APRIL 2019

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Who is looking forward to springtime in Tennessee?!? I know I am – the weather, the sites, getting outdoors – I’m excited for all of it. I just got a touch of the season by traveling to Europe with my kiddos over Spring Break. Most people think we’re crazy, but I think of it as raising little travelers. The more of the world they’re exposed to, the more they’ll want to visit on their own (hopefully).   I’d like to recommend that you all do the same when it comes to your MPI membership. Last month we held our “Get to Know You” campaign where members drop their cards in a hat and then are randomly paired up to meet for coffee or happy hour. Over the years that we’ve done this as a chapter, we’ve seen great new relationships form by way of friendships, business opportunities, and more. If you didn’t get a chance to participate, feel free to reach out to a member you don’t know and ask to learn more about them. Or if there’s a venue that’s a member, make a point to fit a visit in this Spring. The more you learn about our members, the more beneficial your membership will become!   April kicks off “busy” season for our chapter. We have a great GMID program coming up tomorrow where we’ll get a chance to network with other professional associations in the state. We’re transitioning our new board members, soliciting items for the auction, and counting down the days until our Gala on May 1 st . We have a fantastic group of nominees, and I am so excited that we’ll get to celebrate them and the great year the chapter has had together. Until then, enjoy the sunshine! Best,

Platinum Sponsors

Do you want to become an MPI Tennessee Chapter sponsor, and partner with the state's largest and most vibrant community of meeting and event professionals?

For more information, contact   Katherine Page Saldana Director of Strategic Alliances for MPI Tennessee!

Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) Thursday, April 4 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Tennessee Bankers Association, Nashville 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Memphis Tourism Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) brings together leaders from across the meetings and events industry to showcase the real impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows, and exhibitions have on people, business, and communities. Meeting professionals across the world participated in the international day of advocacy in 2018 with more than 200 events held across 6 continents. This year the Tennessee meetings and events industry associations have come together to celebrate GMID 2019 in a way that addresses how we outwardly showcase our businesses and ourselves, how we share our time and talents for important causes, and how we take care of making sure we have a balanced life as event professionals. We will also toast to the day and our industry in true Tennessee style! Join ILEA, MPI Tennessee, NACE, TBTA, and TNSAE on Thursday, April 4th as we celebrate across the state: Middle: main event location at the Tennessee Bankers Association West: livestream event at Memphis Tourism In Nashville: We are bringing Mark Galvin to kick off the program at 10am CST asking the question, How’s your ePresence? After working on our outward-selves, we will work on our giving-selves with a presentation from End Slavery Tennessee. We will learn ways to support this great cause within our industry. We will also be presenting a check from a portion of the proceeds of this meeting to assist in fighting human trafficking in our state. Jesse Wayne Taylor will entertain us as we transition from the service project to a tasty lunch and feeding our inner-selves with a presentation by Kelly Treadway for The Balanced Event Professional: From Harried to Healthy. To top it off, we will have a state-wide toast to our amazing industry! In Memphis: Jeff Homad from Memphis Tourism will kick off the event by telling us about Memphis, MCCC renovations, and updates regarding new hotels to the Memphis market. We will then join a live-streaming presentation in Nashville by Kelly Treadway for The Balanced Event Professional: From Harried to Healthy. To top it off, we will have a state-wide toast to our amazing industry! Registration is closed, but you can still register on-site in Memphis and Nashville! Make plans today to join us from whatever part of the state you are in and celebrate GMID 2019 because Meetings Mean Business!

Membership Field Trip Thursday, April 18 Wilson County Venues 11:45 AM - 6:00 PM Don’t miss out on the inaugural MPI Tennessee Member Field Trip. Take this opportunity to visit three incredible venues located on the outskirts of Nashville! This trip will feature three of our members in Wilson and Sumner Counties. Enjoy networking and a gourmet box lunch while we take the short trip, via charter coach, to Lebanon and experience the Wilson County EXPO . Sitting in the heart of the Wilson County fairgrounds, the EXPO boasts over 50,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space.  The Estate at Cherokee Landing is our next stop! Located on the shores of Old Hickory Lake, this estate is most widely recognized as the former home of award-winning artist, actor, and author Reba McEntire, but today, The Estate at Cherokee Dock is a luxury venue for events of all sizes. The final stop takes us just over the river to Sumner County.  Fit Farm is the only weight loss and fitness retreat to feature their own custom-built training facilities, designed with great care for the needs of our total-solution fitness program. Their unique campus is the only residential fitness experience to boast its own fully-managed accommodations. Fit Farm also has meeting space that can accommodate luncheons, board meetings, day-long trainings, team-building, and many other multiple-day events. In addition to these incredible venues the day will include food, beverage, and tidbits from additional vendors. You don’t want to miss this membership-only event!

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Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose! Those of us who have been around MPI for a little while like to say that MPI is a heart thing, not a head thing. As one of the top-rated chapters in the world, MPI Tennessee has a lot to be proud of, most importantly, our amazing members (that’s you)! Join us on May 1st as we celebrate the accomplishments of our peers and another successful year for MPI Tennessee! Would you like to donate an item to the Circle of Excellence Awards Gala and Silent Auction? Do you want the opportunity to showcase your products and services while helping raise money for our chapter? Do you have a connection with a vendor or retailer you would like to reach out to for a great donation? Select this link to view more information about the auction and to submit your donation online today! We look forward to seeing you May 1st!

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We are excited to announce that the annual Membership and Chapter Satisfaction Survey will be sent to all members on April 10 from MPI Global. This survey is conducted in order to ensure we meet your needs. Please be sure to participate so that your voice is heard and to help shape the future of our community as a whole. Don’t forget… Current MPI Tennessee members who participate in this annual Membership survey drive for MPI Global will be put into a drawing to receive a complimentary 1 year renewal!! This will begin at the end of your current year membership date!!!   Should a winning member not be able to utilize the renewal scholarship they will have the option to give it to another member with the stipulation that the membership be renewed by June 1, 2019.

Shared Experiences are Unforgettable. Learn how to create them at WEC19. Creating shared experiences is the ultimate goal for you as a meeting and event professional.  MPI’s World Education Congress in Toronto on June 15-18, 2019 will show you how to do it . The learning will be social. The connections meaningful. The business exchanges purposeful. And you’ll have a shared experience like no other - with thousands of your peers in Canada’s Downtown. Want to learn more about WEC?  Click here to see pricing, register, and see the schedule of events!

Your event at the Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum provides guests with a truly unique and unparalleled experience that connects them to Music City. Not only does the museum offer one-of-a-kind spaces, sophisticated catering, and an in-house event planning team to coordinate every detail, but having your event at one of Nashville’s premier locations directly supports the Greater Nashville community. Giving back to Middle Tennessee is an integral part of the museum’s identity. In 2016, the museum formally introduced its commitment to sustainability, which includes reducing food waste through edible food donations and composting. After every event the museum either composts inedible food or donates excess, edible food to the Nashville Rescue Mission, a nonprofit that serves Nashville’s homeless and hungry. Since 2016, the museum has diverted 118 tons of food from the landfill, and the museum’s food donations have fed thousands of Middle Tennesseans, with the museum donating more than 12,000 pounds of food in 2018 alone. The museum has also created a rooftop hydroponic garden to grow produce that’s used in its restaurants and at museum-catered events. The garden is located on the museum’s Carlton Terrace , a 6,000-square foot rooftop with a scenic view of downtown Nashville. This beautiful greenspace not only houses the museum’s garden, but it is also perfect for spring, summer, and fall events with the ability to accommodate receptions for up to 300 guests.   From its amazing views and unique spaces, to its commitment to giving back to the community, there is no other venue in Nashville like the Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum. For more information on museum venue rentals, visit countrymusichalloffame.org or call (615) 760-6500.

Event professionals always reach for the skies when creating experiences. It’s fitting then that Connect Corporate is dubbing this year’s 40 Under 40 class “Peak Performers.” This group of event professionals represent all facets of the industry and were selected from a record number of nominations. These peak performers represent the industry’s next generation, one in which meetings and events will surely hit new heights.  Congratulations to Ashleigh Cote, CMP, with Macro Productions for being a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree!!

New to the family in March

Ashlynn Basler Wilderness At The Smokies Lindsay Beacco United Methodist Church Leigh Bently, CMP Servpro Industries, Inc. Shirley Anne Langguth Caesars Entertainment Corporation John Smajda Conference Technologies, Inc. - Event Solutions

Sharon Snell Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau Heather Snover Nashville Music City Center Charity Toombs Wilson County Exposition Center Carol Ziegler The Fontanel Nashville

Congratulations to our members celebrating an MPI anniversary in April!

Sheryl A. Baker - 23 years Rebecca E. Ashley - 20 years Vicky Garner, CMP - 19 years Benjamin Prom - 7 years Selena Miller - 6 years Paige Bacon - 6 years Christopher Johnson - 4 years Kelli Myers - 3 years Andrew Nelson - 3 years Marisa McWilliams - 3 years Anita Akers - 3 years Felisha Cook - 3 years Liza Letherman - 2 years Beth Wamsley - 2 years Debbie Whiten - 2 years

John Gaca - 2 years Kimberly M. Bean - 1 year Anderson McLaughlin - 1 year Ashley Owens - 1 year Holly McElyea - 1 year Sara Balsom - 1 year Sarah E. Kelley - 1 year Jennifer Squires, CMP - 1 year Kris Intress - 1 year Adam Smith - 1 year Jack Boone - 1 year Kaylee Parks - 1 year Dan Stephenson - 1 year Troy Villager - 1 year Stephanie Vess - 1 year

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