February 6, 2025 - February 7, 2025
Chapel Hill, NC
Register now
Past Events
Fall 2022 Chapter Meeting
Tentative Agenda
Thursday, October 27
| 10am | Welcome |
| 10:15am - 11:45am | "Shift Your Event to Thrive in Uncertain Economic Times" Evan Carroll, President & CEO - Attended Events |
| 12pm - 12:50pm | Networking Lunch |
| 1pm - 2pm | "Safe Meetings" Jerry McCormick, Founder - Personal Safety at Work |
| 2:10pm - 3pm | "Events are a Risky Business!" Sally Webb, CSEP, CEO - The Special Event Company |
| 3:10pm - 3:40pm | "RDU Airport Update" David Freedman - Chief Revenue Officer for the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority |
| 4pm - 4:30pm | "Wellness in the Workplace" Rebekah Werner, Owner - Unita Yoga |
| 4pm - 6pm | Golf Tournament |
| 4:30pm - 6:30pm | Networking Reception |
Friday, October 28
| 9am - 3pm | CMP Bootcamp |
Education Sessions
Sessions will be listed as descriptions are finalized. Stay tuned for more!
Shift Your Event To Thrive In Uncertain Economic Times
Evan Carroll
President & CEO - Attended Events
There’s no shortage of pundits speculating about a recession, no matter where you look. Despite some indicators to the contrary, recent economic data seems to suggest an economic downturn is likely, if not already in progress. It’s not great news for businesses that have already spent months managing inflation impacts.
Those of us in live events are already releasing the collective “here we go again” sigh. Just as events have started to recover following the initial phases of the global COVID-19 pandemic, here comes another curveball.
Strategic CEOs and CFOs are preparing for uncertain economic times by trimming budgets, programs, and perhaps even jobs.
The upside for the live events industry is this: We’ve never been more prepared for flexibility than we are right now.
In this interactive session, Evan Carroll will help us dust off our pandemic playbooks and repurpose the now proven event strategies that empowered us to do more with less.
Safe Meetings
Jerry McCormick
President - Personal Safety at Work
Learner Objectives:
- Learn the most common safety issues that arise during any event
- Structure of event planners and their volunteers
- Event set up and security
- De-escalation techniques to diffuse situations before getting out of control
- Safety considerations for setting up and breaking down your event
- Post event debrief to ensure what did not go well does not happen again
Events are a Risky Business!
Sally Webb, CSEP
Founder & CEO - The Special Event Company
Risk management is not about collecting Certificates of Insurance. Being a practitioner in the event industry makes you responsible for reducing risk for your attendees, client, stakeholders and your own reputation. This session is a common sense discussion on how to prepare, ask the right questions, plan for contingencies, and develop your own risk assessment document.
RDU Airport Update
David Freedman
Senior VP and Chief Revenue Officer - Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
David Freedman is Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. He leads the Commercial Management, Marketing and Air Service division at RDU.
He’ll be providing us with an update on the state of RDU including trends and forecasts, air service recruitment and current connectivity at RDU. David will cover Vision 2040, the airport’s 25-year master plan that provides a roadmap for infrastructure projects at RDU. He’ll also touch on what happens behind the scenes and what’s on the horizon for travelers at one of the Region's busiest airports.
Wellness in the Workplace
Rebekah Werner
Owner and Operator - Unita Yoga LLC
Feeling stressed and fatigued during the work day? In this 30-minute session, RYT-500 certified yoga teacher Rebekah Werner from Unita Yoga will guide you through breathing, meditation and gentle yoga exercises that you can incorporate into your work day to combat feelings of fatigue and stress and increase productivity. The best part? All of the exercises can be done from your office chair in your business attire! Come exactly as you are and be prepared to change the course of how you approach your work day.
Speaker Bios
Evan Carroll
As the author of three books, Evan has appeared in major news outlets including The New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR’s Fresh Air, The Atlantic, and Popular Science. The reason? He has a reputation for anticipating what’s next and sharing that vision in an approachable way.
He has spoken at a wide range of events ranging from the trend-setting South by Southwest conference to a national forum at the Library of Congress. Companies you know, including Spectrum, HP, and IBM, and associations including the AMA, ANA, and AICPA have brought Evan’s expertise to their stages.
He practices what he preaches through his firm Attended, which specializes in experience design and production. Recognizing his dedication to the field, the AMA named Evan its National Volunteer of the Year in 2017.
Evan holds MS and BS degrees in Information Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he now serves as an adjunct professor.
You can learn more about Attended at www.attendedevents.com and about Evan at www.evancarroll.net.
Sally Webb, CSEP
Sally Webb, CSEP is Founder and CEO of The Special Event Company (TSEC), based in the Triangle region of North Carolina. She formed the company in 1987 from a background in sports PR and marketing. TSEC is a WBENC certified Woman Owned Business.
TSEC delivers essential business communications through live and virtual events and for a diverse clientele in education, financial services, technology, pharmaceuticals, media, manufacturing, sports and non-profits. Over the past three decades, Sally has produced events in over 30 countries throughout Europe, USA, Africa, South America and Asia.
The company has won over 40 international event management awards for their work. Her personal accolades include International Event Producer of the Year by Event Solutions Magazine, Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Live Events Association (ILEA) , Business Leader Magazines Top 50 Women Extraordinaire Award, Special Event Magazines Top 25 Greatest Industry Influencers of the past 25 years. In January 2018 she was the recipient of the Special Events Industry Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the Special Event Industry.
In 2021 TSEC expanded their service offerings with a Film and Broadcast Studio, creating Internet TV through a wide range of in-studio and remote services, to support the growing virtual communication business needs.
Sally is a founding member and former President of the International Special Events Society in the UK, before moving to the US in 2005. She is a founder of the Triangle British American Business Council Chapter and recently Chaired the Special Event Industry Certification (CSEP) examination restructure committee.
As a founding board member of Roger Daltrey & Pete Townshend’s Teen Cancer America organization www.teencanceramerica.com.
The Special Event Company website can be viewed on www.specialeventco.com
Rebecca Werner
Rebekah Werner, RYT-500, has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching for nearly a decade. She founded Unita Yoga to bring yoga to people of all types of diverse backgrounds and all levels of mobility and experience. Rebekah received her RYT-200 certification from Gratitude Hot Yoga Center, where she continues practicing and teaching today. She received her RYT-300 certification from My Vinyasa Practice out of Austin, Texas in January of 2021. Fully recognizing that the practice of yoga does not require the four walls of a studio, she founded Unita Yoga in March of 2021 to bring yoga to people where they are. Today, Unita Yoga provides instruction for groups of all sizes including private groups/individuals, corporate events, athletic teams, special events (including weddings), and pop-up yoga classes in various settings including breweries, offices, event spaces and even backyards! Looking to add yoga/meditation to your next event? DM @unitayoganc or call/text Rebekah at (919) 819-6020.
Golf Tournament
Grab your clients and sign up for this non-traditional golf tournament! Each Drive Shack Bay will hold 6 participants, making up one team. We will run a series of games for each team and the winning team gets bragging rights.. and some cool prizes!
Planners participate for free
Bay sponsorships include:
- 2 tickets to play golf
- logo recognition in your sponsored bay
- virtual exhibitor booth in the meeting app
| Member | Non-Member | |
| Individual Planner | $0 | $0 |
| Individual Supplier | $30 | $30 |
| Bay Sponsor | $250 | $300 |
CMP Bootcamp
Objective
Conduct CMP Bootcamp covering the Certified Meeting Professional International Standards to include all Domains.
Goals
- Walk through the process of obtaining the CMP certification
- Review each of the (9) CMP-IS Domains and (28) skills to gain a better understanding of the complex material in the CMP Manuals
- Walk through sample exam questions; discuss the way they are structured
- Everyone will receive a 250 question exam and answer sheet
- Discuss resources available
- Attendee will have ongoing support until they sit for the exam
- Gain test taking tips
- Review how to maintain your certification
This bootcamp is eligible for 6 CE hours.
Testimonials
"When I lost my job due to COVID-19, I decided to have a positive outlook on the situation and take the time to really pursue my CMP. In the past, I convinced myself that I didn't have the time or money to earn my CMP, but this time I was left with no option but to succeed. I took on a part time job, created a study schedule, and signed up for the CMP Bootcamp through MPI that an industry friend recommended to me. Molly was fantastic! She took her time going through the EIC book, our study materials, and gave us examples on what we would be tested on. After the bootcamp, I reached out to her on several occasions to ask questions and she was always readily available and helpful. Molly and the CMP Bootcamp played a huge role in my success and passing my exam!"
"I thought the Bootcamp with Molly was incredibly useful and a key step toward getting my CMP. I found the mock questions presented during the bootcamp and the practice exam provided afterwards to be especially helpful. I would recommend this course to anyone who is serious about attaining their CMP."
"Molly was FANTASTIC! Her depth of knowledge is very impressive. Even this ole dog can learn a few new tricks from an expert like Molly! I enjoyed the Bootcamp very much and the time flew by. I’m sure I will reach out to Molly a few times in the process."
Instructor: Molly Johnson CMP Fellow, QAS
Molly Johnson CMP, QAS has been in the meetings industry over 25 years working in all areas of hotels for both independent hotels and with the Hilton brand. Since 2015 Molly has been the Director of Convention Sales for the Wilmington & Beaches CVB in Wilmington, NC.
In 2010 Molly created the CMP study group format for the MPI Carolinas Chapter, a remote study group so that anyone in the country could join. The pass rate was 100% for those that participated for the entire program.
Molly served three years on Event Industry Council Item Review Panel, helping to create questions on the current CMP exam. Molly has been teaching a CMP Bootcamp which she has done for multiple MPI Chapters and hosted buyer shows since 2016.
Molly is a Past President of MPI Carolinas Chapter and has been an MPI Board Retreat Facilitator since February 2017 working with chapters varying in size. Molly has served on multiple MPI committees & task forces on the International level and is currently on the Chapter & Membership Advisory Council. She also serves as the current President on the PCMA Southeast Chapter Board of Directors and is an Ambassador for Meetings Mean Business.
In the Wilmington community, Molly is a Board Member for A Safe Place which is a local non-profit assisting domestic victims of human trafficking. Molly teaches human trafficking awareness to hotels and hospitality related organizations.
Room Blocks
Homewood Suites by Hilton Raleigh Cary I-40
555 Crossroads Blvd,Cary, NC 27518
Room Rate: $150
Cut-off date: October 12, 2022
Booking Link
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Raleigh - Cary
500 Caitboo Avenue, Cary, NC 27518
Room Rate: $140
Cut-Off date: October 12, 2022
Booking Link
Registration Fees
| Early bird | After Oct 20 | |
| Member | $100 | $115 |
| Non-Member | $135 | $150 |
| Member Reception Only | $65 | |
| Non-Member Reception Only | $75 | |
| CMP Bootcamp Only | See below |
Add Ons
| Member | Non-Member | |
| CMP Bootcamp | $125 | $150 |
| 50/50 Raffle Tickets | $5 | $5 |
Golf Tournament
| Member | Non-Member | |
| Individual Planner | $0 | $0 |
| Individual Supplier | $30 | $30 |
| Bay Sponsor | $250 | $300 |
All events will be held at Drive Shack.
