PCMA, AMA and MPI, Oh My!
Last week I attended events hosted by three of the main industry acronyms, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), American Marketing Association (AMA) and Meeting Planners International (MPI). I met terrific colleagues, picked up some great information and acquired two new books to read, “Marketing to Women,” by Marti Barletta and “To Do, Doing, Done!” by G. Lynne Snead & Joyce Wycoff. My book report list is expanding and perhaps one of these days I’ll return to reading for pleasure, aka the hilarious memoirs of Miss Chelsea Handler, but for now I’m enjoying devouring all of this delicious educational content.
The PCMA program featured a keynote presentation titled Live Out of Character and Thrive!, presented by Juan Ortiz, V.P., Business Development, BluePay Processing LLC. He poked fun at our different personality traits and ended up delivering a rather inspirational talk. Witty and energetic, I would recommend Juan for speaking engagements, particularly ones involving students or a younger demographic. A self-proclaimed big kid, he would capture the attention of such an audience. Afterwards we held our first Chapter Relations Committee meeting of the year, our mission being to bring education to our members in outlying states and chapters. I’ll be sure to post all of the Midwest Chapter events we help organize. And yes, for those of you who can’t attend, I’ll keep you in the loop and report back.
Off to AMA…they coordinated a great half-day program called “Marketing to Women.” I’ve been eager to get more involved with this organization and this event presented a perfect opportunity. An impressive roster of industry heavy-hitters was developed for the day: Marti Barletta, CEO of Trendsight Group; Jory Des Jardins, Co-founder and President of BlogHer; Susan Wassel, PR & Social Media Manager for Newell Rubbermaid Office Products (aka Sharpie); and Garry Rosendfeldt, Director of Marketing Research for Midas Int’l. The program ended with a panel Q&A session where questions came in via the audience and Twitter. Very well done. Honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect at first; would it be common sense (I am a woman, after all) or would it attract a sea of men hoping to pick up women? A little of both occurred, though I found the program to be thought-provoking, interesting and educational. And boy, did it ever get my creative juices flowing. If you’re not already familiar with Sharpie’s marketing efforts and uses of new media, do yourself a favor and get familiarized. I don’t exactly hand out praise like candy, so the fact that I’m plugging AMA means they organized a fantastic event. Much like a mechanic’s keen ear for vehicle diagnostics, as an event specialist you develop a knack for recognizing when a program is executed well…and when it’s not. One last morsel I took away was that “the experience trumps the message.” In other words, it’s crucial to deliver the right messaging at your events, but the experience you create will almost always be what cultivates relationships and leaves lasting impressions.
The last stop on my whirlwind acronymically-correct tour was MPI’s Project Management course at Franklin Covey. The facilitator did an excellent job of delivering the content in a way that was applicable and relevant to our specific industry. Two thumbs up. Anyone looking for a great staff retreat idea should consider one of their courses. I know it can be tough to justify spending an entire work day sharpening your project management skills, but I highly recommend making the sacrifice. I was really struck by a comment made by Steve Smith, a Franklin Covey consultant, “You can’t meet a need you don’t understand.” Now that may be common sense, yet this seemingly basic and essential first step gets overlooked far too frequently in my opinion. Personally, I like to conduct an in-depth consultation with all our clients in order to fully comprehend the scope of every project we undertake. And I do the same exercise when the client is us. You have to know the right questions to ask, otherwise the result won’t be the answer, or solution, your client was looking for in the first place.
It was a busy week my friends, but well worth it. Armed with all this new knowledge, I’m feeling more powerful and capable than ever.
-Cathy Wojcik
