eVision  Newsletter
The Official Publication of the MPI Utah Chapter
November 2005

It’s Our Turn!

Welcome to the First Issue of the
MPI-Utah eVision Newsletter.

Industry publications are constantly highlighting success in our industry – showcasing the who’s who of the event world talking about the how to’s of meeting management. While once in a while one of our “own” is in the spotlight, we inevitably spend more time hearing and reading stories and ideas from “elsewhere” - while not always realizing the incredible people and unparalleled opportunities that are created right here in our own Wasatch Front backyard.

We have an amazing Chapter – with brilliant and talented members. It is with this thought foremost in mind that we have created a new identity for our Chapter newsletter. Our new eVision newsletter offers a more “edgy” look, while encouraging member interest through spotlights on member benefits and highlights about those people who are making a difference in our Chapter.

The eVision newsletter is now interactive – offering links to articles, photos and more information hosted on www.MPIUtah.org and other sites. Under the direction of Utah Chapter member Ed Fraze, CMP, Iceworks, and with the techy talent of our web administrator, James Greenlaw, J & E Web Design, our MPI website is becoming a more user friendly tool for us all.

Working on this issue has been rejuvenating. Look at how far we’ve come as a Chapter – and in such a short amount of time. It’s our turn to be in the spotlight!

Karen Peña, Exposoft Solutions
MPI Utah eVision Newsletter Editor

Have You Heard?

Utah will host the 2009 World Education Congress

Salt Lake City has been awarded the Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) 2009 World Education Congress (WEC). MPI members are currently responsible for more than 700,000 meetings annually and have a buying power of more than $10 billion. The WEC conference is a coveted industry opportunity, enabling Salt Lake City to be showcased as a destination for future meetings and incentive trips being planned by MPI members.

After bidding against several well-known destinations, such as Orlando and Vancouver, Salt Lake was chosen to host the conference. In the end, this prestigious event will introduce approximately 3000 attendees to Salt Lake’s convention center, hotels, restaurants and attractions.

“Bringing influential decision makers to Salt Lake has proven to be the most effective way to sell our destination,” says Mark White, vice president of convention sales for the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau (SLCVB). “Once convention and meeting planners experience Salt Lake’s majestic scenery, compact convention package, first rate facilities and friendly people, they are typically eager to book their events here. Quite simply, the more decision makers we host, the more convention business we book.”

“To demonstrate our ability to accommodate the attendees’ respective groups, the Salt Lake hospitality community will come together to welcome MPI, provide logistical support, and host several of their large social functions,” continues White. “Hosting such a large and influential group will require a significant time and monetary investment from the Bureau and its hospitality partners. However, the return, as measured in future meeting and convention business for Salt Lake, will far outweigh the investment.”

“This feels like the frosting on the cake,” says Beth Belt, CMP, a pioneer member of the MPI Utah Chapter and Director of Conventions for the SLCVB. “Our Utah Chapter members have gone to great lengths over the years to host international MPI leaders, showcasing our Salt Lake hospitality community and letting them know that we are ready and able to host one of MPI’s premier international events. The successful bid for WEC to Salt Lake has been a total team effort of the SLCVB, the MPI Utah Chapter, and the Salt Lake hospitality community,” said Belt.

Established in 1972, Meeting Professionals International (MPI; www.mpiweb.org) is the largest association for the meetings profession with more than 19,000 members in 66 chapters and clubs. As the global authority and resource for the $102.3 billion meetings and event industry, MPI empowers meeting professionals to increase their strategic organizational value through education and networking opportunities.

For more information on MPI and the MPI-Utah Chapter, visit www.mpiutah.org. The MPI Utah Chapter offers a special thanks to the SLCVB as well as the local host committee, for their part in successfully bringing WEC to Salt Lake City.

MPI PED is Next Week – November 8

"It's All About U" at the MPI Utah Chapter’s Largest Education Program of the Year.

Click here to sign-up for a PED Sponsorship Package

Click here to register for MPI Utah's PED

Platinum Keynote: Gendersmart: Influencing Up For Results And Career Advancement

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your leadership and communication with co-workers, management, staff, prospects, spouse and family, this enlightening and humorous program is for you. Learn about communication style differences, including how they affect perceptions and cause misunderstandings. Have fun while learning specific tips for working successfully with the many communication differences between men and women. Improve your teamwork, leadership and advancement potential by communicating in ways suitable for each gender at higher levels.

After participating in this session, you will be able to:

• Understand how communication differences affect performance, teamwork, and advancement potential.
• Understand how style differences cause misperceptions and misunderstandings, and how these misperceptions lead to conflicts and problems.
• Learn how to communicate more effectively and improve your leadership and advancement potential.

Speaker: Jane Sanders - President, Authentic Leadership Resources

Jane Sanders is a speaker, trainer, and consultant. Her topics are Authentic Leadership for Women, Gender Communication, Presentation Skills, and Facilitation. Jane’s clients include Ford Motor Co., Toyota USA, Chevron, PBS, Anheuser-Busch, Mass Mutual, Prudential, Nestlé, National Association of Fleet Administrators, General Services Administration, and many more companies and associations. Jane also facilitates strategic planning sessions and retreats.

Platinum Series: Hotel & Meeting Contracts: An Insider's Guide

Made possible by a generous grant from the MPI Foundation

Negotiating contracts is one of the toughest jobs in the meetings industry. As soon as you master the complexities of a favorable agreement, everything changes -- new charges are imposed, terrorism threats raise security concerns, a health scare dampens attendance, or the hotel changes management. You need to react to these changes at the bargaining table or your company and its profits will suffer down the road. Join hospitality attorney, Joshua L. Grimes, Esq., in an interactive and fast-paced discussion of the hottest issues in meeting contracts. Topics will include attrition, force major cancellation, booking outside the block, and risk management. Mr. Grimes will explain the “hidden meaning” in the most important contract clauses and suggest ways to negotiate a fair and workable contract.

After participating in this session, you will be able to:

• Identify key contracting trends in the meetings industry.
• Draft comprehensive attrition and cancellation provisions that protect your critical interests.
• Implement risk management techniques to minimize the likelihood of injuries or damage that will harm your guests and your company.

Speaker: Joshua Grimes, Esq.

Joshua L. Grimes is a Philadelphia-based attorney specializing in serving the hospitality industry. His clients include meeting and event planners, hotels, associations, and suppliers. Mr. Grimes' legal services include preparing and negotiating contracts in the U.S. and abroad, commercial litigation, and counseling on all types of legal issues, including liquor liability, governmental relations, intellectual property, ADA compliance, and employment law. Mr. Grimes is Counsel to the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, and a member of MPI and several other industry associations. He is a frequent author and speaker, and is a part of MPI's Platinum Series. Mr. Grimes is also an Adjunct Professor of Hospitality & Tourism Law at Temple University.

PowerPoint

Learner outcomes:

• Recognize/understand good design when using PowerPoint
• Work in Outline View
• Use Master Slides for quick design /layout
• Know how to use/change Templates
• Master a few “advanced” techniques

Excel

Learner outcomes:

• Understand basic menu/tools
• Structure a Worksheet
• Build a simple formula
• Use some Database Techniques
• Use some of the Special Excel Techniques

Presenters: Dichotomy - Two successful entrepreneurs, Lynda Butterworth and
Alice Belisle, have combined their business acumen. From cyber security issues to helping companies maximize and leverage their best assets… well-trained employees, and underused resources, DICHOTOMY has a track record unsurpassed.

Attendees need to bring their own laptops with Power Point and Excel programs already loaded.

Identity Fraud

Learner outcomes:

• what id theft is
• how it occurs
• steps they can take to protect themselves.

Speaker: Michael Scott - Community Education Specialist for the High Tech Crimes Unit of the Utah Attorney General’s Office.

Michael offers education and training on ID Fraud and Cyber Crime to groups throughout the state. Michael is from Salt Lake City, and graduated with a B.S. from Westminster College. He also has a J.D. from Emory University in Atlanta.

Panel Discussion: Stress Free Event Planning On A Budget

Learner outcomes: Participants can expect to take away valuable information on using available resources to assist in staying within a budget while offering successful events.

Panel: Susan Liston of Davis CVB, Keith Griffal of Western Leisure, Wendy Adamson of Snowbird, Doug Smith of Scenemakers and planner Alysse Jones, facilitated by Laura Cappel.

From the President

First Four Months of Education a Resounding Hit!

By Pauline Gunn, Unishippers Association, Inc.
President

The first four months of the Utah Chapter Educational year for 2005 – 2006 have been very exciting and instructive. July started with the World Education Congress (WEC) where the Utah Chapter was represented with over thirty attendees. August brought the Membership Kick-off event. Attendees discovered what educational events for 2005-2006 would be available; how to attain certifications of CMP and CMM; and, tricks for speed networking. September brought us the 14th Annual Fall Outing. MPI partnered with members from UBTA and USAE. We spent the day networking, playing golf and horseback riding and enjoying spa treatments. Read about the Golf Tournament winners in the article below. October brought the Member Showcase spotlighting and showing the incredible talents of our members. It was a great opportunity to have some fun, talk, laugh and learn.

“It’s All About U” the Professional Education Day (PED) scheduled for November 8th is All About You! Being held at the Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Center, in Park City. You will embark on a jam-packed day full of education opportunities. You don’t want to miss this opportunity!

December 6th brings us the Annual Holiday Gathering taking place at Log Haven. On January 10th learn how to “Lead Out Loud” with a special video presentation by Amanda Gore. For February’s Valentine's Day, you won’t want to miss learning which fork to use if you don’t get a salad or how do you hold a plate, a drink, give out your business card and still shake hands! Dining skills for today and a special Valentine lunch at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Gateway awaits you. You can look forward to these and anticipate many more professional development opportunities that lie ahead.

Have you ever tried to explain to a family member or friend what you do for a living? Or have you ever explained to your HR department the skills needed for a new staff planner? If so, you know the difficulties of explaining the intricacies of meeting planning as a career to those not familiar with the industry. Meeting planners are still perceived as logistics managers or elaborate, corporate party throwers instead of strategic contributors to a company’s success. But MPI is about to change that!

The management of meetings is a multi-billion dollar industry, which brings an enormous positive economic impact and generates millions of jobs globally, yet it is not yet fully understood or viewed as a profession. In order to bring the attention that you so richly deserve, MPI is building a body of knowledge designed to elevate the role of meetings in business and influence executives about the strategic value of meetings.

In January 2006, MPI will launch MPI Member Solutions – formerly known as Career Pathways – an industry-changing initiative which will define meeting planning as a recognized, respected profession through standardized meeting planner job descriptions, core competencies and outreach to human resource professionals, CEOs, faculty and students. This launch represents the culmination of enormous and unprecedented investments into MPI financial resources, staffing, volunteer time, technology infrastructure and more since 2003.

MPI Member Solutions is comprised of three main components:

• My MPI: a personalized Web portal delivering education, content and information specific to member profiles and preferences. (www.mpiweb.org will still exist but will be geared to non-members and those not familiar with the meetings industry. Members will log into their personal My MPI page.)
• MPI Professional Pathways: a Web-based skills assessment, gap analysis and development plan tool based on the industry’s first clearly defined core competencies and job descriptions for meeting professionals
• MPI Resources: a one-on-one center for career counseling, resume building, mentoring, job-searching and posting, news, research, best practices, and how-tos for meeting professionals via Web and phone

Now available at www.mpiweb.org/resources/pathways/, is a demonstration of the planners’ skills self-assessment. After it is launched, this self-assessment will provide valuable, never-before-available data, based on your skill set and career aspirations and will then create a personal roadmap for your development, complete with classes, resources, tools, etc. As an additional bonus, your Chapter leaders can research chapter-wide where members fit in terms of skill set and plan chapter education based on data and not guesswork. It’s a win-win for you personally and for your future investment with MPI … you get the education and skills you desire and need most to be a success and move up in your career.

There will be many phases to the rollout of MPI Member Solutions, but MPI Professional Pathways and My MPI launch in conjunction with 2006 PEC-NA in Charlotte, North Carolina. For suppliers, starting in January 2006, they will also get personalized information via My MPI and access to our MPI Resources.

Mark your calendar for January 2006 and get ready for MPI Member Solutions’ bold move towards making meetings a true profession and creating a lifetime of professional success for you!

A Showcase of Success!

The 2nd Annual Showcase Event was a great success – with 16 new member prospects and a few others that have already committed.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors for their support. See Photos…

Fastkart Indoor Speedway offered a fun and exciting atmosphere, allowing the group an opportunity to see who had the heaviest foot on the track.

We were blown away by the inventive and tasty creations of our sponsoring caterers: A Taste of the Wasatch, Cuisine Unlimited, Culinary Crafts and Panache.

The ambiance of the event was brought to life by Scenemakers and Design Werks. Iceworks provided our showpiece ice sculpture, while Specialty Imaging offered souvenir photographs. Grand Prix Apparel provided crew shirts for MPI Board members, and Richard Johnson Photography captured this event for us.

$2000.00 Scholarship Opportunity

Scholarship applications are now being accepted for the MPI 2006 Professional Education Conference in Charlotte, NC (January 22-24) or the 2006 MPI World Education Congress (WEC), which will be in Dallas, TX (July 9-11). The Utah chapter will be awarding one scholarship this year in the amount of $2,000.00 to be used towards attending one of these conferences.

The purpose of the scholarship is to provide MPI Utah members an opportunity to obtain financial assistance for the educational opportunities supported by MPI. Any chapter member in good standing who has been a member for one year and is not a MPI Utah Board Member or involved with the scholarship selection committee is eligible.

• Applications will be reviewed and scholarships awarded based on the following scale:
• MPI Utah contribution and participation (60%)
• Professional benefit of scholarship to recipients' professional goals (20%)
• Years in the meetings profession/years as MPI member (10%)
• Other contributions (10%)

If you are interested in applying for the MPI Utah’s Educational Scholarship, please call Brett Losee at (801) 486-0600 ext. 268 or e-mail at brett.losee@mpiutah.org and an application will be sent to you. Application deadline is 5:00pm on November 18, 2005. Applications are also available on-line at www.mpiutah.org.

MPI Utah’s Newest CMP

By Karen Peña, Exposoft Solutions
VP of Communications

Congratulations to Vickie Kress, Softbrands, for receiving the designation of Certified Meeting Professional (CMP).

Director of Events for Softbrands for more than 15 years, Kress moved to Castle Valley, Utah, six years ago. From this remote location 25 miles northeast of Moab, and with a “breathtaking” view of the LaSal Mountains, Kress telecommutes as an event planner. She is currently responsible for several U.S. and Mexico-based meetings in addition to assisting with customer events globally.

“Our business is tied to, and dependent on, taking care of our customers,” says Dave Gahn, vice president of global services for Softbrands. “One of the biggest, most strategically important events we do is our user conference. It takes all year to plan and is an overwhelming project. Vickie makes it all seem so easy.”

According to Gahn, when he is hiring a new staff member, he looks for someone with career development plans. “It’s great to part of a professional organization like MPI,” says Gahn, “one where people can connect and work with others who are doing the same type of work - and where someone can add to the professionalism of their endeavors. It’s important to make investments in our own careers.”

“I decided that I wanted to become a CMP during the first International MPI education meeting I attended,” said Kress. “After talking to other CMP’s, I respected their knowledge and skill levels and wanted to be one of them.” But according to Kress, it wasn’t until after she received news that she passed that CMP examination and had received this coveted industry designation, that she truly realized how important it was to her.

Due to her remote location, Kress said that recommended study groups were impossible for her to attend. Instead, she became active with on-line discussion groups, finding on-line assistance to be invaluable as she maneuvered the rigorous course of applying and testing. “My fellow on-line group members provided me with the confidence, knowledge and advice that I needed to succeed,” she said.

New Member Spotlight

Nicole Souvall (Coco) is a University of Utah student who is on her way to becoming an Event and Meeting Planner. A professional ballet dancer until 2003, Coco is now a senior at the University of Utah with a May 2006 graduation date. “I am majoring in Parks Recreation and Tourism with an emphasis in Leisure Services Management,” says Coco. “I joined MPI because I want to get more involved in the meeting and convention business and to stay current on all the trends in the industry.” Coco is starting an internship at Salt Lake City based MeetingsAmerica in January. She says she is looking forward to her membership in MPI and the benefits and experiences that it will bring.

MPI Foundation – What is it About?

By Cynthia Mitchell, CMP
Immediate Past President
ASC, Inc.

As the Immediate Past President of the MPI Utah Chapter, I have the privilege of serving as our Chapter Liaison to the MPI Foundation. I had an opportunity to participate in a meeting at the WEC sponsored by the Foundation to learn more about its activities and initiatives. Having been very involved in MPI for some time, I never fully understood what the purpose of the Foundation was until attending this meeting. I imagine I’m not alone in having a lack of knowledge about the Foundation, so my first purpose is to introduce our chapter members to the Mission of the Foundation.

As summarized on the Foundation website, the MPI Foundation was first incorporated in 1984 by the Meeting Professionals International association (MPI), its chartering organization. The MPI Foundation (then named the "MPI Education Foundation") became active in 1987 with a mission to research the meeting planning profession, identify opportunities to increase the productivity and communication value of meetings, and help the meeting stakeholders achieve their meeting objectives. The initial funding catalyst was a five year $250,000 grant provided by ITT Sheraton to establish the industry's first library of meeting resources.

The MPI Foundation conducts primary research, both theoretical and applied, on the global meetings industry. The Foundation has a mandate from MPI to provide the visionary thinking that will improve the productivity of meetings. In September of 1994, concurrent with the introduction of MPI's recently created Strategic Plan, the MPI Foundation Board of Trustees established the following as its "mission":

In cooperation with Meeting Professionals International, the MPI Foundation will support and fund Foundation research and development projects that embrace the MPI Mission.

So, now that you have the “dictionary” version, my plan is to spotlight a few of the Foundation programs in future issues of the MPI Utah eVision Newsletter. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the Foundation or its programs, please E-mail me at Cynthia.Mitchell@mpiutah.org.

Newly Formed Philanthropy Committee for MPIU

As a non-profit organization committed to community activism, MPIU has recently organized the MPIU Philanthropy Committee. The committee will be involved in choosing the organization that will benefit from the Chinese Auction Fundraiser in April of 2006. In addition, the committee will research, organize and provide opportunities for chapter members to participate in various community projects with philanthropic organizations in the local area. The committee will have their first meeting on Tuesday, November 15th at 3:30pm at Exposoft Solutions Offices (2180 S. 1300 E., #630). The committee is looking for additional members! Bright people with enthusiasm for life and great ideas are wanted! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Vicki Berntsen, CMP, Chair of Philanthropy for MPIU at 801-424-9176 or vberntsen@exposoft.com.

Fall Outing Recap

By Elizabeth Payne, Vision Event Productions
President-Elect

The 14th Annual Fall Outing was held on September 14, 2005 at the Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah. Three key industry organizations joined forces to make this year’s event a great success. Members from MPI, Utah Society of Association Executives (USAE) and Utah Business Travel Association (UBTA), spent the day networking, playing golf, riding horseback and enjoying spa treatments. See Photos…

107 Golfers hit the greens at 8:00am for a Shotgun Start Scramble Tournament. Each hole was sponsored by a member from one of the three organizations. Many set up contests such as closest to the pin, longest drive, and straightest drive to add to the fun of the event.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Hole #8. Kroft Marine brought in a beautiful boat for the “Hole in One Contest.” No one was able to sink it for the grand prize, but everyone tried!

Another memorable moment on the course was at the tee box sponsored by Iceworks. Iceworks owner, Ed Fraze, CMP froze several colorful golf balls in a large block of ice and invited participants to use ice picks to retrieve the balls.

While the golfers were battling it out on the greens. Many other members spent a relaxing morning in the Homestead spa enjoying massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. For the more adventurous spirits, two groups of horseback riders hit the trails.

After the morning activity, everyone gathered for a barbeque luncheon as we awaited the announcement of the tournament winners. The 2005 winners are as follows:

1st Place: Gardner Buchanen, Mike Allen, Rod Deadrick & Ellie Driver

2nd Place: Chris Cooley, Kevin Kroft & Carter Rockwood

3rd Place: E.L. Lancanaster, Kevin Ellis, Dave Johnson & Brian Ellis

Most Honest: Laura Cappel, Anne Lalonde, Ed Fraze & Kara Swensen

Lastly, we had a truly overwhelming response from sponsors for donations for the raffle drawing prize giveaways. From hot air balloon rides to night stays at premium hotels to Best Buy gift certificates, a large variety of fun gifts were distributed. A special thank you goes out to everyone who submitted prize drawings and to all of our sponsors listed below.

We’ll see you next year!

The Fall Outing is known for the impressive list of sponsors – and this year was no exception. Thank you again to all the Fall Outing sponsors.