MPISCC Intercom July/August 2014

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Designed and Edited by Alvalyn Lundgren | Alvalyn Creative VOLUME 110 | July/August 2014

INTERCOM

Santa MonicaStay wired at this city’sbest destinations

6 Keys forAmazing Speeches

WESNo More Fluff or Boring Stuff

A year to Engage, Educate, Evolve kicks off with interactive team building and thoughtful strategizing at the 2014 MPISCC Board retreat.

PLANNINGA NEW YEAR

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PAGE 12 PAGE 10 PAGE 9

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Meeting Professionals International | Southern California Chapter

DESIGN & EDITORIAL

Managing Editor/Design DirectorAlvalyn Lundgren | Alvalyn [email protected]

Contributing EditorLaura Bergersen, CMP

ContributorsCarl ChristmanGeraldine GatehouseJoe MartinTravis Pham

Photo Credits:pp. 5-8, 14, 17-19 & cover: Alvalyn Lundgren; pp. 12-13: Joakim Lloyd Raboff

INTERCOM is published six times a year by Meeting Professionals International–Southern California Chapter, a nonprofit professional association of meeting planners and suppliers. ©2014.

Article contributions are welcome. Article submissions and editorial guidelines requests should be sent to Alvalyn Lundgren, Managing Editor, at [email protected].

Advertising Information www.mpiscc.org/marketplace/ advertising-kit/

www.mpiscc.org275 East Hillcrest Drive, Suite 215

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360Phone: 805-449-9111

Fax: 805-557-1133

MPISCC MISSION STATEMENTMPISCC will be recognized as the leading local

membership community that is committed to shaping and defining the meetings and

event industry in Southern California.

Please direct advertising inquiries to:Joe Martin | BDI Events323-692-0802 [email protected]

To Advertise

IN THIS ISSUE

President’s Message 3

Insider Tips 4

MPISCC MONTHxMONTH 4

Planning a New Year 5

Education Highlight 6SoCal EdCon & Expo 2014

Coming Attractions 9Weekend Educational Summit

Six Keys for Amazing Speeches 10How to Wow Your Audience

What Has MPI Done For You? 11 Member Testimonial

Destination Spotlight 12Santa Monica is Wired

Photo Album 14 On the Ropes with the Board of Directors

Ethics: Shades of Gray 16May Program Highlights

Optimizing Your Business Card 20A small but mighty marketing tool.

New Members 21

MPISCC Strategic Sponsors 22

INTERCOM110

Please direct sponsorship inquiries to:Shang Hur | HelmsBriscoe310-562-0622 [email protected]

To Become an MPI Strategic Partner

MPISCC Officers & Directors 2014-2015

PresidentBeverly Laing, CMP, CTC

Russell Harris Event Group818-217-0817

President ElectMariles Krok, CMP

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board424-731-7781

Immediate Past PresidentDavid Anderson, CMP

Eventive Group 562-438-4834

Vice President of CommunicationsLaura Bergerson, CMP

Laura B Events562-234-8819

Vice President of Education/ProgramsNicole Newman

SearchWide951-640-3745

Vice President of FinanceAmy Zelinsky, CMP

A to Z Special Events818-646-3445

Vice President of Leadership DevelopmentJoe Marcy, CMP

Westin Long Beach310-748-3075

Vice President of MembershipChristine HartmanIce Hat Creative310-601-0695

Directors

Member Care Akemi Shapiro

Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach 805-652-5118

Strategic Sponsorship Shang Hur

HelmsBriscoe310-562-0622

Professional Development Bryan Quinan, CMP

Milken Institute310-570-4638

Monthly Programs Carlos Murillo

Ceasars818-760-6779

Public Relations and MediaMeredith Delfosse

Crowne Plaza Hotel Beverly Hills310-651-3251

Special Education Projects Mai Hogan

Luxor Hotel & Casino702-262-4824

Special Events Michelle Thornton

NBCUniversal818-777-6044

Member Recruitment Michelle Conant

VIP Limousines & Coaches 714-612-0067

Fundraising and Advertising Joe MartinBDI Events

323-692-0802

Marketing and Publications Jane Mato, CMP

Hilton Waikoloa Village310-523-3896

Awards and Recognition Shelley Grey, CMP

Trust Company of the West213-244-0579

Executive DirectorDebbie Hawkins, CAE, CMP

805-449-9111

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?

Contribute to the Intercom!We welcome articles, anecdotes,trends and best practices to inform and engage our membership.

Send ideas and articles to:Alvalyn Lundgren, Managing Editor [email protected]

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INTERCOM | Volume 110 | July/August 2014

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I am honored to be your incoming President and look forward to serving the Southern California Chapter. I hope to get to know each and every one of you in the

months ahead!

I chose this year’s theme, Engage, Educate, Evolve as it reflects my personal experience with MPI. I have been a member of MPI for the past 16 years. However, it wasn’t until I became engaged with the Chapter as a volunteer eight years ago that I realized my true potential in our indus-try. The education from the monthly programs, CMP class and ultimately, the CMP exam, brought out my passion for this industry. It was networking with planner peers and supplier partners who added to my personal and professional career advancement. Due to this engagement and education, I evolved in both my career and MPI.

With a new board and a greater number of active committee members involved in the chapter, I am confident that MPISCC will continue to prosper. The Education Committee is working on providing high level education programs to help you advance in your career and create innovative and fun networking events.

The Communications Committee will continue to use our social media, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to connect with you in meaningful ways. Intercom, STATS and our website will be used to deliver relevant, innovative information and educational articles.

One of my goals as President this year is to engage additional members to become active in the Chapter. Not all of you are as involved with our chapter as I would hope. The benefits to volunteering are numerous!

When you volunteer, you make valuable connections which have a healthy impact on your career;

You have the opportunity to make a difference in the chapter;

You accumulate CEU credits towards your CMP/CMM or other industry certifications; and

You “give back” to this industry and support fellow members.

Think about how incredible our chapter would be if most of our members volunteered for at least one hour per month!

I challenge each of you to engage with MPISCC and become involved, even if it is only one hour at an event, helping with community service, or assisting with phone calls. I think if you try it, you’ll like us!

None of the above programs and initiatives would be possible without a good foundation from past and present board members and ac-tive committee members. I thank all of you for sharing your time and talents with us! I pledge

my commitment to be accessible and open to hearing your feedback and ideas in the coming months. Do not hesitate to reach out to any of your board members if we can serve you in any way.

I wish you a great summer with family and friends and look forward to seeing many of you at our revitalized Weekend Education Summit (WES), September 15-17, 2014 at the Omni Las Palmas in Palm Springs, CA.

Beverly A Laing, CMP

MPISCC Chapter President

Russell Harris Event Group

Greetings MPISCC family and friends!

ENGAGE EDUCATE, EVOLVE

ENGAGE, EDUCATE, EVOLVE

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MPISCCMONTHxMONTH JULY

Backstage at the LA2015 World Gameswith Patrick McClenahan, President & CEOLA2015 World Games July 8, 2014 | 11:00-2:00 pm | Location TBA Monthly networking & program AUGUST

MPISCC Members Only BashAugust 12 | 6:00-9:00 pm Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, CA SEPTEMBER

Weekend Educational SummitSeptember 12-14, 2014 Omni Resorts Rancho Las PalmasPalm Springs, CA

OCTOBER

Branding & LeadershipOctober 14, 2014 | 11:00-2:00 pm The Garland, North Hollywood Monthly networking & program NOVEMBER

MPISCC Annual FundraiserTo Be Announced

DECEMBER

Holiday EventDecember 9, 2014 The Milken Institute

Keep your eyes posted for MPISCC program and event details via your email inbox or on our website at www.mpiscc.org.

FOR MPISCC MEMBERS

Insider T ps

More to Follow, More to Love

Make more connections through MPISCC’s social sites:

Facebook Page: /MPISCC

Facebook Group: /groups/MPISCC/

LinkedIn: /MPISCC

Instagram: /mpisocalchapter

YouTube: /user/MPISCC

Twitter: @MPISCC

Membership Renewal Incentives

Renew your MPI membership this summer and you could receive your choice of some nice incentives:

Renew by July 31 and be entered into a drawing to win your choice of:

Half off registration to WEC 2014 in Minneapolis (Aug 2-5) or EMEC 2015 (Feb) in Poland

2 complimentary tickets to RENDEZVOUS 2014 (Aug 4) at WEC

6 complimentary tickets to any chapter event (up to $300). Can be used for six tickets to one event, one ticket to six separate events or any combination. Must be used by August 2015.

Renew by August 31 and be entered into a drawing to win your choice of:

1 year extended membership

Receive 6 complimentary tickets to any chapter event (up to $300). Can be used for six tickets to one event, one ticket to six separate events or any combination. Must be used by September 2015.

Complimentary CMP Study Kit (valued at $312)

Membership Referral Program

Earn a $25 credit for each new member referred who joins MPI.

The new member must list referring member on their application.

Membership referrals are tracked and processed by MPI headquarters office. For information, contact MPI Member Services: 972-702-3053

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SEENDeShawn Wynnwas seen perusing the Intercom.

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The theme for the 2014-2015 MPISCC board year is Engage, Educate, Evolve, and incoming President, Bev-

erly Laing, CMP, certainly reinforced that message at the board retreat that took place April 27-29, 2014. The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort in the beautifully scenic Santa Ynez Valley was our generous, hospitable and welcoming host venue. The ranch, set in a stunning location of 10,500 acres, is just a few miles outside Solvang. With the peace and tranquility all around and minimal distractions, it was the perfect place for what Beverly was looking to achieve at the retreat.

We all arrived on Sunday, and that afternoon our Hosts took us to Solvang for a skattejagt (Danish for “scavenger hunt”), for which we worked in teams made of current and new board members so we could work together in a fun atmo-sphere. Looking for clues around town and posting pics to Twitter and Instagram gave us the chance to experience some of Solvang’s sights and sounds, and led us to our final destination at Carivintas, a tasting room all ready for us with delicious wines and snacks. This fun, lively wine bar is a great venue to take a group, so this was definitely one “site inspection” that was very tasty and enjoyable.

TweetBeam was new for most of us. This app provides a way to show photos and tweets from an event – such as our scavenger hunt - on a screen at its conclusion. It certainly added another dimension to the experience and is worth consideration at a future event.

Dinner that evening was at the gorgeous Sunstone Winery where we all came together for a demonstration by Chef Leonardo Curti, and we enjoyed delicious Sunstone wines. Bion Rice, President, C.E.O. and Winemaker, the son of founder Fred & Linda Rice, welcomed us with a history of the villa and the vineyards. The Villa is absolutely beautiful, made up in large part of stone and timbers brought in from

France. Its ambiance is unique and special, and contributed greatly to the overall dining experience we enjoyed.

Bright and early on Monday, after a delicious and plentiful breakfast in the Alisal’s Ranch Room, we headed to the Sycamore Room where we officially met Tara Liaschenko, our facilitator for the weekend. As well as owning her own meeting planning company, Tara has a background in work-ing with MPI chapters, and so was well qualified to point us in the right direction. Chapter status updates with Judy Webster, our Chapter Business Manager, administrator presentations with Debbie Hawkins, and business depart-ment presentations from the Office of the President and Finance, rounded out the morning. Lunch was outside on the Creekside Lawn—a lovely location to continue the conversation. The afternoon included the rest of the busi-ness department presentations with input from member-ship, education, communications and leadership develop-ment; as well as budget and calendar reviews.

Tara had a challenging, “knotty” interactive team building event for the whole group. Given a length of rope with knots tied at regular intervals, each person had to hold on to the rope with one hand which they were not allowed to move. The object was to untie all the knots without anyone mov-ing their hand or letting go of the rope. This proved to be a frustrating, lengthy and finally enlightening process which was ultimately successful! Rather than try to describe it here, take a look at the photo and ask anyone involved about the experience! It certainly showed our individual and col-lective strengths and weaknesses, and led us to understand more about ourselves and each other by the end of it.

The final day included information on succession plan-ning, volunteer recruitment, management and delegation, volunteer assessment and organizational chart develop-ment. Marketing and communications calendar review and implementation by the marketing team finished off the morning’s work.

Our final lunch included a hay wagon ride to the lake, set in the hills of the ranch property, where guests can enjoy fish-ing, archery and horse riding. A tasty BBQ had been set up with homemade lemonade as an accompaniment. It was a great way to see some of the land and take a break from the retreat work.

Back at the ranch, we summarized the retreat with action items for the year ahead. We have a lot of work to do on behalf of the MPISCC chapter. We have a vibrant board of talented individuals ready to devote and donate their time to making our chapter better. Together, with a significant num-ber of committed volunteers, we anticipate a great year as we move forward to Engage, Educate and Evolve.

LEADERSHIP

PLANNING A NEW YEARby Geraldine Gatehouse | IMEX America

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

SEE On April 11, 2014, three MPI chapters came

together to champion the meetings industry in SoCal at the 2nd Annual Southern California EdCon &

Expo held at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles. Opening keynote: Roger Rickard. Closing keynote:

Dr. Janet Lapp. Breakout Sessions: Larry Abel; Chris Clark Fabienne Hanks, DMCP; Lisa Meller, CMP, CEM; Bob Mellinger, CBCV; David E. Merrell; Kathleen Ronald;

Lee Silber; Valarie Sparks; Tracy Stuckrath; CSEP, SMM, CHC; and Erick Weiss. Special thanks to the

conference Chairs: Bryan Quinan, CMP (MPISCC), Heather Even (MPIOC),

and Stephanie Chow (SDMPI).

“Life is better when shared.”

Michael Washington | General Manager Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles

“Ed-Con was a memorable time to connect with fellow MPI members and to learn about how to advocate for the Meetings industry.

The most inspirational seminar was Let It Go by Dr. Janet Lapp. Her message was motiviational, encouraging and important for us to know that we are valuable, to never forget the good we do, and to make one person happy a day!”

Amanda Ayers | Executive Assistant MGM Resorts International

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INTERCOM | Volume 110 July/August 2014

“The number one thing I learned from the keynote speaker was how one person with a vision can make such a difference in bringing people together to get something accomplished. This is how communication begins and meetings develop. I enjoyed how he used MADD as an example of how a single person wanted to change one thing and by bringing people together and having a meeting to tell her story, a phenomenon started.”

Stephanie Harrison | Sales Manager Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa

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“We plan and produce meetings, conferences, and events that inspire ingenuity, increase productivity, sell the organizational messaging, and provides an atmosphere of collaboration which ultimately drives profits.”

Michael McGuire, CMP Bolotta Entertainment and Production SDMPI 2013-2014 President.

“I enjoyed my time at the 2014 SoCal EdCon and I feel it was worth the investment. The key take-aways from the Keynote Speaker for me were simple. Change the percep-tion of what a Meeting Professional is and we will all benefit from the response. Most importantly, start with those around you... your family and friends.

The Expo was well laid out and I felt I had ample time to connect with new venues and new resources available to me as a Meeting Professional.

The venue was more than I expected for an “Airport Property” and I was more than impressed with the quality and abundance of food selections they presented.”

Pierre Charmasson | ARTISAN VOICE

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

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Ask any MPISCC member what their favorite events of the year are

and, more often than not, the first one they mention is the Weekend Educa-tional Summit. This annual event brings our chapter together for three days to explore, learn, and network with each other. There is no greater feeling of com-munity in our chapter than at the WES.

This year we are excited to have the Omni Rancho Las Palmas as the host for the weekend. This luxurious Palm Springs oasis offers serene and peaceful accommodations with plenty of space to network with colleagues around areas such as a fire pit, lush desert grounds for morning or evening walks, a 27-hole championship golf course for those that want to hit the links with a client, and even a two-acre Splashtopia water park complete with slides, and a 450-foot lazy river. What more could you need for a weekend of fun and education?

We are excited about the low rates that the hotel is offering exclusively for our attendees to make it affordable for ev-eryone’s budgets!

ACCOMMODATIONS

Meeting Planner Rooms: COMPLIMENTARY! (Only if you register by August 1 via CVENT.)

Meeting Planner Rooms after 8/1: $59/night

Meeting Supplier Rooms: $149/night

Our goal is that as many of our chapter members are able to attend as possible; and we secured reduced room rates and kept the registration fees the same as last year.

WES REGISTRATION

Member Planner Early Bird: $100 until August 1):

Member Planner Standard: $125

Non-Member Planner Early Bird: $200

Non-Member Planner Standard: $225

Member Supplier Early Bird: $175

Member Supplier Standard: $200

Non-Member Supplier Early Bird: $275

Non-Member Supplier Standard: $300

Member Student: $75

Non-Member Student: $125

Member Supplier Tabletop: $550 (Includes one registration)

Non-Member Tabletop Exhibit $750(Includes one registration)

WES will feature top-notch education in workshops and general sessions. One of our Keynote Speakers is veteran planner, corporate sales trainer, and all around passionate meeting industry professional, Shawna Suckow, CMP. Shawna is the founder of SPIN, the Se-nior Planners Industry Network — the world’s largest association of senior-level planners. Her mission is to bridge the communication gap between cus-tomers and salespeople, to make the entire buying process easier for every-one. Shawna’s energy will truly inspire you with her presentation, Meetings 3.0: Enough’s Enough! No More Fluff or Boring Stuff! as we EVOLVE into the future of making meetings happen. www.shawnasuckow.com.

Stay tuned for more information. We promise to deliver an education line-up that is relevant to the most common topics in our industry, and presenters who will inspire you. And of course, we’ll have fun such as the Opening Reception sponsored by the Omni Rancho Las Palmas, the Friday Evening Poker Tournament, and more!

See you in the desert in September!

COMING ATTRACTION

A Weekend of Education to Evolve Together… as One Chapter and One Industry

2014 Weekend Educational SummitSeptember 12-14, 2014 by Joe Martin | BDI Events

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We in the meetings industry have to speak to audiences on a regular basis. Our most basic goal is to get the information across clearly and,

hopefully, without any major gaffs. There are secrets that allow us to connect with our audiences on a different level. We need to focus on more than just communicating the content; we need to have a stage presence that truly engages the audience. A great speaker doesn’t just share the message, but shares something of him or herself.

AffinityRapport between speaker and audience is the foundation of any good presentation. How do you relate to the audience? People like people who are like them and are usually more comfortable around people who have had similar experienc-es. What do you have in common with your audience? How do your experiences overlap with theirs? It could be industry specific things. If you have worked in the same field or have

the same education, you have affinity. But more common human experiences work as well. Going to college, getting married, and having children are all things that most mem-bers of the audience can relate to, so by talking about these things you may establish a connection. This is why all of my talks start with a personal story. The first step is to connect.

ExclusivityEveryone wants to be special, to be part of the in-group privy to inside information. If your speech sounds like you’re following a script that you have delivered a thousand times, your audience won’t feel special. And if your message sounds like the same old generic thing they could hear from any other speaker, they won’t value the experience. Making your message seem unique increases its perceived value even though you might share the same general information with many people. Making your audience feel like you are sharing a secret with them will put them on the edges of their seats.

JeopardyNothing makes people pay attention like danger. If you are telling a story and the audience knows that everything will

turn out all right, there isn’t much incentive to listen. It isn’t possible to work jeopardy into all messages, but it can def-initely be helpful. Whenever I tell a story, I want to build suspense so the audience is honestly concerned about the protagonist. In sharing a message with my audience, I want to make sure they know that it will make their lives better if they listen and worse if they don’t.

EmpathyAt our core, we are all emotional beings. Don’t just give us facts. Make your speech emotional and make us feel the importance of your topic. Statistics are easy. Real human examples take a speech to the next level.

AuthorityWhy should we listen to you? An audience will want to in-vest their time in listening to your message only if they think you know what you are talking about. There are various ways of establishing credibility. Having a job or education in the field you are discussing is helpful, but personal experi-ences can be even more powerful. When I speak, I gener-ally work in my decade as a college professor, but I have found that my personal experiences are often more influen-tial. For example, overcoming a personal hardship or family problem relating to your topic, is has far more impact than years of study.

Likability Likability seems so obvious that it is often overlooked by speakers. Does the audience like you? You might be an authority on the topic or have something in common with them, but do you seem like the kind of person they would want to spend time with. If I have done my job as a speaker, the audience will want to hang out with me after my speech. Even if they couldn’t care less about the topic, I want them to want to take me out for a drink. If the audience doesn’t like you, nothing else matters.

These six keys will help you establish a stage presence and deliver an engaging presentation. You do not need to use them all in a single message, but incorporating a few will certainly help make your speech memorable.

Author’s note: I would like to give special thanks to my friend Ruben Padilla for developing and sharing these keys.

Carl Christman, member of the Magic Castle, is a mentalist, entertainer, teacher and author. Twitter: @carlcristman Face-book: /CarlReadsMinds. www.CarlReadsMinds.com

LEADERSHIP

6 Keys for Amazing Speeches It does not take much more work to go from delivering a good speech to delivering a great speech. Keep these six keys in mind and you are well on your way to wowing your next audience.by Carl Cristman | CarlReadsMinds.com

A great speaker doesn’t just share the message, but shares something of him or herself.


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What has

MPIDone forYOU?Share your story, and you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for cool stuff.

Go to our homepage at:www.mpiscc.org, click onthe form link, complete the form and send it in.

The education that I recieved from MPISCC’s Weekend Educational Summit in September 2013 was exceptional. I was encouraged to volunteer at WES and had a chance to sit on the planning committee. I learned the process behind planning these events and the time that is invested by each volunteer.My company asked me to hold an event for them in 2014 and I learned through one of the speakers at WES the importance of hiring an event planner. I was able to find an Event Planner at WES and this has helped me to continue working and focusing on my job. I also got leads from event planners at WES which has proved beneficial to the company that I work for.MPI has given me the chance to recieve up-to-date education on event trends, business connections and more.

Tiffany Arnold | Exhibitors Connection

Los Angeles :: Malibu :: Orange County :: Beverly Hills :: Inland Empire :: Santa Barbara

ContemporaryCatering.com310.558.8190

Something Sacred is at Stake at Every Event

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Although the city has the charm and relaxing at-mosphere of a Southern California beach town, it still offers all of the sophistication, cutting

edge culture and business amenities of a big city. Its 300 days of sunshine a year, paired with its casual yet sophisticated setting and plethora of indoor and outdoor meetings spaces has long attracted business travelers and corporate meetings to its shores. However, a recent surge in the city’s creative and entrepreneurial scenes has caused Santa Monica to push its boundaries as an emerging tech destination, with more digital and tech-nological capabilities for visitors and business travelers than ever before.

One of the most exciting of these developments is that Santa Monica now has the broadband capability through City Net to keep the city connected with open-access, fiber optic network that offers free City WiFi at 25 locations throughout the city. The City of Santa Monica can also now build out more broadband for spe-cial events, making it an ideal place for business travel,

conferences and global product launches. Already flush with fantastic meeting spaces – like iconic hotel prop-erties, ocean view conference rooms with breezy ter-races, poolside cabanas with flat screen televisions, a historic beachfront estate, art galleries, airport hangers, and the famous Santa Monica Pier – the city’s improved broadband capabilities now make them more desirable than ever before.

Stay wired at some of Santa Monica’s most sought-after meeting destinations;

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows Nestled at the top of the Santa Monica bluffs, and boasting unpar-allel views of the Pacific Ocean, Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows is a true Hollywood hideaway. Residing on five acres of lush, landscaped gardens and water-falls, the Fairmont effortlessly combines historic ele-gance with modern appointments. This luxury, ocean-front Santa Monica hotel offers 15 meeting rooms with 25,000 square feet of meeting space.

DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT

by Travis Pham | Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau

Santa MonicaSanta Monica is a beachfront city where a number of things, including

meetings and business travel, are done a bit differently.

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Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is a beachfront hide-away with dramatic views of Santa Monica Beach and the Pacific Ocean. This freshly redesigned luxury hotel showcases a modern, residential new feel featuring the chic Ocean Spa & Fitness, alluring ocean view dining, and an expansive oceanfront pool and lounge area. A recent exterior overhaul has left the property looking fresh and revitalized. It offers 15 meeting rooms with 20,000 square feet of meeting space

The Huntley Santa Monica Beach Hotel recently debuted 5,000 square feet of new meeting space, creating the ideal setting for executive retreats and intimate social gatherings, including receptions and high-level conferences. This new space, designed by Thomas Schoos, offers contemporary architecture and beachside style, which compliment the breathtaking views of the coastline and LA cityscape that the hotel offers. Three distinct venues offer understated luxury that is equally inviting and vibrant. The space accom-modates events from 12–125 people.

Barker Hangar With 36,000 sq/ft of event space, Barker Hangar is a massive structure with enough room to create your own world and atmosphere. Originally constructed to house airplanes, the hangar can accommodate a wide range of vehicles, very large displays, stages and lighting, and big screens. The hangar’s distinguished roster of events includes the People’s Choice Awards, MTV movie Awards, the Entertainment Software Association’s E3 Expo, TV Land Awards, TV Guide Awards, Billboard Awards and the Kids’ Choice Awards.

Annenberg Community Beach House is made up of three different event spaces combining inside and outside venues. Capacity for inside events 130 guests, capacity for combined inside and outside events 900 attendees. Origi-nally developed and built by William Randolph Hearst as a 100-room mansion for his beloved Marion Davies, this one-time haven for Hollywood A-listers is now a public beach club. The five-acre facility delivers sweeping ocean views that make a perfect backdrop for a special event or meeting. The beach house is so appealing that it was chosen by a panel of event professionals as the 2010 “Best New Venue” in the BizBash L.A. Event Style Awards. Groups can book a room, a building, or the entire site.

Pacific Park Seaside Pavilion Located on the historic San-ta Monica Pier, Pacific Park is a two-acre family amusement park with 12 rides (including the Pacific Wheel, the world’s first solar- powered Ferris wheel), and 20 midway games. It’s the perfect space to create whatever beach event you can imagine. The new 3,300 square-foot covered Seaside Pavilion can accommodate groups from 25 to 300. More intimate spaces in the pavilion and seaside cabanas can ac-commodate groups as small as 20. Larger groups—up to 1,800—can rent the entire amusement park.

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Hosted by the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort, Solvang, CA. Thank you to: Breakaway Tours, Caravintas Winery, Sunstone Winery, Chef Leonardo Curti, and the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau.

PHOTO ALBUM

MPISCC AnnualBoard Retreat

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EDUCATION

SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2014

MPISCC Weekend Educational Summitwww.mpiscc.org!

Alvalyn Lundgrenwww.alvalyn.com [email protected] 805.857.7981

Corporate Event Branding

Designing Influence. Drawing Attention.P R O D U C T I O N S

P R O D U C T I O N S

@alvalyn /AlvalynCreative /Alvalyn /alvalyncreative

BREAKAWAYCAMP

to the Great Frontier

Lighthouse Church Fall Branding Program | v1 | 7.10.2012

and

Graphic Design & Visual Communications forFestivals, Conferences, Seminars, Trade Shows

Print, Web, Email, Signage & Social Media

PAGE 9

For many attendees, it was their first visit to the Skirball Cultural Center. Locat-ed on fifteen acres in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Skirball is admired for its intimate scale and sensitivity to the natural environment. The peaceful garden patios and a dramatic, contem-porary ballroom integrate light, space, water, and sweeping vistas. Our educa-tional lunch was held in the impressive Guerin Pavilion, opened in 2013, with its majestic ceiling arches and lovely views of a cascading tiered garden.

The foyer space made an ideal setting for our pre-lunch reception, and the buzz that could be heard indicated that there was a lot of networking and catch-ing up taking place.

Lunch included a fresh salad of field greens, made special by the addition

of fennel and apple; the sautéed breast of chicken with a walnut pomegranate sauce was scrumptious. A flourless carrot cake dessert and coffee topped off this lovely meal.

David Anderson introduced the program, which was his last as Presi-dent. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since he took on that role. Recognition was given to Michele Thorn-ton, Amani Roberts, Ron Havens and Christine Hartman, who were presented with Shining Star Awards for their volunteer service.

The topic for the lunch presentation was Ethics: Shades of Gray. Presenter Terri Breining, CMP, CMM, of the Breining Group, is a well-known and highly- respected individual in the meetings industry. She has been responsible for

producing meetings and conducting training around the globe for over three decades. Terri served MPI as the Chair-woman of the International Board of Directors in 2003-04, and was inducted into the Convention Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders for 2010.

The topic of ethics was a highly relevant one that affects all of us at some point. The material focused on the personal elements of making decisions that are appropriate for us, both personally and professionally. Terri’s walk-around style and way of presenting her material prompted some lively and thought- provoking responses. What do you do when a supplier offers a large cash “bo-nus” for sending a piece of business his way? You have signed up for a fam tour, and then are offered a new position else-

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT


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by Geraldine Gatehouse | IMEX America

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where? Do you go? Say something? Say nothing? Terri pointed out that for some questions, there is no right and wrong; it all depends upon the individual’s point of view and the specific circumstances as to the appropriate response for him or her.

When faced with an ethical dilemma, we learned that we need first to get all the relevant facts, review all the pos-

sible actions and then seek the counsel of a mentor or trustworthy friend or col-league. Once we have made a decision it’s a good idea to see if its passes the Ethical Test. You might want to consider these points:

1. Does the action seem logical?

2. Does it past the test of sports- manship – does it seem fair, in other words?

3. Where will your action lead?

4. What will you think of yourself afterward?

5. Separate yourself from the problem – look at it from an outside perspective.

Here’s another good test: Would you be okay if your actions showed up on an industry blog?

Values are elements that keep us focused on what we think are right actions for us. If you work for a company and don’t know its values, find out and write them down. If you work for yourself, create your own set of values and again, put them in writing. It makes them more

concrete and real, and gives you an instant guideline when ethical issues occur.

Thanks to our in-kind sponsor, Lumi, we were fortunate enough to have the use of audience response devices with which to gauge our answers to various questions. The responses were very interesting; this interactive method of en-gaging us made the whole presentation very dynamic and much more meaning-ful, in my opinion.

This was a fun and educational event, set in a beautiful venue, with a very effective speaker, and our own MPISCC community in attendance. Thanks to all concerned for making this one of the best monthly programs!

Would you be okay if your actions were discussed on an industry blog?


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May 13, 2014Skirball Cultural Center Los Angeles, CA

PHOTO ALBUM

NetworkingReception

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NETWORKING

Business Cardby Alvalyn Lundgren | Alvalyn Creative

Whether you’re a planner, sup-plier, owner or staff member,

business cards continue to play a leading role at events, in business and in the marketplace. Take a look at your business card. Have you ever stopped to consider it, other than to make sure all your information is cor-rect? That little card is an ambassa-dor for your brand, builds credibility and initiates relationships.

Business cards were developed in China in the 1400s to present the credentials of nobles and dignitaries. They made their way to Europe via trade routes where, by the time of Louis IV of France, calling cards were in prevalent use in upper class society as a means of introduction, to request meetings and to announce arrivals. Rules of etiquette surrounded their use, and cards were collected and prominently displayed by households and merchants.

It was in London during the 1600s that calling cards “morphed” into trade cards distributed by merchants as a form of advertising. Now, professionals in all fields use business cards, and giv-ing someone your card is the beginning of a relationship.

Despite our use of smartphones and digital contact lists, printed business cards are an essential tool. Printed cards have an appeal that digital data cannot match: they have personality. They’re a small but mighty vehicle for branding and marketing.

The offer of a printed business card makes a smoother transaction than sharing contact information digitally. Conversations can be maintained over the exchange of cards, and they

serve as ready surfaces to record reminders and notes to be followed up on later. A card can be scanned and added to a digital address book.

Business cards are inherently interactive. We hold them, flip them, write on them, fold them, crimp their corners and sometimes fling them. They are lasting reminders of the people we meet and prompt us to stay in touch. Another thing to note is that we associate a business card with a specific individual. When you give someone your card, you invite them to connect with you.

The right combination of paper stock, excellent design and quality print-ing make a card timelessly relevant, something people will value well enough to hold onto.

What makes for an effective card? Here are some pointers:

Keep it simple. Business cards are not brochures. They’re more useful when they’re uncluttered. They’re an introduction; they should not be expected to close the deal.

Include only necessary information: name, title, company, and phone number, web site and e-mail. Make tag lines and vision statements secondary. Thing like special offers, disclaimers, bullet points and photos of yourself should be omitted unless your profession requires it. Labels such as “e-mail” and “web site” are no longer necessary for people to understand what those bits of infor-mation are.

Keep your information current. Did you change your phone number or address? Print new cards.

Make your information legible and scannable. Use colors that contrast with the background and be sure that the type is large enough to be read without squinting or stretching, and dark enough to be picked up by a scanner. Legibility, by the way, is enhanced by white space.

QR codes link the card to a trackable online presence. Keep them small, since the codes add clutter. A card that engages digital technology is considered forward-thinking.

Two-sided cards printed in multiple colors are generally more memorable than one-sided, single-color cards.

Avoid gimmicks and special offers. Folds, die-cuts and off-size cards help differentiate, but they may not be practical in the long run. Use offers and sales copy in a brochure or web site, not on a business card.

Size it right. The standard 3.5” x 2” format remains the most prevalent size in the USA.

Use paper stock that accepts ball-point, felt tip and roller ball inks, and design the card so that there’s white space where people can jot notes. Avoid plastic, vinyl, leather and wood. Cards that are thoughtfully designed are a cost-effective form of market-ing. They make an impression for good or bad, so be sure to invest in the best quality you can afford. One final tip: always, always, always carry a stack of business cards with you.

Alvalyn Lundgren is the purveyor of design and branding at Alvalyn Creative, and is editor of the Intercom. Follow her on Twitter: @alvalyn. Portfolio and blog: www.alvalyn.com

Small but mighty, your business card is an interactive and amiable extension of your brand, and a catalyst for new relationships.

OPTIMIZING YOUR


21

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Yvette AntoniouMarina Del Rey Hotel & [email protected]

Carrie AudinoGlobal Experience [email protected]

Laura BeckmanIn-N-Out [email protected]

Michele BermanRussell Harris Event [email protected]

Tonya BurnsBOMA/[email protected]

Laura CarrLe Meridien [email protected]

Chris ChapmanTropicana Las [email protected]

Ashley CookSodexo at Rand [email protected]

Jenny DempseyMadame Tussauds [email protected]

Blair DuPreeExotics [email protected]

Charles FriendBrilliant [email protected]

Timothy GlanzerBellagio Hotel & [email protected]

Natalie HageeAlliedPRA Los [email protected]

Talia LepoffAnthem Blue [email protected]

Karen LishWellPoint, [email protected]

Ivy MaddenGriffin Capital [email protected]

Julie MillerUCSB Conference [email protected]

Kim MoralesSouthern California Gas [email protected]

Leslie [email protected]

Rosa Navas AmpueroLa [email protected]

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Cindy PerkinsEstancia La Jolla Hotel, Spa & Conference [email protected]

Michael PunchiosHard Rock Hotel Las [email protected]

Sarita RamgulamThe Saban Research Institute; Chil-dren’s Hospital Los [email protected]

Sari [email protected]

Danielle SadlerExperient, A Maritz Travel [email protected]

Ana SeguraHoliday Inn [email protected]

Victoria SmithFuller Theological [email protected]

C.J. StermerRED [email protected]

Sammy [email protected]

Cristina WhiteOasis Hotels & Resorts, [email protected]

Courtney [email protected]

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MPISCC Intercom July/August 2014

Documents

Transcript of MPISCC Intercom July/August 2014