This week, the Events Industry Council announced that Jonathan Howe, Esq., president and senior partner for Howe & Hutton Ltd., would be inducted into the Hall of Leaders during a virtual celebration on March 21 along with John H. Graham (posthumously), former president and CEO of ASAE, and Anita Pires, president of Pires Destinations & Events Intelligence.
Howe, who witnessed the successes and challenges at MPI for 46 years while serving as the association’s legal counsel since 1974, also received special recognition at the President’s Dinner during MPI’s WEC Grapevine.
He vividly remembers receiving the call from a client of his, former MPI president and founding member Raymond J. Hall, asking for advice on a “serious problem with the Internal Revenue Service” that MPI was facing.
From that day until last year, Howe represented and counseled MPI on all legal matters while also being a member.
“There were times when MPI was floundering with problems internally and externally, but the association always managed to take steps to move forward,” Howe says. “MPI provided a home for people in the hospitality industry that was sorely needed. I have so many friends in the industry on all sides and it’s all been very personally rewarding.”
Here are some other thoughts he recently shared with MPI about his time in the meeting industry.
“My first job was paperboy for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Herald American and Chicago Daily News. I put a lot of miles on my bicycle.”
“At one point, I wanted to be a sports journalist and do sports broadcasting. I wrote for a group of suburban newspapers in high school and was a gofer for a publishing company. There was real upward mobility in that one! In college, I wrote for the Daily Northwestern, while my undergrad work was in diplomatic history. I wanted to go to the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs at Princeton.”
“My college roommate/fraternity brother and I had every law school catalog in our room. I ended up going to Duke. I focused on large firm anti-trust defense and one of my first cases was representing an association. I got into the association business, focused on not for profit, and then got into the meetings business. I also got into the education side and started writing columns for meeting and association industry publications.”
“Two years after the founding of MPI, I got a call from a client of mine, Raymond J. Hall, former MPI president. He told me he was involved with this organization that had 80 members and was having serious problems with the IRS and asked if I would help them out. I got involved, and I have been ever since.”
“I’ve been involved with every single executive known to MPI from Marion Kershner forward. The organization has evolved in a positive way, especially the last 10 years or so when it has gone to a more strategic focus instead of tactical. MPI has been maintaining and trying to stay ahead of the times. There were times when MPI was floundering with problems internally and externally, but the association always managed to take steps to move forward. MPI provided a home for people in the hospitality industry that was sorely needed.”
“I have so many friends in the meeting industry on all sides and it’s all been very personally rewarding. I have lifelong friends. I never advertised. Most of my business has come from word of mouth and that’s from the personal and professional networking as a result of my involvement with MPI. That’s what’s made a difference, no ifs, ands or buts.”
“The best legal advice I would give someone in the meeting industry is if you don’t know, if you have a question, ask it and find out what’s going on. There are so many buzzwords, and they have different meanings. One of my favorites is rack rate. What the devil is rack rate?”
“Probably what I’ve enjoyed the most in my career is the challenge of understanding a problem and identifying not only a solution, but alternatives. The easiest word is no, but how do we find a legal resolution? In the association business, one of the key elements is finding solutions.”
“My great uncle was involved in Illinois politics and on his 90th birthday he was asked what else he wanted to achieve. He said he simply wanted to live to be 100, which he did. He then said he wanted to live to 101. I’m 79 and I still want to keep on learning and enjoying life.”
“I’ve been married to Lois since 1963. Family is No. 1. We have three kids and six grandkids, so it’s nice when we can get together. My oldest grandkids are 21 and the youngest is 14, so we have grandkids in college, high school and middle school!”
“We live in Chicago, but have a home in Twin Lakes, Wis. I like spending time in my woodshop making furniture. I do that for my own pleasure. I’m also a movie fan.”
Photo by Audrey Wancket, Wancket Studios
