New Member Spotlight – Barry Schieferstein, CMP, DES

Barry Schieferstein, CMP, DES 
American Society for Nondestructive Testing

Who are the most important people in your life?  My wife, Kathy and son, Aaron

Who do you work for and what is your role? Director of Conferences and Meetings for the American Society for Nondestructive Testing. ASNT is a 15,000 member association and my team produces 6-8 events per year.

What is the best thing about your job? Since my start in the meetings industry I have always been humbled by the fact that people would spend their time (work and vacation) and money (sometimes a considerable amount) to come to events that I helped organize. Overseeing these events during the entire planning process, through to completion, and having a positive outcome for all of the stakeholders involved, is the best thing about meeting planning.

What are the 3 most important skills you use at work? My current position is much more forward thinking and strategic than previous jobs so strategic thinking is high on the list. Next, in the association world people skills are very important not only with staff but also with volunteers. Finally, as a director I am always trying to improve my skills at helping those around me grow in their professions.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone beginning their career in the Meeting Industry? I would recommend that someone at the beginning of their career work on building relationships and maintaining them. Never burn bridges. While the meetings industry is very big, the community is seemingly very small. I would also highly recommend treating your vendors (properties, service providers, etc.) as partners. Your success depends as much on them as it does on anything you do.

What super-power would you love to have to help you do your job better? As a planner I want to be able to see into the future! 

Email: bschieferstein@asnt.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schieferstein/   

As a new member, we want to make sure you get the most out of your membership and feel welcomed into our community of meeting professionals. It is our mission to provide innovative and relevant education & networking opportunities as well as business exchanges. From time to time we like to highlight our new members to help introduce them into our member network.