2014_01 Louisiana Lagniappe.pub

SOCIETY OF
GOVERNMENT
MEETING
PROFESSIONALS LOUISIANA
CHAPTER
WWW.SGMPLA.ORG
LOUISIANA
LAGNIAPPE
Volume 7, Issue 3
January 2014
Page 1
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
By Carolyn Wooten, President, SGMP-LA Chapter, LA School Board Association
GREETINGS
and
HAPPY NEW
YEAR!!!
Inside this issue:
A Message from
our President
1
Future Programs
2
December Train- 3
ing Review
New Member
4
2014 NEC
4
Article/News
5
Contact Info
Thought for
Today
5
As the Louisiana Chapter begins a new year,
we will continue to
forge
ahead
with
SGMP’s mission to enhance the knowledge
and expertise of government meeting planners. We will accomplish
these
goals
through education and
training.
We are off to a great
start in 2014 as Melody
Kebe; Immediate Past
President on the National Board will be our
presenter January 8 and
9. On January 8, she
will provide training
primarily for the Board
of Directors. However,
all members are invited. On Thursday, January 9, Melody will
present on the topic
“Challenges or Opportunities: What’s Your Story?” Don’t miss out on
joining fellow members
in sharing challenges
turned into opportunities
that have had a profound
impact on their personal
and professional careers.
During the January 8
training, the Board of Directors will reevaluate
goals set at the beginning
of the fiscal year. We are
at the midpoint and are
ready to move forward
with
the
GMS
(Government
Meeting
Specialist)
program.
Hats off to Karen Primeaux and Libby Noto
for spearheading this project.
For more information
go
to
www.sgmpla.org.
Our membership has remained steady but we
want to grow. I encourage each of you to invite
guests to our monthly education training sessions.
Proceeds from fundraisers help provide scholarships to NEC. We will
soon make chapter
scholarship applications
available to members.
The NEC provides excellent education and
networking opportunities for planners and
suppliers. The chapter
participated in National’s online auction.
We earned over $400
for this first time endeavor.
Many thanks to Cindy
Torian and the Paragon
Casino Resort for hosting the January 8 and 9
training.
Have a Great Year!
Carolyn
Volume 7, Issue 3
Page 2
January 2014
Melody Kebe Presents to Louisiana Chapter in January at Paragon
The Louisiana Chapter
will once again be honored by the presence of
Melody Kebe, SGMP’s
National Immediate Past
President. Last February, Melody presented a
training entitled “What’s
in Your SGMP Playbook—from the Locker
Room to the Playing
Field.” The training was
both entertaining and
rejuvenating, according
to several of the attendees. (See review in
Lagniappe, March 2013.)
January’s meeting is sure
to be just as exciting and
informative.
January’s topic will be:
“Challenges or Opportunities: What’s Your
Story”. The meeting
is to be held at the
Paragon Casino Resort
on January 8 and 9,
2014. Wednesday,
January 8, will be a
special training, primarily for the board
members, but all are
invited from 1:00 p.m.
to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, January 9, will be
the scheduled monthly
training beginning at
12:00 p.m.
Please join us for this
rare opportunity to be
touched by a National
SGMP Board Member.
Melody has been an
SGMP member since
1993 and has received
awards and honors for
Melody Kebe
SGMP National Immediate Past President
her contributions to the industry—the
SGMP Sam Gilmer Planner of the Year,
SGMP National President’s Award of
Merit and the SGMP Chapter President’s Roundtable Leadership Award
to name a few.
Save the Date - Future Programming
February 13, 2014
March 13, 2014
Working with Venues to Maximize Value and Minimize Stress
To See or Not to See
Radisson Hotel - Baton Rouge
2445 S Acadian Thruway
Baton Rouge, LA
Holiday Inn South - Baton Rouge
9940 Airline Hwy
Baton Rouge, LA
11:30 a.m. to 1:00p.m.
—
11:30 a.m. to 1:00p.m.
—
Page 5Volume 7, Issue 3
Page 3
January 2014
December 2013-Monthy Training and Holiday Social
December’s monthly educational program was
held at the Crowne Plaza
in Baton Rouge on December 12, 2013. The
training was a presentation by Carolyn Barrett
and was entitled, “How
well do You Know Your
ABC’s”. Carolyn quizzed
attendees on various
terms and policies pertinent to SGMP and the
meeting industry.
It was great fun as the
members competed with
each other to see who
would answer the most
questions.
December’s training was
also our Holiday Social.
For the second year, attendees brought Christmas ornaments to ex-
change. Each member was allowed to
open their ornament
- then the stealing
began. It was hilarious—no ornament
was safe! December
was a great meeting—enjoyable and
educational.
Check out the pictures on our facebook
page—SGMPLA!!
Jack Warner—
Happy for the moment with his ornament
Battle
of the
Carolyn’s—
The ornament
Trade gets
brutal!!
Scene from
December’s
Training—
Carolyn
Barrett
conducts
“How Well Do
You Know
Your ABC’s”.
Volume 7, Issue 3
Page 4
January 2014
Welcome to our New Member
Welcome to our new Planner member —Monica
Minor. Monica is the Retail Manager for the United
States Postal Service for the State of Louisiana. She
is responsible for all programs that involve retail for
the Postal Service—including the Passport Program,
all alternative access modes, such as Contract Postal
Units, Approved Shippers, Village Post Offices, Hallmark and ReadyPost Services, Self-Service Kiosks,
and much more. Welcome, Monica!
Former 2nd Vice-President:
Christina Rutherford
Save the Date—National Education Conference—2014 !!!
The main function of the SGMP association is education. This education is now based upon nine
core competencies of government meeting planning. They are: 1) Education/Programming,
2) Facilities and Services, 3) Logistics, 4) Financial and Contract Management, 5) Technology, 6) Leadership, 7) Ethics, 8) Protocol, and 9) Federal, State, and Local Travel.
These competencies are at the core of the educational requirements of our monthly meetings and
most compelling as a reason to attend the SGMP NEC which is an opportunity like no other to
learn our industry.
The 2014 SGMP National Education Conference (NEC) takes place in Portland, Oregon. National
SGMP Rance Willis Planner Development Scholarship applications are now closed, but we will be
accepting applications soon for the Louisiana Chapter scholarships. Make plans to attend.
Volume 7, Issue 3
January 2014
Page 5
Getting the Most of Your SGMP Membership
By Carolyn Barrett, Senior Sales Manager, Jefferson Convention & Visitors Bureau
In order to get the most out of your SGMP membership, get
involved!
Can you join a committee? All our committees need assistance – are you great at greeting people or editing a newsletter or are surveys your favorite thing to do? Have great
fundraising ideas? Then your talents can be put to good use.
Talk to a board member before or after a meeting and they
can direct you to the right person. We currently have the
following committees: Membership, Hospitality, Communi- Former 2nd Vice-President:
Christina Rutherford
ty Service, Communications, Programs, and Fund-Raising.
Want to showcase your hotel? Then volunteer to host a
monthly educational training. It is the perfect opportunity
to let planners and fellow suppliers taste your food and take
a site tour – how many other chances do you get to have between 5 – 10 planners at your
property for lunch?
Can you share your expertise on a certain subject matter? SGMP LA is always looking for
new speakers – call Karen Primeaux and find out what meetings and topics she needs help
with.
SGMP LA needs all our members to be an active part of our chapter to help us continue to
grow and be successful. Who knows –you might be on our next chapter board of directors!
News
January’s meeting will kick-off the Louisiana SGMP’s Government Meeting Specialist (GMS)
Program. The GMS is an in-depth certificate program that will be earned through attendance in
core competency based training over a three year period—leading to an increased skillset in
performing duties as a government meeting professional. To qualify, members must enroll in the
program and maintain records of their attendance and the core competencies covered. To enroll, please see Libby Noto. There will be a $25.00 application fee and a $25.00 certificate fee
when you have completed the requirements for the GMS certification.
—The Board of Directors voted in December to raise the rates charged for the monthly trainings.
It has become increasingly difficult to find venues that can meet the lower amounts that we were
paying. Effective January 1, 2014, Planners will pay $15.00 and Suppliers will pay $25.00. Nonmember Suppliers will pay $35.00. These fees are still less than the per diem rates.
LA Chapter received $411.75 from the online auction held last month.
SOCIETY OF
GOVERNMENT MEETING
PROFESSIONALS LOUISIANA
CHAPTER
WWW.SGMPLA.ORG
POST OFFICE BOX 84285
BATON ROUGE LA 70884
EDITOR: Renette Dominick
renette.m.dominick@usps.gov
www.sgmp.org
Volume
7,7,
Issue
33
Volume
Issue
Page 6Page 5
January 2014
SGMP-LA Board of Directors
SGMP
- LA Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
Carolyn
CarolynWooten,
Wooten,CGMP
CGMP
LA
LASchool
SchoolBoard
BoardAssociation
Association
225-769-3191
225-769-3191
cwooten@lsba.com
president@sgmpla.org
TREASURER
TREASURER
Jennifer
JerriToups
Kellogg
Marriott
International
Marriott
International
504-430-5790
504-417-1110
jennifer.toups@marriott.com
Jerri.E.Kellogg@marriott.com
FIRST
FIRSTVICE-PRESIDENT
VICE-PRESIDENT
Renette
RenetteDominick,
Dominick,M.Ed.
M.Ed.
UUSSPostal
PostalService
Service
504-589-1142
504-589-1142
renette.m.dominick@usps.gov
vp@sgmp.org
DIRECTOR/PLANNER
DIRECTOR/PLANNER
JackMelissa
WarnerLee
LA Office of Tourism
LA Transportation
Research Center
225-342-8125
225-767-9155
jwarner@crt..la.gov
melissa.lee@la.gov
SECOND
SECONDVICE-PRESIDENT
VICE-PRESIDENT
Kelly Johnson
Karen
Primeaux
Morial Convention
Center,
New Orleans
Lafayette
CVC
504-582-3070
337-232-3737
kbjohnson@mccno.com
karen@sgmpla.org
DIRECTOR/SUPPLIER
DIRECTOR/SUPPLIER
Kelly
Johnson
Cindy
Torian
Morial Convention
Orleans
ParagonCenter,
CasinoNew
Resort
504-582-3070
318-240-1059
kbjohnson@mccno.com
ctorian@paragoncasinoresort.com
SECRETARY
SECRETARY
AllisonJack
Jones
Ferguson
Warner
LA
Department
Louisiana
OfficeofofInsurance
Tourism
225-342-4311
225-342-8125
aferguson@ldi.state.la.us
jack@sgmpla.org
DIRECTOR/SUPPLIER
DIRECTOR/SUPPLIER
Elizabeth
Hidalgo
Mai
T Vu
Hilton Riverfront
New Orleans
Wyndham
New Orleans
701 504-556-3718
Convention Center Blvd
elizabeth.hidalgo@hilton.com
mvu@wyndham.com
PASTPRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
PAST
LibbyNoto
Noto
Libby
Officeofofthe
theAttorney
AttorneyGeneral
General
Office
225-326-6048
225-326-6048
notol@ag.state.la.us
notol@ag.state.la.us
Thought for the New Year