MPI Minute with Jim O'Donnell at Convene
In a new series for MPI to Eye Blog,we will take a minute to speak with members and supporters of the MPI PHL Chapter.
This week we talk to: Jim O'Donnell, Regional Director of Sales, East Coast, of Convene.
What was your first job in the hospitality industry? Why did you choose it?
I’ve been in hospitality my entire life. I have distinct memories of being about 8 or 9 years old and setting up my bedroom with my new Nintendo, a few board games and one of those electric football table games for my imaginary arcade business. I made custom “Jim’s Arcade” t-shirts, mixed special drinks usually consisting of iced tea and some sort of juice and even cut up and displayed Tastykakes for my parents and brothers. I immediately gravitated towards hospitality and the notion of entertaining guests.
Twenty years into my career, I guess not much has changed. Today, the Tastykakes would be a Taste of Philly dessert station. And the friends are no longer imaginary; as we welcome thousands of clients and guests through our locations every month. And I am having even more fun now than I did back then.
What is unique about your venue and why is it ideal for groups or events?
Convene at Commerce Square has just completed full renovations and is now Philadelphia's largest and most premium meeting venue. With a total capacity for up to 260 guests and centrally located, this location is purposefully-designed for collaboration and productivity with a variety of private small, medium, and large rooms. The space has plenty of natural light and a design concept paying homage to Philly's 1920's theater scene with rooms resembling grand theaters around the world.
All Convene venues are ideal for groups and events because of our key value points which include all the necessary technology, catering, labor and space into one simple and transparent per-person price.Convene at Commerce Square’s best feature is definitely the design of the space. We recently expanded and took over the entire floorplate so that we could create the largest and most flexible event space in the entire city of Philadelphia. There are four quadrants which can be told apart by their color theme and are perfect for groups of 75-200 people who desire privacy or they can be used in conjunction with each other for a larger group up to 400 people. Convene also has its own in-house design and architecture team that carefully curates each piece of art from local artists and chooses furniture to fit the vibes of the local community.
How do you partner with your clients?
Our clients mean everything to us and our goal is to make them heroes in their own role by always delivering on our brand promise. Our sales and production teams want to make event planners lives easier by working as an extension of their team and being as consultative as possible. While our packages are meant to make things simple, we can be flexible and create custom inclusions based on the planner’s needs.
What has been your favorite meeting/event?
This is a tough question; it’s like picking a favorite child (and I have 5 of them, so the answer changes daily).
I love the challenge of the large buyout program and the all-hands-on-deck approach to our execution. Our locations have amazing teams, but I love when they’re all so busy that I get the opportunity to jump in and help reset a room or throw down in the kitchen. My hospitality roots are in operations and while my colleagues are the experts in that area, I love to flex those muscles from time to time with our larger programs.
Why are you/staff members of MPI?
Convene partners with MPI local chapters across the country because of the striking similarities between our missions. We are both values aligned organizations interested in providing the resources and experiences necessary for the most successful face-to-face meetings and events. Convene provides the space and they provide the education. It just makes sense.
Do you have a minute for MPI? Contact Director of Marketing, Erica Mason, socialmedia@mpiphl.orgfor more information.
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