President's Address

President’s Message for July

Welcome to a new fiscal year for MISGMP.  I hope you are taking time to enjoy the summer with your family and friends.

As we go into my second term as President of MISGMP, it is important to keep moving the organization into a resource for all meeting professionals. This year we will be working with the Gilmer Institute, the professional development arm of SGMP National headquarters to spearhead the Certified Meeting Specialist (CMS) certification to a national program and a tool for all 31 chapters to use to gain membership and offer structured important topics to educate and elevate the meeting profession.

This is an opportune time for you to get involved in the CMS program. This certification gives you knowledge in education/programming, logistics, technology, facilities/services, financial/contract management, and leadership. This is everything you need to know to create and lead a meeting. So take time today and fill out the Letter of Commitment to begin the program. Our monthly meetings are structured to count toward the 15 programs needed to complete the program. If you have over five years of experience in the meeting industry, fill out the grand parenting application to see if you qualify to take less than the 15 programs needed. This is a great time to show your worth and dedication to your boss and organization by receiving a certification.  Join the elite group of CMS in Michigan.

Why make many phone calls when you can meet with as many as 50 meeting professionals each month by attending the MISGMP monthly meetings. Our next meeting is July 21 from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm. This meeting is a new topic on exhibits. Get your questions answered by the experts in the industry. Get the most recent trends for exhibit shows for both the exhibitor and meeting planner. Find out how to set up your booth to maximize your presence and get the most ROI. Also, these experts will discuss exhibit show flow, hot and dead spots, and discuss ways to add value for your exhibitors in these trying times. If you don’t use exhibits, find out if it would be a good fit for your function(s) and discover the benefits of having a show. This counts for one program under the Logistics section for CMS certification. Not doing exhibits now? You should always broaden your knowledge. Jobs are merging and it could be an opportunity you have overlooked for one of your meetings. This program will be held at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Okemos. Thank you to our sponsors Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and Hampton Inn & Suites of Okemos.

Register today

Do you have a colleague that should be a member? Forward this message today. Your Membership is a national membership and information can be found at http://sgmp.org/MembershipHowToJoin.asp.

Questions?? Please contact us at info@misgmp.org

Your President,
Debbie Kopkau, MBA, CMP, CMS
MSBO/MIEM