In college, I was very lucky that my school (Indiana University, Indianapolis) had a program in Tourism, Conventions and Event Management. The program was amazing and exposed me to all of the career diversity in our industry. I fell in love and immediately started working in the industry while in school.
In 2014, I left our industry as a planner and took a wild and scary opportunity. I returned to the IU program that I graduated from to teach the next generation of planners. I took a leap, and I’m so glad I did. I love teaching. I still do TONS of planning, but now I do it with students mentoring them into careers that I hope will make them as happy as it did me. This change taught me to never stop learning, growing and challenging yourself. I could have played it safe, but then I would have sacrificed so much joy.
When is the last time you did something for the first time? That question drives me. I want more opportunities to see new places, help on unique industry projects and try things. I love learning. I’ll have my students right alongside me for every adventure too!
My biggest challenge has been balance. I’ve always been the kind of person that fell in love with and really invested in my work, sometimes to a fault. Lasting success is in creating meaningful relationships and experiences with and for people. I have to constantly remind myself to give up some perfectionism to spend time on what really matters.
We work in a high-pressure and long-hour industry. Under those conditions, you see what people are made of, and most have impressed me. My industry colleagues can make me belly laugh at work, stand beside me and present on a stage or (I think) would help me bury a body. In our industry, you make friends that become family.
Dr. Amanda Cecil’s contributions to our global profession are felt by each and every one of us. To me, she was my teacher and mentor. She is one of those people that will never let you get lazy on your dreams. She sees greatness in others, even when they can’t see it in themselves, and forces you to be your best. After 15 years, she is still my teacher, mentor, friend, leadership coach and biggest career fan. She is the one that convinced me to teach. Now, I get to try and pay it forward.
I’m so thankful for all of the technological tools that we have at our disposal now that were nonexistent or too expensive for most planners [when I joined the industry]. I am constantly trying to keep up on all of the great advancements we get access to every year.
We need talented, passionate and creative people to enter our industry. We are lucky in the Indianapolis area to have a very successful event city. With the growth of our city and event market, we never have enough great entry-level individuals. On this area, I can say I’m doing my part to help!
The MPI Indiana Chapter and Indianapolis have been hard at work over the past 18 months to ensure that the World Education Congress (June 2-5, 2018) is better than ever and attendees get the opportunity to experience the city that we love and call home. WEC will showcase the hottest industry trends and allow all of us to learn how to take our work to the next level. We can’t wait!
