In this issue
How I Reinvented Myself During COVID-19, by Linda Nelson, CMP, To Plan Ahead, LLC
It's all Fun and Games with Megan Diaz and Matt Connelly
Pack a 1-2-3 Panel Punch! by Kristin Arnold, MBA, CSP, CPF|Master
Oh EM GEEE (aka Oh No they Didn’t)…Weird and strange holiday traditions
Out like a Lamb... (pictures of lambs instead of goats)
How I Reinvented Myself During COVID-19, by Linda Nelson, CMP, To Plan Ahead, LLC
It's all Fun and Games with Megan Diaz and Matt Connelly
Pack a 1-2-3 Panel Punch! by Kristin Arnold, MBA, CSP, CPF|Master
Oh EM GEEE (aka Oh No they Didn’t)…Weird and strange holiday traditions
Out like a Lamb... (pictures of lambs instead of goats)
March is here, and as the old saying goes
"In like a lion, out like a lamb” or maybe here in the northern hemisphere of the globe it’s more like "In like an old angry wet owl, out like less of an old angry wet owl” with the gratuitous Spring Equinox thrown in the middle. But alas, it is Spring, and that means soon there will be flowers, and greenery, and baby leaves growing on the trees.
I don’t know why I refer to them as baby leaves, I suppose it kind of makes me smile just saying “baby leaves”. Go ahead, say it with me “Baby Leaves…” Ah, now wasn’t that fun?
Well, for this month’s newsletter we have more fun and a few fresh new articles for you, maybe not as cute as baby leaves, but they will do the trick.
Now go on and get to reading!
- Stephanie Veiga
March is here, and as the old saying goes
"In like a lion, out like a lamb” or maybe here in the northern hemisphere of the globe it’s more like "In like an old angry wet owl, out like less of an old angry wet owl” with the gratuitous Spring Equinox thrown in the middle. But alas, it is Spring, and that means soon there will be flowers, and greenery, and baby leaves growing on the trees.
I don’t know why I refer to them as baby leaves, I suppose it kind of makes me smile just saying “baby leaves”. Go ahead, say it with me “Baby Leaves…” Ah, now wasn’t that fun?
Well, for this month’s newsletter we have more fun and a few fresh new articles for you, maybe not as cute as baby leaves, but they will do the trick.
Now go on and get to reading!
- Stephanie Veiga
How I Reinvented Myself During COVID-19
By Linda Nelson, CMP, To Plan Ahead, LLC
By Linda Nelson, CMP, To Plan Ahead, LLC
It was March 15, 2020 and I was getting ready to sign a contract with a Washington, DC-based national association to help organize their annual conference. Of course, you all know what happened next—COVID 19, lockdowns, and meeting cancellations. Like many of my peers, my profession as I knew it collapsed, and many meeting professionals became unemployed. I operate a third-party meeting planning company, and consequently, many contracts dried up, which led to me having to lay-off, my employees. It was a sad time, not just for me but for our industry as a whole.
Like many people, I went into shock, followed by denial and depression, before finally accepting that the situation wouldn't disappear overnight. So what was I to do next? First, I took the opportunity to clean out my office. I got rid of files and documents that no longer serve me. I cleaned out my e-mail, re-organized folders that I had neglected, and deleted many others. Then what? I'm never one to stand still for very long, and I knew that the pandemic offered me an opportunity to do something different. I made a list of all the required skills I possess as a successful meeting planner, and I realized that there are way more than meets the eye: We are master jugglers because we manage so many tasks simultaneously. We are magicians because we make things happen behind the scenes. We are accountants because we create and manage meeting budgets and contract negotiators because we ensure we get the best and fairest deal from our vendors. We are knowledgeable in the different types of insurance required for each event and risk-management procedures because we always have to be prepared for what can and will go wrong—always having a plan B and C in our back pockets.
Like many people, I went into shock, followed by denial and depression, before finally accepting that the situation wouldn't disappear overnight. So what was I to do next? First, I took the opportunity to clean out my office. I got rid of files and documents that no longer serve me. I cleaned out my e-mail, re-organized folders that I had neglected, and deleted many others. Then what? I'm never one to stand still for very long, and I knew that the pandemic offered me an opportunity to do something different. I made a list of all the required skills I possess as a successful meeting planner, and I realized that there are way more than meets the eye: We are master jugglers because we manage so many tasks simultaneously. We are magicians because we make things happen behind the scenes. We are accountants because we create and manage meeting budgets and contract negotiators because we ensure we get the best and fairest deal from our vendors. We are knowledgeable in the different types of insurance required for each event and risk-management procedures because we always have to be prepared for what can and will go wrong—always having a plan B and C in our back pockets.
We make sure that we are up to speed with the event venue's emergency procedures so that we can help to protect our attendees should the need arise. And we are psychologists, so we recognize when an attendee or sponsor needs extra special care and attention. All of these tasks have deadlines, and many of them are dependent upon each other. So, what did I learn from this exercise? I'm a project manager who happens to have experience as a meeting professional. It became apparent that I can transfer these skills and diversify into offering my expertise in other project management areas. A project is about delivering a quality product on time and on-budget. There are many ways to achieve these goals, and there are many tasks involved in getting to the finish line. We need to be excellent communicators and have the ability to prioritize; we must recognize when things start to slip or go over budget and make adjustments; we have to manage and motivate teams to their best potential. It's essential to have good people skills, be an active listener, and recognize when a team member is struggling and needs additional help.
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I have run my own business for several years, employing other meeting professionals and managing hundreds of meetings and events, so I knew I had what it takes to be a good leader and project manager. But I knew I needed something more to prove that I have the knowledge to transfer and broaden my experience into a wider field.
I registered with Freelance University, and took their project management certification course. It is an excellent course and delves into PM's various methods, from the traditional Waterfall method to the Kanban, Agile, Scrum, and Lean methods. Each method has its own merits and advantages depending on the type of project. I learned a lot about the various methods. The PM certification course has given me the knowledge and the confidence to tackle various project management solutions. Additional benefits included online training and recommendations for the various PM software tools available, like Trello, Asana, and more. Inspired by the course's knowledge and details, I was further inspired to take additional classes, for instance, social media management, online business management for small businesses, WordPress, SEO, and more. Having the Project Management certificate has opened doors for me and I am working with clients in a different way than before. |
We want you to play along with our
fun and friendly Sponsors!
fun and friendly Sponsors!
This month we would like you to play a little game with our featured Sponsors. We asked Megan Diaz, HMCC of Minneapolis Northwest and Matt Connelly of Tempe Tourism to play along with us. The game is called Two Truths and a Lie. The goal is for the audience has to guess which one of the three statements they gave us is actually a lie. (No, Maury Povich isn't going to pull up a chair and provide the results of their lie detector tests, that's where YOU come in!) Think you know the answer? Reach out to Megan and Matt directly to find out!
1. I love bacon 2. I’ve had emergency dental work while at out of state/country conferences – TWICE! 3. I’m the youngest of 11 children Megan Diaz, HMCC - Director of Business Development
Cell: (763) 482-4119 | [email protected] https://www.minneapolisnorthwest.com/ |
Matt Connelly - National Sales Manager
Direct: (480) 305-1375 | [email protected] https://www.tempetourism.com/ |
Pack a 1-2-3 Panel Punch!
By Kristin Arnold
Thank goodness the pandemic ice storm is beginning to thaw and we’re starting to venture outside and meeting in person again. Most agree, we cannot “go back” to the way things were; we must forge ahead into new territory!
As a leading authority on moderating panel discussions, there are three things to consider as we move forward:
Here are some ideas I’m using for an upcoming meetings industry leadership panel:
As a leading authority on moderating panel discussions, there are three things to consider as we move forward:
- As Oprah says, “The one thing I know for sure…” (and it has nothing to do with Meaghan and Harry) is that panels are not going away. The usage of panels has increased in the virtual world, and it will continue to grow as we are able to bring in remote panelists for in-person and hybrid events.
- You will always have to consider two audiences: the in-person and virtual audience(s). You may not have to serve both of them at the same time; however, the resulting conversation will decide if, when, and how you will serve them. You may even take recordings (live and replayed) and use them beyond the actual event.
- The virtual world has caused us to think in smaller “segments”. For a panel, you’ll have at least three opportunities to switch it up. Do something different. Get the audience(s) involved. Have them lean into that intriguing, spontaneous conversation.
Here are some ideas I’m using for an upcoming meetings industry leadership panel:
- Whiteboard your one word reaction to the topic. All turn their handheld whiteboards at the same time! Panelists comment/ask each other about why they picked that word and discuss.
- Would you Rather? Moderator tees up a question and the panelists give their preferences/discuss the reality of these tough decisions. For example:
ii. Would you rather “go back to business” or the “new normal” (whatever that is?)
- Improv Style. What challenges do you see ahead as your employees come back to work? One panelist will start and the next panelist must build on what has been said by saying “yes and…”
- Agree/Disagree. Moderator asks a question and the panelists raise their thumbs up or down paddle. For example:
ii. You always follow the advice you give to your mentees.
iii. Mentees should start the mentoring relationship.
- Rapid Fire Round. Panelists come prepared to rapidly share, confirm experiences on what books, tools, podcasts, solutions help you gives you insights into this new world, helps you stay mentally healthy, and resilient?
This is the perfect opportunity to punch up your panel discussions for the in-person and virtual audiences!
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Download Kristin's infographics here
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Kristin Arnold, MBA, CSP, CPF|Master is an omnichannel high stakes meeting facilitator, emcee, and panel moderator. She is a leading authority on moderating panel discussions – and just came out with her new book, 123 Ways to Add Pizazz to a Panel Discussion. She’s also desperately searching for the perfect olive for a dirty vodka martini.
Kristin Arnold, MBA, CSP, CPF|Master is an omnichannel high stakes meeting facilitator, emcee, and panel moderator. She is a leading authority on moderating panel discussions – and just came out with her new book, 123 Ways to Add Pizazz to a Panel Discussion. She’s also desperately searching for the perfect olive for a dirty vodka martini.
Shout out to our Special Sponsors!
OH EM GEE - DID YOU KNOW? (aka Oh No They Didn't)
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In order to prepare for this month’s segment of OH EM GEE - DID YOU KNOW? (aka Oh No they Didn’t…) I took to the Google like all good researchers do and brought you only the best and most eggs-traordinary weird ways some will celebrate the upcoming holiday of Easter! Here are my top 3 favorites (and Yes, of course I stole eggs-traordinary because it was brilliant!) Number 1. Whip-cracking in the Czech Republic and Slovakia – apparently this gruff ritual is performed on Easter Monday in which local men and boys roam the streets with decorated willow switches adorned with ribbons looking for girls to “lightly’ whip. (For me this is where the “Oh No they Didn’t” came into play). Well, apparently the whipping is not meant to be painful, instead it is to encourage good health and beauty. I think I’ll stick to my traditional eating the ears off my chocolate bunny before 10am instead. Number 2. The world's biggest Easter omelette in France Each year on Easter Monday the residents in the town of Haux, located in Southern France crack more than 4,500 eggs into a gigantic pan to create a massive Easter omelet that serves over 1,000 people. According to legend, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they decided to rest for the night and Napoleon feasted on an omelette prepared by a local innkeeper. He enjoyed them so much he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and to prepare a huge omelette for his army the next day. Number 3. Tobacco trees in Papua New Guinea No chocolate in the heat of the jungles of Papua New Guinea, instead Easter trees at the front of churches are decorated with sticks of tobacco and cigarettes instead. These are handed out after the service. Well, light em’ if you got em’ And an extra which is dear to our SPIN hearts: Dyngus Day! Celebrated the Monday after Easter the GUYS sprinkle the LADIES with love...in the form of water! Sprinkling or drenching with water is the goal. Men will chase after the ladies with squirt guns, buckets, or other containers of water. In turn, the LADIES can strike back on Tuesday, when tradition has it, that you throw dishes or crockery back at the boys. But, it has become increasingly popular for the ladies to get their revenge on Monday, tossing water back at the boys. |
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All good things must come to an end, but as promised, pictures of baby lambs and baby leaves for your viewing pleasure
Well that completes our month of March Newsletter - more next month!
