We spoke with Nicole Keshler, president of MPI's Carolinas Chapter, about the biggest lessons learned this year, as well as what to expect from her chapter next year. Here's what she had to say.
What new developments are you most excited about for 2020 and why?
We are excited to roll out our first MPI-Carolinas’ Roadshow in the fall of 2020. Our team is ready to change things up and offer our members a new way to meet, build relationships, and do business. This idea was presented to us at a recent board retreat and the team quickly decided it would be a great way to evolve our chapter and bring our members something new and different.
What do you feel was your chapter's biggest accomplishment this year?
Our chapter is growing and evolving every day and we are always working hard to meet goals and exceed member expectations. To me our engaged volunteers are our biggest accomplishment. We have so many dedicated members, new and seasoned, who are willing to go above and beyond for our chapter. Our committees really keep MPI-CC afloat! We have a rockstar board of DO-ERs this year and they have been hard at work making things happen for our chapter behind the scenes. Being able to trust that the members on our board are passionate about MPI and going above and beyond for our chapter is everything. Specifically, our marketing team has been hard at work making sure we are reaching our members in a more efficient way through social media and email marketing. We understand that our members are busy and need chapter related information in an easy to read, concise format. We have learned that as technology changes we need to evolve with it. Our goal in 2020 is to continue to use social media marketing even more in an effort to offer our members a better way to advertise.
What meetings trends emerged in your neck of the woods this year and what do you think next year's biggest trends will be?
Overall our members just want more value and more of an experience when they come to a meeting. Many of our members travel 2-3 hours to get to a meeting so when they take the time out to come we need to make sure to provide the best education along with an experience they will remember. We are still working on what that “experience” looks like for our chapter but it is certainly front of mind. I think the trend will continue to move towards an experience vs just a regular meeting. When we spend time away from work and family it needs to be meaningful and I hope MPI will evolve along with that trend.
What did you learn or perhaps unlearn this year in terms of professional development that you think would be beneficial to those who are just entering the events industry?
As a whole board we are learning and growing all the time. We have learned that it is important to lean on each other because we all have our own unique set of strengths but together as a team we can make things happen. Surrounding yourself with people who are talented in ways you are not is a great tool for success.
"Surrounding yourself with people who are talented in ways you are not is a great tool for success.”
What New Year's resolution should the events industry make for 2020?
As a whole it would be incredible if all organizations understood the benefits of continuing education. MPI offers so many opportunities to grow and learn but also build relationships and do business. We still have members who tell us they have to pay out of pocket to join or give a presentation before they are even allowed to attend a meeting. This is just unacceptable. If you employ someone who has a connection to your meeting or conference then give them the chance to grow their skill set. I believe that investing in your employee’s future will not only benefit them but benefit your organization moving forward.
