us at our Fall Membership Meet-up! This casual, informative and fun evening is designed for YOU, our fellow New England event and hospitality professionals.

Thinking about becoming a member? Join us! You will meet plenty of current members of our tribe and learn about all things MPI New England.

Already a member and thinking about volunteering with your chapter? Take this opportunity to learn about each chapter committee and connect with current volunteers to gain insight about the rewards and experience they've acquired from taking the volunteering leap. Learn ways, large and small, that you can get involved.

This event is complimentary to all current chapter volunteers. MPI New England would simply not exist if it wasn’t for our valuable members and member volunteers, thank you for all of your support!

Location:

Joe's Waterfront

100 Atlantic Ave.

Boston, Massachusetts 02110

EVENT REGISTRATION

We would like to extend a giant thank you to all of our generous event partners:

Joe's Waterfront

Abe & Louie's

Atlantic Fish Co.

And our trusted Annual Sponsors:

David Fox Photography

Party Rental Ltd

Your Love In Lights

Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa

Las Vegas

Missed the September Meeting?

September’s MPI Educational Program f eatured a dynamic speaker and tasty F&B within a Rock and Roll venue! Guests were surrounded by stunning musically themed elements including framed instruments, costumes and other items owned and worn by legends in the Rock and Roll industry. The Hard Rock Cafe also provided a tasty food buffet, which was generously replenished throughout the evening. Food items were artfully displayed in various unique containers, delighting the eye as well as the palate throughout the program.

Kemi Sorinmade, owner of the The Growth Studio, used a refreshing combination of personal antidotes and hard facts to illustrate what diversity and inclusion in our industry can look like and why it is so vitality important. By encouraging robust audience participation — attendees answered questions, posited ideas, and engaged in simple yet provocative exercises — we learned practical ways to achieve these goals for the benefit of all!

We would like to extend a giant thank you to all of our generous event partners:

Hard Rock Cafe Boston

The Growth Studio

Party Rental Ltd.

Registration for the November Educational Institute is Now Open!

Put it in your calendar, November 25-26 at the Boston Park Plaza. Registration is NOW OPEN!

Spanning one and a half days, the Institute will provide you with exposure to engaging and highly relevant Keynote speakers, educational tracks created to have an immediate impact on your professional growth, ample opportunities for career enhancing networking and, quality time to have meaningful and productive conversations with select industry suppliers.

We’ve filled your schedule with speakers like Mimi Brown, our day 1 opening Keynote. Check your pulse because it’s going to rise with Mimi’s “AMP Up the Energy: 10 Ways Meeting Pros Can Energize, Entertain, and Dazzle an Audience.” Tyra Hilliard PhD, Esq, CMP will Keynote the afternoon delving into event security and why it cannot be an afterthought in your planning. Education tracks will look at data security, the laws around food, and other highly relevant topics Darlene Corbett’s closing keynote: “Get Unstuck” what positive thinking can do for our outlook.

In the midst of all this quality education is the much anticipated AfterDark reception, an Institute tradition. AfterDark 2019 will be at the Moxy Hotel, a short walk from the Boston Park Plaza. It’s got a great vibe, hip style, and tons of energy. We hope to see you there!

EVENT REGISTRATION

Getting the Most from your Supplier Relationships

Some Do's and Don'ts from Gayle Gilberto, Event Producer & CIS

After working as a supplier in this industry for 16 years and in another for 5 more, I’ve had every kind of working relationship with meeting and event planners. I’ve also had the privilege of supervising others in their working relationships. From my experience, I’ve gained insight about how different clients’ techniques, systems, and working styles effect their programs from the bidding process to the final on-site results. I’ve compiled a list of some ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ that will help you get what you need, and perhaps something extra, from your suppliers.

Do: Compare apples to apples! When sending out RFP’s, make sure each supplier is working with the same information. Be as transparent as possible and let the suppliers know which elements are most important, and which ones are not.

Don’t: Hedge on the budget question. I understand that there are times when you legitimately don’t know what your budget is; however, I recommend using a past experience or event as your guide. Also, make sure to give each supplier the same budget range to avoid getting wildly different proposals back at different price points. Even if you have to modify the budget after receiving the bid, you’ll start out with information you can use to access your three bids properly.

Member Corner

Welcome to our new Members who joined in September!

Alyssa Gonyea

Sheri Hess, Ashworth College

Kristen Muszynski, Catering Sales Manager, Levy

Danielle Scherman

Joseph Souza, Senior Event Manager, CSI Boston

Jenna Warren, Sales and Events Manager, Hilton Hotels

Volunteer Member Spotlight: Kelly Cronan

Kelly Cronan is the Sales Manager for Big Night Entertainment Group and has been volunteering with MPI since 2017.

Kelly at the first event she volunteered

for with MPI NE

MPI: How and when did you get your start in the events industry?

KC: I studied Hospitality Tourism Management at UMass Amherst. There I quickly became involved in the industry through internships and other work and volunteer experience. It was at UMass that I sat on the student Executive Board of UMass’ first-ever student chapter of MPI.

MPI: What is your current position, and how has your MPI membership helped you in your career path?

KC: I am currently a Sales Manager for Big Night Entertainment Group. We are currently about to open our newest property Big Night Live at the Hub in the Causeway. MPI has been vital in my career development. The network and connections that I have been able to build through MPI New England are invaluable.

MPI: What do you like to do outside of work?

KC: I enjoy taking every chance I get to get down the Cape any time of year.

MPI: Tell us something we (probably) don’t know!

KC: My guilty pleasure is really bad reality TV.

MPI: When and why did you start volunteering for MPI?

KC: I started volunteering with MPI New England in April 2017. I volunteered to help with the April Special Projects event at the YMCA of Greater Boston.

MPI: Why should others volunteer with MPI?

KC: Volunteering with MPI is a great way to develop your professional network.