Heartland Chapter Annual Banquet Celebration By: Brad Plumb, CMP, Overland Park CVB
The banquet room at the DoubleTree Overland Park never looked better with bright new carpet that matched the chair covers and special table linen. It was an evening of elegance combined with movement. Not only did we enjoy a 4 course meal, but the event held on February 9th was also the Heartland Chapter Annual Awards Banquet, installation of officers plus live and silent auction. The goal was to make the meeting special without the feeling of a three ring circus. It’s tricky when everyone goes the extra mile to make their part of the evening a success and we all want every piece of the meeting to do well. As emcee I did my best to close the sections of the silent auction between courses. (Section one was somewhere between the portabella mushroom ravioli and the granny smith apple, bleu cheese and cranberry salad.) With the goal of the silent auction to raise money not only for the Chapter, but to support the kids at Operation Breakthrough it was important to keep the excitement high. Also very important to the almost 100 attendee’s was to have an uninterrupted meal as much as possible. The live auction was interwoven between Immediate Past President, Robin O’Connor’s remarks and incoming President, Mary Ryan’s induction. Those receiving special recognition that night included: CONTINUED CHAPTER INVOLVEMENT AWARD Teresa Hellman, CMP Teresa has been a huge asset to our chapter in all aspects. She has served as a Chair on several committee’s and is a Past President. She has increased sponsorship to our chapter over 100% and has organized a committee that will be able to take over with a completely smooth transition. Teresa has a genuine care for the fate of our chapter and her time and dedication she extends to the chapter show’s her passion for the industry. Congratulations, Teresa! MAKES IT HAPPEN! AWARD “B” Waldo B has been instrumental to the success of our Chapter for several years. She is always someone you can count on to assist in every way. B has been a chair on committee’s (even when she didn’t really want to) and has taken over programs that no one seemed to have the time to plan. All have been outstanding successes! She is always visible and able to lend a helping hand at all of our events. Congratulations B!
HEARTLAND CHAPTER SUPPORTER AWARD The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (Dale Schuter, CMP accepted the award) The St. Louis CVC has supported the Heartland Chapter through the years with sponsorships and by allowing their employees to be active members of the chapter, serving on committees and boards. They have supported the reception at the Annual meeting for years and help promote PCMA in the St. Louis area. Congratulations, St. Louis CVC! CHAPTER MEMBER OF THE YEAR Robin O’Connor Robin, too, has been a huge asset to our chapter and has been instrumental to its success for many years. She is a unique and wonderful leader and works hard to inspire and support chapter members, particularly in their effort towards community services. One of Robin’s nominator’s had this to say: “She personally inspired me to want to do more for the chapter and I am looking forward to any opportunity to doing more for Heartland Chapter.” What more could we ask of our President and our 2011 Chapter Member of the Year? Congratulations, Robin! PAST PRESIDENT ROBIN O’CONNOR HONORED Sherie Howell with the Extra Effort Award Elizabeth Huston with the President’s Award ALSO RECOGNIZED FROM THE LECTERN WERE: Bobby Riggins, Agenda Kansas City (slide presentation) Phil Alamang, National Premium (awards) Leroy Burke, LBJ Marketing (photographer) Bob Hite, Doubletree Overland Park (dinner) Veteran member Roger Sherwood installed the 2012 board and made some humorous and poignant remarks regarding the Heartland Chapter and how it has evolved over the years. The attendees were generous and the auction raised over $10,000. Auction Chairperson, Ronda Vaughan and her committee received special thanks for a job well done. The meal, the venue, the speakers, the auction and great conversation with friends all added up to a banquet celebration not soon forgotten. Congratulations to everyone that made this meeting a resounding success!
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