Greetings MPI North Florida Members,

I have great news to share! We received the results from the MPI Member Satisfaction survey conducted in March, and our results are excellent! Our chapter is 8^th in the world in overall satisfaction with the chapter, out of 69 chapters. And we ranked #1 in volunteer opportunities for members. In fact, in all of the questions surveyed, we are in the top 12 globally.

Here is a summary of our scores:

These scores are great news for our chapter for more than the obvious reason of satisfied members. Our chapter can earn money from MPI based on favorable results.

When you pay dues to MPI that money goes to the International organization. Our chapter is allocated a percentage of your dues and that money can only be used on educational programs. We have the opportunity each year to earn additional money for the chapter if we achieve good scores on the question “Satisfaction with Educational Opportunities”. I am thrilled that based on our survey results we qualified for money in the highest category possible.

Vickey Woodley, CMP

President

How do you spell success?  If you were at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort on April 10, you spell it “Education Day”!  Over 100 planners, suppliers and students attended the first-ever Education Day and experienced a combination of learning, networking, food and fun.  Keynote speaker Holly Duckworth kicked off the event sharing information to help us learn to succeed as a member of Generation Now. Jonathan Howe provided answers to tough legal questions and Andy Masters shared customer service and work-life balance suggestions.  Jordan Clark, representing the MPI Board of Directors, talked about changes in MPI and what they are doing to enhance member experiences.

Networking opportunities included table top exhibits hosted by over 30 supplier partners, round table discussions facilitated by industry experts and a closing reception on the Renaissance’s new La Terraza Patio. Connections were made between attendees that will facilitate better business relationships.

The Renaissance sponsored the food and the fun and spared no expense. From the Fruit Focus Continental Breakfast featuring orange, yellow and green stations; to the Make Your Own Trail Mix break with smoothie and mocktail stations; to the wonderful luncheon; and ending with the incredible dessert and beverage reception on the patio, there were choices to please all attendees. A special cake commemorating MPI’s 40^th anniversary was a highlight of the reception.

Comments from the attendees include:  “Great topics and networking. “Fabulous!  Would benefit from more frequent days with this type of training and speakers.”, “I’m still fired up. The information talked about today was amazing and I could place myself in situations to utilize all of the advice given.”, “The hotel did an excellent job in both food and services. Congrats on your first Education Day!”, “I felt the trade show was an excellent opportunity to showcase my company.”, and “Kudos…it was a tremendous day of education, great speakers, excellent topics and seeing old and new faces.”

The 20th Annual Southeast Educational Conference, hosted by the four Florida chapters of Meeting Professionals International, provides the best value and attendee experience in the region for meeting professionals and business partners. The conference attracts between 450 to 650 meeting planners and suppliers to share knowledge and ideas, build relationships and provide business opportunity.

Meeting Forward promises to look forward. It is about creating and recreating our industry, applying new approaches to building ROI, and developing innovative tools and technologies. Leave the depressed economy, muffingate, and job loss at home. Meeting Forward is about moving onward and upward into the future WE get to create!

This conference is truly about ROI – Return on Involvement. Our Committee Members are here to build you the best value you can get. Share your ideas and suggestions; we’d LOVE to hear them!

Wounded Warrior Project provides outstanding services to our wounded US veterans. To learn more about this organiztion, please watch this short video of Dan Nevins speaking at the MPI North Florida May 2012 luncheon:

http://tinyurl.com/7bru8q9

Welcome to our new members!

Lisa Crosby - Hilton

Chuck Highers - Plan Ahead Events of Emerald Coast

June 12        Annual Awards Banquet, One Ocean

July 10         Monthly Education Lunch, Nippers

Aug. 8-10     SEC "Meeting Forward" Orlando

Sept. 11       Monthly Education Lunch, Dave & Busters

Our June event is our Annual Awards Gala and Board Installation. Our event host is the beautiful One Ocean Resort.

President—Melissa Milione, CMP, CPCE, Hyatt Regency Jacksonville

Immediate Past-President—Vickey Woodley, Medtronic

President-elect—Thomas “T. J.” Worrell, CTS,  AVI-SPL

Vice President, Finance—Roger Dockery, OverBrook Solutions

Vice President, Education—Matthew Marcial, CMP, AACE

Vice President, Membership—Carol Cullen, Sales & Marketing Consultant

Vice President Communications - Mandie McKenzie, Friday Musicale

Vice President, Special Events—Nicole Taylor, Community Hospice

Vice President, Administration—Karen Inman, Medtronic

Director, Strategic Partnerships—Marcia Noon, Visit Jacksonville

Director, Community Outreach—Erin Skaff, CMP, Florida Blue

Director, Northwest Florida—Amanda Morrison, Association for Institutional Research

Chapter Administrator—Tim Morrison, CMP, Rainbow Association and Meeting Management

Director of Leadership Development - Sabrina Young, CMP, Maggiano's

 

 

The Location

The artful getaway is situated on the sweeping white sands and rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic Beach, minutes from Jacksonville. The luxury oceanfront resort is nestled directly across from the picturesque Beaches Town Center, luring guests in with its cobblestone streets featuring an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, art galleries, ice-cream parlors and nightlife options.

Stay the night: http://tinyurl.com/6mrvspb

Rate (single/double): $159, $15 resort fee and complimentary parking 

Reserve your seat today: http://nfmpi.org/meetinginfo.php?id=34&ts=1337191764

Thanks to a generous annual sponsorship from Beaucoup Photography, we have excellent photographs from all of our events. These photographs are posted on our web-site, nfmpi.org

To find the event photos, click on the "Events" tab, then select "Photo Galleries". All of the events are listed here with the most recent events at the top of the page. You can also view our event photography on our FaceBook page.

If you are looking for a photographer for your next event, we encourrage you to "Buy MPI" and call Mike Suveda, at Beaucoup Photography, 904-521-7100, or by e-mail at info@beaucoupphoto.com

Our May education program title was "Strategic Meetings Management: The Intersection of Meetings, Travel and Procurement" presented by Kevin Iwamoto, GLP, of Active Networks/ StarCite. Mr. Iwamoto is a widely recognized business travel industry leader with more than twenty years of experience managing global corporate travel and meetings programs. His presentation shared a history of Strategic Meetings Management and the benefits to an organization for adapting SMM philosophies. He reviewed all aspects to consider when creating and implementing SMMP in your organization. To watch Mr. Iwamoto's presentation click on the link below, or visit our web-site at nfmpi.org

http://tinyurl.com/bpv4szy

Thank you to our Annual Sponsor, Global Presentations, for making this video available for our use.