spring 2013 - Simmer Creative

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER OF PCMA
SPRING 2013
President’s Message
Pam Ballinger, CMP
2013 GPPCMA President
Vice President of Meetings and Exhibits
Association Headquarters, Inc.
Here we are in the beginning of 2013 with a new board and a new president. I was
hoping to have a year to learn what I needed to do to become a good leader for the
chapter. I looked forward to a year of reading someone else’s presidential column to
know what I needed to say. But as luck would have it, here I am writing to you trying
to figure out what needs to be done and what needs to be said. At least I don’t have a
year of worrying about it!
Pam Ballinger
2
Message from the President
3
Sit Down and Be Successful...
5
It’s Not Easy Being Green
6
Journeys
7
Committee Updates
9
Event Summaries
13
Member Sporlights
14
Chapter Events
15
New Members
I know I have some very big shoes to fill following Brendan. He truly took on the
role of president and set a mission for us to accomplish in 2012. He led us through a
review of our goals and our place in the industry. In August, we spent time looking
at ourselves and reconfirming what makes the Greater Philadelphia chapter strong.
We came up with three pillars of strength: Education, Community, and Networking.
Not surprising, these three goals are linked closely with those set by our national
headquarters. I want to continue in Brendan’s steps and focus on strengthening these
three components with programs that will continue to enhance our members’ experience and professional growth.
First and foremost is always education. We started with the March 7 program and an
amazing speaker, Richard Kuepper, who helped us identify the five keys to increasing
and accelerating performance. I am looking forward to using the skills I learned at
this meeting to become more confident, be a better communicator, challenge staff
and colleagues, connect on all levels, and finally celebrate all of the above. I know the
program committee has a number of exciting ideas for future programs, including a
new spin on the retreat and another stellar education day in September.
Next is community. I am always so proud of all we do to support our community and
contribute to the needs of others. First up were the donations to help children in shelters with basic needs. I know I often take for granted that someone else is taking care
of these things. It was a helpful reminder to stop and remember there are children
in our area who are missing basic items, such as socks and underwear. As the year
progresses we will hear of more events planned by the Community Services Committee. I want to personally thank Leslie Bellini and Danielle Pinto for all they do for our
community. They have been a two-man team for over a year. I urge anyone that is interested to volunteer for this committee to further our commitment to “community.”
Last, but never least, is networking. I look at this as the cornerstone for all we do.
Every event and/or program is about the networking. I am amazed at how our happy
hour events for new professionals have taken off. This column will come out after
the February 11th happy hour at the Square Peg. I have heard it was a huge success. I
understand the team putting this together already has the next location and date set
up. Look for other events coming in the future that will allow us to network outside of
the standard programs.
Well, that seems to be about as much as I can write for my first attempt at this column. I want to thank everyone for your support in helping me take on this task a bit
earlier than expected. A special thanks to Erica, who has been so gracious in teaching
me what I need to do.
The nature of
successful events
Sit Down and Be Successful,
Will You?
Christopher H. Brown
Managing Member, CEM, CMP
Collaborative Project and Meeting Management, LLC
Connections Contributing Writer
T
here are great tips on
how to be successful –
just Google “success”
and tons of articles are
found for your reading pleasure.
Let me give you a quick digest
of over two hours of research.
Community projects, team and
board retreats, international
fund raising, sporting events,
celebrity affairs, corporate
meetings and association congresses all have at least one item
in common – someone judges
their success or failure; hopefully
using pre-determined goals and
objectives.
These projects all started with
someone saying to someone
else, “what if…” Think about it.
In your meeting, event or exhibit trade show world, how many
times do you ask, “If I were to
…” or “If I could just …” There
are risks involved with most
any aspect of an event and they
can be managed effectively. In
organizing relationships, one
person depends on another.
One audience is connected to
another. The demographics of
“want” and “need” are defined.
As a result, the goals and objectives become clear. The method
of presentation or interaction
takes form. This sounds simple,
doesn’t it? You already know
it’s not THAT simple. Otherwise
we would not have leadership
setting the pace and strategy, or
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meeting, event/show owners,
producers or organizers, managers and coordinators carrying
out the details.
Successful events are born
because someone or a group of
leaders crafted the compelling
reasons why the event must
take place for everyone’s satisfaction. The stakeholders take
charge to determine the when
and where an event takes place.
Expectations of sellers and
buyers become the foundation
for the meeting. Furthermore,
someone has the nerve to list
basic strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats in a
neat package, creating a strategic direction – one that is both
unique and satisfies buyers and
sellers alike.
Along the path, there’s the
famous “needs assessment”
process helping to confirm or
deny ever-changing perceptions and understanding of why
the meeting is scheduled in the
first place. It’s a good thing we
do this on a regular basis, some
say yearly. However, quarterly
is fast becoming the norm with
main stream big events and
meetings. This contradicts the
“annual strategic planning session” practice that often creates
a plan for several years. Why go
through this for a lengthy time
frame? Things change.
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Couple the planning with the
theme of creativity. We seem to
run aground when leadership
says, “We want more creativity,”
ESPECIALLY when things are
not going so well. The fact is, we
have to be creative at all times.
But we also hear, “There is just
not enough time to be creative.”
This spells trouble with a capital
T. Creativity is the connective
tissue binding the buyer and
seller together for a meeting.
The process of being creative
involves marketing, words,
graphics and/or images and one
or all of the five senses: hearing
or listening, touching, seeing or
looking, smelling and tasting.
This leads the creative team
into process considerations (e.g.
what can we do to solve this
problem?), environment analysis
(examples: air temperature,
humidity, the use of music, lighting and audio visual enhancements), and answering questions such as “Who can help
us fund this creativity?,” or “Are
there ways to reduce the cost
and achieve similar results?”
If you thought you were “out of
the woods,” think again. Timing
is everything – yes, time does
march on – with or without you.
Time or a time line can be your
friend or your worst nightmare.
Psychologists agree. Most people allow time to manage them
– not the other way around.
And yet, it is perceived as easy
by some people to manage
time effectively. What makes
the difference? Attitude toward
change is the primary reason
why people make good use of
time. They simply attach each
minute with a thirst to maximize
the 60 seconds in the minute.
When they are done with that
minute, they move to the next
minute. And so on, persistently.
Certainly, a successful event
involves management – the
gathering and use of resources
applied to common goals and
objectives. However, the one
area most often neglected is
evaluating success or failure
with the same intensity of creating the event in the first place.
Rarely do we have evidence
of such energy and passion in
assessing what really happened
and determining how we can
help audiences become better
partners.
Sitting down and being successful might have a lot in common.
However, the judgment of
success relies on people asking lots of questions, working
through more risk, conducting
substantial research, “taking the
pulse”, energizing engagement
through creativity, good time
management (pun intended)
and demonstrating a cooperative spirit every day – day in, day
out.
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Going
Paperless
it’s not easy
being green
Belinda Keota, CMP
Meeting Manager, Meetings and
Tradeshows
Produce Marketing Association
GPPCMA Secretary
Connections Contributing Writer
In the words of Kermit the Frog, “It’s not that easy being green.” I’ve made it my mission to
print less and use my iPad more. Can you imagine giving up your holy binder onsite? Here is
a guide to help you take the first steps to going paperless.
Step 1. Find out if there will be Wi-Fi at the venue.
Certain apps require access to Wi-Fi in order to retrieve your data such as Dropbox or
CloudOn. If you won’t have reliable Wi-Fi or 3G available, use apps that store data directly on
your iPad such as GoodNotes, iAnnotate, Quickoffice, or Evernote. Doing work on the plane
ride? You may not have reliable Wi-Fi.
Step 2. How will you use your documents?
• Reference documents – Save all of the documents you think you will need to Dropbox
(requires Wi-Fi). This app syncs with all of your devices and many other apps, so you
can access them anywhere. Create a backup plan if you won’t have Wi-Fi.
• Mark up room diagrams, BEOs, or sign contracts – Save these docs as PDFs and then
load them into a PDF markup app such as GoodNotes or iAnnotate (no Wi-Fi necessary). You can highlight or write on the document and even send it directly to the
vendor who needs it (if you have Wi-Fi). No printer needed!
• Create or edit documents on the fly (Excel, Word, PPT) – If you have Wi-Fi access,
save your documents to Dropbox and use CloudOn. CloudOn is a robust version of
Microsoft Office that connects directly to your Dropbox. Not sure about Wi-Fi access?
Use Quickoffice; a basic version of Microsoft Office that stores your files locally on your
iPad.
• Site visits – Create a checklist template and make a “note” for each venue using Evernote. Onsite, you can easily keep track of photos and details of each venue. You can
access your notes anywhere via your computer or mobile device. Also great for managing projects, meeting notes, or even recipes!
• Keep track of your travel itinerary – Don’t sort through your email to find airline, hotel,
or car rental confirmations! Store them all together in TripIt or WorldMate. Just forward
your email confirmations to the app – no data entry necessary! There is a free and
upgraded paid version for both of these apps, so you can find what works for you.
Step 3. Test the waters before jumping in.
Test out all of the apps and find a system that works for you a few weeks before your first
trip. Everyone has different requirements, so you may want to try several different apps
to find the one with the features you use most. Just like you don’t wear brand new shoes
onsite, don’t try out new apps onsite without a backup plan.
Step 4. Find a great app that works for you? Share it!
Find an app that really works for you or a new way to use an app? Share it with the GPPCMA
community on our LinkedIn Group (Don’t forget to download the LinkedIn Mobile app)!
Social
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PCMA on Linkedin
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GPPCMA on Linkedin
GPPCMA on Facebook
GPPCMA on Twitter
How Did I Get Here?
Nick Dominijanni, CHME
Director of Sales
Penn’s View Hotel
I
t seems like only yesterday I began my
career in the hospitality industry when in
actuality I have been doing this for over
thirty years. So here is my story.
Once upon a time, there was a very bad kid
from South Philly, who needed a job to keep
him in line. My brother-in-law (Stanley) was
about to begin on a new adventure, and
needed some help, so my mother convinced
him that I was the perfect person to run his
new bus operation, and that he should hire
me.
The year was 1977, Resorts was just about
to open (I was a Freshman in High School),
and I began to work at his drug store (selling
casino bus tickets. I worked there throughout
high school, and was a professional wedding
photographer on the weekends.
That was to be the beginning of my career
in the hospitality industry. The bus business
was a huge success, and as each new casino
opened, we took on more and more buses.
In 1981, when I graduated high school, I enrolled at the Antonelli School of Photography
(which was on 12th and Race streets. where
the convention center now sits), to pursue
my love for photography. It was a two year
program, and it helped me to advance my
passion.
In 1984, I needed to get some additional college credits so I enrolled in Cabrini College’s
night program, and moved to King of Prussia,
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where I got a job at the Sheraton Valley Forge,
as Front Desk Supervisor on the 11PM-7AM
shift. The Operations Manager at the time was
a woman by the name of Mary Taylor, (who I
adored). She would on occasion, come by to
help with the craziness of the front desk of a
486 room hotel.
Texas B’que on another night for 500 people.
BZ was not about to let this one get away, so
she convinced the man that we could do it by
the pool under the stars. Well, before he left
the booth everything was set. After the man
left the booth, she turned to me and said, “So,
how are we going to do this?”
One evening we began to talk and I told her
all about my bus adventures. She proceeded
to tell me that I would be a perfect person to
work the Tour and Travel Market (which was
huge because of Lily Langtry’s Dinner Theater),
and would I be interested? Of course I said yes,
it was very hard to say no to Mary Taylor.
Seven years later, Leon Altemose (the developer and contractor of the Convention Center)
lost the property in bankruptcy court, and the
property was taken over by the Japanese bank
that held the mortgage. Wyndham was hired
to take over operations, and when we showed
up for work the next day, we were told to either enter or to go home. Many of the people
that I worked with in the sales department
did not make the cut. I was spared and given
two new markets, corporate and associations,
which I knew nothing about. These markets
were managed by the same sales person for
years, so I was given the task of rebooking
these major gate shows, like the train show
and the candy show at the Valley Forge
Convention Center, all of which I successfully
rebooked.
The following week, I started my new position
as the Tour and Travel Sales Manager for the
Sheraton Valley Forge. It was then that I met
the woman who would change my life, my
mentor Bernice Zimmerman Shapiro, or “BZ
Roe” as she liked to be called. “BZ” was an
elderly Jewish woman, with glasses to match
every outfit. Together we would do all of the
Tour and Travel Trade shows throughout the
country. Our display was a very elaborate set,
complete with Victorian walls with windows,
curtains, and furniture.
I would drive the truck to whatever destination
we were going to, she would ride side saddle
and read the map (no GPS back then) and for
hours we would have conversations about
things, but it was not until we hit the trade
show floor, that I really learned the business.
She taught me to never say “No,” there was a
way to do anything, if you just think it through.
I can remember one incident, where a man
wanted to take a large group to see the show
at Lily Langtry’s. He needed 300 rooms and a
buyout of Lily’s for a night. He also wanted a
That was in May, and by August I was told I
was no longer needed and let go. For several
months, I worked odd jobs, until I found my
current position as Director of Sales at the
Penn’s View Hotel. Then a 26 room inn with
no function space other than the wine cellar,
which was used for private dining. I had my
work cut out for me if I was going to recreate
the property. Well, 22 years later, I am still here,
and we now have 51 rooms, with four conference rooms that cater to all sorts of corporate
and association groups. All thanks to the
support of such wonderful organizations like
PCMA. I look forward to working with you for
the next 30 years.
2013 GPPCMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS & CHAIRS
President
Pam Ballinger, CMP
Association Headquarters
Immediate Past President
Brendan Morrissey
Hilton Inn at Penn
President elect
Susan W. Wagner, CMP
board of Directors
(1 Year Remaining)
Lisa Astorga, CMP
Int’l Society on Thrombosis and
Haemostasis
Secretary
Belinda Keota, CMP
Produce Marketing Association
Julie Coker
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
Treasurer
Vince Elorza
Hard Rock Hotel All Inclusive
Collection
Nicole Erle, CMP
Society for Industrial & Applied
Mathematics
board of Directors
(2 Year Term)
Clorinda Holland
Visit Salt Lake
Shane Jackson
Philadelphia Downtown Marriott
Astrid Schrier
Association Headquarters
GPPCMA Committee Chairs
Communications
Erica A. Keagy
GPPCMA
Community Services
Leslie K. Bellini, CMP
Lockheed Martin
Danielle Pinto
GEP Philly
Membership
Robin Geary, CMP
Association Headquarters
Kathy Smith, CMP, CCMEP
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Nominating
Brendan Morrissey
Hilton Inn at Penn
Program
Diane Rehiel, CMP
ASTM International
Sponsorship
Donna Young, CMP
American College of Physicians
GPPCMA COMMITTEE UPDATES
7
Membership Committee
• GPPCMA won the PCMA Chapter Challenge!! 88% membership retention!!
• New GPPCMA membership pins are coming to members
• Quarterly Membership In-Person Committee Meetings - If you are thinking
about becoming involved in a committee, Membership is the way to go!!
Contact: Kathy Smith at [email protected] or Robin Geary at rgeary@
ahint.com to get started.
Community Service Committee
• Thanks to everyone who donated new socks and underwear to benefit the
children and teens at the People’s Emergency Center at the March 7 chapter
meeting.
Communications Committee
• Interested in writing an article for the next issue of Connections or in advertising? Want to be the focus of a Member Spotlight or Journeys article?
Reserve your spot now!
• Are you a frequent user of Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter? Consider volunteering to help keep our social media posts up-to-date.
• Contact Erica Keagy at [email protected] to participate.
Program Committee
• The program committee is researching speakers for 2013 programs. If you
have any suggestions, please contact Diane Rehiel at [email protected] or
Kristin Howard at [email protected].
Sponsorship Committee
• We are looking for board meeting host locations, and meeting space for
Education Day on September 12.
• Also, we need sponsors for our June 3 Phillies event and newsletters.
• Please contact Donna Young at [email protected] if interested.
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DENVER HAS MORE THAN 43,000 HOTEL ROOMS IN THE METRO AREA.
You know Denver is one of America’s most active cities. But you probably didn’t realize
just how close you are to a Rocky Mountain adventure. It’s no wonder Lonely Planet rated
the city as a top ten destination. There’s more to Denver than you can imagine. A
lot more. We dare you to see the city in a whole new way at TruthOrDareDenver.com
The Colorado Convention Center’s 40-foot-tall Blue Bear, I See What You Mean, designed by Denver artist Lawrence Argent, has become a Mile High City icon.
AFTER YOUR MEETING, CREATE AN AGENDA OF YOUR OWN.
Convening
Leaders
Great Expectations
Leslie K Bellini, CMP
Meeting Planner
Lockheed Martin
GPPCMA Community
Services Committee Co-Chair
Convening Leaders
Scholarship Recipient
W
hether you are a veteran or first year
attendee of Convening Leaders we look
forward to this pilgrimage with great
expectations. Many begin justifying the
time away from the office by matching educational
offerings with events scheduled for the upcoming
year, as well as preparing for face-to-face meetings
with industry peers. Each year PCMA increases offerings by providing sessions in professional development and personal growth. This year they added new
tracks such as The Business School and Corporate
Planner series. How should we prioritize networking
and educational opportunities to fit it into 3 short
days? The online scheduling tool built into registration is an excellent resource allowing attendees to
select activities and sessions from the event schedule
to upload into their calendar and PDA. Onsite, we
meet and compare schedules in order to maximize
the experience.
Learning is never limited to a lecture or exchange in
roundtable discussion. Given all the nontraditional
ways of learning, one cannot discount the value of
the education received by networking, observing,
and attending behind the scene tours. Examples of
these are:
• Behind the Scenes Tour provided a glimpse of
the technical and logistical aspects of Convening Leaders.
• Learning Lounge was described as an educational arcade with numerous opportunities.
• Inspiration Café was an opportunity to see
the latest event technology demonstrated, and
provided immediate answers to our questions.
• Imaginarium offered us an opportunity to step
outside the information overload and take a
deep breath; discuss pertinent topics and, unconsciously, we were educated while we sipped
a drink or made a beaded badge holder.
• Community Service Activities through
PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands allowed
volunteers to work with two different charities: the Coalition for the Homeless of Central
Florida Inc., and Clean the World Foundation, Inc.
This brings us back to our “Great Expectations.”
What are they and do they change? Overall, we were
submerged in a sea of wonderful ideas through
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discussion, observation, and traditional learning. Here
are some of the “aha moments” or experiences taken
away by attendees.
“The last breakout session was my biggest take-away.
It was all about creativity, and how the word “genius”
actually derived from the word “geni” in Latin, which
means ‘spirit.’ It meant a lot, and the conversation rolled
into how you can use all parts of your passions in your
work, even those that seem paradoxical.”
“As a first timer, this was a great conference with awesome and useful content. The networking opportunities
were wonderful and I loved the different ideas for AV setups
for exhibit halls as well as the general session.”
“The networking receptions were outstanding. People
like to have fun and to be able to network with old
friends and meet new people. PCMA is one of the best
conferences I attend all year long.”
“I discovered a software program I had been investigating interacts with two other programs my firm uses.”
“An interactive session on adult learning and how a
room set-up can facilitate that learning or impede
was my “aha” moment. I need to bring this back to my
organization and try to introduce new, innovative room
set-ups.”
“Using Emotional Intelligence to Get the Most Out of
Your Career provided that. EI is the strongest predictor of success, areas where to be more self-aware and
conscious of the mood in the room.”
“Time management. Prioritizing has been of enormous
help; taking care of important matters before they
become urgent.”
“Ask not what PCMA can do for me, but how can I
contribute.”
“In addition to great networking and overall experience,
I had several “aha moments.” In the Learning Lounge...
how to use a tablet as a presentation tool as well as
Airplay App that can push content to screen with wireless
connectivity, allowing the tablet to serve as a confidence
monitor.”
In conclusion, I would like to thank the leadership of
GPPCMA for selecting me to receive this year’s Chapter
Scholarship. It was a great honor and privilege to attend.
Convening
Leaders
The Student Perspective
and David Dvorak had great insight into different
areas of the industry. I enjoyed how they all had
different things to say, yet it all fit together nicely.
It illustrated to me how, as one person, I can have
a positive impact on the environment when attending a meeting. In the future, I would like to
learn even more about this topic, especially with
new technologies being constantly developed.
This was a spectacular meeting to have been able
to attend, and I learned so much in such a short
period of time. I am hopeful that I will continue to
be engaged in the PCMA community and will be
attending next year’s conference in Boston.
Adrien M. Aloi
Penn State University Student
Glenn Scott, Lindsay McLeod, Julia Migner
Glenn Scott
Temple University Student
My name is Glenn Scott and I am the President of
Temple University’s Chapter of PCMA. I recently attended the PCMA 2013 Annual Convening Leaders
conference in Orlando, Florida. I traveled with a
group of three other students from Temple University. My overall experience there was unforgettable. It was more than I ever expected it to be. It
was a great opportunity to network with professionals and start building relationships.
The other students and I split up into many different sessions throughout our time there. We especially enjoyed the general session with Thomas
Friedman. It was quite eye-opening and inspiring.
As students, we are looking to find jobs for after
we graduate college. One quote that I took away
from his session was, “The world doesn’t care
about what you know. They care about what you
do with what you know.” It was nice to see him
put into words what we should be trying do, such
as build and utilize our skills to help us find different opportunities.
One of the sessions that I attended on my own
was “Gold Medal Ideas for Going Green.” Sustainability has been a new passion of mine, and I
wanted to learn more about how it can be used in
meetings and what can its overall impact can be.
The panelists, Andrew Mikschl, Kimberly Lewis,
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The Penn State Meeting and Events Club had a fantastic
year thus far. We started fresh with new leadership, new
goals, and even a new name in order to gear ourselves
toward students in other majors, not just those of Hotel,
Restaurant, and Institutional Management. We, of
course, still recognize the club as the student chapter of
PCMA and are very thankful for our continued affiliation with such an incredible association. During the first
semester, we were lucky enough to help Penn State’s
Hillel group, a Jewish organization that puts together
a dinner every Friday night. We also sponsored a mock
networking event where students interacted with
instructors and were then advised on their networking
skills.
During the last week of the semester, we put together a
holiday event including a bake sale, gingerbread house
contest, and candy-gram sale in efforts to bring the
holiday spirit to students on their way to class.
As spring semester approached, the excitement did
not end. After just a week of classes, twelve members
of the club were lucky enough to attend Convening
Leaders in Orlando, Florida. We were so grateful for this
opportunity and were able to learn so much at both
educational sessions and networking events. An extra
thanks is due to the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of
PCMA for their kind donation that allowed us to bring
a twelfth student. Upon our return to Happy Valley, we
were able to assist in the set-up and flow of The College
of Health and Human Development’s first annual trivia
event, of which proceeds benefitted the United Way.
We enjoyed participating in all of these events
and are looking forward to what the rest of spring
semester has to bring!
Convening
Leaders
Connor, Kent and Karen Allaway
Nick Dominijanni
Kirsten Wilden, Nicole Erle, Eva Matyskiela
Shane Jackson
Kevin Kelly
Linda Rindos
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Jackie Benear, Betty Schultz
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Robin Geary, Caitlin Dougherty
Events
Summaries
Donations
Wendy Stevens, Robin Geary, Tina Squillante, Cheryl Gallagher
Tom Weitzel, Steve Charamella
Debi Maines, Roger Freeman
Clorinda Holland, Rich Kuepper, Pam Ballinger
Pam Ballinger
Joyce Russell, Anne Boon
M arch 7 , 2 0 1 3
Accelerating Personal and Team Performance
Clorinda Holland
Director of Convention Sales
Northeast Region
Visit Salt Lake
GPPCMA Board Member
and Have fun. We were pushed to look
for new people to meet and learn a little
about them and share something about
ourselves in the process.
I
f you were not at the March 7th
Program at the Sheraton Society Hill
you missed a great morning. Richard
Kuepper of L.E.A.D., USA gave us an
exhilarating morning and lots of takeaways, including the wooden board that
you split in half with your bare hands.
He then discussed what the 5 keys were
to get us moving and accelerating our
performance:
Rich started his discussion with giving us
the 5 agreements to be physically, mentally and emotionally engaged…
Confidence - Clearly define goals, roles
and expectations
Communication - Know, listen and
involve
Challenge - Stretch, develop and grow
Connect - Emotionalize results and link
to a team
Celebrate - Acknowledge and reward
Stretch yourself-move out of your
comfort zone, Play Full Out-don’t hold
back, leave it all on the field, Play FairIntegrity in everything you do, Play Safe
We combined all of this and were encouraged to make friends with new
people, learn a little about them and share
something about ourselves in the process.
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We connected, communicated and the
event ended with the ultimate confidence
builder. Each one of us went up to the front
of the room and accelerated our personal
performance and broke a wooden board
in half with the palm of our hand and in
the process we all celebrated each other by
cheering our fellow colleagues to success.
I left that room with much more confidence in myself than when I got there and
learned to move out of my comfort zone. I
think our attendees did too.
If you would like to learn more about what
Rich does visit his website at: http://www.
Lead-USA.com/
A very special thank you to our sponsors,
Visit Indy and PSAV. Thank you to our host,
the Sheraton Society Hill.
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Jim Marota
National Sales Manager
tlantic City Convention and Visitors Bureau
little bit more about him.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Jim Marota from the
Atlantic City Convention and
Visitors Authority for our supplier spotlight. Jim and I have
worked together on several
pieces of business for Atlantic
City, so it was great to learn a
Jim has been with the ACCVA for 1 year as a National Sales Manager and is enjoying his new role. He grew up in Ventor, NJ and
attended Stockton College as an accounting major. Right out of
college, Jim began working in the accounting department for
the Bally’s Grand. While studying for his CPA, a position became
available in their sales office, which he applied for and landed.
Jim worked for Bally’s/Caesars in various roles for over 6 years
before moving to the ACCVA.
He has been married for 8 years to Amanda and adores her
cooking. His favorite hobby/pastime is golf, which has been
put on the back burner since his two beautiful daughters are
the center of his life. His girls are into many activities which
Jim either assists with or coaches….soccer, softball, basketball,
karate, you name it!
Jim and his family live in Ventor and enjoy the New Jersey shore
life. A true New Jersey native he is! They went on their first
Disney Vacation in 2011 and are considering a Disney Cruise for
this year.
The piece of information I found the most interesting about Jim
is that he admits to being a closet “old school rap” junkie. Can
you say Run DMC?
Thanks Jim – see you soon in Atlantic City!
By Sharon Goodspeed
Regional Sales Manager
Caesar’s Entertainment
PLANNER SPOTLIGHT
Liza Dabrow
Meeting and Event Assistan
Cozen O’Connor
Liza grew up just outside of
Philadelphia in Bryn Mawr, PA.
Her favorite childhood memories are her family’s summers at
the Jersey Shore. She and her
brother would boogie board
until their lips turned purple!
After graduating college, Liza
moved to Center City to get a
“city-living” experience, and the
added bonus of being able to walk to work!
At Penn State University, Liza majored in hospitality management
and had an opportunity to take on several internships in the industry along the way. After working in restaurants, interning at a hotel
management company and planning various events on campus,
Liza knew the meeting industry was the perfect fit. Liza’s favorite
class at Penn State was HRIM430 which involved the planning,
execution and evaluation of a full-service restaurant.
After graduating from Penn State in 2011, Liza joined Cozen
O’Connor, where she had interned in the Marketing Department in
2009. She has now been at the firm for a year and a half, assisting in
planning the firm’s meetings and events. Liza’s favorite part of being
a meeting planner is seeing all of the little details come together at
an event. Nothing is more rewarding to her than seeing her client’s
satisfaction with the meeting or event that she helped plan.
Her involvement with PCMA and the Greater Philadelphia chapter
officially started in June 2012. She just knew she had to get involved
after her boss, Susan, returned from Convening Leaders 2012 in San
Diego. Susan raved about the value of not just the conference, but of
the association as a whole. Liza is excited to become more involved
in the chapter, especially in the “Young/New Professionals” group.
Liza believes that there is something she can learn from every other
young and new professional, and that as a group they will have a
lasting impact on the future of our industry.
When she’s not busy planning meetings, Liza loves to dance, especially jazz and hip hop. Spending time with her friends and family is
also one of her favorite things.
By Kristin Brammell, CMP
Meeting and Education Manager
Association Headquarters, Inc.
REACH OVER 350 INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS! ADVERTISE IN:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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2013 Chapter Events
April 18
Chapter Meeting and Reception
Westin Philadelphia
5:00pm-8:00pm
To register, visit http://www.regonline.com/18April
June 3
Phillies Networking Event
Citizens Bank Park, Rooftop Bleachers and Private Party Area
6:30pm-10:00pm
August 14-15
Chapter Retreat
Harrah’s Atlantic City
September 12
Thank you to our 2013
sponsors and hosts!
321 Connect Boston
Advantage Boston
Association Headquarters, Inc.
Atlantic City CVA
Caesars Entertainment/
Harrah’s Atlantic City
CMI Communications
Hotel Monaco Philadelphia
Le Meridien Philadelphia
Long Beach CVB
Lucky Strike Lanes
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia CVB
PSAV
Rosen Hotels
San Diego CVB
Sheraton Society Hill
Simmer Creative
Starwood Convention Collection
Tourisme Montreal
Tourism Vancouver
Travel Alberta
Visit Indy
Visit Norfolk
Westin Philadelphia
For more information, contact Donna Young, Sponsorship Committee Chair and Past President, at [email protected] or call 215-351-2539.
Education Day
8:30am-3:00pm
October 10
Chapter Fundraiser
Lucky Strike Lanes Philadelphia
5:30pm-8:00pm
December 12
Winter Networking Event
PA Convention Center
5:00pm-8:00pm
*Dates and times are subject to change. http://www.
pcma.org/Chapters/Greater-Philadelphia.htm
for up-to-date information.
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gppcma
CritterCorner
Do you have a pet that you adore? Please share your
favorite photo with other GPPCMA pet lovers. To participate, please email your
photoUs!
to Betty Schultz, GPPCMA
Join
Past
President, atinformation,
[email protected].
For membership
go to:
Click here to see critters.
http://www.pcma.org/Membership.htm
Welcome New Members!
through 2/11/2013
Seth Bird
Student
Penn State University
Tanisha Dennis
Student
Temple University
Angel Faire
National Sales Manager
Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort
Timothy Fles
Director of Labor Services
Elliott-Lewis Convention Services
Matthew Marcial, CMP
Director of Meetings & Education
NAFA Fleet Management Association
Lindsay McLeod
Student
Temple University
Executive Editor & GPPCMA Chapter Administrator
Erica A. Keagy
Julia Migner
Membership and Communications Coordinator
Temple University
Senior Editor
Theresa J. Barrett, MS, CMP, CAE
Art Direction, Design & Production
Simmer Creative
Daniela Negrette
Student
Penn State University
Contributing Writers
Chris Brown, CEM, CMP
Kristin Brammell, CMP
Sharon Goodspeed
Belinda Keota, CMP
Nina Quairoli
Student
Temple University
Justin Uy
Student
Penn State University
Connections Advertising
610-220-1232
[email protected]
Connections is a quarterly publication of GPPCMA.
Kayla Walsh
Student
Pennsylvania State University
The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors
and do not neccesarily reflect the opinions or policies of
GPPCMA.
Thank you to the volunteers who contributed articles to this
issue of Connections. The deadline for articles and ads for the
next issue is Friday, May 3.
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