Sponsor Spotlight - Meetings Michigan

Our Sponsor Spotlight this month features one of our newer partners, Meetings Michigan. You may have met the Meetings Michigan team at Spring Summit where they sponsored the Networking Reception and provided us with their very tasty signature drink, Pure Michigan Summer. Kim Corcoran, CMP, is the Executive Director of Meetings Michigan and we asked her to share a bit more about herself and Meetings Michigan.

How did you get started in the hospitality industry?

I started my career in sports marketing in Salt Lake City working for the University of Utah Athletics Department but wanted to get back to my family/roots in Michigan and found a home at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Traverse City.  There were many similarities between running marketing events in the sports world and the hospitality industry. I started with both sports groups and conferences, but quickly fell in love with the conference/meetings side of the business.

Why Meetings Michigan?  

We have diverse destinations across the state as well as many independent hotels and resorts that were all trying to market themselves individually. Many did not have the budget to market nationally, and I saw a way to have all our destinations work together to make a bigger impact in the national market. Now we are at all the major tradeshows and doing sales events in key markets as a team instead of everyone going out separately to deliver the same message.

Please list the top 5 reasons Michigan is a great place for meetings.

1. New and renovated airports throughout the state make it easy to get all your attendees to your meeting in Michigan.

2. Cost of your meeting just went down! Luxurious hotels and resorts, food and beverage, attractions, and entertainment throughout the state are affordably priced.

3. Intellectual resources abound! With major research-based universities and medical and automotive giants housed in Michigan, speakers and resources are readily available for your next conference.

4. Historic moments were born in Michigan – be a part of the culture that brought about the Model T, Motown Records, and Kellogg Cereal.

5. Four seasons of unbelievable options for recreation including boating, fishing, skiing, gaming, shopping and… Michigan has more golf courses open to the public than any other state. More fresh water shoreline than any other state in the United States. In Michigan, you are never more than 6 miles from a body of water and 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes.

What do you consider your biggest business success?  

Launching the marketing brand and organization now known as Meetings Michigan is by far my biggest success. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to band everyone together for one common cause and to get the state to support the marketing efforts.

What has been your biggest business challenge and how did you conquer that?  

My biggest success was also my biggest challenge. Not every destination originally saw Meetings Michigan as a “win” – there were some that questioned why they would cooperate with competitors within the state and thought the CVBs were already doing the same job. It took a lot of education, many meetings, and several trials before the business began to take off. Now the partnering destinations and the state fully support the cooperative efforts and it is growing exponentially. 

What do you enjoy doing outside of business (i.e. favorite hobbies)?

I come from a very athletic family, with two parents as physical education teachers and coaches, so I’ve always been into sports and fitness. I enjoy all active endeavors inside and out… and chasing my three children around to support them in their active pursuits… soccer, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, football, and lacrosse, they keep me busy!

Top three life lessons?

1. Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader… they set out to make a difference.  It’s never about the role, it’s always about the goal.

2. Be humble. Be Hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room. Nothing beats hard work when it comes to achieving what you set out to do.

3. Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships. Working together, we will always achieve more.