“You take it on faith,
You take it to the heart,
THE WAITING is the hardest part.
”
-Tom Petty
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…and we’re off! As your new President, I am thrilled and honored to be leading the best MPI chapter during these difficult times, but I won’t be doing it alone. Your new Board of Directors are some of the hardest-working and entertaining people I know. In addition, having Shannon Jones and Melanie Blanche as part of the Office of the President means the world to me. Erika Biddix and last year’s BOD set all of us up for success in the coming months. Also, I need to give a huge shout-out to all of you who currently volunteer or are looking to volunteer; we couldn’t do it without you! It truly takes a village.
For those of you who don’t know me, I work in the music industry, and I felt this quote by Tom Petty sums up what we’re all going through right now during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m constantly
waiting
for shows to get cancelled or rescheduled, and the most frustrating aspect is that we do not know when it all is going to end nor when everything will get back to “normal”. Because of that, our goal this year is to create a new normal, so we are going to be FLUID, FLEXIBLE and FUN while focusing on quality education, outstanding network opportunities, modeling safety guidelines and taking care of our members.
Please feel free to reach out to me or any of the other board members should you have any questions or concerns. Daniel Camp, Beci Ruzek and Sarah Freeman are available to answer any questions you have about your Membership. Stephanie Harmon would love to help you get more involved by sharing volunteer opportunities. Lisa Schneider and Cory Brooks are ready to talk to any supplier who would like to promote their services at a future event, and Ashleigh Cote has some amazing sponsorship opportunities. Be sure to look on the website (
www.mpitn.org
) for contact information.
I look forward to seeing you at our Educational Luncheon on August 19 at the Music City Center so please be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming invitations and any additional information regarding upcoming events.
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Until we meet again,
Jill
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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.
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- MPI Tennessee Financial Assistance – If you have lost your job,suffering financial hardship during this time and are unable to attend our events, please take a moment to fill out the Financial Hardship Form. We value you and would love to continue seeing you at our membership events! Click below to fill out a form!
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- MPI Member Resume Support – Did you know that MPI members have access to complimentary resume critique through our career centre? 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 help@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.
- 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.
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Do you want to become an MPI Tennessee Chapter
sponsor and partner with the state's largest,
most vibrant community of meeting and event professionals?
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For more information, contact MPI Tennessee's Director of Strategic Alliances,
Ashleigh Cote!
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The Meeting Professionals International Tennessee Chapter has selected the following individuals, whom we believe to have the skills, dedication and integrity to provide outstanding leadership to our chapter during the 2020-2021 term. Congratulations to this outstanding group!
President -
Jill Kopecky, Neste Live!
President Elect -
Melanie Blanche, CMP, Aloft Nashville
Immediate Past President -
Shannon Jones, CMP, Butler Snow LLP
Vice President Finance -
Cory Brooks, CMP, Specialty Planners International
Vice President Membership -
Daniel Camp
Vice President Communications -
Erica Monroe, Helmsbriscoe
Vice President Education -
Michael Elizabeth McQuillen, CMP
Director Special Projects -
Holly Carpenter, A. Marshall Hospitality
Director Strategic Alliances -
Ashleigh Cote, CMP, Macro Productions
Director Operations -
Lisa Schneider
Director Member Recruitment -
Sarah Kelley Freeman
Director Member Retention -
Beci Ruzek
Director Communications -
Kenneth Zahn, Hotel Preston
Director Monthly Meetings -
Brad Lehman, B-Radical Marketing
Director Leadership & Professional Development -
Stephanie Harmon, CMP
Director Educational Conferences -
Tara Henderson, Destination Musick City
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July 21 Membership 101 - Location TBD
Come join MPI Tennessee for Membership 101 (previously New Member Orientation). This event will act as an orientation for new members as well as a networking and benefits refresher for current members. We will cover scholarships, award nominations, using the membership directory as a resource, how to showcase yourself and your company to the global MPI community, and more!
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July 22 Mix at Gary Musick Productions - POSTPONED
In light of the increasing number of people affected by COVID-19, MPI Tennessee has decided to postpone the MIX event at Gary Musick Productions on July 22. We are committed to our community and members, and we believe that everyone’s health and well-being must come first.
Thank you to
Gary Musick Productions
and all of you for your understanding and support! Please look for future communications about the rescheduled date.
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August 19 Luncheon - IN-PERSON!
Join us on
August 19, 2020
at the
Music City Center
for our educational luncheon! Our speaker will be Your Nerdy BFF, Beth Z presenting
Leading with Focus: Collaboration and Productivity without a Billion Video Conferences
. We can't wait to see you all IN-PERSON again!
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The Circle of Excellence Awards are presented annually to the members of MPI Tennessee in recognition of outstanding association/industry contributions, leadership and professionalism usually at the Circle of Excellence Awards Gala and Silent Auction. Recipients represent models of excellence for chapter involvement, commitment and achievement. Due to COVID-19 and "safer-at-home" orders, the 2019-2020 Awards Gala was cancelled. This year's awards will be announced at monthly events from August to November (see below for schedule).
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2019-2020 Award Presentation Schedule
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August
Meeting Venue
Meeting Speaker
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September
Pillar Award
Volunteer of the Year
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October
Beth Calveard
President’s Award
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November
Planner of the Year
Supplier of the Year
New Member of the Year
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2019-2020 Circle of Excellence Awards Nomination Form
Can you think of an MPI Tennessee Chapter member who has made significant contributions to MPI, our chapter, and the meetings industry? Recognize members who represent leadership and excellence in the meeting profession by nominating them for an award.
Complete this online form
to nominate an MPI Tennessee member for the Planner of the Year, Supplier of the Year, and New Member of the Year Awards.
Before you complete the nomination form, please note:
- You can nominate as many people as you wish.
- Nominees must be current members of MPI.
- Please note, the 2019-2020 board members are not eligible for awards.
- Nominations close August 1, 2020.
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If you did not know, 2020 is MPI Tennessee's 40th Anniversary!! Over the next seven months we will be highlighting long-term members and celebrating the history of our chapter through storytelling. Thank you to the 40th Anniversary committee for all of your hard work on this project!
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Melanie Clifford
My favorite MPI:TN memory would have to be going on the road for the RISE Award Winning "MPI Rocks Your World Road Trip". There was just something magical about traveling across the entire state in three days. Watching the excitement via social media as we were driving into each city was really cool. Seeing our MPI:TN members and meeting new potential members interacting with the crew and special guests was so rewarding. If they can't come to us, then we have to take it to them!
Over the course of my MPI:TN career, I have watched our chapter continue to become a leader among chapters. The one thing that I love about our chapter is our succession plan. I have watched this grow over the years. I believe that is one of the main reasons we continue to have strong leadership year after year. Even as people come and go, we still remain strong!
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Congratulations to our May Rockstars!
We are so grateful to you both for all of your hard work with our 40th Anniversary celebrations. We can't wait to celebrate with you this Fall!
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Congratulations to our June Rockstar!
Lori Hulet has been a Rockstar with assisting our leadership team during our Covid-19 pause. She volunteered a lot of great ideas to stay connected with our membership and hosted our largest attended Hot Topic Happy Hour where she discussed her thoughts on what’s next and what she’s looking for as a Bridgestone planner. Lori continues to share her many years of planning expertise with our chapter, and we are so thankful for her.
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We are always researching and updating ways to help, highlight, and communicate with our members and sponsors, and we are excited to provide a few new pages under the Chapter News section on our website! As always, if you have questions about any of these pages or know of other resources that would be helpful for your peers, please email
mpitn.communications@gmail.com
- Current Resources - This page provides links to resources that may be helpful for your business and professional career, as well as current industry standards
- Member Spotlights - 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. Also, be sure to fill out the Membership Spotlight form so we can add you to this page!
- Rockstars - Just like on our Past Circle of Excellence Award Winners page, we want to highlight the contributions you as members and volunteers give to our chapter. We started a page to help continue the recognition for those who have gone above and beyond the minimum duties as a chapter member.
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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!
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As we start to reopen business after the COVID-19 "Safe At Home" orders, we know businesses will start to re-hire their employees. However, some businesses will need new candidates to join their team. 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.
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New to the family in June
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Heather Ainsworth
Batch USA
Cindy Tipler
The Innovatis Group
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Congratulations to our members celebrating an MPI anniversary in July!
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Judy R.Allen, CMP, CME - 22 years
Tracey M. Henniger, CMP - 17 years
Darcy North - 15 years
Scarlett R. Coffman, CMP - 14 years
Billy Kirsch - 12 years
Therese M. Byrne - 11 years
Valerie Summers, DMCP - 9 years
Kerri Blair - 5 years
Chelsey Shults Wells - 5 years
Holly Carpenter - 4 years
Tammy Gilbert Cardona, CMP - 4 years
Abigail Lawrence - 3 years
Carly Spielvogel, CPCE - 3 years
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Cayce Brasel - 2 years
Jessica Bushnell - 2 years
Lauren Ratcliff- 2 years
Jennifer Cheung Cline - 1 year
Edward Coleman- 1 year
Heather Dameron, CMP- 1 year
Christopher A. Hodge, CMM - 1 year
Jody Lentz - 1 year
Shelby McCoy - 1 year
Cindy Meyerer, DMCP - 1 year
Dana Patel- 1 year
Scott Pederson - 1 year
Ryan Walters - 1 year
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*Note:
If you notice that your designation or years of membership are wrong, or you don't see your name, your profile on MPI Global's website may need to be updated! Log in to your profile on
www.mpi.org
to make changes, or contact us at 615-373-8002 if you have any questions.
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