
If you missed a MPI/NE
Educational Meeting or Event…
you can now download it to a podcast .
Click here for a list of available podcasts.
Spring Forward Blossoms
MPI New England’s “Spring Forward” event shined
on May 20th, 2010. A capacity
audience of 75 meeting planners and 71 suppliers planted
themselves at the newly renovated Sheraton Framingham
for an intense one-day program.
The morning’s agenda included eight outstanding educational sessions. As usual,
Contract Negotiations was a popular topic. In “He Said, She Said: Contracting
from Both Sides,” presenters Mark Bice and Donna Wikstrand the Top 10 most
contested hotel contract clauses were reviewed. These two unbiased third-party
planners each took the role of Hotel and Planner. The result was an open and
frank discussion – and a lot of audience participation.
Another successful session was the panel discussion on “Partnering with Hotels
to Get What You Want”. It was well attended and received great feedback
as well. Attendees shared positive remarks on the quality of all eight sessions
and their speakers.
Host Hotel Sheraton Framingham pulled out all the stops. Breakfast, lunch and
awesome breaks were provided to the participants. As a Conference Center, the
venue provides the clients with enhanced meeting offerings by leveraging the
multiple groups sharing the Conference Center space.
Following lunch, keynote speaker Marlene Chism shook things up with “Stop
the Drama: Leadership Skills for Navigating Change”. Her presentation discussed
how to set professional or personal goals with clarity and overcome the obstacles
to success.
After a quick break the “EXPO GO ROUND”, a 90-minute reverse trade show was led
by master of ceremonies Michelle Johnson of C3. Meeting Planners had pre-selected
suppliers of interest for a series of 5 minute meet & greet networking appointments.
The atmosphere was upbeat, lively and was declared a success and a welcome change
from the traditional display booth exhibition.
The day concluded with an elaborate cocktail reception - sponsored by the Newport Rhode
Island and Providence Warwick Rhode Island CVBs . The one-day
intensive program of Spring Forward was not only educational it was productive
and fun for all those who participated!
The Spring Forward Committee will be taking the feedback from the May 20th event
into consideration as they begin planning for an exciting and interactive nem!ce 2011
event.
Click
here for Presenters and Bios | Click
here Presentation Downloads
Many thanks to all our Spring Forward Sponsors:
The Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center
WillWork Productions
The Newport Rhode Island CVB
The Providence Warwick Rhode Island CVB
4 Productions
Next Level Promotions
The Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network.
(Pam – they have requested logos if you can fit (should
have all but the Dav El (attached to e-mail) – if space
does not allow -- just list them)
Thanks to everyone who participated and made the event
a success!
From all of us in the Spring Forward Committee: Liisa Colby, Bob McGlincy,
Jill Forchielli, Ann Roberts, Gail Paul, Denise Zadina, Diana Casavecchia,
Rosemary Gavin
April Monthly Meeting
Recap
The Foundation at The Foundation
By Tori Spence and Mark Bice
Usually reserved for high rollers and rock-elite, The
Foundation Room at the House of Blues Boston was the
site of MPI New England’s April 2010 Monthly Meeting. "The
Foundation at The Foundation" event hosted over
120 MPI Members and guests who lounged on the couches
and networked all to benefit the MPI Foundation. For
25 years, the MPI Foundation has been investing in the
people and programs that have shaped meetings and business
events into a $100 billion industry. It is a philosophy
of investment founded on the belief in the strategic
value of meetings by professionals who have fought to
define meetings and events as formidable business weapons
critical to the success of any enterprise.
The city was alive on Tuesday, April 20, with a Red Sox
game and concert within the House of Blues which created
a buzz in the area and showed how vibrant the Fenway
area can be when everything is in motion. However, the
crowds did not deter the trusty MPI membership from making
their way to a spectacular event!
Our host for the evening, The House of Blues Boston generously
showcased their marquee area and treated the members
to some great food and beverages. This venue is a perfect
place for a relaxed corporate event
and many attendees commented that Room is a hidden jewel
in the city. Another highlight was the fact that a higher
than average amount of new and prospective members joined
seasoned MPINE members and we look
forward to seeing their participation and involvement
in the months and years to come.
March Monthly Meeting
Recap
MPI/NE at The Improv Asylum
By Denise Banach and Robert Korin
The night of Tuesday, March 23, 2010 was windy and rainy
but the MPI/NE gathering at The Improv Asylum proved
to be bright spot for all who attended. The Improv
in downtown Boston had just reopened a few nights earlier
following extensive renovations. The stage was literally
set for the unique yet timely topic “Practicing Spontaneity
– Enhancing Personal & Business Interaction through
Improv Theatre Skills”. Donna Lubrano, Corporate Sales
Manager at the Improv, worked her magic by bringing
together several food & beverage providers to partner
in hosting the event. DGS Catering served delicious
hors d’oeuvres during registration as MPI members & guests
awaited the main speaker, Izzy Gesell of Izzy G & Company.
Izzy Gesell was one of the first to use Improv theatre
concepts as a tool for teaching personal & organizational
learning skills. Not only has Izzy authored several
books, he has also presented programs to groups such
as ASAE, Springfield Chapter of MPI, PCMA, and most recently
had spoken at PCMA’s national meeting in Dallas. Izzy
immediately engaged us by inviting someone from the audience
to do some interactive word games. He showed us how all
audiences tend to empathize and feel respect toward volunteers,
simply for their courage to be a volunteer.
He then went on to explain three cornerstones of Improv
skills:
- Presence -- how to use a point
of concentration to “stay in the moment”
- Acceptance -- how to use “yes and”
to acknowledge input though we may not necessarily agree.
- Trust -- using this to believe in
the process of communication as opposed to thinking
about to control the outcome.
Next, Izzy divided the audience into small groups then
walked us through some actual techniques. The simple
exercises were fun yet difficult as our MPI audience
naturally tends to have many “controlling” personalities.
Following Izzy Gesell’s presentation, the Improv Asylum
team of Chet Harding, Norm Laviolette, and Jeremy Brothers
came out to show us what they do best – Improv Theatre.
With a variety of short bits put together with on-the-spot
audience input, they had us laughing out loud! They
also put our President, Michael Lynch, on the “hot seat”
but all in good taste & fun.
The evening was rounded out with more great food from
the other food sponsors – Edible Arrangements, Fleming,
Lulu’s Sweet Shoppe, and Maggiano’s – and good times & new
discoveries were enjoyed by all.