“I can’t count the number of times when I needed help or advice to manage a situation and an MPI friend came to the rescue!” says Elodie Lortal, CMP, sales executive at Novotel Tour Eiffel and VP of communications for the MPI France-Switzerland Chapter, who shares her MPI journey with us.
Your personal volunteer story
When I changed careers from F&B to events in 2021, I had an incredible mentor, Lisa Levia, who was a member of MPI. I needed credibility in the field, so she recommended that I sign up for a bootcamp class on the MPI website and to get my CMP. I followed her advise, joined the MPI Ottawa Chapter, got my CMP and started volunteering on the marketing committee. Three years later, I am VP of communications for the MPI France-Switzerland Chapter. It’s been an incredible learning journey!
What made you want to volunteer at MPI?
One of my MPI friends once told me, “You will get as much as you put it.” This initial conversation motivated me to serve on the marketing committee and started my engagement with MPI. First, I was member volunteer and then I took the Chapter News and Views portfolio and became chair.
Find a topic or project that motivates you, jump into the water and start to be involved. The skills that you will develop and the people that you will meet will be lifelong learnings.
What ROI have you gotten since volunteering for MPI?
I have been fortunate that the company I work for supports my tenure as an MPI board member and allows me to take the necessary time to fulfil my board duties. Volunteering at MPI has helped me to build a large network of seasoned industry professionals across Europe and North America. I can’t count the number of times when I needed help or advice to manage a situation and an MPI friend came to the rescue! On the marketing/communications committee, I had the opportunity to develop skills such as building a marketing plan, making graphics and writing and publishing articles. As I pursue my journey with MPI and my role has evolved to VP of communications, I have developed new skills such as building an action plan and creating and leading a committee. MPI is a lifelong journey.
What inspires you to continue to serve?
What inspires me to continue to serve is to see the results of my actions and to watch the community growing. Our chapter president Veronique Holveck once told me that, prior to the pandemic, our chapter was the European chapter with the highest number of active members in Europe. My goal for 2024 is actively recruit to get back to the pre-pandemic level.
I have stepped into a new role with new challenges but also new responsibilities. I will have more face-to-face time with board members and with MPI Global, which will grow my network and motivate me to continue serving the community.
What makes volunteering with MPI France-Switzerland Chapter so special?
Personally, it’s the relationship I have built with other board members from the chapter that makes volunteering so incredibly special. Currently we are four ladies in the France-Switzerland board and we support each other, we are working on nice projects for 2024 and a big event in 2025. Stay tuned!
Expectations versus the reality of volunteering
In 2021, I decided to reorient my career from F&B to meetings and events. It was a huge challenge and being an active member of MPI helped me along the way. I took risks, thought outside the box and rebuilt my network. My first term was in the marketing committee for the Ottawa Chapter, where I met lots of senior MPI members and a very strong community. My second term was director of communications at the MPI France-Switzerland Chapter. In January 2024, I became VP of communications. I am happy and proud to be part a such a worldwide community. As the MPI motto says, “When we meet, we change the world.” My personal one is, “When we volunteer, we change our destiny.”
