President’s Message

Welcome to our first issue of the Pulse for 2004! We have just completed our tenth year as a chapter, and are ready to move forward with a new year full of excitement, energy and cutting edge programs. Speaking of energy and excitement, for those of you who joined us in Indianapolis for the PCMA Annual Meeting, that is what we got! The Greater Midwest Chapter had a wonderful attendance with nearly 500 of our members making the trip to Indy. The GMC bus was filled with fun and the three hour ride felt quicker than that, thanks to Serena Melancon of USA Hosts and Andrew Schorr of In the Loop Chicago, who generously sponsored and coordinated the transportation.

For those of you who attended the PCMA Chapter luncheon on Tuesday January 13th, you might have noticed that GMC had a great presence. Thanks to our game show wizard, Bob Donovan, and his sidekick, Laurie “The Leprechaun” Fitzgerald, GMC left as the PCMA Trivia Game Show Champions! I’m sure that Bob and Laurie couldn’t have done it without all the cheers and support from the GMC members who rooted for them!

We are planning a great year, and are committed to bringing you exciting programs with hot topics, joint industry events, more member benefits, community service opportunities, and a new twist on the Annual Awards Presentation. Our goal is to keep the lines of communication open, so if there is something that you think GMC can improve, or if you have an idea for the chapter, please call any of the board or committee members at any time. GMC is now keeping committee sign ups open all year, so if you haven’t joined, and want to be a part of the shaping of your chapter, please call any of the board members or committee chairs at any time during the year. We can always use your assistance, and welcome your involvement.

I hope to see everyone at the March 10th Quarterly Meeting at the Chicago Hilton & Towers sponsored by Chicago Area Convention Bureau Satellite Offices. The speaker, Sheila Neil and the topic “Are We There Yet” – Communicating Goals into Results, is a must see. We will be holding our Annual St. Patrick’s event, also sponsored by Chicago Area Convention Bureau Satellite Offices, at Kitty O’Shea’s immediately following the program, so be sure to join us for an afternoon of education, and an evening of fun. Should you have any questions or comments please feel free to call me at 312-559-2857 or e-mail me at lstanley@anaheimoc.org.

Lora Stanley
2004 GMC PCMA President

2004 PCMA Annual Meeting Highlights

I attended a few ACOM sessions on Sunday. First thing in the morning, Joan Eisenstodt of Eisenstodt Associates presented a session on Risk Management for the audience of convention operations mangers of bureaus, convention centers and hotels. Unfortunately, the session was not well attended. Those that were there were awakened to the importance of having and knowing a plan. Very few either had a plan or knew anything about one.

“I’m surprised that destinations and venues don’t sell safety and security,” remarked Joan. “I think that would win out over pretty bedspreads any day. They are missing a great selling opportunity.”

The PCMA Annual Meeting included a wide variety of education. In “Leading in Challenging Times: How to Motivate Your Team in Times of Crisis,” Randy Pennington of Pennington Performance Group said, “Responding to crisis is managing disrupted expectations.” Leaders must show they are in control, identify with the feelings and expectations of followers, inspire hope and optimism, communicate the plan and any progress made, and provide constant feedback and encouragement.

Brian Walter of the Effectiveness Institute started his session, “Increasing Attendance at Your Convention,” by asking us to list items usually found in a meeting brochure. Sure enough, we all came up with the same items. “See?” he said, “You can’t differentiate between them. You need to stand out among the same old, same old.” He suggested that rather than using a “pull” approach (toss out bait and hope the potential attendee bites), that we use a “push” approach, in which the potential attendee is already being sold. For example, a big memory from last year’s meeting would make that attendee more likely to return this year.

Some ideas Brian threw out were:

• Parody music

• Point/counterpoint

• A recap – with humor, such as Dave’s Top 10 List.

Rand Stagen of the Stagen Leadership Institute presented “Managing Organization ADD: Tools and Techniques for Reducing Overwhelm and Boosting Productivity.” “This is not time management,” he said. “Time management was for the assembly line worker. This is attention management and it is for the knowledge worker.”

The Performance Focusing System™ breaks attention up into four time zones:

• Proactive Zone – includes strategic planning, preparation, building reserves and renewal. A walk in the park qualifies.

• Distraction Zone – unnecessary interruptions, distracting calls and emails. Find a time when you can close your door, or put a sign on your cubicle, and not take calls. Turn off the email notification.

• Waste Zone – trivial activities, excessive media/entertainment.

• Reactive Zone – urgent demands, crisis, stress.

“If you spend more time in the proactive zone, say filing, you won’t spend as much time in the reactive zone wasting time looking frantically for a piece of paper.”

The final general session was “Flexibility is the Key to Airpower: How to Adapt to Change and Plan for Contingencies.” It was created by the Afterburners, a group of 45 current or former Navy Pilots, most of whom have business experience. Their experience in the Navy can be very valuable in the hospitality industry:

• Always operate as a team.

• Lose sight (of the competition, threats), lose the fight.

• Plan, brief your team, execute, debrief, win. Navy pilots check their egos – and their patches showing rank, which are on Velcro – at the door for the debriefing session. They discuss what worked, what didn’t work and lessons learned. They identify their own mistakes and promise to correct them.

For the plan:

1. Determine mission objectives. They must be clear, measurable, and attainable, and support the goal or vision of the organization (sound familiar?)

2. Identify the threat.

3. Identify your support assets – your team, history, lessons learned, etc.

4. Compare your capabilities, your team’s strengths versus the competition’s weaknesses.

5. Prioritize and set a time line.

6. Plan for contingencies. This will eliminate surprises and give you flexibility. Your ability to change and adapt will make you successful. Plan what to do in a crisis when you’re on the ground and can think normally.

PMCA’s Annual Meeting continues to have a wealth of education and networking opportunities. I can’t wait for next year’s meeting in Hawaii.

Anne Carey, CMP
Illinois Podiatric Medical Association
meetings@ipma.net

And now, for your infotainment!

“Extreme Meetings!” was the topic of the GMC PCMA November Quarterly Education Program. Thanks to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority for their sponsorship in making this program possible. It was the most “entertaining” program of the year, befitting Las Vegas’ reputation for fun!

Consultant, speaker and humorist, Brian Walter and singer, songwriter Ken Boynton of The Effectiveness Institute, Inc. used humor, music, and games to illustrate the importance of adding entertainment to our meetings.

Brian Walter of The Effectiveness Institute, Inc., shares his ideas on "infotainment."

The days of talking heads and PowerPoint presentations are past. We need to speak to the heart of our attendees as well as the head.

Mr. Walter illustrated several strategies we might add to make our message and our meetings more successful:

• Make fun of the company’s executives – for executives who can humble themselves and not take themselves too seriously. Employees will follow people who are credible.

• Name the pain – acknowledge the problem, face it head on. Mr. Boynton impersonated famous singers singing their signature songs except the words were altered to “name the pain” of different circumstances.

• Game shows – a fun way to show people they don’t know as much as they think they do.

• Richard A. Daignault Award – Angie Ranalli, CMP

• Robert J. Donovan Award – Donna Karl, CMP

• Pillar Award – Eugene Walker, CMP

• GEM Award – Jeff Kincaid

Big Score at the 2003 GMC PCMA Bowl-A-Thon

Patti Beese - National Restaurant Association

What fabulous support we had from our GMC membership at the Annual GMC PCMA Bowl-A-Thon on Wednesday, November 19th! With over 300 attendees and record-breaking attendance the GMC bowlers and cheerleaders had a great time scoring strikes, gutter balls and networking while raising $16,500 for the Gus Foundation.

For those of you who missed this wonderful evening, here is what some of our members had to say about their participation:

“Just when you think this event cannot get any better, it does! The Bowl-A-thon creates such a great, laid back ambiance where you can reconnect with planner and supplier partners and know that you're giving something back to the community at the same time. It doesn't get any better.”—Dawn Young, Long Beach CVB

From left to right: Christie Tarantino, CAE - PCMA; Susan Katz - National Safety Council; and Monika Anger - Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin	From left to right: Jacqueline Schermerhorn - Ritz Carlton/Four Seasons Hotels Chicago; Rhonda Chesney - Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Nelson Hilton - Four Seasons Hotel Miami; Mary Jo Blythe - Masterplan, Inc.; and Diane Freeman - Four Seasons Hotel Houston

“Our industry is not only about doing meetings, but also giving. The community service committee and other members of the Greater Midwest Chapter should be proud of all the smiles that they have given to the children of the Gus Foundation over the past three years!”—Teri Tonioli, CMP, Vice President, North-Central Region, Conferon, Inc.

“As a first-time attendee I was blown away with the enormous success of the event. It certainly ranks as the highlight of the year. For 300+ people to come support the industry and the Gus Foundation is a tremendous achievement. I had a great time and I'm already looking forward to next year's event!”—Alec Rosofsky, CMP, Meeting Planner, Division of Education, American College of Healthcare Executives

“Great event. My only criticism is that my alley must have been warped because I kept getting gutter balls.”—Jim Owczarzak, National Accounts Manager, Greater Houston CVB

From left to right: Diane Sanker, Bob Kobosky, Julie Perington, and Leslie Sargent - all with Starwood Chicago Global Sales Office; Rachel Strong - Westin Horton Plaza (San Diego), and Bridget Moran - Westin St. Francis (San Francisco)	From left to right: Kori Gassaway - Greater Pittsburgh CVB, Chicago satellite office; Sarah Rhees - ProActive, Inc.; Nick Usher - Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh; Kris Borgesen - International Association of Assessing Officers; and Margot Sutton-Conahan - Association of College & Research Libraries

A big thank you to all who participated and supported the Silent Auction with the many generous donations that were featured. The silent auction was a huge success, which is attributed to the many contributions. Special thanks to the Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. for sponsoring the Bowl-A-Thon.

Watch for details for our 11th Annual Bowl-A-Thon to take place on November 17, 2004 and plan to participate. A portion of the proceeds from our 2004 Bowl-A-Thon will benefit the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, our new Chapter Charity.

Rhonda Chesney, CMP
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Rhonda.chesney@fourseasons.com

GMC’s 2004 Education Kick Off

GMC's first program in 2004 will kick off with the March Educational Meeting, "Are We There Yet?" Communicating Goals into Results. The meeting will be held on March 10 at the Chicago Hilton Towers and will be followed by the 2nd Annual Membership Celebration Reception at Kitty O'Shea's. Last year was so much fun that we decided to make it an annual event!

GMC PCMA would like to thank the Chicago Area Convention Bureau Satellite Offices for sponsoring both the educational meeting and the reception. Watch your email for the invitation to register.

All of this year's programs are sure to be exciting! You won’t want to miss it!

Anne Carey, CMP
Illinois Podiatric Medical Association and
Meetings@ipma.net

Welcome to GMC-PCMA’s 117 New Members

The following members joined in November & December of 2003:

• Ann Gramlich Akers; National Scholastic Press Association; Minneapolis, MN         

• Lori R. Allbee; St. Cloud State University; Saint Cloud, MN

• Stephanie N. Babcock; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN              

• Luciane Mielke Baier; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Indianapolis, IN    

• Carrie A. Balzer; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN                        

• Lillian Barbari; Allstate; Northbrook, IL                                                

• Julie L. Beyer; University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Platteville, WI           

• Kallie R. Bierman; University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Platteville, WI

• Sarah L. Bles; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

• Victoria L. Boczkowski; American Library Association; Chicago, IL

• Jennifer K. Booth; Loews Coronado Bay Resort; Coronado, CA                  

• Corey Braithwaite; Sheraton Bal Harbour Beach Resort; Bal Harbour, FL

• Sarah Marie Brennan; St. Cloud State University; South St Paul, MN

• Kristin L. Brisson; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Indianapolis, IN           

• Joyce Brooks; Roosevelt University; Chicago, IL

• Jennifer Buckwalter; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Noblesville, IN        

• Matthew Bully; Renaissance Hotels-North America; Washington, DC    

• Kristina K. Chaplin; InterContinental Chicago; Chicago, IL                   

• Peter Conolly; Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Downtown; Chicago, IL

• Tamara L. Crohn; Indiana University/MPSA; Bloomington, IN              

• Debbie Culp, CMP; Nashville Convention Center; Nashville, TN

• Kim L. Curran; Moraine Valley Community College; Alsip, IL

• Jennifer L. Czinsky; College of Dupage; Naperville, IL

• Kara M. Davis; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN                          

• Kathy M. DeCiantis; Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center; Detroit, MI 

• Desmond F. DeVos; St. Cloud State University; Saint Cloud, MN

• Cher Doherty; American Marketing Association; Chicago, IL

• Donald L. Duffy; Williams Gerard Productions; Chicago, IL                   

• Eileen Dushek-Manthe; University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Platteville, WI

• Nancy L. Elder, CAE; American Society for Microbiology; Washington, DC

• Clint R. Ferguson; Hyatt Regency Crown Center; Kansas City, MO

• Jacquelyn Ann Ferron; Emergency Nurses Association; Des Plaines, IL

• Anne M. Fiala; Energy & Environmental Research Center; Grand Forks, ND

• Marc M. Foster; Hotel Allegro Chicago; Chicago, IL

• Mary L. Gallo; St. Regis Hotels & Resorts; Chicago, IL

• Melissa M. Gausmann; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Indianapolis, IN

• Diana Gierut; Moraine Valley Community College; Chicago, IL

• Mark Gnatovic; Wyndham Anatole Hotel; Dallas, TX

• Barbara A. Gould; Congress of Neurological Surgeons; Schaumburg, IL

• Allison M. Grassetti, CMP; Copper Mountain Resort; Copper Mountain, CO

• Trina A. Graves, CHSP; Crowne Plaza Hotel & Conference Center; Indianapolis, IN

• Deb J. Haley; Energy & Environmental Research Center; Grand Forks, ND

• Susan Hansen; DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau; Oak Brook, IL

• Leslie Hastings; Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau; Detroit, MI

• Tracie A. Herold; House of Blues Chicago; Chicago, IL

• Grant R. Hickman; Starwood Hotels in Waikiki; Honolulu, HI

• Darla L. Hineman; Kiwanis International; Indianapolis, IN

• Joe Mark Hirsch; Wyndham International; Chicago, IL

• Maggie M. Hjelm; American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons; Park Ridge, IL

• Wei-Ting Huang; Michigan State University; East Lansing, MI

• Jody L. Huntzinger; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

• Steve Jacobson; AV Network, Inc.; Arlington Heights, IL                     

• Nancy Johnson; Moraine Valley Community College; Orland Park, IL

• Benjamin Kamanu-wai Kekuna; Hilton Waikoloa Village; Waikoloa, HI

• Nicole E. Kelleher, CMP; Omni Ambassador East Hotel; Chicago, IL  

• Susan S. Keller; College of DuPage; Wheaton, IL                                  

• Allyson L. Kitching; Moraine Valley Community College; Alsip, IL

• Sheryl F. Kline, PhD; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

• Sheri A. Lamar; Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau; Lansing, MI

• Connie H. Lange; American Academy of Pediatrics; Elk Grove Village, IL

• Sarah Liebergen; The Hyland Group; Chicago, IL

• David C. Lueck; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Zionsville, IN

• Patricia Mangano; Moraine Valley Community College; Orland Park, IL

• Karen Maxey; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Greenwood, IN

• Katie L. McWhorter; Purdue University; Zionsville, IN

• Sherry Meng; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

• Thomas G. Michalisko, CMP; Omni Shoreham Hotel; Washington, DC

• Chris Miller; Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau; Philadelphia, PA

• Kathy L. Miller; Total Event Resources; Inverness, IL

• Bridget E. Moran; Westin St. Francis Hotel; Chicago, IL

• Andrea M. Napralla; American Marketing Association; Chicago, IL

• Jennifer A. Neese; Purdue University; Zionsville, IN

• Rick R. Nelson; Hilton Austin; Austin, TX

• Karrie L. Newby, CMP; National Association of Realtors; Chicago, IL

• Amanda J. Nickel; St. Cloud State University; New Brighton, MN

• Heidi Normandin; Madison Area Technical College; Madison, WI

• Laurie B. Novoryta; Discovery International; Chicago, IL

• Adam H. Noyes; Hyatt Regency Atlanta; Atlanta, GA

• Tina O’Keefe Holly; Westin Michigan Avenue; Chicago, IL

• Cheryl A. Ollila, CMP; Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau; Detroit, MI

• Keith S. Otzen, CHME; Bloomington, Minnesota Convention & Visitors Bureau; Bloomington, MN

• Stacey M. Pansano, CMP; HelmsBriscoe; Chicago, IL

• Jackie Payano; Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa; Hollywood, FL

• Laurel Pendle; Paradise Point Resort & Spa; San Diego, CA

• Andrew J. Perry; Excel Decorators, Inc.; Indianapolis, IN

• Beth Ann Peters; Packer Country Regional Tourism; Green Bay, WI

• Tiffany L. Pinkston-Wheeler; Roosevelt University; University Park, IL

• Becky L. Pomorin; St. Cloud State University; Maplewood, MN

• Brooke Ahne Portmann; Roosevelt University; Chicago, IL

• Lise Puckorius, CMP; SmithBucklin Corporation; Chicago, IL

• Yuti Resani; Michigan State University; East Lansing, MI

• Diane M. Riche; Loews New Orleans Hotel; New Orleans, LA

• David E. Rome; Bonnie Boyd & Company Destination Management; New Orleans, LA

• Geralyn L. Root; Michigan Society of Association Executives; Lansing, MI

• Christopher J. Rost; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

• Kim S. Runner; House of Blues Chicago; Chicago, IL

• David J. Sargent; Hiltons of Chicago; Chicago, IL

• Rosemarie Scrivo Freeman; COMMON-A User's Group; Chicago, IL

• Angela N. Smith; American Bar Association; Chicago, IL

• Beckie Smith; Health Care Compliance Association; Minneapolis, MN

• Dan Soukup; The Planstone Group; Lisle, IL

• William L. Spencer; St. Cloud State University; Saint Cloud, MN

• Renee J. Splittgerber; MetroConnections, Inc.; Minneapolis, MN

• Rebecca M. Standish; Swissotel Chicago; Chicago, IL

• Susanna E. Steilen; Moraine Valley Community College; Homer Glen, IL

• Christine Thompson; Hyatt Regency Dallas; Dallas, TX

• Tammy A. Wade-Orosz; Marriott Hotel Resorts & Suites; Minneapolis, MN

• Andrea Kristina Watson; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Indianapolis, IN

• Carolyn L. Watson; Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana; Indianapolis, IN

• David A. Weil; SmithBucklin Corporation; Chicago, IL

• Todd W. Wells; Broadmoor Hotel; Colorado Springs, CO

• Valerie Williams; Experimental Aircraft Association; Oshkosh, WI

• Rosie Wilson; Do it Best Corporation; Fort Wayne, IN

• John D. Winslow; Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority; Chicago, IL

• Kim Woloszyk; Air Movement & Control Association International; Arlington Heights, IL

• Angela Marie Worlds; Alzheimer's Association; Chicago, IL

• Kara N. Wuethrich; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN

Members on the Move

Heidi Edinger, CMP, has joined the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, Chicago office, as associate director of convention sales. Edinger will work closely with meeting planners to develop, promote and manage successful events at the Puerto Rico Convention Center, now accepting bookings for late 2005. Heidi can be reached at 312-840-8090, ext. 14 or e-mail hedinger@prcb.org.

Serena Melancon, USA Hosts, Inc., has moved back to New Orleans to be near her family. She can now be contacted at:

USA Hosts, Inc.
365 Canal Street
Canal Place, Suite 1400
New Orleans, LA 70130
Telephone: 800-368-4678
Direct Telephone: 504-433-0193
E-mail: serenam@usahosts.com

Congratulations on the birth of a baby girl to Allison Galvin and her husband. Elizabeth was born in December 2003. Both mom and baby are doing fine.

Beth McEntee gave birth to double the fun in December 2003. She and her husband had twins – a boy and a girl.

Kim Galewski, CMP
Council of Logistics Management
kgalewski@clm1.org

“Luck of the Irish” Was With the Greater Midwest Chapter
at PCMA’s Annual Meeting Chapter Networking Luncheon

In anticipation of the second annual Membership Reception Celebration coming up in March, the Greater Midwest Chapter selected St. Patrick’s Day as our theme at the PCMA annual meeting Chapter Networking Luncheon, held on Tuesday, January 13 at the Indianapolis Convention Center.

Laurie Fitzgerald was our resident leprechaun and helped get GMC members fired up for the PCMA Trivia Game Show. Bob Donovan, represented the Greater Midwest Chapter in the trivia game. Each chapter had a representative who went through two rounds of PCMA trivia questions. The final round came down to the Pacific Northwest Chapter, Canada West Chapter and our own Greater Midwest Chapter.

Bob Donovan was triumphant for the GMC, as the first two contestants answered their questions incorrectly in the final round. Congratulations to Bob Donovan and thanks to Laurie Fitzgerald for being an excellent leprechaun mascot!

Kim Galewski, CMP
Council of Logistics Management
kgalewski@clm1.org

Eugene Walker, CMP – A Steadfast Pillar to the GMC PCMA Community

In 2003, the GMC PCMA added two new awards, bringing the total number of annual member recognition awards to four. These awards honor those GMC members who go above and beyond the call of their PCMA and career duties. The Pulse will profile each of the 2003 award winners in upcoming issues of the Pulse.

This month, we’re having a conversation with Eugene Walker, CMP, winner of the 2003 Pillar Award.

The Pillar Award recognizes a chapter member who supports the chapter through their consistent participation. One of the many attributes of a Pillar award winner is significant contributions to the advancement of the industry. Guiding and mentoring PCMA’s student members to become industry professionals is one of the best ways to advance our industry. During his four-year tenure with the Greater Midwest Chapter, the Student Membership Committee went from a fledgling start-up idea under the Awards Committee to becoming a premier, stand-alone working GMC committee with the largest student member participation in the country. I recently sat down with Gene to discuss how the committee achieved such significant growth – and to learn a little more about the man leading and cheering the committee’s success.

CL: Gene, what was your start into the hospitality industry?

EW: I was a math pre-med major at Cornell University. I kind of liked dentistry and thought about becoming a dentist. During a break in my college career, a few of my professors suggested that I transfer to the Hotel School at Cornell. The idea intrigued me and (my hospitality) life began. During my time at Cornell, I held various internships, including managing three German restaurants and being a front desk management trainee at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

CL: What brought you to Chicago?

EW: After spending eight years with the Greater Boston CVB as convention services and housing director, I had a desire to do more in a sales capacity. Boston had just decided to open a Chicago Regional Sales Office and offered me the #2 spot. And here I am.

CL: I know you’ve enjoyed your time in Chicago. Do you have any regrets about moving to Chicago or becoming a part of the ever-changing hospitality industry?

EW: No regrets. Well, the only ‘possible’ regret is that I have not been able to also pursue my love of teaching. I taught junior-high and high school students in Guyana during two college summer breaks. I have also served as an instructor and mentor within various organizations over the year.

CL: That’s a great segue into discussing your involvement with the GMC PCMA Student Membership Committee. How did you choose that committee to join when you first became a member of PCMA?

EW: I joined the Membership Committee. I was then asked by the board liaison to become chair of a new sub-committee, Student Membership.

CL: Why were you, a relative newcomer to GMC, asked to head this new initiative?

EW: Probably because of my experience in working with young people. During my tenure with Boston, I was on the advisory board of the Boston Academy for Travel & Tourism. I set up the first mentoring program for Academy Students. In addition, I was active with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC). The PIC had developed a minority management program for people of color working in non-management positions within the hospitality industry. I gave the opening General Session for the program for two consecutive years.

CL: Wow, I guess you did have the background to chair this committee. Kudos to the board liaison and committee chair to see your talents and let you run with it. So, now you’re the chair. What were the first steps to get things off the ground?

EW: I immediately began to recruit members. The committee needed people who had a vested interest in students. I went to college hospitality program professors within our region and two schools jumped on board. We had both planners and suppliers who needed interns and new employees. There were also other PCMA members looking for a committee to join and knew me so they came on board, as well.

CL: I’m surprised that with the success of the committee, the committee did not grow to be as large as say…Community Services.

EW: We decided to keep it small because we needed to determine our mission and develop a plan. More could be accomplished in a smaller, working group. Our first order of business was to contact PCMA Headquarters and get their national agenda for student membership. We involved the PCMA national membership/student membership coordinator. We learned that the Southwest/Pacific Chapters and the Lonestar Chapters had the highest numbers of student members to date. We talked with those chapters to get some ideas, as well. So after doing our homework, we came up with our goals. They were: a) Figuring out what would attract students to join PCMA; b) find and solicit internships for these student members; and c) come up with a list of schools and hospitality programs to find student members. The tasks were delegated amongst committee members and we went to work.

CL: And your work yielded great success and new student members in pretty large numbers. How did this small sub-committee become a stand-alone working GMC committee?

EW: Once it was recognized that GMC had the largest student membership in the country, the GMC Board decided to make Student Membership a stand-alone committee. We were asked to answer questions about how we grew the membership during the National Membership Committee Meeting during the 2002 PCMA Annual in Anaheim.

CL: And that is where you were also acknowledged during a general session for your committee’s accomplishments and hard work, right.

EW: Right (with a shy smile and blush).

CL: Don’t go getting modest on me! Seriously though, isn’t it hard to let go of being chair of this committee? You put some hard work into building it to what it is today.

EW: Nope! I could have stayed on as a committee member; however, it was time for someone else to take over and give the committee the “umph” needed to take it to the next level. I also get a chance to do something different. The key for me is helping others. So now I’ve joined Community Services.

CL: I see. Good for you. Community Services is very lucky to add such a talented person with a giving spirit to their terrific team. And I am sure that those students (and those committee members) you helped will keep you in the loop.

As a parting comment, what advice would you give to a new member of PCMA?

EW: Get involved in a committee. Find one that is of interest to you and speaks to your heart. Be a contributor and you will get more out of your PCMA experience.

CL: Gene, thanks for your time and your insights.

Cherai Lewis
cmlewis.enteract@rcn.com

Pulse Info

The Pulse is published bimonthly for members and friends of the Greater Midwest Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association (GMC-PCMA).

President: Lora Stanley (lstanley@anaheimoc.org)

Board Liaison: Brenda Dreier, CMP (brenda@indigoevent.com)

Communications Committee Chair: Connie Komora (ckomora@aana.com)

Communications Committee
Vice Chair: Mike McCurry, CMP (mike.mccurry@conferon.com)

The Pulse Editor: Jeff Kincaid (jkincaid@creativepsi.com)

Newsletter Design: Electronic Publisher (jkalbhen@electronicpublisher.net)

Photographs: Larry Dermody Photography (dermodyphoto@aol.com)

Chapter correspondence should go to:

Greater Midwest Chapter, Professional
Convention Management Association
Management Office
475 South Frontage Road, Suite 101
Burr Ridge, IL 60521-6282
Phone: 630-323-7413
Fax: 630-323-6989
Web Site: http://www.gmcpcma.org
E-mail: Gmcpcma@bacon-hedland.com

Terms & Conditions of Use for the PCMA Web Site: http://www.pcma.org/termsandconditions.asp

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