In September, I had a conversation with Jody Brandes, VP of Education for MPI Northern California Chapter as well as long time friend and business associate. We talked about the Hospitality Hoot, a major hospitality industry networking event that took place in San Francisco in 2004 and 2005. The Hoot was unique in that it attracted event & meeting professionals from multiple associations and disciplines ~ attendance was over 1000. While we did not endeavor to recreate that, we did feel that hosting a joint ISES & MPI event was timely.

So, on November 15th at the Masonic Auditorium 300 industry professionals came together for the first ever ISES-NCC and MPI-NCC joint meeting, “The Big Bang: How to Create and Produce Events with Impact.” To say the event was a success is an understatement.

Starting from the initial conversations with both planning committees to the onsite planning meetings, it was clear that both associations were equally committed to creating a dialogue, engaging content and an opportunity for networking.

Planners on the MPI panel gave clear insight on the RFP process, tips on how to stand out among other proposals, and shared some tales of events gone awry (it’s nice to know we’ve all been there!). Suppliers on the ISES panel offered ways on how to best utilize their creative services, cost saving tips and a look to what trends to stay on top of (and which ideas were so 2000). Following the sessions, everyone gathered in the Masonic lobby to enjoy an informal networking session, catch up with old friends and make some new ones.

If you missed the program in November, don’t worry… We are planning to do it again next fall!