INTERCOM Designed and Edited by Alvalyn Lundgren | Alvalyn Creative
VOLUME 107 | January/February 2014
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Los Angeles…
Poised to Welcome the World
by Bryan Quinan, CMP | Milken Institute
O
n a gloriously sunny October day in Southern California, more than 180 meeting planner and supplier members, new members and prospects gathered on the Viennese Terrace at the historic Langham Hotel in Pasadena. (See photo gallery on page 8).
group meeting business in Los Angeles County, what the future holds for the downtown Convention Center and his goals to expand awareness of our industry through the LA Tourism bureau. The Bureau is engaged in several goals under Wooden’s guidance. With offices around the world in 10 cities including Shanghai, Beijing, London, Frankfurt, Brazil, Buenos Aires and Dubai, it is building towards a projected 50 million visitors annually by 2020. That represents $32 billion in revenue to the city & county, and over 300,000 jobs.
The networking reception featured several delectable bite-size food stations and a bar. Sponsorship support for the reception and lunch was also provided by Visit Sonoma County. Hilton Hotels, DoubleTree Santa Rosa and Vintner’s Inn provided raffle giveaways and had tabletop displays full of information about their unique destinations. The hotel even provided hand massages and a yoga demonstration courtesy of their amazing spa services.
Some of the other work at LA Tourism on behalf of their 1200 member organizations includes a partnership to fill the Convention Center with more citywide events. The Bureau represents over 170 hotel properties in the county.
When members and guests adjourned to the ballroom for lunch they were greeted by a stunning country chic theme provided by the Langham’s event and banquet services team. Long round tables alternated throughout the setting and made for intimate table discussions before the program began.
More than just a meeting or group business referral, the Bureau also works with Los Angeles World Airports developing non-stop direct international flight business for the newly renovated Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX. New direct flight routes on American Airlines from Buenos Aires, for example can bring up to $650 million in revenue to the city and county.
Once he took the stage, LA Tourism CEO, Ernest Wooden, Jr. gave a commanding presentation about the state of the
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Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter
LA Tourism
MPISCC
continued from page 1
Officers & Directors 2013-2014 President David Anderson, CMP Eventive Group 562-438-4834 President Elect Beverly Laing, CMP, CTC The Promotional Edge 310-837-1201 Immediate Past President Larissa Schultz, CMP, MHA LJS Meeting Strategies 310-519-0795 Vice President of Communications Paulette E. Fontanez, CMP PIHRA 310-416-1210 x811 Vice President of Education/Programs Amy Zelinsky, CMP A to Z Special Events 818-646-3445 Vice President of Finance Mariles Krok, CMP Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board 424-731-7781
Wooden provided some interesting statistics about group business in LA County. They have already booked 183 definite groups through 2020. There were 23 citywide conventions in 2012 with 307,000 attendees. In 2013 there were 35 similar events with more than 335,000 attendees and $440 million in revenue, averaging 2.7 nights. Which means that the average attendee spends $600 per person per day. The hotel occupancy rate in Los Angeles has been the highest this year (91.8%) since 1987. 89.4% of area hotels are sold out almost every night. Despite the good news for hotel tourism, Wooden noted that overall group business in the county was down. Some of the reasons he gave included: recent cuts in government spending, restrictions on government travel, savvy business travelers booking around the block and some groups sending fewer people now. New LA hotel development includes 10 hotels currently under construction. That represents 2,500 new rooms plus more than 4,500 rooms at 25 proposed or
planned properties. Due to the demand for sleeping rooms and meeting space these additional hotels will not affect current partner hotels within the city. Turning to the Downtown area, Wooden mentioned the new Hyatt Regency with 25,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Anticipation is growing for the $1 billion Wilshire Grand tower. The brand new hotel will be the tallest building west of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower with 900 rooms on 73 floors. Wooden wrapped up his presentation with a Q&A session with the audience. Questions were asked about the future of the Convention Center, Downtown retail development and Metro line extensions to Santa Monica and the Westside. Wooden reminded everyone that now was the time for the industry to share one voice about the value of tourism and travel. Despite the size of our economic impact, government still doesn’t see the importance of the industry in Los Angeles. It is critical that we establish more partnerships with other industries to create more awareness.
Vice President of Leadership Development Nicole Newman SearchWide 951-640-3745 Vice President of Membership Joe Marcy, CMP Westin Long Beach 310-748-3075 Directors Member Advocacy Jane Mato, CMP The Line Hotel 213-368-3010 Strategic Sponsorship Geraldine Gatehouse IMEX America 760-519-3227 Professional Development Shelley Grey, CMP Trust Company of the West 213-244-0579 Monthly Programs Russell Harris, CMP Russell Harris Event Group 818-760-6779 Public Relations and Media Shannon Keany, CMP Keany Events, Inc. 714-655-2366 Special Education Joe Martin BDI Events 323-692-0802 Special Events Bryan Quinan, CMP Milken Institute 310-570-4638 Member Recruitment Akemi Shapiro Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach 805-652-5118 Fundraising and Strategic Sponsorship Jason Soporito Plan-it Interactive 310-642-0929 Marketing, Publications and Advertising Emily Swan House of Blues Sunset Strip 323-848-5151
LA TOURISM RESOURCES www.discoverlosangeles.com/tourism/meeting-professionals http://on.mktw.net/1e47KL7 http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/words-from-wooden-sept-2013
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Awards and Recognition DeShawn Wynn, CMP, CMM Wynning Touch Event Design 323-691-2005 Executive Director Debbie Hawkins, CAE, CMP 805-449-9111
INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The Power of Your Role David Anderson, CMP 2013-2014 MPISCC President
I
’m sure you’ve heard that eating a well-rounded breakfast can have a dramatic effect on your energy level, focus and caloric consumption throughout the day. You have probably also heard that starting a savings and retirement plan early in life can have a dramatic effect on the amount of funds available to you in your golden years. In both of these cases, something small that you do on a daily basis can have a huge impact on your short-term and long-term experience.
and datum on this very quantifiable characteristic of what we do as professionals. I am overwhelmed with the excessive amount of information I receive daily from email newsletters, industry publications and websites. However, MPI Global publishes the annual Business Barometer, the Convention Industry Council publishes The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy, and even the daily email newsletter by Northstar Media, Meeting News, keeps us knowledgeable about what is happening in our industry on a regular basis.
Like many of you, I joined the meeting and events industry by chance. I fell into it…or rather, it fell into me. Either way, only a small percentage of us specifically sought out to become professionals in this field, yet here we all are, planning meetings and events. I only point this out because what I happened across — this industry — has the capacity to change your life, the lives of those you serve, and the world.
To circle back to my opening statements, I want you to know that our day-to-day tasks may on the surface seem inconsequential or easy to refute as simple to-do list items, but trust me, what you are doing is nothing less than changing the world. Use the resources mentioned above to start investigating your worth. Read industry publications from the perspective of the work you do and what you have to contribute to the conversation. Believe in and know your power as a meeting professional, and you will be seen as an intelligent contributor to a process that is as old as being human: meeting up.
Commuting to work 45 minutes or more each day, getting bogged down with short lead times and an excessive amount of conference calls can easily separate you from the ultimate impact and effect you are working towards, but mind you, what we do is nothing short of a miracle. Our planning and organizational skills, when paired with clear and concise goals and objectives, facilitate every type of human interaction imaginable, from laughter and learning, to sharing and connecting. You should be so proud and excited to make these interactions possible. The moment might not hit you until the program you are working on has actually come to fruition, but as long as you realize at some point the power and potency of your role, then you are in the right place. To my opening example, the seemingly mundane decisions you make on a daily basis has a huge impact on the final outcome of your programs you plan, and subsequently, changing the world.
Please expect to see a lot more in the coming months from our chapter leadership to support these ideas and my ultimate desire for you to see yourself as the incredibly valuable professional that you are. At your service,
David Anderson, CMP
One of my goals this year is to help our members understand our value in this industry, and the larger economy. There are many tools and resources out there to help put concrete data
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Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter FOR MPISCC MEMBERS
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WHO DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO’S MAKING A DIFFERENCE? Each month, the MPISCC Board of Directors recognizes Shining Stars: committee members who have made significant contributions to the chapter during the year. Nominations can be submitted by any active member and must be submitted by the last day of every month. To nominate an exceptional MPISCC volunteer, visit http://mpiscc.org/membership/ member-care/
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INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014 INDUSTRY TRENDS
In Word and Deed Do we really need ethics when we have contracts? by Heather Mason | President, A Caspian Production
I
once had a client poach one of our key staff to work for
And I learned to include a non-solicitation clause in our agree-
them. We had trained the staff member over the course of
ment from then on. I wanted to set the expectation with our
the year, corrected their actions and work where the client
clients that we were not working on their event to also parade
requested, and basically groomed them for the position.
a stellar list of trained candidates for their hiring pleasure.
We had in essence become a recruiter and customized trainer
Unfortunately though, it just happened again. And sadly I had
for this client. So, when this happened, I felt it was only fair
used an old template of our contract which did not have the
to receive financial compensation for performing this service.
non-solicitation clause. So when the client called me shortly
When I approached the client with this, they asked if I had any
after their event to let me know that they were hiring away
contractual paperwork to back me up, and I told them I did
the project manager, I rushed to the contract, and was devas-
not. I just felt it was the right thing to do. My business was
tated to see that the clause was missing.
going to be adversely impacted, was much smaller than theirs
I told them what had happened before in this situation and
and the benefit to them was to have someone proven and
how it had become a win-win in the end. I thought this would
tested. The chance of turnover was small in hiring a known
not be a problem, as they are a massive organization with a
entity, and we all know how valuable that is.
budget in the tens of millions if not hundreds, and we had just produced a fundraiser, which beat their $1M goal by $300,000. To ask for an incredibly small amount of compen-
Should these discussions have happened behind my back, or in concert with me to find the best exit possible?
sation seemed more than reasonable to positively address the situation and move on. I was met with a stonewall. “Was there anything in the contract stating that we agreed not to do this?� No, there wasn’t. In that case, they said the best they could offer were the resumes of the candidates they had by-passed. Their HR department had been looking to fill the position for over a year,
Still, there was nothing in our contract at that time which
and they had plenty they could send to me.
would have specified any compensation in the case of the
And it should be mentioned that the staff member leaving our
client hiring our staff. However, in this case, I was fortunate
company had just signed a contract to manage registration for
to be working with an organization which puts its values
another event with us. While I can understand that sometimes
squarely in line with its day-to-day operations, and they agreed
an offer is something you cannot turn down, we are back to
wholeheartedly to make this a win-win. A small amount of fi-
ethics. Should these discussions have happened behind my
nancial compensation for an out-of-scope service seemed a
back, or in concert with me to find the best exit possible?
very reasonable way to do it.
So it may not be right, but it is legal.
I still have an excellent relationship with the organization to this day.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 5
Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter
INDUSTRY TRENDS
continued
DESIGN & EDITORIAL
So it got me thinking. I push knowledge
Or can we assume that there are ethics to
of contract law with fervor to my staff
guide that decision?
and contractors. I tell them how impor-
I have immense respect for the client
tant it is that every detail is spelled out in writing so that all expectations are set, and rules are made. But in my zeal to talk about contracts and their importance, have I forgotten that ethics should not be substituted for the written word?
who came to the table with me and realized that they had reaped a significant financial savings by hiring a ready-made, trained and proven project manager. They got it. They didn’t need a contract to let them know that this was an out-of-
No, I did not have a non-solicitation
scope service provided by our company.
agreement, but the bigger question
But this other one? No, they don’t get it.
is, did I need to? Should I have to tell clients that providing a service and working hard for 8–10 months out of the year, often out of scope and over hours, to get the job done – does not also mean they get to pick our best staff to take home at the end? Must that be something I need to include in a contract?
Managing Editor/Design Director Alvalyn Lundgren Alvalyn Creative alvalyn@alvalyn.com 805-857-7981
If it’s not in the contract, you can do
Contributing Editor Paulette E. Fontanez, CMP Contributors Dahlia El Gazzar, CMP Heather Mason Bryan Quinan, CMP Jayne Sanders Kristy Spraggon Photographer: Alvalyn Lundgren
it, that’s it. When contracts are seen as the absolving factor for any unethical decision – do ethics count? So, have you ever had this happen to you? What’s your opinion on whether a client can hire your staff?
2014MONTHxMONTH
INTERCOM is published six times a year by Meeting Professionals International–Southern California Chapter, a nonprofit professional association of meeting planners and suppliers. ©2013-14 Article contributions and editorial guidelines requests should be sent to Alvalyn Lundgren, Managing Editor, at alvalyn@alvalyn.com. Advertising Information www.mpiscc.org/marketplace/ advertising-kit/
JANUARY CMP University Presented by MPINCC Begins 1/11/2014 Crowne Plaza Concord/Walnut Creek :: Concord, CA Registration & Information: http://bit.ly/JBzyJr
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APRIL Meeting Planning Basics and Beyond I April 2, 2014 :: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm :: Hyatt Regency Westlake Village http://bit.ly/1kQVFXD
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MPISCC will be recognized as the leading local membership community that is committed to shaping and defining the meetings and event industry in Southern California.
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INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014 NETWORKING TIPS
Playing Ball
In business, gentle persuasion can be more effective than a hard pitch. by Kirsty Spraggon | kirstytv.com I was on a walk recently when a lively dog bounded up to me and decided I should play ball with him. The thing is, I don’t do ‘ball,’ especially with wet, slobber-covered tennis balls. But he was very persistent and continued to drop and throw it at me as I walked on. I couldn’t help but laugh. This went on and on and on until I found him so cute (he did resemble Lassie) I had no choice but to throw the gooey ball.
tangible, but when you give freely, it does come back. It’s the law of reciprocity. So go have a couple of coffees or drinks with potential clients and see what happens when you let go of the attachment and are just catching up for the sake of catching up and getting to know each other. You will see that you will always get something but it may not be what you were expecting. Kirsty Spraggon, speaker, coach and author, shares her expertise in building relationships to assist you in increasing your sales, networks and connections for life and business success.For more info go to www.kirstyspraggon.com.au and KirstyTV.com.
“An appointment to catch up with someone is an opportunity to open up a relationship, but I don’t define the type of opportunity I expect from (it).” Gentle persistence in a playful way can be a far more effective way to get the sale. Make sure your meeting or pitching style is more “Lassie” than pit bull. I have noticed that so many people can get so focused on what outcome they are going to get from a meeting or pitch that they miss the opportunity to just “catch up” with people. They are so aggressive about having an agenda that they fail to connect.
MEET
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have meeting rooms large and small, hundreds of guest rooms for every
How about instead of going to meet a potential client with an attachment to what you expect from the meeting, such as potential business or a sale, you instead just went to “catch up” and get to know each other?
budget, and dozens of hotels staffed with meeting experts to help. When the meetings are over, there are trails to hike and whales to watch, wines to taste and golf to play. We have nearly perfect weather, and three unique cities ready to make any meeting extraordinary.
For me, the appointment to catch up with someone is an opportunity to open up a relationship, but I don’t define the type of opportunity I expect from the relationship. It could be that instead of getting a sale, I get a learning experience, a friend, a mentor, or a sale. Or I may get nothing. Instead I may give to them in the way of mentoring, coaching or learning.
Meet easy - meet in VenturaCountyWest.
(800) 648-2124 venturacountywest.com/meetings
Sometimes I’m giving and sharing my skills and advice and helping people, and other times they are helping me. It comes back in different ways that may not always be
in et e M 7
Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter PHOTO GALLERY
Autumn Networking & Program: October 8, 2013 at The Langham Hotel, Pasadena
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INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014
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Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
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INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014
,. 2013 ANNUAL FUNDRAISER MPISCC’s 2013 Annual Fundraiser, Carnival Bizarre, tallied over $20,000.00 for the support of the Chapter’s educational programs and partner charities: Rainbow Services, Ronald McDonald House - Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Mission. The venue was Create NIghtclub in Hollywood. World-class entertainers, acrobats, magicians and a sword-swallower accented the evening. Auction and raffle items were provided by: Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Center, Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Park City and Visit Santa Barbara. Thank you to the many sponsors who provided goods, services, entertainment, food, drinks and equipment: Alvalyn Creative, Apple Graphics, BlackCar LA, Building Blocks Social Media, Cafe Amore, Carnival Catering, Classic Party Rentals,D Graphic Solutions, DJ Stubbs, Heaven or Las Vegas, IML: Harnessing Audience Insight, Intersect Beverage LLC/Azunia Tequila, Loews Hollywood, Mark Paskell Entertainment, MillerCoors, Modern Illumination, On Call Medic/CPR Plus, Plan-It Interactive, Quest Drape, SBE/Create Nightclub, Sensational Treats, The Ronin Network, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Way 2 Much Entertainment. A very special thanks to our creative and hard-working 2013 Fundraising Committee for an amazing and successful evening: Jason Soporito, Plan-It Interactive — Director of Fundraising & Advertising; Morgen Hoffman, Morgen Hoffman Events — Fundraising Event Chair; Kristin Pagdilao, DoubleTree by Hilton Monrovia-Pasadena Area — Event Production & Program; Tamera Love, NBCUniversal and Katrina Rodriguez, American Youth Soccer Organization —Silent Auction; Monique Rife, Sony Picture Studios/Wolfgang Puck Catering — Sponsorship; Travis Pham,Santa Monica CVB — CVBLiaison; and committee members: Danielle Lafayette; Holly Davis, Cort Event Rentals and Marcelle Moje, Site Services. Thank you to everyone who attended. With such a stellar assembly of industry professionals, Carnival Bizarre was a prime example of how MPISCC creates opportunity to connect and gain exposure while having an amazing time, and all for a good cause! 11
Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter
2013 Annual Fundraiser
continued
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INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014
Something Sacred is at Stake at Every Event
310.558.8190 ContemporaryCatering.com
Los Angeles :: Malibu :: Orange County :: Beverly Hills :: Inland Empire :: Santa Barbara
Join your MPISCC friends for friendly conversation at a location near you.
AFTER FIVE WITH MPI Locations have expanded! After Five gatherings are scheduled every quarter at various locations throughout Southern California and Nevada. Watch your email for information on upcoming conversations. For information or to host an After Five, contact Christine Hartman: christine@icehatcreative.com 13
Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter TECH TRENDS
PAPERLESS…OR BUST!
6 Helpful App and Web Solutions You Should Know! by Dahlia El Gazzar, CMP | Dahlia+
Y
ou hear it every day, don’t you? Everybody in our industry wants to go paperless. They want to ditch their event binders. They want to use their iPads. And some just want to be more in the know about the apps out there that will make their sanity come back. We can all use some of that. Here are my 6 top fapaperless solutions to check out: 1. Evernote [Basic: $0. Premium: $5/month] Think of Evernote as your brain. You tend to want to store all types of information and data; documents, spreadsheets, photos, videos, audio, web pages. Sometimes you want to share the information with your teams, a select few or just for yourself. Evernote has an amazing capability of being accessible from wherever
you are; iPad, desktop, or a browser. All your information is synced, searchable (even words within images), and organized to your liking. Evernote also has what they call the Trunk. There you have several other solutions and apps that play nice with Evernote, from printers, scanners, to apps that organize your expenses, and what you like to read in just one spot. 2. Penultimate [Free] For those people that still like to doodle, sketch, and take notes by hand, there is an app for that. Penultimate is your notebook on your iPad. You can take notes, insert photos and jot down callouts, and so much more. Best thing is that you are able to share your notes with the people
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you want to see your fabulous handwriting, or pass it right back to Evernote. Yes. Evernote. Again. You know what’s cool? Even handwritten notes, when in Evernote, are searchable. Imagine that! 3. Adobe Reader [Free] There are so many pdf editing apps out there, but I like this one because it does what it does really well. So imagine you are on the road and you have 60 pages of BEOs that you want to edit, comment, or initial specific areas. Don’t waste your time looking for a printer or a fax machine. Just open your document in Adobe Reader and edit the copy, put in your comments, insert your signature or your initials, and send out to your team, or drop it in Dropbox. Easy.
INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014
4. Live Minutes [Free] Does this sound familiar: You are on a conference call with a bunch of people taking notes, or reviewing the same document. Yet everyone is writing their own comments and notes. How long does it take you to compile all those notes and THEN you have to send it back to everyone before the next call? Enter Liveminutes. Imagine a cool conference calling platform (it even calls you when your meeting is coming up!) that gives you the ability to have everyone on the call take notes TOGETHER. Even if you are reviewing a document, just upload it, everyone will see it on their screen, they will be able to add in their comments. And voilà. You end the conference call on a happy note since you will instantly be able to share one meeting report with everyone’s notes to all participants. 5. Bidsketch [$19/month] You know what I dread? Proposals! They take a ton of time, formatting sometimes doesn’t work, but they are important for your business and your career. Bidsketch is a great online proposal solution that simplifies the entire proposal process. You can create sections that you can reuse for various proposals. Even customize the proposals depending on your individual needs, and insert images, videos to showcase your services or portfolio. The best part; clients love to get the digital copies and are easily impressed with their custom landing pages. It also plays nice with Salesforce, Freshbooks and Highrise. It’s a winner. 6. Cardmunch [Free] Business cards kill a lot of trees, but we can’t live without them in this industry. Cardmunch is super simple app from LinkedIn that lets you turn business cards into connections just by taking a picture. You download the app, snap pictures of the business cards, it scans the contact info for you and boom. They are in your contacts. So next time you are at an event, instead of collecting business cards, take a picture of it instead. Even though I’m a huge fan of going paperless, it might not be the answer for everything. If you already use the solutions mentioned above, would love to know what you think. If you found something better, I would love to hear about it. Dahlia El Gazzar, CMP, is the founder of Dahlia+, a consulting agency with a mission to encourage planners take advantage of new and innovative event technology solutions. www.dahliaplus.com delgazzar@dahliaplus.com
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Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES
The Unexpected Connection:
Fear and Courage By Jayne Sanders, President | GenderSmart® Solutions
E
veryone feels fear. Yes, even the bravest of heroes, even those people who run into burning buildings when everybody else is running out of them. How do they do that? Why do they have so much more courage? How do they overcome the fear?
courage. Fear is the opportunity for my confidence and was afraid to ride the more difficult horses, which were the courage, not the proof of cowardice. There it is – fear and courage are insepa- ones I always rode before my accident. rable…an unexpected connection. If you For months I chose easier horses to ride, don’t feel fear, you don’t need courage. at the same time beating myself up for McCain’s last sentence above is one of being chicken. Finally I got fed up with my favorite quotes ever (not necessarily a myself!
They don’t. They feel the fear and take reflection of my politics, however). action anyway. One perspective is that fear is simply a Business people usually don’t have to run reaction – a physical sensation – to new into burning buildings, but they do have challenges and changes. Fear has been fears to face. Here are some thoughts built into us to protect us. In the early about fear and courage. stages of mankind, we needed fear to Everyone has both. The key difference run away from a saber-tooth tiger or between us and the brave hero is that enemy. We need fear to keep us from the hero lets him/herself feel the fear. crossing a busy highway on foot during We however, let it paralyze us, and we rush hour. These sensations of fear have try to wait it out, hoping it will go away. kept us alive and still do from time to It won’t. Heroes know that if they let time. But these days, most situations that themselves feel the fear, and hold onto to people fear don’t involve life-threatening it just one moment longer, they will push issues. They may feel like it though!
On the way to the ranch one day, driving my car up Pacific Coast Highway, I said out loud, “I wish I was the rider I used to be!” Something clicked. In that moment I realized I had been waiting for the fear to just go away, and that it would not be that simple. I realized I had to make the decision to push through it. That very day I pulled a spooky horse out of the pasture and used him as my trail boss horse for a ride. I told myself I rode him a million times before and I can ride him a million times again, and that the chances of a dog attacking again were very small. It was wonderful! The truth is I am a different rider after that experience. There’s a lot of courage in ignorance…when you aren’t aware of what can happen. But I am a smarter, more alert rider, not a more timid one.
through to the courage on the other side. Perhaps it will help you face your fears by They take action in spite of the fear. keeping in mind that the fear you feel is One of my favorite business magazines, merely a physiological response and will Fast Company, printed an article in Sep- not hurt you. It’s your body saying, “Look tember 2004 written by John McCain. out, something new and different is hapIn that article, McCain wrote one of the pening (or, you need to do something I took action. Action is the most imporbest perspectives on courage that I have new or different) so be aware!” tant element of courage. Walk into what ever read: Courage is the highest quality Another point to remember is that cour- you’re afraid of – 99.9 percent of the of life attainable by human beings.” It’s age is not a gift for a chosen few. It is a time it will not kill you. I’ll take that .1% the moment – however brief or singular decision. We have to make a conscious chance. Will you? – when we are our complete, best self, choice to step up to a situation and let when we know with an almost meta- ourselves feel that fear and then step physical certainly that we are right. One through it to the courage on the other Jayne Sanders is a speaker, trainer, and facilitator in the areas of gender thing we can claim with complete con- side. communication, strategic business or fidence is that fear is indispensable to Several years ago, while volunteering at work/life planning, presentation skills, courage, that it must always be present a horse ranch to take rides out in Mali- authentic leadership confidence, recruitfor courage to exist. You must be afraid bu, California, a dog attacked the horse ing & retention of women, and selling to women. Her clients include Toyoto have courage. I was on and I fell off. I was hurt badly ta, MassMutual, Prudential, and the Don’t let the sensation of fear con- enough to keep me from riding for sev- Mayo Clinic. jayne@jayne-sanders.com; vince you that you’re too weak to have eral months (I hate to miss riding!). I lost www.jayne-sanders.com. 16
INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014
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Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
Gretchen Andersen Embassy Suites Monterey Bay gretchen.andersen@jqh.com
Sandi Galloway Canadian Tourism Commission Galloway.Sandi@ctc-cct.ca
Thomas Murphy Gateway Limousines Worldwide dsackmann@vailresorts.com
Kristin Atwan Quest Drape katwan11@apu.edu
Katherine Gan Four Points by Sheraton – Los Angeles Westside kgan@fourpointslawestside.com
Leonard Neil Leonard Neil Productions ln@lnprods.com
Doreen Au Starwood Hotels and Resorts doreen.au@starwoodhotels.com
Tom Gleason Webmaster tgleason57@yahoo.com
Alexa Bennett Tourism New Zealand alexa.bennett@tnz.govt.nz
Tamara Goddard CPMG info@cpmgsf.com
Eliza Cadavona Classic Party Rentals ecadavona@classicpartyrentals.com
Lynne Graves Plan Ahead Events – Pasadena lynne.graves@planaheadevents.com
Michelle Carlen Monterey CVB michelle@seemonterey.com
Aaron Hinterleitner Cirque du Soleil aaron.hinterleitner@cirquedusoleil.com
Anita Caspers The Staging Department Anita@Thestagingdepartment.com
Allison Howell Found Vintage Rentals allison@foundrentals.com
Paloma Castanon Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort Riviera Maya pcastanon@grandvelas.com
Tanja Janjic The Riviera Country Club tjanjic@rccla.com
Colleen Cavan California Yacht Club van31@hotmail.com Michelle Conant VIP Limousines & Coaches michelleconant@gmail.com Christine Davidson Team San Jose cdavidson@sanjose.org Meredith Delfosse Crowne Plaza Hotel Beverly Hills meredithdelfosse@remingtonhotels.com Kim Duffet Zermatt Resort kim.duffett@zermattresort.com Wendy Frank Team San Jose wfrank@sanjose.org Casey Gaines American Youth Soccer Organization CaseyG@ayso.org
Monica Kelser SLS Hotel & Casino monica.kelser@slshotels.com Jill Lackey Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort jlackey@snowbird.com Branden Larsen Doubletree by Hilton LAX El Segundo BLarsen@DoubleTreeLAX.com
Steve Nguyen ULC Transportation steve@ulclimos.com Daniel November Heirloom LA daniel@heirloomla.com Janet Pudelko Student jrp922@hotmail.com Nancy Richardson Visit Napa Valley nancy@visitnapavalley.com Amani Roberts The Amani Experience amani@amaniexperience.com Monique Rodriguez Rose Bowl Operating Company mrodriguez@rosebowlstadium.com David Sackmann Keystone Resort & Conference Center dsackmann@vailresorts.com Mark Stewart CLI –Worldwide mark@cli-worldwide.com James Vertovec Association Management Specialists jvertovec@assoc-mgmt.net
Catherine Law Student Catherinetlaw@gmail.com
Karly Watson SMG–The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center kay.watson5@gmail.com
Candace Lopez Fielding Graduate University canchrislopez@gmail.com
Judy Webster MPI International jwebster@mpiweb.org
Marichelle Maloney Student marichellemaloney@ymail.com
Carla Woodson Student 4carlawoodson@gmail.com
Stacy Miranda Student smiranda@csupomona.edu
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INTERCOM | Volume 107 January/February 2014 STRATEGIC PARTNERS
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IN THIS ISSUE
Los Angeles… Poised to Welcome the World
1
Program Highlights: October 2013
8
President’s Message
3
Photo Gallery: Carnival Bizarre 10
Insider Tips
4
Tech Trends: Paperless or Bust 14
Industry Trends: In Word and Deed 5
Leadership Perspectives: Fear and Courage 16
MonthxMonth Event Calendar 6
New Members
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Networking: Playing Ball 7
Our Strategic Partners
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INTERCOM
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