MPI Tennessee Chapter - December Newsletter

December 2022

President's Message
Upcoming Meetings & Events
January Virtual Meeting
February Connect 2023
Belmont Leadership - Meeting & Event Planning Certificate
Save the Dates!
Rock Star of the Month
2023-2024 Board Nominations
Mentorship Highlight
Volunteer with Us!
Member Spotlight | Call For Submissions
Get Social with Us!

MPI Community Support
Kroger Community Rewards
Amazon Smile
Job Openings
MPI Tennessee Family
MPI TN Member Registration Support Form
MPI Resume Support
MPI Global Assistance Program
Update Profile
Private Facebook Group
Sponsors

New Year, New MPI Tennessee Board Changes!

Jill Kopecky, Immediate Past President, has officially fulfilled her duties on the MPI Tennessee board. Her accolades run pages long and I could never summarize them in just one message. She has led our chapter through good times and bad, awards, COVID, layoffs, shutdowns, and through virtual hell… literally. Jill genuinely cares about everyone she meets. She has an innate ability to connect and build a relationship with each and every member, new and old. She is the wizard of finance and the fastest responder to emails that you have ever met. But her greatest attribute has been her ability to lead with her heart. Jill, Thank You so much for the way you serve our members. It has truly been an honor to learn and serve alongside you. You will be greatly missed. But don’t think you are going anywhere. We Love You!

Michael Farrell, Incoming President, will officially begin his presidency January 1^st2023! YAHOOOOO!!!!! Michael has completed our office of the president trio for 6 months now. He is one of the most creative and business savvy minds I have ever met. I joke that every time Michael speaks, I want to record what he says as his words carry such value and truth. I cannot wait to see what amazing things he does for our membership!

I look forward to continuing to serve for the next 18 months alongside Michael as your Immediate Past President! It has been an absolute pleasure serving as President for the past 18 months. Thank you for being so supportive, caring, and understanding. It truly is our members that make our chapter so special. Please do yourself a favor and sign up to volunteer on a committee, and then consider volunteering on the board. It will change your life for the better. It certainly has changed mine forever.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet for the sake of auld lang syne! To 2023!

January Virtual Meeting

Save the date!! More details to come.

Save the date for our Connect 2023 event.

You do not want to miss out on this full day experience!

Attendees - $99

Exhibitors - $250

There are sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Tina Gionis for more information!

More details to come.

MEETING & EVENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM 2023

Join this term by January 13, 2023 & receive 20% off your admission with your MPI Membership.

Learn More Here!

We are excited to announce our November Rock Star:

Jennifer Alliss!

She has been traveling the full month for trade shows but has been fully engaged in committee efforts. She is in attendance at every committee meeting, took charge at the Holiday Party with parking direction and the diaper connection. She has also been volunteering for the Education committee, as a greeter at meetings. She did not hesitate to sign up to lead the Auction committee for this year when Debbie proposed the idea to her.

2023-2024 BOARD NOMINATIONS

Are you an industry leader looking for an opportunity to showcase your skills and contribute to the success of MPI Tennessee Chapter?

If so, consider volunteering your time and talent to the

2023-2024 MPI Tennessee Chapter Board of Directors!

The MPI Tennessee Chapter Board of Directors is responsible for chapter operations including programming, financial oversight, and governance. By volunteering your time, you will help shape the future of our industry across the state!

Please note the following dates and actions:

Tuesday, January 3, 2023 - Application Due

Board of Directors application due to

Jill Kopecky at JillKopecky@livenation.com

Click Here for Board of Directors Application

Click Here for Board of Directors Job Descriptions

Click Here for Directory of 2022-2023 Board of Directors

Nominations will be conducted in accordance with the Meeting Professionals International Tennessee Chapter By-Laws. Any planner or supplier member in good standing is eligible. Your consideration should include the types of skills and talents you can contribute, your past involvement with the chapter, recognition of the time commitment involved in a leadership role and the necessity of your employer's support.

Please contact Jill Kopecky at JillKopecky@livenation.com with any questions.

^{MENTORSHIP PROGRAM}

If you would like more information, please visit the website or contact Cindy Tipler, ctipler@cctenn.org or Beci Ruzek, sales@southerngiftingco.com.

Click Here to Learn More!

We ❤️ our volunteers! Are you looking for a way to contribute and make a difference? Do you have skills that might be beneficial to our chapter? Or maybe you want to be the change you wish to see. If this is the case, we need you!!! Below is the signup link, and we will connect you with the committee you have the most interest in. Thank you in advance for your participation in making our chapter amazing!

Irina Tuluca, Corporate & Convention Sales Manager - Opry Entertainment

How long have you been in the events and hospitality industry? I majored in Entertainment Management and graduated in December 2015 and have been in the events and hospitality industry ever since - first on the operations/planning end, and now in sales.

Why did you join MPI?

To get more plugged in to the hospitality community in Nashville and meet more people in my industry.

What do you hope to get from your MPI Tennessee membership? I want to build great relationships and gain both friendships and mentors in the industry. I also love the educational events and gaining an edge through attending those.

Tell us more about yourself…hobbies, little known fact, etc.

I love the outdoors - hiking, camping, floating... Summer is my favorite season. I also love trying new restaurants and exploring Nashville. Little known fact is that I was born in Romania and moved to the States when I was just six.

What is your favorite meeting or event you have been involved in and why?

The MPI Gala was so fun! So excited for that again next year! I've also gotten involved in a planning committee for the MPI Connect event and that has been such a blast.

What would you sing at karaoke night?

90s Country!

What makes you laugh the most?

Conversations with friends and unexpected moments.

Which decade do you love the most and why?

I love the here and now... But if I had to choose a past decade, it would be the 90s. Great music and television shows. I miss the days when we weren't so tied to our phones & technology. Simpler times!

You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it? Diet Coke? Sushi? Scotch Tape?

Travel. I would love a way to travel without limits, maybe a personal jet to take me wherever, whenever!

We want to know more about you! Our membership is diverse, and we have grown so much over the last few years. We want to recognize each of you and help all of us feel more connected by learning more about each other.

Click on the link below to fill out our Member Spotlight form. We will include your responses in newsletters, social media posts and other MPI Tennessee communications. Don't forget to include your picture!

Complete the Member Spotlight Form here!

WE ARE JUST AS EXCITED

AS GARY!

Our Communications team has done an amazing job this year to bring you more posts, photos, gifs, memes, and yes - we even have our very own Tik Tok channel now!!

Go FOLLOW US there today for a chance to

WIN $10 OFF of your next MPI TN event!

Support MPI with every eligible AmazonSmile purchase from your phone or web browser!

Just shop at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate to our organization, at no additional cost to you!

Every year, Kroger donates millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations through its Community Rewards Program.

If you already shop at Kroger, please consider registering your Kroger Card for the program and designating MPI Tennessee as your chosen organization. Then every time you shop, you’ll be supporting us!

How to participate:

Go to Kroger Community Rewards.
Log into your Kroger account to enroll (or create an account).
Enter organization number GV197 or Meeting Professionals International - TN Chapter in the search field and click on the Search button.
Select MPI Tennessee by clicking on the circle to the left of the name.
Follow the prompts to complete enrollment.
Be sure to select the Enroll button to complete the process.
Register and send a screenshot of enrollment and you'll receive one $15 discount for an MPI event (excluding CONNECT and Gala)

If your organization is looking for a new team member, click this link to fill out the online job submission form, and we will make sure to include it in our next MPI Tennessee Newsletter and on social media.

We hope everyone in our MPI family is staying safe and healthy as we continue to battle COVID-19 and the affect it is having on our industry and our membership. Our board is here for you if you need anything. We hope the information below is helpful to you as we all navigate the near future. Please reach out to any of us directly if you are struggling, have questions or just need to chat.

MPI Tennessee Registration Support – If you have lost your job or suffering financial hardship during this time and are unable to attend our events, please take a moment to fill out the Registration Support Form. We value you and would love to continue seeing you at our membership events! Click below to fill out a form!

Form for Registration Support

MPI Tennessee Private Facebook: Join our private Facebook page to learn more about these events and to connect with the fun and informative things going on with our MPI Family.

MPI Member Resume Support – Did you know that MPI members have access to complimentary resume critique through our career center? Members will need their MPI username/password to access this service. Click on the following link and follow the path listed to have your resume critiqued: www.mpi.org > Resources > Career Center > Sign In > go to My Account (top left corner) > go to Resume > check mark “Send me my free professional resume critique from TopResume” > click on Upload Resume to, you guessed, upload your resume.

MPI Global Member Assistance Program: We do not want to lose any of you as members. For those whose jobs have been affected by COVID-19, MPI Global has several options to help if you are up for renewal, and they will be reaching out to you. You can also contact MPI Global directly at feedback@mpi.org, call 972-702-3053, or fill out and follow the instructions in this form.

Update Membership Profile: If you or someone you know has new contact information be sure to reach out to us at info@mpitn.org or 615-373-8002 so we can update that information with our chapter and MPI Global. Remember, your membership belongs to you and follows you even when your employer changes (unless you had a specific agreement with your employer where they keep the membership).