Carolina Blitz February - March 2021

Carolina Blitz February - March 2021

Annual Meeting The Beaufort Hotel | Beaufort, NC May 16-17, 2021

CAROLINAS CHAPTER

NESTLED

IN

NATURE

CaesarsMeansBusiness.com | 855-633-8238

in this issue...

features Meaning Mean Business - GMID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Social Media Challenge - January. . . . . . . . . . . . 14

in every issue Our Annual Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Our Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Monthly Meeting Planner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 MPI-CC Board & Committee Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12

Photo by Ir Solyanaya from Pexels

Board Meeting Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

1

MPI-CC THANKS OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS! We Appreciate Your Support!

Platinum Sponsor:

Diamond Sponsors:

Gold Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors:

Convention Center & Visitors Bureau

2

| Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021

our members Welcome New Members!

Membership Engagement would like to welcome all of our new members who have joined us recently. Please plug in to the chapter, volunteer and engage! We welcome your questions and will connect you with an ambassador once you have registered for your first meeting. However, if you would like an ambassador before you attend your first meeting, just let us know. We are here to help and make sure you are right where you would like to be with your membership! Please reach out to Mica Parekh, Director of Membership Engagement at mica@ iwpphotography.com or Alicia Miller, Chair of Membership Engagement at amiller@raleighchamber.org. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you soon!

Please welcome the following new members from the January 1 – February 28, 2021 period.

Barbara Coley Blockade Runner Beach Resort Barbara.Coley@blockade-runner.com Casey James Beaufort Inn events@beaufortinn.com Seanan Keleher Kiawah Island Golf Resort seanan_keleher@kiawahresort.com Cristin Thomas BCD Meetings & Events cristin.thomas@bcdme.com Tina Truesdale Visit Mobile ttruesdale@mobile.org Donna Varner MHI dvarner@mhi.org Katie Wood The American Board of Anesthesiology Katie.Wood@theaba.org

Mica Parekh, CMP IWP Photography Director of Member Engagement

MPI-CC Anniversaries 25 Years Yvonne Patton, CMM Yvonne Patton, CMP

Elizabeth Peeler, CMP, CMM D-P Planning Meetings & Events 20 Years Lori Hedrick, CMP, CMM, MHA, CSEP Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Jean Travers HelmsBriscoe 15 Years Julia Blackwell, CMP Wake Forest University 10 Years Nicole Keshler Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau

Sherri Martin Michelin North America 5 Years Emily DeHont, CMP Visit Charlotte

Beth Denny, CMP FirstPoint Management Resources Danielle Murnieks PRX Exposition Services | Party Reflections Inc Lynn Skinner The Rizzo Center Congratulations to each of you for reaching a milestone in MPI!

CALLING ALL WRITERS Do you dream of being a published author?

If so, the Blitz is looking for you! While we’re not the Wall Street Journal, getting published in the Blitz is a great way to share your ideas with fellow MPI-CC members and earn points toward your CMP certification. The Blitz is always accepting original articles and great topic ideas. To submit your articles or ideas, please contact Cathy Mauldin, CMP, at CathyMauldin@gmail.com or submit via our website at www.mpi.org/carolinas.

Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

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monthly meeting planner April 22-23, 2021

Hybrid Meeting Platforms Tradeshow | Virtual

May 16-17, 2021

Annual Meeting

The Beaufort Hotel | Beaufort, NC

July 8-9, 2021

Asheville Crowne Plaza | Asheville, NC

BrianAJackson/iStock/Thinkstock

September – Coming soon!

November 4-5, 2021

SpringHill Suites Greenville Downtown | Greenville, SC

Reminder: Deadline for submissions for the next Carolina Blitz is Friday, May 21, 2021.

Please submit any articles or photographs to be considered for publication to Editor-In-Chief Cathy Mauldin, CMP, at cathymauldin@gmail.com.

ensboro

e Visit Gr

WE’RE READY FOR YOU .

VisitGreensboroNC.com 4

| Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021

president’s message Reunite. Stronger. Together.

Greetings MPI-CC, While we continue to meet virtually, we are grateful for the opportunity to keep members connected in the month of January through education, social networking, and an interactive game of BINGO. We appreciate all the attendees, speakers, and event partners who participated in our January education meeting.

From COVID safety protocols for in-person meetings, navigating hotel contracts, to hearing important information on how the meeting industry can be a part of the fight to prevent and end human trafficking, the January event was one you did not want to miss. I hope that we delivered relevant and timely education that will increase your personal and professional development. We know many of our members continue to face challenging times right now, and we want to stay Amelia Hodges, CMM, CMP in constant contact to keep you connected to job opportunities, resume support, North Carolina Association and financial support from MPI Global. If you have recently changed jobs, please of CPAs, Morrisville, NC be sure to update your email address with us so you are receiving the latest chapter news and job opportunities. Our focus this year is serving our members and keeping our chapter in business. And on behalf of our board of directors, committee volunteers, and management office, we appreciate your continued support in helping us keep our chapter alive so we can deliver high quality content, career opportunities, and networking for our chapter.

We appreciate YOU! I would also like to remind you of a few benefits from MPI Global below: MEMBERSHIP RELIEF: There are several relief packages available if you are suffering a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis. We encourage you to please email help@mpi.org for support so you can remain an MPI member and be a part of our chapter.

EDUCATION: The MPI Academy has compiled a strong collection of relevant programming to our community –– members and non-members. Live webinars are being added regularly so continue to check this link https://academy.mpiweb.org/mpi/pages/webinars for more information and to register. MPI is currently offering a savings up to $210 if you register for the in-person WEC on June 15-17, 2021 at the Caesars Forum Las Vegas by 4/30.

MPI MEMBER RESUME SUPPORT: Did you know that MPI members have access to complimentary resume critique through our career center? Members will need their MPI username/password to access this free service. Check out the MPI Career Center at https://careers.mpi.org/ for an updated list of featured jobs.

EQUALITY AND JUSTICE: Driven by MPI’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, this group of leaders serves to help meeting and event professionals empower members of the MPI community to create diverse and inclusive meetings and events. If you are interested in contributing to the conversation by offering resources, feedback, concerns or testimonials, click here to complete the form. Also, you can find additional podcasts, articles, webinars, and books here.

Thank you MPI Carolinas members for your continuous support and allowing me the opportunity to serve with you. If you have any suggestions or questions, please don’t hesitate to connect with me personally at ahodges@ncacpa.org. Your hard-working Board of Directors and committee leaders are here to listen and support you.

Be great and share a smile!

Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

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MPI-CC 2020-2021 Board of Directors and Committees Leadership President Amelia Hodges, CMP, CMM North Carolina Association of CPAs 919-469-1040, ext. 128 ahodges@NCACPA.org

President-Elect Ricardo Hicks Tech Factory 336-686-6895 rhicks@techfactoryproductions.com

Immediate Past President Nicole Keshler Greater Raleigh CVB 919-645-2682 nkeshler@visitraleigh.com

Director of Professional Development Brandon Crumpton Key Signature Entertainment 704-568-1968 brandon@keysignatureonline.com

Leadership & Volunteer Development Chair Rachel Whitten Greenville-Pitt County CVB 252-329-4200 RWhitten@greenvillenc.gov

Chapter Administrator Christine Irwin, CMP The Management Office 704-377-5648 Christine@ themanagementoffice.com

Publications Committee Chair Cathy Mauldin, CMP DESA, Inc. Onsite at CDM Smith 803-917-1871 cathymauldin@gmail.com

Social Media Committee Chair Sarah Casella McGill & Hill Group 704-323-4155 sarah.casella@mcgillhillgroup.com

Education Committee Cathy Carpenter Visit Mooresville 704-799-2400, ext 205 cathy@visitmooresville.com

Professional Certifications Committee Co-Chair Jessica Garrett, CMP Cisco 984-216-4857 jegarret@cisco.com

Communications VP of Marketing and Communications Ashelyn Roberts ConferenceDirect 336-880-7024 Ashelyn.roberts@ conferencedirect.com

Education VP of Program Development Nicole Filippo, CMP Elon University 336-278-6091 nfilippo@elon.edu

Professional Certifications Committee Co-Chair Tessa Barrier, CMP MHI 704-714-0000 TBarrier@mhi.org

Finance VP of Finance Jamie Frydlo jfrydlo@gmail.com

Director of Special Events Najauna White 919-680-8305 najauna.white@gmail.com

Tradeshow Committee Chair Alison Harding, CMP, GTP, CMM 919-461-8698

Auction Committee Chair Needed

Member Engagement VP of Member Engagement Deanna Griffith House, CMP, GWPgM, CME, PMP, PCM, CMM Charter Spectrum Reach 704-941-3482 deanna.k.griffith@gmail.com

Director of Member Engagement Mica Parekh, CMP IWP Photography 919-270-2510 mica@iwpphotography.com

Member Engagement Committee Chair Alicia Miller, CMP Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce 919-664-7090 amiller@raleighchamber.org Awards Committee Chair Beth Tanner Duke Cancer Network 919-681-9869 beth.tanner@duke.edu

6

| Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021

Look Forward,

Meet Back in Winston-Salem

Centrally located in North Carolina, Winston-Salem is a welcoming meeting destination with a history committed to reinvention and

Proud to Partner:

innovation. Named a Forbes’ Top 10 Best Downtown, Winston-Salem boasts a vibrant, walkable city center, ideal outdoor meeting spaces, and

more

Meet with

than

5,000

comfort

hotel

and

ease

rooms—including in

downtown’s

1,200

downtown.

105,000-square-foot

Benton Convention Center, which—along with our hotel partners—have implemented

stringent

cleaning

protocols

and

hybrid

meeting

configurations to ensure your future meetings are safe, healthy, and successful.

Karen Wall

Senior Sales Manager Karen@VisitWinstonSalem.com 336.728.4210

Christian Schroeder

Director of Sales & Services Christian@VisitWinstonSalem.com 336.728.4218

Learn more about our Travel Back Rewards Program

Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

7

IT’S YOUR TURN...

We have so many people to thank that have kept MPI Carolinas Chapter afloat and in business. This year, in lieu of our annual awards and nomination process, we will instead take the time to recognize all of YOU. We all faced challenges this year in our industry, and we want to recognize the dedication and support of all our members, sponsors, and volunteers.

We want to say THANK YOU to our membership champions, who helped make check-in and welcome calls to members throughout the pandemic.

We want to say THANK YOU to our volunteer leaders who created high quality and relevant content for our monthly education meetings.

We want to say THANK YOU to our members that attended any education, CMP bootcamp, networking, silent auction and fundraising activities.

We want to say THANK YOU to our sponsors, education session leaders, virtual platform host, technology support, speakers, chapter past presidents, and management office for all your support this year.

We want to say THANK YOU for liking a post, sharing a post, and engaging with us through our social media networks.

Lastly, THANK YOU for your words of encouragement and having faith in your board of directors to lead our chapter during a difficult year.

...FLAUNT YOUR FLAIR

IT’S YOUR TURN! LET MPI-CC HIGHLIGHT YOUR 2020 PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS STORY! • What’s your meeting industry story for 2020?

• What challenges did your turn into opportunities?

• What educational advancements did you make in 2020?

• What are you most looking forward to for our industry in 2021?

Give us the opportunity to showcase your story during our May Annual Business Meeting as we prepare to tell the story of how our chapter REUNITED. STRONGER. TOGETHER.

SEND YOUR STORY – A SHORT VIDEO OR QUOTE to our Chapter Administrator,

Christine Irwin, at Christine@ TheManagementOffice.com

by Friday, April 16.

WANT TO STRENGTHEN A FRIENDSHIP AND AN INDUSTRY?

Refer a friend to MPI. We are pleased to offer you an opportunity to help a colleague, friend, or young professional experience the benefits of MPI membership. By giving this voucher to a future MPI member, you will allow them to waive the $50 application fee. Also, for each new member who uses this referral voucher, you will receive $25 off your next membership renewal. Be sure to add your name and member ID to each voucher prior to giving it to a new member. After all, what are friends for?

Waive Application Fee of New Member Name

Current Member

Address

Member ID

Address Email

Waive Application Fee of

This voucher entitles a new member of MPI to waive the $50 application fee. To apply by mail/fax/email, the voucher must accompany the New Member application. If applying online, use discount code “MyFriendMPI” and enter the current member’s name in the “Referred by” field.

$50.00

New Member Name

Current Member

Address

Member ID

Address Email

10

$50.00

| Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021

This voucher entitles a new member of MPI to waive the $50 application fee. To apply by mail/fax/email, the voucher must accompany the New Member application. If applying online, use discount code “MyFriendMPI” and enter the current member’s name in the “Referred by” field.

education

DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING APPLY TO YOU? 1. Is your company engaging in strategic conversations around the future of meetings which will include an in-person and remote audience?

2. Are you preparing to host in-person events in 2021 but want to ensure your facility is equipped with all the right technology for hybrid events?

3. Are you ready to start, or currently looking for, a virtual platform to host your hybrid event but don’t have the time to schedule weeks of demos?

This event will include the same top-notch education and hosted by some of the top virtual event platforms in the industry to showcase their products.

Join us for a FREE demo day, narrow your options and streamline your selection process!

MPI-CC Hybrid Meeting Platform Tradeshow

by Christine Irwin, CMP, The Management Office

EDUCATION April 22, 2021 | Session Time: 2:00 - 3:00pm | CE: 1 hour “How to Hybrid” by Encore As our industry moved from live events to virtual events during 2020, meeting professionals started to become familiar with how to produce an effective virtual event.

Although not ideal, there has been a reluctant acceptance of virtual events. However, hybrid events are still a bit of a mystery to a lot of meeting professionals and they are seen as complex and costly.

This presentation will focus on the six key drivers that every meeting professional needs to know about planning, producing and executing a successful hybrid event.

LEARNER OUTCOMES • Define a hybrid event and the benefits • Understand the key drivers behind hybrid event success • Understand how to apply the key drivers to common meeting types

SPEAKERS John Rissi is the Senior Vice President, Customer, and Industry Relations at Encore Global John’s focus is to create a persistent focus on the customer in the actions the company takes and to drive the organization to work together for optimum customer experience delivery. In addition, John works with event industry organizations to further the purpose, mission, and values of Encore. Prior to taking on this role in August of 2020, John was Senior Vice President, Sales, with responsibility for our global sales organization and all venue sales activities.

John has over 38 years of experience in the event technology industry and has held numerous positions within Encore in sales, operations, and executive management. John is a member of the Encore executive team and resides in the Pacific Northwest. John graduated with a BS in business from Grand Canyon University. John has been involved with numerous industry organizations and has served on the MPI Foundation Board, the Event Industry Council’s APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) Standards Committee (Chair in 2016-17) and most recently is on the boards of the US Travel Association and the Meetings Mean Business coalition.

Debra Mategrano, Regional Sales Director Debra Mategrano is a Nebraska native who has called the booming hospitality scene in Southern California home for the past 17 years. Starting her career with Marriott, Debra spent ten rewarding years navigating through multiple hotel departments before making her jump to the world of Event Technology with Encore. Debra is currently the Regional Sales Director for the Los Angeles and Hawaii markets. She enjoys the virtual and hybrid event training she has received in her role, as well as the leadership and employee engagement opportunities her position allows her to focus on every day.

Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

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Join us for our first ever hybrid event!

The Annual Meeting will be held May 16-17 at The Beaufort Hotel in Beaufort, NC. In person attendance will be capped at 60 people to safely hold this meeting with the current CDC recommendation on COVID-19 protocols and social distancing.

SUNDAY, MAY 16

Our education is still being finalized, but we’ve created an agenda that will allow for the in-person attendees to maximize on networking and the virtual attendees to maximize their education hours while integrating both audiences together.

MONDAY, MAY 17

rve Rese r you spot ! ay ChaptertodToolkit:

TIME (EST)

IN-PERSON AGENDA

3:00-5:00 P.M.

Organized Groups: Beaufort Local Community Service

LOCATION

6:00-8:00 P.M.

Welcome Party

VIRTUAL AGENDA

Beaufort Hotel

Live Cam "Walk About with Event Emcee"

VIRTUAL AGENDA

TIME (EST)

IN-PERSON AGENDA

LOCATION

8:00 A.M.

Breakfast

Beaufort Hotel

8:30 A.M.

Welcome

Beaufort Hotel

Welcome

9:00-10:00 A.M.

General Session

Beaufort Hotel

General Session

10:30-11:30 A.M.

Breakout 1

Beaufort Hotel

Breakout 1

10:30-11:30 A.M.

Breakout 2

Beaufort Hotel

Breakout 2

12:00-1:00 P.M.

Lunch

Beaufort Hotel

Lunch Break

1:30-2:30 P.M.

General Session

Beaufort Hotel

General Session

2:30-4:00 P.M.

Organized Activities or Explore on Your Own

2:30-3:30 P.M.

Breakout 1

2:30-3:30 P.M.

Breakout 2

7:00-9:00 P.M.

Closing Celebration

2021 Global Meetings Industry Day

Closing Celebration

3

Your safety is our top priority! See MPI-CC’s Duty of Care commitment prior to the Annual Meeting.

Facebook and Instagram posts 2021_GMID_1080x1080.jpg Join us for the industry Post text: celebration of the year!

MPI hosting Meetings Joinisus for theGlobal industry celebration of the year! MPI is hosting Industry Day: Virtual, a free, Global Meetings Industry Day: Virtual, a free, 12-hour live 12-hour livefeaturing broadcasteducation featuringand activities worth 12 clock broadcast education and the activities hours! Given global worth challenges facing our industry, this 12 clock hours! Given the global is an opportunity to connect and gain valuable insight and challenges facing our industry, this to helptoour profession isresources an opportunity connect and move forward stronger than evervaluable before. insight and resources gain Register forprofession the broadcast to help our moveat mpi.org/events/gmid21 forward stronger than ever before.

Register for the broadcast here.

12

| Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021

Work has never looked so

DISCOVER A NEW WAY TO HOLD

MEETINGS IN MORGANTON

Plan your next event at our newly renovated facility and you’ll find all the amenities you need for a new way of doing business.

We’ve missed hosting meetings—and we can’t wait to welcome back groups of all sizes when possible. In the meantime, venues in Raleigh like the Raleigh Convention Center, which received GBAC STAR™ accreditation for facility preparedness, are doing everything in their power to protect the health and safety of visitors. As for those meetings yet-to-come, we’re ready to start planning whenever you are.

Jonathan Corbett

Your Safety is Our Priority

203 S Front Street New Bern, NC (252) 637-1551 www.RiverfrontConventionCenter.com

visitRaleigh.com/wishmeetings

Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

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NETWORKING UPTOWN STYLE

Another hidden gem

Welcome The Gastonia Conference Center, located in the revitalized downtown and adjacent to the boutique Esquire Hotel, is a state-of-the-art facility providing 30,000 square feet of tech-savvy space accommodating groups of up to 450 and located only minutes from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

GoGastonNC.org 704-825-4044 | @GoGastonNC

14

| Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021

Beyond our modern meeting spaces and networking-friendly hotels, you’ll discover legendary Eastern NC whole hog BBQ and a vibrant Uptown District. We’re ready to host your corporate event, trade show or reunion whenever you are.

NC’s Emerald City is filled with countless hidden gems.

See you soon at VisitGreenvilleNC.com

safely

Wonderfully eclectic meeting spaces served with a side of fun

Visit Mooresville

When you meet in Mooresville, rest assured that your safety is our top priority. Ample spacing, meticulous cleaning, and certification through the Count On Me NC health initiative are just a few ways we are striving to do our part to keep everyone safe.

And because meetings can’t be all business, delight your attendees with unique, fun breakout experiences and after hours entertainment. Exotic animal encounters, water sports on Lake Norman, craft breweries, and so much more.

@VisitMooresville

#MeetMooresville

Cathy Carpenter, Director of Sales | 980-447-0666 | cathy@visitmooresville.com Carolina Blitz | February - March 2021 |

15

board meeting highlights March Meeting Recap

by Christine Irwin, CMP, The Management Office

The board met virtually on March 22 and had a very productive meeting.

A lot has been happening behind the scenes, and we used this time to catch up on each department’s progress.

On March 2, the Office of the President held a SWOT Analysis to determine what we need to focus on for the next 120 days. Our main goal right now is to engage our members and raise funds to sustain the chapter.

Like everyone else, our chapter had to “pivot” this year and develop new and creative ways to make money.

MPI Global is still limiting our membership rebates, so we’ve had to find new avenues to make up revenue. We want you as the member to understand that this is why we have to charge a fee to attend most of our events.

MPI-CC is a business, and we need revenue in order to invest money back into the chapter and our members.

We work hard to provide you with quality content that fits your needs as a planner, a supplier, a new member, or a veteran, so we thank you for your support and commitment to the chapter. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t have members like you!

Just a quick update on our membership demographics because so much has changed in the past 360 days. As many of you in the association world know, sometimes it takes a full year to really see the effects something has on membership numbers. For instance, MPI renewals are based on anniversary dates. So if a member was furloughed in March 2020, it didn’t necessarily impact our membership numbers right away because they might not have had to renew until the following January.

On any given day in the past couple of years, we hover around 400+ members. Our membership is split almost 50/50 planner vs. supplier, and we have historically high retention rates, hovering around 77% (and we’re very proud of that!). Global considers MPI-CC a highperforming chapter in the membership retention metric. Currently, our membership sits around 330+ on any given day, with our ratio trending higher in the planner demographic. As I write this article, we have 175 planners, 127 suppliers, and various other students, faculty, etc. Our retention rate for February was 68%, which is phenomenal in the current climate! MPI Global overall has a retention rate of 61%. We feel very CarolinaBlitz Blitz| February | February - March - March 2021 2021 16 | |Carolina

encouraged that hotel jobs are coming back slowly but surely, and we will build our membership numbers up to be better than ever. Thank YOU for your continued support as a member and for sticking with us through these COVID times.

Now on to April and May! In April, we will be hosting a hybrid event platform tradeshow virtually. I know, most people have to read that twice. We came up with this idea because we heard from so many planners that they are starting to enter the hybrid event world and have no clue how to begin. How do virtual event platforms play into hybrid events? Which platforms have the capabilities that your group needs?

To find out, more likely than not, you have to schedule a demo with a platform provider, and there are hundreds of providers out there. It’s a full-time job just to find one that fits your needs! So we are taking this opportunity to line up demos for you as the member to knock out in two days.

This isn’t only for planners either! Suppliers will need to know how their hotel integrates with these platform providers for any onsite needs. We’ll incorporate some education on hybrid events to educate both sides, and attendance at this event is FREE. Sign up today!

Now on to our Annual Meeting in May. This will be our first-ever hybrid event, and frankly, we cannot wait to be back in person to see your smiling faces (masked up, of course!). It’s at the perfect venue – The Beaufort Hotel – and the education team is lining up some great speakers for us. In-person attendance will be capped at 60 people to ensure we can accommodate everyone safely in a socially distanced manner. Our number one priority is executing a meeting that will keep our members, attendees, and the hotel staff safe. For those who would like to attend virtually, we have created a schedule that allows you to integrate seamlessly into our in-person event. We will have the wonderful and longtime member, John Cruz, CMM, as our emcee throughout the event to ensure that both the in-person and at-home attendees will feel connected. I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for you!

Our Annual Meeting will carry a message of “Resilience and Reformation in 2020.” 2020 was no doubt a challenging year for most, both personally and professionally. We’ve lost loved ones. Our industry has been battered. But I think it’s pretty safe to say that we feel hope for the first time in a long time. We want to use the Annual meeting as a celebration of coming back together, celebrating the obstacles we’ve had to overcome, and celebrating the little wins (did anyone else manage just to keep their kids alive?

That’s my win!). We will not be handing out our typical annual awards this year because we already know the winners. Planner of the Year: YOU! Supplier of the Year: YOU! Tomorrow’s Leader: YOU! Our members are the heartbeat of our chapter, and we want to celebrate each and every one of you for supporting us, our industry, and just for being YOU!

PRISTINE

by nature

So, with that being said, we look forward to “seeing” YOU soon!

Christine Irwin, CMP MPI-CC Chapter Administrator The Management Office

Socially distant but here to ensure your meeting needs and safety are a top priority!

NOW RESERVING WEST BEACH CONFERENCE CENTER

Convention Center & Visitors Bureau

800.576.1585 • KiawahWBCC.com

828.322.1355 | visithickorymetro.com Carolina Carolina Blitz Blitz | February | February- -March March2021 2021| | 17

Carolina Blitz The Carolina Blitz is the official publication of the Carolinas Chapter of Meeting Professionals International and is published every other month. All contributions, articles, and photographs should be submitted to Publications Committee Chair/ Editor one week after the meeting. Send to Cathy Mauldin, CMP CathyMauldin@gmail.com

Volunteers are the heart of our organization.

Help make a difference in our chapter and shape its future. Volunteering on a committee is a great way to elevate your membership, engage with fellow planners and suppliers, develop your leadership skills, and learn new professional skills.

Visit mpi.org/Carolinas or email Rachel Whitten, Leadership & Volunteer Development Chair, at RWhitten@greenvillenc.gov for more information on getting involved.

EDITORIAL AND NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE VP of Marketing and Communications Ashelyn Roberts • ConferenceDirect Editor Cathy Mauldin, CMP • DESA, Inc. Onsite at CDM Smith Contributing Writers Amelia Hodges, CMM, CMP, North Carolina Association of CPAs; Christine Irwin, CMP, The Management Company; Mica Parekh, CMP, IWP Photography Photographer Mica Parekh, CMP • IWP Photography Proofreaders Kathy Flowe, CMP, Alabama Theatre; Christine Irwin, CMP, The Management Office; Myron Jones, Fayetteville CVB; Nancy Lowe, CMP, NC Medical Society; Ginny Fountain, CMP, CMM, NC Association of Electric Cooperatives; Melinda Mowry, DoubleTree by Hilton New Bern - Riverfront; Peggy Anderson, CMP; Teresa Palmieri, Sheraton Imperial Hotel Raleigh-Durham Airport Publisher Christine Irwin, CMP • The Management Office 704-377-5648 • Fax 704-333-6927 • Christine@themanagementoffice.com Advertising Christine Irwin, CMP • The Management Office • 704-377-5648 Design Kistin Creative Studio • 704-724-9188 • kistincreative.com MPI-CC Web Site: www.mpi.org/carolinas

Nominate a Member Volunteer Do You Know a Volunteer of the Quarter?

We have so many active members who deserve recognition for their efforts! If you know of someone who is going above and beyond, share their name and volunteer accomplishments with us so we can give them a shout out. This person can be a committee chair or member or even a brand new MPI-CC member who has already started to shine. The Volunteer of the Quarter Award is given four times a year and nominations are accepted all the time! Please send your nomination to Beth Tanner at beth.tanner@duke.edu.

ADVERTISING RATES AND DEADLINES AD SIZE FREQUENCY MEMBER NON-MEMBER

RATE RATE Quarter Page 1X $220 $290 (3 1/2”W x 4 3/4”H) 3X $200/issue $270/issue

6X $160/issue $230/issue Half Page Horizontal 1X $420 $550 (7 1/4”W x 4 3/4”H) 3X $400/issue $530/issue

6X $360/issue $490/issue Half Page Vertical 1X $420 $550 (3 1/2”W x 9 1/2”H) 3X $400/issue $530/issue

6X $360/issue $490/issue Full Page 1X $640 $840 (8 1/2”W x 11”H) 3X $620/issue $820/issue

6X $580/issue $780/issue Full Page Insert 1X $700/issue $910/issue

3X $680/issue $890/issue

6X $640/issue $850/issue (Produced and provided by advertiser) There are six issues of the Blitz published yearly FEB/MAR, APR/MAY, JUNE/JULY, AUG/SEPT, OCT/NOV, DEC/JAN NOTE: Rates are published as of January 2011, and are subject to change without notice. All published rates are net non-commisionable. Any cost incurred by the BLITZ for art that is not fully press ready (e.g. reductions, halftones) will be billed to the advertiser, or art that is not press ready may be refused.

DUE DATE: Due by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Artwork is due to the publisher within 10 days after deadline for space reservations.

SEND MATERIALS TO: Christine Irwin, CMP, The Management Office, 1307 West Morehead St, Suite 207, Charlotte, NC 28208 Christine@TheManagementOffice.com • Fax: 704-333-6927 For more advertising information contact Christine Irwin, CMP, at Christine@TheManagementOffice.com or 704-377-5648 Visit our website at www.mpi.org/carolinas for additional advertising and sponsorship opportunities!