MPI MN Planner Profile: Sam Leidholt

1.    Why did you join MPI? 

I’m excited to broaden my knowledge and depth of meeting planning intricacies!

Sam Leidholt

2.    How long have you been in the meetings/hospitality industry? 

I started in 2015 planning events for Special Olympics of MN and now am on the Conferences Team at Optum.

3.    How did you decide to get involved in this business?  What influenced you?

I love being able to provide a quality experience for someone to make them feel cared for and valued in ways they aren’t expecting it.

4.    What’s the most valuable advice you’ve received about working with meetings? 

Plan for as many circumstances/alternatives as you can for onsite execution so you don’t have to spend your entire time onsite reacting.

5.    What is one piece of advice about meeting planning you would share?  

See above.

6.    What is one thing about this industry that you love?

The common passion people share while providing high quality experiences for guests.

7.    What is one thing about the industry you would like to see changed? 

Increased cross-functional visibility with a continued focus on increasing customer experiences.

8.    What do you do outside of work? 

My wife and I are blessed with a group of friends. We love exploring the Twin Cities’ breweries, parks, lakes and bike trails together. We also enjoy traveling and broadening our understanding of the wildly exciting world we live in.