MPI MN Up-Close Profile – Planner - Emily VanLith

1.          Why did you join MPI? 

I joined MPI because I have a desire to learn from fellow event professionals, expand my education and knowledge of the industry, and gain creative ideas. Considering the fact that I am young and the only Event Coordinator at my company, I have a strong desire to surround myself with event professionals to enable myself to grow personally and professionally within this industry. The mentorship program our chapter offers is very exciting to me!

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

I have worked full-time within the industry for one year. I interned for a wedding planner and as the event coordinator for a nonprofit while I was in college, but I graduated from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul in December 2016, so I am just beginning my career.

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

I have always been extremely organized and have had an intense love for detail since I was very young. (Filling out my planner might be the highlight of my week!) As I was studying to earn my degree in Business Administration, I had to determine what I wanted to do with it! As I perused LinkedIn for job ideas, I stumbled upon the events industry and I never looked back. From the beginning, I was intrigued by the juggling of details, wide variety of tasks, and high level of people interaction that this industry entails. The whole process, from diving into the smallest of details to executing the event on-site, excited me.

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

The most valuable advice I have received about working with meetings is to be flexible. To be detail-oriented and flexible at the same time can be difficult, but to be successful within this industry, one must have both! I learned quickly that I could spend hours poring over the specifics to my event, but come day-of, I had to be willing to make adjustments and additions last-minute to execute the best event that I could. Embracing this advice at the beginning of my career has had a huge impact in the success of my events.

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

One advice about meeting planning I would share is to pick your battles. As meeting planners, we interact with a large variety of individuals (AV teams, caterers, venue contacts, and so much more!). Executing meetings and events, especially when those last-minute adjustments are needed, can create for some high-intensity situations. Which can create high-intensity conversations! Building relationships is invaluable in this industry since we work with so many vendors, so I have learned to let the little things go and tread carefully and kindly with those I am working with. In the end, how we treat those we are working with can either majorly burn bridges or turn contacts into incredible advocates!

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

There are many things about this industry that I love, but one, in particular, is the amount of people we are required to work with. I love listening to the vision of my directors and then working with an innumerable amount of individuals inside and outside of my organization to make it happen!

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

From my point-of-view, the industry could promote itself better to college students. I had to do a lot of networking to discover opportunities within this industry. Don’t get me wrong, networking is incredibly important, but various paths and opportunities could be promoted more efficiently to young professionals.

8.          What do you do outside of work? 

Outside of work I love being active and outdoors! From water-skiing, rollerblading, sand volleyball, coaching AAU basketball, and serving in my church, I stay quite busy! I am an outgoing individual, so you will normally find me surrounded by family and friends.