K-State Student Chapter Happenings The KSU PCMA Chapter is working on their first annual fundraiser. Through an idea they saw in Convene Magazine, they are sponsoring the Wine to Water organization by hosting a Wine and Cheese Social on April 28th. 100%
of the proceeds are donated to 3rd world countries to help them source clean water. Prior to that event they will be reaching out to incoming freshman at their open house celebration, April 16th.
isor), Carlie Weibert, Kristin L to R: Dr. Elizabeth Barrett (Adv son Smith, Breana Hennes, Kolbie John
KCMIC Speaker’s Showcase By Brad Plumb, CMP, Overland Park CVB
Maybe one of the hardest decisions a meeting planner has to make is booking the speaker. You can veiw the hotel room, taste the food, and ride on the bus, but how do you know that the speaker that looked good in the brochure or sounded good on the video is going to “wow” your audience? Recommendations are helpful, especially from a trusted source, but nothing compares to being in the audience and seeing that speaker on stage. This is the reason that for the last three years the Kansas City Meetings Industry Council (KCMIC) has hosted a Speakers Showcase. On February 24th, we had the opportunity to see 10 of the best speakers from the Kansas City area at the Westin Crown Center and sponsored by the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. If you were to add all of their fees together, we witnessed $45,000 worth of orators. Each speaker was given 12 minutes to share with the group a small sample of how they might connect with one of our audiences. Before it was over we were motivated, inspired, humored and trained. The audience laughed and cried and took plenty of notes along the way. Perhaps as valuable as seeing the speaker on stage is the opportunity to visit with them one-on-one during the break. Can you tailor your talk? Do you have a book? Have you ever spoken to a group like mine? These are the
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questions asked by the planners. In a fun and informal atmosphere interviews took place to determine if ‘that speaker’ might be the one their organization talks about for years to come. It all comes down to trust and this was an opportunity to determine if we could trust them with one of our most valued professional possessions, our own audience. There was even great value for those attendees that didn’t have the direct responsibility of hiring speakers. It’s good for all of us to have some ideas for a last minute replacement or to know about the presenter with that special something in case we’re ever asked. A little bit of speaker knowledge is a good thing. Each year a different member of the Meetings Industry Council is responsible for hosting the showcase. A special thanks goes to PCMA and specifically Teresa Hellman for being this year’s chair of the showcase. Kelly Tyler and Chuc Barnes with the National Speakers Association coordinated the speakers. Kelly was also one of the speakers and Chuc was our emcee for the morning. If you hire speakers and trainers, or want to know about the best speakers in the region consider the Meeting Industry Council’s Speakers Showcase in 2012.
L to R: Kelly Tyler, Anne Deuschle, Holly Mortim
er, Teresa Hellman, CMP
Membership Survey Results We have just conducted the first membership satisfaction survey in over 4 years and we are thrilled with the results! Thank you to those members who took time to complete the quick 10-question survey online. Over 61% of you are Very or Extremely Satisfied with your chapter membership. Over 56% of you find the opportunity to network with your peers the most beneficial
characteristic of your membership. A whopping 85.2% of you prefer to receive communication about chapter events and information via e-mail over any other method. 79% of you are Very or Extremely Satisfied with the leadership/board of the chapter. These and other results will help us to create the best programs and events with your needs/wants in mind.
Overall, how satisfied are you with your membership in the PCMA Heartland Chapter?