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SOCIETY FOR INCENTIVE TRAVEL EXCELLENCE
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SITE Northeast USA:
Stay informed on what's happening in Incentive Travel.
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Letter from the Presidents
Dear SITE Northeast,
This wasn't the Q1 newsletter Samantha and I were planning to deliver when we accepted our co-president roles earlier this year. We had an all-star Board of Directors lined up and ambitious plans to host three events during Q1 in celebration of being named Chapter of the Year! We were fortunate enough to execute one event pre-COVID-19 where 90+ of you joined us for our best attended AGM to date! And to continue in this year of firsts, this past week we hosted the first in a series of virtual events. While COVID-19 keeps us apart, SITE Northeast is committed to celebrating the passion and togetherness of our members that threads throughout our industry.
It's been a couple of weeks since the reality of COVID-19 settled in the U.S. and hit our industry like a ton of bricks. Regardless of how these weeks unfolded for you, your colleagues, clients, and families; you made it. There is so much information available and the truth is, we just don't know how long this will go on and what will happen when it's over. What we do know is that the pandemic will end and this new normal will be old news.
Like many of us, at the start of last week, my husband and I made a game plan to get through the uncertainty of the weeks ahead. We took inventory of our supplies, canceled everything, and for the first time in a very long time, we put away the suitcases. New Yorkers can appreciate the significance - we live in a tiny apartment in a convenient location, with not very convenient storage and when not on the road, our suitcases are on display the same way some might showcase wedding china. But a pandemic was upon us and we needed to turn our tiny apartment into both an office for two and self-isolation chamber, so we found a spot for our suitcases to hide until the world was ready to mobilize again.
So our advice to you is to put away your roller bags for now and hang in there because some day (hopefully very soon), you're going to check-in for a flight, deliver a BEO, and celebrate this feat at our next in-person chapter event! And if your luck has really taken a turn for the worse, you might even complain about a middle seat again.
Until then, stay connected and stay #SITEstrong.
All the best,
Megan and Samantha (who has far more storage space in the 'burbs)
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SITE Northeast Named Chapter of the Year!
2020 started off on a high note with SITE Northeast named Chapter of the Year during the SITE Global Conference in Vancouver. Special thanks to our 2019 board, sponsors, and members for all of your support to make this happen!
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2020 Vision Event - February 26, 2020 at the Arthouse Hotel
On February 26, SITE Northeast hosted its first event of the year - our board slate and Annual General Meeting - with 94 attendees at the Arthouse Hotel in NYC. Immediate Past President of the SITE Foundation, John Iannini, provided a fantastic update on the incentive travel industry and Ivan Maddock with Feet First Eventertainment facilitated a fun and interactive icebreaker! We raised $665 as a donation to WIRES, an organization that helps protect the native animals in Australia from the devastating fires. Thank you to our event sponsors, Business Events Australia, Arthouse Hotel, and Melia Sevilla.
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#SipWithSITE: Live, Virtual Happy Hour!
Fabulous first virtual happy hour last Friday! We had over 50 people sign in, wine in hand! Attendees tuned in from all over the map - from Europe to Southern California.
Big round of applause to everyone.
In addition to the $410 we raised, SITE Northeast is gifting The Above and Beyond Foundation $500 to support a grant to go directly to hospitality workers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.
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Please join us for our upcoming virtual events!
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#SweatWithSITE: Live, Virtual Yoga Class
Friday, 4/3 at 4:00 PM ET
Get ready to sweat with SITE Northeast with a live 35-minute yoga flow and 10-minute guided meditation via Zoom video conferencing! Free for members; $20 for non-members. Please register to receive the Zoom video conferencing link.
#SolvewithSITE: Live, Virtual Interactive Game
Friday, 4/17 at 3:00 PM ET
Join Ivan Maddock with Feet First Eventertainment for a fun and interactive virtual game! Cyber Sleuths includes all the puzzles, problem solving, and intensity of a traditional escape room (along with some trivia and other challenges for good measure)... only everyone in the group works remotely from their computers! Through video conferencing and screen sharing, each team member receives a portion of a digital puzzle or clue. Team members must compile information and work together, racing against the other teams to solve all the puzzles first! Free for members; $20 for non-members. Please register to receive the Zoom video conferencing link.
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Andrew Barnes, Director, Account Development, Global Sales, Meetings & Incentives, Accor Hotels & Resorts
Please provide your name, title, company and location where you are based in the Northeast Region:
Andrew Barnes, Director, Account Development, Global Sales, Meetings & Incentives, Accor Hotels & Resorts - Based in New York City
Why did you choose to join SITE?
I
joined SITE as I see it as an integral membership association that is embedded within the Hospitality Industry. More opportunities to meet and network with clients and colleagues alike.
Favorite travel destination in the Northeast US?
B
l
ock Island - love the island life.
Favorite travel destination
outside
of the Northeast?
L
ondon - it'll always be home so I love getting back to visit.
What does incentive travel look like to you 10 years from now?
I see incentive travel continuing to look for the unique and new experiences. Everyone wants to do something that not a lot of people have had the chance to do before. Something special and out of the box whether that be by staying at a hotel that offers those experiences or going somewhere that has new and exciting activities to take part in.
Dianne Heffernan, Chief Events Officer, CCE Global Meetings & Incentives
Please provide your name, title, company and location where you are based in the Northeast Region:
Dianne Heffernan, CTC, CMP - Chief Events Officer CCE Global Meetings & Incentives, Long Island, New York
Why did you choose to join SITE?
I joined SITE to become more involved with other incentive industry professionals and gain a greater
insight into the industry."
How long have you been a member of the organization?
I have been a member of SITE since 2011. I have been with CCE since 2017.
Favorite travel destination in the Northeast US?
Newport, RI
Favorite travel destination outside of the Northeast?
Barcelona
What does incentive travel look like to you 10 years from now?
In the next 10 years, I see organizations moving away from large "feel good" incentive trips toward smaller experiences. So rather than a 300 person incentive to a Caribbean island,
maybe groups of 30-40 people mountain climbing, rafting or a week cooking in Tuscany. Incentive travel is more meaningful when it creates a special memory."
Do you have a mentor and if so whom and why?
I don't. I fell into this industry after years in the Corporate Travel industry. I would love to pay it forward and mentor an up and coming planner.
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Lead. Shape. Inspire.
All we're missing is
YOU. Become a SITE member and, with the help of a burgeoning network of peers, transform the greater meetings and incentives industry. Click below to get more details about the SITE application process, fees, membership add-ons and more.
Secondary SITE Membership ($50)
Friendly reminder that members of other SITE chapters can purchase a secondary membership for $50. Your SITE Northeast secondary sponsorship will provide access to special members only events, discounts, and the SITE Global database.
Need to renew your SITE Membership for 2020? Renewing is easy:
- Login with your username and password
- A courtesy renewal invoice has already been created for you. To access the invoice, click 'My Options' and select "My Profile" at the top of the page, then click on "Transactions".
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Applications are due on April 30, 2020 for the S.H.I.N.E. scholarship in memory of our esteemed colleague Jeannette Lupachino. Established by the SITE Northeast USA Chapter Board, the scholarship provides education and professional advancement opportunities for future industry leaders who will continue Jeannette's legacy of exemplary leadership and passion for helping others. Recipients are selected by the SITE Northeast USA Chapter Board and awarded a $1,000 scholarship to attend either the SITE Global Young Leaders Conference or SITE Global Conference.
In recognition of Jeannette's invaluable contributions to the incentive travel community, we are honored and humbled to dedicate an annual $1,000 Chapter Scholarship in her name - "
The Jeannette Lupachino SHINE Scholarship
", to be used for one SITE Northeast Member to attend a SITE Global event or Educational Program hosted by our Chapter, decided on an annual basis by the SITE Northeast USA Board of Directors.
We have named it the Jeannette Lupachino SHINE scholarship based on key qualities Jeannette demonstrated both personally and professionally:
*
S
uccess
*
H
ospitality
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I
nnovation
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N
urture
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E
nergy
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Committee Signups
Are you interested in becoming more involved with SITE Northeast? We're actively recruiting members for our marketing/communications, education, young leaders, events, and sponsorship committees. For more information, reach out to Samantha Nicastro ([email protected]) and Megan McHale (
[email protected]
).
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Holiday Soiree Donations
We are now accepting donations for our 6
th
Annual Holiday Soiree & Silent Auction.
Date and location to be announced soon - please complete the form linked below if you are interested in donating gift baskets, restaurant gift certificates, hotel packages, airline tickets, theater, concert/sporting event tickets, etc.
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COVID-19 Resources from SITE Global
Please see below a SITE members-only, regularly updated platform with information related to COVID-19 and how it relates to our industry.
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SITE is the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence. Our members are incentive travel professionals who know from experience that incentive travel is a powerful business tool, and together, SITE and our members are on a mission to strengthen and support our industry.
Incentive travel is a proven business strategy that provides a measurable return on its investment. We focus on delivering these results for our companies and clients. SITE also brings results for members: tools to increase business; a community supporting professional growth, and a platform for industry advocacy.
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