Heartland PCMA - Summer 2010 Newsletter

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the heartland beat

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Almost 50 people went on ‘strike’ Thursday, August 5th at our Chapter’s 9th Annual Bowl-a-thon. The night was filled with great fun, team spirit and of course, the occasional gutter ball. Holly Windham, JW Marriott Chicago, had more than her fair share, winning the most gutter balls award! Todd Statz, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, took home the award for highest score!

It wasn’t just a night of fun, our bowlers rallied together to collect hundreds of dollars worth of much needed school supplies for the children of Operation Breakthrough (www. operationbreakthrough.org). Participants also dug deep in their pockets and donated $120.00 for our Chapter’s scholarship fund by purchasing complimentary stay certificates for Marriott, Renaissance & JW Marriott hotels and resorts.

SUMMER 2010

The sponsors for our event donated $3500 for our Chapter! This year’s fabulous sponsors included the Anaheim Marriott, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Boston Marriott Copley Place, Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Louisville Marriott Downtown, Kansas City Marriott Downtown, Marco Island Marriott

Beach Resort, New York Marriott Marquis, Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter & Riverwalk, Sawgrass Marriott, Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina, Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace, Renaissance Chicago Downtown, Renaissance Nashville, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, Renaissance St. Louis Grand, Renaissance Washington DC, JW Marriott Chicago, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Indianapolis, JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Also: Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, & the Argosy Hotel & Casino.

The evening concluded with fabulous ‘trophies’ for Highest Score, Best Attire, Lowest Score of course, best Spirit! Thank you to everyone who participated. Please join us next year for this fabulous event!

If you are interested in joining the Community Service Committee please contact, Stephanie Deel at stephanie.deel@marriott.com.

2010 Heartland Chapter Board of Directors President Missy Johnson, CMP American Academy of Family Physicians

President-Elect Robin O’Connor HelmsBriscoe

Secretary Mike Rowan Experient

Treasurer Mary Ryan Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association

Immediate Past-President Teresa Hellman Experient

Directors Jenny Conrad, CMP Gateway Center in Collinsville, IL Vicki Comegys Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau Marilyn Kohler Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau Ronda Vaughn, CMP Optimist International Sherie L. Howell, CMP, CMM A-S-K Associates, Inc. Amy Harper, CMP National Association of Insurance Commissioners

A message from Missy...

Hello and Happy Summer Heartland Chapter!

As the summer months are winding down and we are all gearing up for the start of fall with a new school year for our kids and a busy convention season, I’m reminded of how cyclical our industry is. We strategize, budget, plan, evaluate and book in the same cycle each year. Time passes so quickly and a year seems to pass by in a flash. Don’t you often ask yourself, “Didn’t I just do this yesterday?”

Sure…every once in a while your boss throws you a special project or extra goal to work on too but our day-to-day responsibilities remain in a very predictable pattern.

Knowing this, it can be easy to do what we’ve always done and repeat programs, event elements and venue locations year after year. It’s much harder to stretch your skills during each step of the planning process to offer something new and different for the attendee. As planners, we ensure our own success within our organization if we work to strategically think through all the elements of a meeting to improve each of them year-over-year. Where I work – we call it “the WOW factor”. We always ask ourselves– what else can we do to provide a WOW factor? During the booking phase, it might mean negotiating for an extra concession, during the budgeting phase, it might be finding ways to reduce expenses and increase revenue and during the planning phase, it’s usually trying new things to enrich the attendee experience. We’ve shifted our thinking from “this is the way we’ve always done it” planning to “forget what we did last year and let’s start fresh”. Although at first it seems like a difficult mind-shift, I think you’ll find at the end of the process that you’ve enriched the experience for the attendee and for yourself.

I hope you enjoy this issue of the Heartland Beat – you’ll find a re-cap of our chapter events held in June, July and August with a look ahead to what to expect in the rest of 2010. Through this newsletter, our volunteer leaders work hard to ensure you are aware of all the chapter has to offer to encourage you to remain active. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event soon!

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or feedback to share!

Chapter National Board Liaison Jim Goodman American Dental Association

Chapter Administrator Nonie Lowry LP etc

Contact Information heartland.chapter@pcma.org 913.402.7102

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Missy Johnson, CMP 2010 Heartland President

Welcome to PCMA! Heartland’s newest members:

2010 Heartland Chapter Committee Chairs Annual Meeting Missy Johnson, CMP

Ms. Breana Hennes Student Kansas State University Mr. Tim Warkins General Manager Kincaid Coach Lines, Inc. Ms. Daniele Jodts Program Manager Bishop-McCann Ms. Michelle McSpadden Executive Vice President Bishop-McCann Ms. Erin Schmitz Dir. Of Convention Sales Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau

Miss Chelsea Holloway Student Northeastern State University Marc Lassalle Student Northwood University Carolyn Sterbenz Regional Director of Sales Prestige Resorts & Destinations Emily Shelton Conference Services Coordinator Hotel Phillips

Ms. Chelsey Barnes Student Kansas State University

Sherry Scorby Convention/Events Sales Director Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau

Ms. Kaitlin Kuhnhoff Student Kansas State University

Robyn L. Creel Student Kansas State University

Ms. Libby Coulter Student Kansas State University Miss Elizabeth Woodworth Student Kansas State University Mrs. Ashley Harig Student Northeastern State University

Nicole L. Jans Student Kansas State University Lauren C. Horst Student Kansas State University Caroline J. Morrand Student Kansas State University

Shelby N. Swartz Student Kansas State University Morgan L. Erickson Student Kansas State University Cameron Bishop CEO Ascend Integrated Media Celia Fritz-Watson Director, Alumni Affairs Notre Dame de Sion School Amanda B. Hogue Student Kansas State University Jennifer Larsen Student Kansas State University Kristen E. Case Student Kansas State University Sarah Jo Scott Student Kansas State University Aesha Beattle Sales Manager Westin Crown Center Hotel Kayla Breann Dodson Student Kansas State University Diane R. Flory Student Kansas State University

Awards and Scholarship Tyler Adkins Hotel Phillips

Communications & Newsletter Editor Co-chair: Robin O’Connor HelmsBriscoe Co-chair: Christine Pennel-Jones, CASE Experient, Inc.

Community Service Chair Stephanie Palmer Deel, CASE San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter & Riverwalk

Membership Karin Robinson, CMP American Academy of Family Physicians

Nominations Teresa Hellman, Experient

Programs Chair Jennifer Lion, CMP Experient Co-Chair: Sherie L. Howell, CMP, CMM

Sponsorship Chair Michelle Murdock Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa Co-chair: Teresa Hellman, Experient

Emerging Leaders

Member Get A Member Program in Full Swing

Kristen Kimbrel, CMP American Academy of Family Physicians

Share your passion for PCMA with others.

Recruit new members for a chance to win great prizes like trips to Hawai’i, Mexico, and Canada.

For the first new member you recruit you’ll receive a $5 Starbucks gift card. Get in on the action today!

Learn more and get started, visit pcma.org/MGAM.

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E-I-E-I-Oh What A Wonderful Community Service Project!

By Brad Plumb

The big yellow school bus rolls into the parking lot, comes to a stop and the double doors open. Here come the riders. Some jump off the last step, some look excited, some bewildered. All of them are looking forward to spending a day on the farm at the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead with members of the PCMA Heartland Chapter.

These are the kids from Operation Breakthrough, the largest nonprofit day care in the region. The children are 4 & 5 years old and they all come from families that live below (some far below) the poverty level. If they are a cross section of kids served, 25% of them are homeless. They are also the most wonderful, most well behaved, loving preschoolers that you would ever want to call your own.

Living in the inner-city, these kids don’t often get to see an eagle, or feed a goat, or ride a horse. It was our job to make sure they had fun and stayed safe. And, because 4 and 5 year olds are always on the move, we were constantly counting heads.

With the cool demeanor typical of the professional meeting planner (or maybe camp counselor), Ty Wofford orchestrated our every move as we went from one stop to the next. Alton Hagen knows that 4-year-olds want nothing more than to be taller than everybody else. He couldn’t keep the kids from climbing on his shoulders, and my guess is that his back paid for it the next day. And past president, Teresa Hellman, always the mother, made sure that the kids ate their sandwiches before their dessert. Geezo Peezo!

Thanks to Brian Arscott, who planned the event, we had 16 chapter members, 13 kids and 4 chaperones. Adults and children paired up

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pretty quickly. Having participated before (PCMA has done this for at least 10 years), I knew that sooner or later one or more children would grab my hand, or ask to be picked up, or maybe just hugged.

They always ask lots of questions about the animals and it’s great fun talking on a pre-school level about the sound a pig makes.

We finish our visit with lunch, but only after everyone has washed their hands (with soap), and said their prayer as a group. The structure they live by in their “day life” is very evident and the adults were all impressed - some maybe wished their own kids or grandkids were as well behaved.

After lunch the kids were in for a big surprise. Stephanie Deel had been taking pictures while they rode the horses. As we prepared for lunch, she raced off to Walgreens, had the photos developed and framed, and she was back in time to present them with a memento of the day. The children were thrilled and we were impressed!

Before we knew it, it was time to say farewell. Some had to be pried off legs, leaving the remains of peanut butter on your pants. We all waved goodbye to the bus, and, once again, I felt privileged for the opportunity to participate. I’ve been told that the kids sleep all the way back; hopefully dreaming of the fun they had at their day on the farm.

For more information about Operation Breakthrough: www.operationbreakthrough.org For more information about The Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead: www.opkansas.org/Things-to-See-And-Do/DeannaRose-Childrens-Farmstead

Do As the Boy Scouts Do

By Jenny Conrad

“Be prepared,” that’s the Boy Scouts motto. Prepared for what?

Everything. As event planners and suppliers we have to be ready for the unexpected at all times. Some of us have manuals on disaster preparedness and I’m sure some of us are just relying on our “remains-cool-under-pressure” skills, so let this article serve as your reminder to review that manual, or maybe get one in place.

Back in May of this year Matt Volk, Assistant Director of Conference Services at Northern Illinois University’s Association Resource Center, was going about his usual business planning a medical symposium for doctors and researchers from around the world. The conference was being held in London with over 70 presenters, 1,000 attendees and numerous vendors and sponsors. Preparations had been underway for over a year. When news broke on April 14 of a volcanic eruption in Iceland, Matt and his team gave little notice to the announcement. As reports of interference with air travel began to develop over the following days and weeks, they started to take great interest. The volcano was wreaking havoc over British air space.

At first their concerns were minimal, and they thought surely the air space would reopen in time for the meeting the first week of May. Preparations continued with a shipment of two pallets of meeting materials. The target ship date was April 21. They began to get very concerned when airports were shut down for multiple days. They looked into switching from air to a cargo ship, but there wasn’t time.

Panic was setting in. Once the airports re-opened, how much back log of freight would there be? Discussions were held daily with the shipping company.

In the meantime, they began working on Plan B. If the pallets didn’t arrive on time, what would they do? It wasn’t feasible to re-print the meeting proceedings in Europe so they looked into creating an abridged meeting agenda that could be quickly produced through a copy center. The shipment also included a number of promotional pieces provided by meeting sponsors. If those didn’t make it on time, how would they get them in front of the attendees? The staff looked into digitizing each piece so it could be provided electronically.

Next, they focused on regional vendors they were using for the meeting. They contacted each supplier and asked them to change all shipments to ground transportation rather than air. They then made plans to covers sessions in case a presenter was unable to make it to the conference. Fortunately, the association has a fantastic physician planning committee and they were able to identify many doctors local to the conference that could be called upon to fill-in. Many were already planning on attending the meeting.

All this work and what if no one was able to attend? Matt and his team worked with their AV company to be prepared to video and audio record each session if necessary. This would allow the association to stream the meeting on their website.

Fortunately, air travel in Europe opened up and flights resumed on a normal schedule prior to the meeting. The pallets of material left the U.S. in time to make it overseas, but then hit another glitch.

Customs at Heathrow Airport were so backed up the pallets weren’t going to make it to the meeting on time. They were fortunate to be working with a freight company that specialized in meetings and events. They were on the phone daily with officials in London and were able to move the materials through the clearance process in time.

As it turned out they only had one group of attendees, from Russia, who had to cancel because of the ash cloud. The rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. Fortunately, most of their “Plan B” didn’t need to be implemented, but it was critical that they were ready with options in place. So do as the Boy Scouts do and “be prepared!” Think through scenarios and what you would do.

Discuss options with your staff. Work with prepared vendors. Show the “unexpected” who’s boss.

PCMA offers several emergency preparedness resources on their website. Click here to check it out: http://www.pcma.org/Resources/Meeting_Management_ Resources/Emergency_Preparedness.htm

Need resources to “Green your Meeting”?

Need some resources and tips to help “green” your meetings.

Visit http://www.pcma.org/Resources/MeetingManagement_Resources/Green_Meetings.htm 5

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Can You Hear Me Now? th A Recap of Our July 8 Meeting

By Brad Plumb

Listening. Who would guess that something you do all of the time, everyday, since the day you were born, would be so difficult to do well?

Each type of listening requires a different approach in order to respond appropriately. It sounds easy, but it takes a concerted effort to do well.

So, what’s the big deal? Who cares if I’m zoning out, thinking about what I have to do next, sending a text message or just filtering you out based on my opinion of you or the perceived value of what you are saying?

She gave us exercises throughout the program to test and hone our skills. One exercise had us listen to a series of audio clips and attempt to understand the conversation. It was much more difficult than it seemed – even after listening to the same conversation more than once.

As it turns out, it is a big deal. Studies show that we screen out approximately two-thirds of everything we hear and it greatly affects our productivity. How many times can you think of the negative effects of something being misconstrued or mishandled at work because someone didn’t listen? How easy is it for you to “tune out” a family member?

The value of listening well is the reason our chapter invited Margie Thomas, productivity strategist, to our July meeting at the Argosy Casino. Margie is a PCMA “Best In Class” speaker, based on positive feedback from the attendees at the annual conference. She was provided by the PCMA Educational Foundation to share this important topic with us.

Listening – real listening – is a skill. We listen for different reasons which require us to pay attention and be aware of what we are hearing. Margie explained to us that we can prioritize what we listen to depending on how valuable the information is and what we intend to do with it later.

We analyzed the different reasons that we listen, such as:

• Appreciative Listening • Empathic Listening • Discerning Listening • Comprehensive Listening • Evaluative Listening

Margie discussed the reasons that we “tune out,” which include everything from being over- or under-stimulated, to the pace and delivery of the speech or the lack of eloquence of the speaker.

Along this same line is that sometimes the receiver’s purpose is different than the sender’s purpose. How often do we turn a deaf ear before someone opens his or her mouth?

The bottom line is: can you afford to be a lazy listener? Can you read that report while your boss shares the company vision? Do you focus on your doctor as he explains the lab results? Can you really listen to your daughter as she describes her day at school while you check your e-mails?

Funny that something that we do so naturally is rarely done well.

Good thing we don’t have the same attitude toward breathing.

After Margie’s presentation, the Argosy presented us with a terrific reception. It was a great opportunity to visit with fellow members, practice our newfound skills and perhaps realize that we need to pay more attention to our listening.

More information, including a handout of the presentation, can be obtained by contacting Margie Thomas at Margie@matconsulting. com or on her website at www.matconsulting.com.

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Heartland Chapter Sponsor Are you working on next year’s budget and looking for a strong marketing ROI from the association market? Then please take note of our limited sponsorship opportunities available for 2011.

• Chapter Reception during the Annual Meeting in Las Vegas NV, January 9-12, 2011 – (Two sponsors at $1,500 each, one spot is already sold) • Annual Installation, Awards and Silent Auction Dinner, Kansas City, MO Feb, 2011 - (Three sponsors at $500 each) • March, April, July and October Educational Programs - $1,000 each – July program is hosted with KCMPI. • November State of the Industry Annual Event – $1,500 – largest attended event of the year.

• August Bowl-a-thon - $125 sponsor level, includes bowling and dinner for one person Please contact Sponsorship Chair, Michelle Murdock, Michelle.

Murdock@pngaming.com or Co-Chair, Teresa Hellman, at Teresa.

Hellman@experient-inc.com for more specific pricing on these great sponsorship opportunities.

Thank you to the following 2010 sponsors: St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau Kansas City Convention and Visitors Authority InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza Agenda KC Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau Argosy Hotel and Casino Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch Hyatt Regency Crown Center

Upcoming Programs October 21, 2010 Increasing Attendee Satisfaction and Exhibitor ROI at Your Meeting with speaker Dave Fellers

November 11, 2010 Annual “State-of-the-Industry” Educational Panel

In conjunction with the St. Louis Society of Association Executives

Don’t miss this great chapter tradition - the panelists are being confirmed now, but it’s shaping up to be one of our best panels yet!

Hyatt Regency St. Louis 4PM-7PM (Program followed by a reception)

Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City 4PM-7PM

If you’re interested in advertising please contact: Christine Pennel-Jones Experient, Inc., Communications Committee Chair Christine.pennel-jones@ experient-inc.com

816.350.1300

ADVERTISE

HERE Want to see your ad in a fu Heartland Beat newslet ture ter?

SIZE

Quarter Page (3.25 x 4.75) Half Page (7.5 x 4.75) Full Page (7.5 x 9.5)

RATE $250 $350 $500

We do a Spring, Summer/ Fall, and Winter newsletter each year.

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Heartland Happenings The Oklahoma City

Convention & Visitors Bureau

Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center, operated by the Little Rock

celebrated National Tourism Week on May 11th with a luncheon to honor nine Hometown Heroes for their contributions to local tourism. In addition, the CVB is reporting that their citizens have approved a new $280 million downtown convention center. The proposal for the new convention center calls for 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and 50,000 square feet of meeting space and a 35,000 square foot ballroom to be built in phase one.

Convention & Visitors Bureau is scheduled for renovation in the fall of 2010. Plans include new carpet, paint, wall treatments, upscale lighting and public art upgrades in all ground floor meeting rooms and public areas. Additionally, new furniture in the lower level lobby as well as artwork and photography throughout the gallery hallway, outside of the center’s over 80,000 square feet of exhibition space, will be included in the project.

Erik Barstow is the new Sales

Several Heartland Chapter members are volunteering on the 2011

Manager for associations at the Sheraton Overland Park. Previously he spent three years at the Overland Park Convention & Visitors Bureau as a sales manager and director of the Overland Park Sports Alliance.

Susan Berger of Palace Resorts is reporting that Le Blanc Spa Resort on the beach in Cancun received the official accreditation of 5 Diamonds. The 260 rooms are served by a butler on every floor for any needs the guests may have.

ASAE annual convention committee. The convention will be held in St. Louis in August next year.

Safer space is now available at the

Hilton Americas-Houston. The 1,200 room hotel now has a state-of-the-art advanced video surveillance system. The 3VR cameras have technology such as facial and license plate recognition, and the ability to follow the trail of a given object.

Give Back: Sign Up for Service N Sync Day! Each year, the Heartland Chapter joins forces with our sister chapters across the nation in giving back to our local communities. Mark your calendar for this year’s Service N Snyc day on November 4th. Members in Kansas City and St Louis will have an opportunity to volunteer for a half-day at their city’s food bank. In addition, chapter members will have an opportunity to have their association or venue participate in a week-long food drive. The food bank in each city will be dropping off and picking up food barrels for our members that want to participate.

If you are interested in taking charge of a food drive for your association or venue, or setting up a food drive or volunteer effort outside Kansas City or St. Louis, contact Stephanie Deel, Community Service Committee Chair, at Stephanie.deel@marriott.com. Your contributions will make a great difference for your community.

INSERT SERVICE N SYNC LOGO HERE. Nonie should have this. If not HQ will have it. I asked Nonie to email it to Christine.