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

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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.

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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.