Meetings Metamorphosis

New Union Hotel

2006-10-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Breaking News: Hyatt Regency Denver has become the first.................the first hotel in Colorado to be classified a "union hotel" by Unite Here.

Conference Humor

2006-10-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Conference is going perfectly. Well, almost. There are a few glitches here and there but nothing Earth-shattering or show-stopping. However, there have been some pretty funny moments in Nashville!

Here is a taste of them (excuse the pun.....you will understand after you read the post!):Sitting in the staff/volunteer lounge on Friday, enjoying the Tuscan White Bean Soup (VERY GOOD!) and there were 8 or 9 volunteers sitting at the table directly behind me and the third party planner (let's call her Nic). Lunch that day was pizza, soup, salad, and assorted ice cream bars. One volunteer commented to another, just as she was getting ready to bite into her Cherry Garcia bar, "You know, the ice cream is a little soft now and bacteria--E. Coli--- grows in ice cream. If you go to the store and the ice cream is soft, they have to replace all of it in the store. You can DIE from it!" Oh gee, thanks for letting us know right before our first bite!!!! This conversation went on for 15 minutes. At NO time did any of the volunteers sitting all around Nic and I tap us on the shoulder and ask for us to get the ice cream replaced; a practice they knew we could handle for them. At some point, Nic decided enough was enough of that conversation and called Catering for new ice cream. However, NONE of the us (Nic, me, the catering manager we were working with) could get over the "Toxic Ice Cream Debacale of 2006"!

Meanwhile, down in the Exhibit Hall, the Boxed Lunch was going on. Well, there were 1100 people in there lining up for their sandwiches and chips. Due to space constraints, we couldnt provide seats for everyone but it was better than last year so we were okay......we thought. Tray Jacks were set up around the Hall for the dirty dishes. One attendee decided that was the PERFECT location for him to eat. When the wait staff came over to use the tray for its purpose---dirty dishes---at the end of this "gentleman's" (I use the term loosely!) meal, the attendee freaked out. Screaming, yelling, waving his arms all over the place, and demanded every email address available in the hotel. Once I got over to the "situation", I was trying to explain why the waitor did what he did (it was his JOB!), the man got mad and started yelling that I was insulting his intelligence, etc, etc, etc. And so, he has written a letter to the hotel management describing how unacceptable it all was. The next day, he saw Nic (she also insulted his intelligence!) and gave her a hug. Yes, a hug in the middle of General Session.

UPDATE ON OCTOBER 8: There are a ton of funny stories and stories that make me cringe. Overall, the conference was a great success! I wore a pedometer the entire week and my grand total of steps is 63,296, equivalent to 30-something miles. Yes, my feet hurt and my back hurts. But I should feel ALL better after the Hot Stone Massage scheduled right before I get on the plane to take me from Nashville to HOME!!!!!!!

Countdown......7 days to go!

2006-09-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

In 6 days, I will be in Nashville, TN.

I will be there with all my co-workers and 1200 attendees at the conference I planned. The conference that is the sole responsibility of my job. In fact, I have another performance review in January based mostly on the onsite management of this conference.

Stressed? Yep.

Just the last few days it has hit me. Square in the face. I am down to the wire and there is still a long to do list that must be completed before boarding the plane next weekend. This is the biggest conference I have ever planned; more attendees, more sessions, more volunteers and staff, and more weight in terms of my job performance (I used to have several meetings to talk about in my review; now just 1). The binders are organized and detailed, my volunteers will be trained on site, and the staff assignments are done. I know that I am prepared information-wise but I am all of the sudden terrified to arrive in Nashville.

Luckily, I am getting there a day early and leaving later in the day after the conference ends. I have downtime. What I am going to do with it....no idea. But I know that I need the time. Maybe I will see an old friend who lives in TN now. Maybe not. Maybe I will go downtown Nashville and hang out in the famous country bars. Probably not but maybe!

Not sure but I am starting feel the stress and so I just want to get there. Once I am there, the stress will change; change to "Well, its not done now so it wont get done". I like that state much better than this one!!!

This Planner's Footsteps

2006-09-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

The fall issue of Midwest Meetings Magazine has been published and is on its way to your mailbox now. The best part of that statement is this: My first article has been pusblished!

A few months ago, I was contacted by Serenity Banks, a writer on staff at Midwest Meetings, about my interest in being the subject of a story spotlighting my first 6 weeks as an association planner. Of course I was interested! Every few days, she and I talked about what was happening at the new office and what I saw as the differences in my new position and my previous positions as a government meeting planner.

The article is written to read like a personal journal. I hope that it will make you laugh, make you think, and, at the end of the article, I hope you enjoy it. I had a great time being interviewed and writing the article.

From this point forward, I will use this blog to continue my story of transition and to discuss trends in the meeting industry. And, of course, we will have some fun too!

Remember.........

2006-09-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Outboarding

2006-07-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

International Association of Exhibition Management issued a new policy recently regarding "outboarding". The policy states:

Outboarding is defined by the International Association for Exhibition Management as the creation of a concurrent event that is related to an existing exhibition or event but that is not sanctioned by the organizer and that seeks to benefit from the audience the organizer attracts.
IAEM considers outboarding to be unethical business conduct and should not be condoned nor tolerated.

Exhibition and event sponsors invest significant financial and other precious resources in the planning and execution of their events. Their financial resources are at risk, as are the business reputation and good will that are vital elements of a sponsor's business success.
The predictable and inevitable consequences of outboarding diminish the size and diffuse the quality of the audience that event sponsors work very hard to gather. Outboarding reduces the value of an event for exhibitors and sponsors who likewise have significant resources invested in the event.

IAEM further believes that abundant opportunities exist through sanctioned means for those who wish to conduct their own marketing and/or selling events to do so in cooperation and coordination with the sponsoring organizers of exhibitions and similar events.

Let's discuss.

My association has several groups who we refer to as "affiliate groups". These smaller groups of professionals meet each year in the days just before or just after our conference. This year, one of the groups requested meeting space in the middle of our pre-conference trainings.

When I came on board earlier this year, one of the first things I did was re-write the affiliate event policy. While these events might attract a few additional attendees for my conference, they arent the attendee treasure chests that the association once thought they were/could be. In addition, the events are planned seperately from the conference and then when there are problems onsite, the hotel AND the affiliate planners come running to us to fix the issues. SO, my new policy was born: All affiliate events must be approved by the association and any affiliate events must be planned through the association meeting planner. There is also a 10% administrative charge (based on the total event cost) to cover the extra costs associated with the planning and management of these events, not to mention the additional staff time.

After reading the MeetingNews article about IAEM's new policy got me thinking. Should my association adopt their policy? Would the exhibitors prefer the new policy I wrote or would they like the IAEM policy better?

Resources about Outboarding: PCMA Article "Skirting the Rules", TSEA Position Statement, IAEM's

We interrupt this post for.........

2006-07-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Nicky Hilton is opening her own hotel.

What?! Are you kidding? Guess it's better than Paris opening a hotel!

Nicky Hilton is getting into the hotel business, she told PEOPLE on Thursday.

"I've always wanted to do it," says the lodging heiress who plans to renovate two existing buildings to open the "Nicky O" on Miami's famed Ocean Boulevard in November. "I've been around hotels my whole life, and I know a good hotel when I see one."

Shortly after, her second Nicky O will open on Chicago's historic Printer’s Row. "Miami will definitely be a party destination, and Chicago will be a little more calm," she says.

The 94-room boutique/condo accommodation will include entertainment news tickers in the elevators, a signature scent and rooms deigned by friends – including $5,000-a-night penthouse by clothing designer Roberto Cavalli.

Although Hilton, 22, comes from a family with an expertise it hotels, she isn't partnering with the clan to fund her new project. "I'll go to my family for advice, but they’re not involved at all," she says of her parents, brothers, and sister Paris.

Still, she is a Hilton: Borrowing a phrase from sister Paris, Nicky says of the Miami hotel's lobby, which will include a giant chandelier at its center and lots of marble: "Its just so beautiful – and hot."

As for her private life, she says everything with her boyfriend, Entourage star Kevin Connolly, is "good" – but she's focusing on her career right now, including shooting ads for her bag line and feverishly working to get the hotels ready to open. "This is my summer," she says of her latest endeavor.

(article written by Mark Dagostino for People.com)

Application is in the mail!

2006-06-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

I did it! I ordered my CMP application from the Convention Industry Council!

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation is a HUGE deal for me, for my career, and for the industry. It was established in 1985 to raise industry standards and identify the body of knowledge needed in the industry to maximize the value of the services provided by meeting planners. Having those 3 letters at the end of your name signifies you as a professional with the highest standards in the industry. There are thousands of CMPs throughout the world now but achieving the level of CMP is still a feat to be proud of.

And so on the path to CMP I embark!!! Friends and family members of mine who are in the indsutry have recently gone through the process and so I do feel prepared to start my own journey. I know that ahead of me I have hours of studying, dozens of practice tests, and late nights spent awake with nightmares about the test. There are 3 books to absorb facts from and hundreds of flashcards to write and learn. And at the end of all the studying, there is a 3 hours test to take followed by 6-8 weeks of waiting for that envelope in the mail.

The next step is filling out the final application. I have filled out a few practice applications so that I am ready with all my information. The essay has me stumped. Its an important part of the application yet the question is so simple: Why do you want to be a CMP? Simple questions are sometimes the hardest ones to answer in a simple essay.

Taking this step in my career is a turning point for me; from just a job to a career. Its so exciting!

14 Weeks

2006-06-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

3 months and 5 days= 14 weeks= 96 days= about 70 business days. The countdown to the Annual Conference has begun....and so has the stress!

Looking at the calendar on my wall, I felt, yesterday, that I had plenty of time to get all the details in order for the Annual Conference. That is, until one of my co-workers so nicely pointed out that in 14 short weeks, I will be in Nashville....onsite at the largest meeting I have ever planned! 14 weeks is NOT a long time. And yet, I still have a/v to order, meeting room assignments to finalize, travel arrangements to make for staff and speakers, exhibit hall decorating to plan, and so many other things!!!

This meeting is so different from the previous meetings/conferences I have planned. In my past positions, I was responsible for contracting with the meeting location, managing the room blocks/food and beverage/audiovisual requirements, and being onsite to handle any issues that arose during the meeting. Now, I have all those things to manage on top of the exhibit hall, program management, speakers, and marketing.

My head is spinning. I know that I am completely capable of these tasks and that this meeting will be extremely successful....both for my planning career and the association. However, when time was put into simple weeks, the stress started coming at me.

So, what it is a planner to do with so much to manage and only so much time?! Lists!!! I love lists! Todays goal: make a complete and detailed to-do list to ensure that everything is finalized well before 14 weeks passes. Once the list is written, I am going to have to delegate to my host committee and my team of volunteers, not to mention the others in the office.

Okay, here I go---wish me luck!

Hot-lanta!

2006-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

A new policy has been written: At no time should anyone expect my plane to get to its destination at the time originally planned. If there is a tight schedule to adhere to, most likely, I will not be able to make the first few appointments at the destination because I will be in another city or will still be sitting in the original airport. Also, no one should fly with me.

Yes, the trip to Louisville was worse but it was much more fun because I had company on my trip with me. But there was still excitement and missed appointments on the Atlanta trip.

On Monday, I flew to Atlanta for a site visit. The flight down there was very unnewsworthy, with the exception of the partial power loss at the Atlanta airport causing us to move gates AFTER the plane pulled into the original arrival gate. No biggie. I had a great few days in Atlanta and enjoyed the little bit of down time that I had there.

And then I tried to come home via airplanes.AirTran had some computer failures (I saw these news reporters during one of my adventures in the lines!) and so the plane I was booked was HOURS late. We were supposed to leave Atlanta at 12:30 pm and get home at 2:15 pm, plenty of time for me to get my daughter from day care so my husband could stay at work late. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

After 3 date changes, 2 depature time changes, and 1 45 minute wait on the runway, we finally left the Atlanta airport.........at 4:15 pm!! I walked in my front door at 6:30 pm.....only 4 hours late! (Needless to say, Hubby didnt stay at work late last night!).Back to the policy----no one should ever travel with me on an airplane...unless you dont mind being HOURS late!

BTW---Airtran---if you are reading this....I want my $100!

The Derby, AIrport Style

2006-06-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

(((Forewarning---this could get to be a long story but trust me---its worth it!)))

Arriving at the airport early is key to easy travel in DC airports and so we attempted to check in at the ticket counter 2 hours prior to flight time. That was 12 noon. After the electronic checker-inner refused us, we found a human (imagine THAT!) to help.

Southwest canceled our flight.

The next flight was at 4:30 pm and would arrive in Louisville at 6ish. Well, at that point, we realized that the 5 pm appointments we had set up at the Marriott just werent going to happen! The airline rep had no real solution for us except to go to the gate and put our names on the priority wait list for the 4:30 plane.

Easy enough so off we went to stand in a 15 minute line at security only to have to be told by the guard that, yes, in fact we did need a boarding pass for a flight that we cant board to get to the gate in order to MAYBE be put on a wait list. Umm, okay.So with security pass in hand (read: boarding pass for a non-existent flight!), we went through security where we were chosen to go through the special contraption that blows air puffs on you to detect any strange chemicals, etc. It looks like a Mystic Tanning booth. We get to the gate and stand in another line and end up the proud owners of spots 68 and 69 on the PRIORITY wait list for the 4:3o pm plane (it is 1:00 at this point!). But no fear, there is Fells Point Brew Pub right next to the gate. Yeah....not a brew pub because all it consisted of was 2 kegs and 5 folding tables. Seriously.....it was a SAD excuse for a brew pub.

Well, we found ourselves a real bar at the other end of the terminal and sat down for a glass of wine and a 3 hour wait to find out if we had to wait another 4 hours for the 8 pm plane out of Baltimore.Just as I was about to order a cold glass of Chardonnay, our contact in Louisville calls and tells us to RUN as fast as we can to the US Airways counter......on the other side of the entire airport. You see, there was a 2:05 flight to Pittsburgh and then, after an hour and a hlaf layover, we would arrive in Louisville at 6 pm. Perfect! So off we run (again) across the airport (again) i nthe hopes that the ticket counter had not closed the flight yet.

At 1:25 pm, we get to the ticket counter and ask one of the men standing behind the counter to help us. Seriously....he looked at us with a blank stare and turned his back to us to help some other person who did NOT need assistance. Ummm, okay. Apparently, he missed the lessons of customer service in the training class. After waiting for 5 minutes (not that we had time to spare), an older man helped us and yes, we could buy the tickets as long as there were no bags to check. Nope....because we had already checked my friend's luggage on the 4:30 plane to Louisville---the plane we were not on. (((are you confused yet!?))) The nice man tells us we can make it all the way to gate D45 if we hurry through sercurity and run down the hallways starting at gate D1. As he tells us to hurry, he was typing with one finger at the rate of 1 letter every 10 seconds. Once on the plane (they closed the plane door after us!), things should have calmed down.

Nope.

We landed in Pittsburgh with an hour and a halk layover. Ironically enough, my mother landed in Pittsburgh 10 minutes before us on a work trip so I give her a call and she is at baggage claim. So, off we go again, running through ANOTHER airport so that we could say hi to my mom. It took us 10 minutes to get from gate A2 to baggage claim...no bad considering we had to get on a subway style tram for 2 stops. As I stepped off the escalator at baggage claim, I make the phone call that started the tears (not from sadness but from pure irony and humor of the day)......

Me: Hi Mom. We are at baggage claim. Where are you?
Mom: Oh hi honey. I am in the car now. Bye.
Me: Ummm---what?! I just got here.
Mom: Yea I know. I have to go. Bye. click

My mom ditched me in the Pittsburgh airport.

Back to security (this is round 3 of the day for us). There is an alternative security place in Pittsburh so we thought we would try that one since the main checkpoint had a 30 minute line. Well, the alternate checkpoint requires that you walk upstairs, out of the airport, across the street, down a ramp, through 5 or 6 doors that say "Secure Area--Badges required" but the doors open for anyone, and then finally you arrive at a security checkpoint....with the air puffer thing AGAIN. We were the safest people in the air this week with all the checkpoints we went through!!!!

But at the end of the day, we made it to Louisville via Pittsburgh and only 3 hours late. AND we beat my friend's luggage there.

So, I guess you could say that we won our own "Kentucky Derby" this week!!!

Louisville or Bust

2006-06-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am leaving today for Louisville, KY.

Work trips are usually a lot of work and only a little bit of play time. Well, tonight is play time! Heading out to Fourth Street Live, the new entertainment district for some adult beverages and exploring. Hey---I need to make sure that all the conference attendees will have places to relax after spending all day at the meeting! Its my DUTY to make sure that all the establishments serve appropraite margaritas and pina coladas and martinis. :o)

Tomorrow is all work. Site visits at the convention center, all the surrounding hotels, and the landmark Louisville places----Churchill Downs, Muhammad Ali Center, etc, etc, etc. And dont forget about the Kentucky Bourbon distillerys!!!!

Cant wait to see Louisville. I have never been there but have heard many good things. We shall see!

Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau put together some REALLY funny web-mmericals and I HAVE to share this one with everyone I know. Seriously, a great depiction of what a meeting planner must go through sometimes! HAHAHAHA! Daydream: Has This Ever Crossed Your Mind?

Springtime Expo

2006-05-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

My feet. My back. My shoulders. My entire body. All of these things hurt like hell today.

Yesterday was the Annual Springtime in the Park Expo in DC.

Its a tradeshow/educational sessions expo for association executives and meeting planners. Really, its a ton of fun but after spending 5 hours on a trade show floor carrying a bag full of promo information and goodies, the shoulders hurt. And the aisles are carpeted but have NO padding between the cement and your poor feet. I, because I am SO intelligent, wore heels!!!!

The experience for me this time was totally different than in past years. I was always the government meeting planner who couldnt do much because of rules/regulations/tough clients/etc and so there were only certain places for me to "visit" on the show floor. This year was great because I have the entire world to explore. I can be open to any and all suggestions and locations. In fact, I spent a lot of time with the Montreal group because I am considering bringing my meeting there in 2008 or 2010. SO much more fun!

However, the most fun involved NYC and Company (the convention and tourism bureau). In NYC's Times Square, a man stands out there in his tighty-whiteys and sings. He is known as the "Naked Cowboy". Well, he was there, on the show room floor, in ALL his glory. Seriously, in tighy-whiteys with a guitar wondering the aisles. I have a picture on my cell phone (I just couldnt resist!). Totally hysterical and surprised the hell out of me as I walked down the aisle at a professional trade show!

I LOVE my job!

Tick Tock Tick Tock

2006-03-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

I have always been a good time manager when it come to my career. Working on multiple meetings with different vendors is no problem for me---bring it on, I can take it! However, those time management skills are being challenged now.

I am responsible for the one of the "Big Three"; those are the three largest revenue generating programs at this association. No pressure but the CEO wants the revenue from the annual conference to increase by 15%. I have 1500 expected attendees, 45 breakout sessions in total (some of which feature multiple speakers), 8 vendors, and a staff of 10 that I need to subliment with volunteers. Deadlines overlapped all the time and everything is a top priority to someone.

Managing my time so that all these things are covered and deadlines are met is a job all by itself. As the only meeting planner on staff, I cant delegate these things to an assistant or another planner. This is one of the reasons I am so grateful to have a great contact at my third party planning company. She has taken on the "Primary POC" role for the large conference vendors so that I can concentrate on the actual program and smaller vendors.

So managing my time is one of the biggest issues right now. For the time being, I have segmented my day so that I can dedicate a certain amount of time to each project. An hour for speakers, 2 hours for space layouts, 1 hour for a/v, and so on and on and on. Hoepfully this will work.

Now if only I can figure out how to turn off the little "You've Got Mail" icon on my Outlook---then that distraction would disappear!

The Ugly "O" Word: Outsourcing

2006-03-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

I used to want to compete with a third party meeting planning company. Now I am working with one.

At a previous position, my client had a LARGE meeting that was always in the media that my team wanted---we wanted it bad!---but the client bid it out to large meeting planning companies instead of using their consultant company for the service. To each his own but my team of planners wanted that piece of business. We were always trying to find ways to get part of it. We were successful sometimes but more often than not, the big company got the business. Frustarating but for the client, it was the best option available for them.

Now I am working with the same meeting company in the association arena. I met my contacts yesterday and I love them!!!! I knew about the arrangement with the third party when I accepted this position and decided that, even though I wasnt sure how I felt about outsourcing, it would be a good experience for me in my career. Transitioning my thinking has been the biggest challenge. I have to turn my mind away from competition and approach the third party as my partner.

After our meeting yesterday, I am confident that I can do this. My contact is so nice and has great knowledge about my annual conference as she has been involved for several years. In addition to the host hotel, we have an overflow hotel, audiovisual vendor, expo/event decorating vendor, and online registration to deal with on a daily basis. Plain and simple, the third party's job is to coordinate all those vendors to make the conference successful. Now, instead of making 5 phone calls to get answers and coordinate a small detail, I can make one call to my third party contact and get it all done in 10 minutes! I love that!

So, I am embarking on a new method of planning. If you know me, then you know I am a type A and dont like to give up control. However, I am going to be fine with this arrangement......the third party isnt here to take over my job, just to make it simpler and more efficient for me. That bandwagon I can jump on!

Strategy in Meeting Planning

2006-03-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Strategic planning has been on the forefront of the meetings industry lately (in lately, I mean the past year or so). Insustry magazines have devoted their pages to the topic, websites have started message boards and blogs to discuss it, and tradeshows feature educational sessions on how to write and execute a strategic plan.

I just did not understand it. Sure,I could read the articles and attend the sessions but I never saw the relevance to my personal everyday life as a government meeting planner. I had thousands of pages devoted to rules about what I could and could not do for my attendees (gotta love those government regulations!) so where did a strategic plan fit in? My attendees were required to be at my meeting so marketing and all those strategies were not on my buffet, never mind my plate! I am getting my first taste of strategic planning and its importance in conference planning.

My new role as an association meeting planner is dramatically different in terms of strategic planning. First of all, there is one! If there was a strategic plan involved with a majority of my meetings back then, I didnt know about it. My former employers were not meeting planning companies; meetings just happened to be a function they provided to their clients.

Anyways......My new position relies heavily on the association's strategic plan. What are the goals/learning objectives for the annual conference? How should the conference be marketed this year? Do we raise registration fees or do we not? Does this speaker fit into the overall "theme" of the conference? If I do "A", will it generate additional revenue as well as support the conference objectoves or will it harm the overall event? Never before have I had to think through all these questions to simply add an affiliate event to the agenda!

As the meeting industry is "coming of age", strategic planning has an important role; it is through strategic planning that meeting planners can demonnstrate their value to their organization and show that successful meetings are not simply finding a hotel ballroom, adding some chairs and a box lunch, and voila! Professional meeting planners are slowly being receognized as important stakeholders in all types of businesses from large corporationgs to small not-for-profits. Strategic planning is the key to the boardroom and I intend to get there.

SO, without further adieu, I must return my focus to working on my annual conference marketing plan!

What Do YOU want to be when you grow up?

2006-03-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

I answered this question when I was in high school. SO many people go through life never really knowing what they want to do with their skills. I guess I was one of the lucky few who did!

In high school, I was never interested in being the star of the annual musical and, even though I was one several sports teams, I wasnt interested in being the best athelete on the team. The behind-the-scenes work captured my interest from the start.

Meeting and event planning were always a part of my life. You see, I come from a meeting planning family---mt mother just got her CMP (congrats Mom!). As a child, I sat at the kitchen table stuffing mailings and tying bows on giveaways and favors. Whenever my mom volunteered for something, i was right there with her. Growing up, I palyed the part of Santa's elf at Christmas parties, was a ballkid for a professional tennis tournament, and even sat at registration desks around the area for my mom's meetings. I loved every minute of it!

Once at college, I sought out educational programs that recognized events as a career path. That is how I landed in sports administration and management at the University of South Carolina (go Gamecocks!). I worked on the Homesoming Commission the entire time I was a student...first, as a staff member and finally as the chairperson for Cockfest, the Homecoming pep rally! The highlight of my college planing career was meeting and working with Lou Holtz the first year he was the USC fottball coach. (((Side note---he was a speaker at one of my mom's events last month in Florida and he remembered me and sent an autographed book home for me!))

I left school without a degree and started working in the field. My resume shows work with a speaker's bureau, beverage retailer, government contractor, and now association. In my spare time (not sure where I find that spare time but I do!), I plan a charity golf tournament and am hired to plan weddings and parties in the DC area. I love it! Even my husband and 2 year old daughter help me out!So that's a little bit about me.

How did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? Was it an accident or did you always know?

Coming Soon......

2006-03-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

Please check back soon. I am putting together my thoughts and ideas for the blog about my evolving career in meeting plnning/management. There will be industry news, trends, and even some stories about crazy occurences at meetings/tradeshows/etc!