winter 2012

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER OF PCMA
WINTER 2012
Valley
Forge
President’s Message
Brendan Morrissey
2012 GPPCMA President
Assistant Director of Sales
Hilton Inn at Penn
And so it goes…
Brendan Morrissey
2
Message from the President
3
Why Valley Forge...
4
Roadside Attractions
6
Journeys
8
Event Summaries
11
Restore the Shore
12
Pet Tips & Chapter Awards
13
Member Sporlights
14
Member News
16
Chapter Events/New Members
This Issue Sponsored By:
The last page on the calendar has just turned and December is upon us. It is interesting how this never fails to catch me by surprise. I always feel like it is a mad dash
in trying to get everything wrapped up for the year before the holidays take over.
December never fails to get a little frantic but always turns out to be a very enjoyable time of the year. Now is also when we need to begin closing the book on 2012
for our chapter.
Looking back, the memories of “Convening Leaders” in San Diego do not seem so
distant… was it only yesterday when were together on a nice warm June day for
our traditional gathering at the Phillies game. In 2012, we brought together leaders
to discuss some of the key challenges in our industry, the important value in setting personal goals, and we further explored how new technology is evolving in
our professional world. As a community we reached out to support the American
Heart Association while also
helping women get back
on their feet with donations
for Dress for Success. We
once again came together
to assist in the fight against
hunger and to brighten the
day of some of our seniors
in the community.
“Quality education,
industry leadership,
and a strong, growing
community are the
foundations that we will
continue to build our
chapter upon. ”
This year we took a good
long look at the workings
of our chapter, examined
how we do things, and why
we do them. In August, we
enlisted the experience of our past presidents, the brainpower of our membership,
and the creative resources of a very strong Board of Directors to develop a vision
of the future for our chapter. Quality education, industry leadership, and a strong,
growing community are the foundations that we will continue to build our chapter
upon.
2012 has been an exciting year! I am truly grateful for the opportunity to lead our
chapter. It has been an incredible experience. I would be neglectful if I did not
thank the past presidents I have worked with over the years. Your collective examples and experiences were what I relied upon when making decision in leading
our community. I was very fortunate to have a very strong board who was there
every step of the way and incredible committee chairs who really did all of the
chapter’s heavy lifting. Because of your combined dedicated efforts, 2012 will be
remembered as a complete success in the history of GPPCMA.
Now it is time to wrap up my time as chapter president and begin to look forward
to 2013. The strength and experience of the incoming board along with truly engaged members who are always there to support our efforts give me great confidence in the future of our chapter. And so it goes… the future is very bright for our
community of leaders.
A message
from our sponsor
Why Valley Forge is Still
the Best Place to Meet
By the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau
Valley Forge National Historical Park
D
uring the American Revolution, George
Washington held some of his most
important meetings in the homes of
Valley Forge and Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania. The area now boasts more than 60
hotels, 13 of which are full service, five state-of-theart IACC-approved conference centers, one of the
largest exhibition complexes on the East Coast, and
enticing attractions.
King of Prussia Mall, the nation’s
largest retail shopping complex,
boasts more than 400 shops
including seven anchor stores and
40 restaurants.
The area’s most concentrated hub, King of Prussia, had two new additions this year: the Sheraton
Valley Forge, offering 25,000 square feet of flexible
function space, and the upscale Valley Forge Casino Resort, showcasing more than 100,000 square
feet of flexible meeting and exhibit space and a luxurious casino floor featuring 600 slot machines and 50
table games.
Two of the area’s most popular attractions are
nearby.
Valley Forge National Historical Park, the site
of Washington’s famous winter encampment, is a
beautifully preserved 3,500 acre gem that is also a
hotspot for recreation, featuring nearly 20 miles of
multipurpose trails.
And right down the road is the nation’s largest retail
shopping complex, King of Prussia Mall, which
boasts the latest fashions in 400 stores and seven
major department stores.
In Lafayette Hill, the IACC-approved ACE Conference Center, which hosted the 2011 Education Day,
provides more than 50,000 square feet of meeting
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and event space situated on 300 acres of natural
beauty. Onsite facilities allow for culinary cook-offs,
game simulations and recreation activities.
For large shows, the suburban Greater Philadelphia Expo Center offers up to 250,000 square feet
of uninterrupted display space on a single floor with
free parking and wireless Internet.
Other venues reflect the area’s historical roots.
Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center’s
exposed beams and wooden ladders are completely
original and were reclaimed from the famous original barn structure during renovation. The 175-acre
wildlife sanctuary John James Audubon Center
offers the perfect outdoor setting for events for up
to 200 guests, as well as group canoe trips along the
Perkiomen Creek.
All of these unique venues are within easy reach
of Valley Forge’s diverse attractions. Philadelphia
Premium Outlets offer steep discounts, and quaint
Main Streets, like Skippack Village, entice with a
more intimate shopping experience.
A menagerie of museums, including the world’s only
museum dedicated to The Three Stooges, is also part
of the mix.
The Valley Forge CVB is also active in the community. They recently sponsored a lane with the
Bowling for Hunger event and even provided Santa
at the PALM Senior Center last year with their very
own Convention Sales Director, Dave Bradley. Look
for him again this year. For more information visit
www.valleyforge.org
RoadsideAttractions!
Coming Right Up!
Chris Brown, CEM, CMP, Managing Member
Collaborative Project and Meeting Management, LLC
Connections Contributing Writer
H
ave you ever
wondered
what attracted
you to this
planning industry? Do you sit back in your
chair and wonder, “What was
I thinking when I selected this
profession?” There are many
answers; however one has to
be delight, exhilaration, and
satisfaction during and after
the event. It’s also true there is
great excitement in our meetings, trade show, and events
world… take a quick look.
Networking among planners
and suppliers have created a
new respect for time and simplicity in “getting down to basics” quicker, discussing what
makes the destinations, services and venue truly unique.
Most of the front end data is
“online.” The final decisions are
made with passionate people,
usually face-to-face, but not
always. We’re still perfecting
the electronic hand shake.
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Social media outlets have
brought industry professionals
closer together! There’s more
instant messaging, blogs,
chats, discussion boards (what
happened to the term” special
interest groups?”). We’re a
much more “socially inclusive”
industry and as a result, better
connected immediately. We
want to invest in the latest
technology (often at our own
expense), doing away with
printed BEOs and event staging guides.
Investment in human capital
in the form of in-office focus
groups, for-profit universities,
training sessions, roll-playing,
webinars, certification and
online adult education, and
others is at an all time high.
When presented with numerous options explore – see the
highlighted trends. This will
keep you abreast of change.
Launching new meetings
and shows continues in most
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parts of the world. Industries
such as green sustainability,
energy, food manufacturing,
and personal care provide new
avenues for entrepreneurs to
develop focused buyer-seller
gatherings. The generic pharmaceutical industry is helping
to influence the healthcare
reimbursement process and
delivery of “optimal patient
care.”
And we have apps to make our
private and working environments efficient, and the
potential to receive additional
stimulation through social
networking games. The online
gaming industry and 3D
printing continues to explode
– those seeing the future are
connecting games with their
event to sustain the experience beyond the face-to-face
experience.
We have abundant brain
trust! You probably have
other professionals helping
you think. Meeting, event,
and show organizing is not
accomplished by one person.
It’s the team that makes the
difference. Strategic planning,
project management, and social responsibility take a front
seat. You have the responsibility to grow your organization.
Organizing means collaboration – channeling team efforts.
We take action, often “outside
the box.” We are energized,
encouraged, and often
“needled” by well-intentioned
associates to act beyond the
confines of our own cubicle or
office to ensure new answers
are found to common logistical, operational and management questions affecting our
visitors, attendees, exhibitors,
leadership, and other stakeholders. It’s a whole new
world out there… and as my
boss would say, “Go get them,
tiger. It’s you they want to
hear from.”
How Did I Get Here?
Andrea Stagliano
Associate Meeting Manager
Association Headquarters, Inc.
I
If you asked me five years ago whether
I had an interest in meeting planning,
I would have had the standard reaction we all receive when we tell people
outside of the industry what we do: a blank
stare and a question, “What’s that?” Five years
ago, I was still in college and had no idea this
industry even existed. I don’t think I even realized what it was when I took the job.
I graduated from La Salle University in 2008
with two things - a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, and absolutely no idea where to
go from there. I was serving tables, and with
the effects of the recession, by the end of the
summer I wasn’t even actively looking for a
job and figured I’d have to wait tables a little
longer…
The day before my 22nd birthday, I logged
onto Facebook to a message from someone
I had never actually met, even though we
went to the same high school. My now colleague, Kristin Howard, was looking to help
fill a position at the company she worked for,
Association Headquarters. Kristin’s dad, who
had been my high school English teacher
for two years, looked in an old yearbook and
recommended she contact me, knowing I
had probably graduated that year and may
be interested in the job. Kristin’s message
mentioned meeting/event planning for associations, with travel and a job there was room
to advance in. A real job plus travel? Of course
I was interested! After three interviews, I
landed the job.
I remember asking in my final interview,
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“What will I do day to day?”and, “What exactly
will I be doing in this job?” What I thought
were normal questions with easy answers
actually had the frustratingly vague responses of, “Well, it’s hard to explain…” and, “You
really never know what to expect when you
come in each day.”
So I walked into this rather blindly. Suddenly I
was hearing phrases like abstract submission,
speaker database, poster boards, exhibit hall...
and too many acronyms to fit into my brain.
I was using Office tools to an extent I’d never
imagined, and was slowly learning what each
unfamiliar phrase meant. I was continuously
shocked at the amount of planning pieces
there were and tried to envision how they
would all fit together in the end. And it was
true – there was no way to know what each
day would bring. My to-do list grew, along
with my inbox, and eventually it was time for
my first on-site meeting experience.
sure everything we had planned for ran
smoothly.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to
assist in planning numerous meetings in the
U.S., and in China and Europe as well. The
opportunity to travel to foreign countries
and experience meeting planning abroad
has been invaluable to me. Throwing in the
added elements of time change, shipping
through customs, and simple communication issues might sound scary, but those
challenges have actually been some of my
favorite things. Is it frustrating when we ask
four times for a bin to store meeting bags in
and are continuously brought a small trash
can? Of course. But it also adds a lesson of
humility, and a reminder that you need to be
able to adapt and keep your planning style
flexible.
That week passed in a blur of early mornings
and sore feet, interspersed with overflowing
session rooms and resolving attendee issues.
I don’t know what I felt after it ended other
than relief that I had made it through.
I’m preparing for our fifth meeting in China
this month, and feeling so lucky to be here.
I’ve also taken over my own meetings and
am in the middle of planning a large meeting on my own for the second time around.
Every day I’m still learning, but every process
becomes easier each time I go through it.
A few weeks later I had what I like to call my
first true meeting experience with a long
standing client for their annual international
meeting. It’s a good thing I had a fantastic
mentor, Shannon Fagan, because that made
my first time at a large meeting in New York
City easy and fun. Because of Shannon’s
excellent planning and guidance, being onsite turned out to be way better than I had
imagined. I realized that all the hard planning
was over. We were only “planners” until we
got onsite – once we were there, there was
no way to predict what might come up. We
had to be ready as things came up and make
Some of us joke that our lives are measured
in meetings – we’re planning a year ahead,
and as soon as we come back from a meeting
we’re gearing up for the next trip. But I think
it’s safer to say that we’re measuring our time
in new experiences and new challenges. It
may only be a few years since I fell into this industry thanks to chance (and perhaps being
a good student in high school), but I’ve yet
to experience a meeting that was exactly like
the one before it. That’s what makes planning
fun, interesting, and challenging for me. And,
really, who wants the same old thing every
time?
2012 GPPCMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS & CHAIRS
President
Brendan Morrissey
Hilton Inn at Penn
Immediate Past President
Elisa L. Jaworski, CMP, CTA
Anaheim/Orange County CVB
President elect
Susan W. Wagner, CMP
CPCU Society
board of Directors
(1 Year Remaining)
Secretary
Belinda Keota, CMP
Produce Marketing Association
Treasurer
Vince Elorza
Hard Rock All Inclusive Collection
Pam Ballinger, CMP
Association Headquarters
Theresa Barrett, MS, CMP, CAE
New Jersey Academy of Family
Physicians
Brian Reaver
Consultant
board of Directors
(2 Year Term)
GPPCMA Committee Chairs
Communications
Erica A. Keagy
Lisa Astorga, CMP
GPPCMA
International Association of ThromCommunity Services
bosis & Haemostasis
Leslie K. Bellini, CMP
Lockheed Martin
Julie Coker
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Danielle Pinto
Bureau
GEP Philly
Membership
Nicole Erle, CMP
Robin Geary, CMP
Society for Industrial & Applied
Association Headquarters
Mathematics
Kathy Smith, CMP, CCMEP
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Nominating
Elisa L. Jaworski, CMP, CTA
Anaheim/Orange County CVB
Program
Clorinda Holland
Salt Lake CVB
Diane Rehiel
ASTM International
Sponsorship
Donna Young, CMP
American College of Physicians
ANNOUNCING THE 2013 GPPCMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS & CHAIRS
President
Susan W. Wagner, CMP
CPCU Society
Immediate Past President
Brendan Morrissey
Hilton Inn at Penn
President elect
Pam Ballinger, CMP
Association Headquarters
board of Directors
(1 Year Remaining)
Lisa Astorga, CMP
Int’l Society on Thrombosis and
Haemostasis
Secretary
Belinda Keota, CMP
Produce Marketing Association
Treasurer
Vince Elorza
Palace Resorts
Julie Coker
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
Nicole Erle, CMP
Society for Industrial & Applied
Mathematics
board of Directors
(2 Year Term)
Clorinda Holland
Salt Lake CVB
Shane Jackson
Philadelphia Downtown Marriott
Astrid Schrier
Association Headquarters
GPPCMA Committee Chairs
Communications
Erica A. Keagy
GPPCMA
Community Services
Leslie K. Bellini, CMP
Lockheed Martin
Danielle Pinto
GEP Philly
Membership
Robin Geary, CMP
Association Headquarters
Kathy Smith, CMP, CCMEP
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Nominating
Brendan Morrissey
Hilton Inn at Penn
Program
Diane Rehiel
ASTM International
Sponsorship
Donna Young, CMP
American College of Physicians
REACH OVER 350 INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS! ADVERTISE IN:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Events
Summaries
Jim Marota, Tanya Curren, Gary Musich, Marge Nelson, Holly Laird
Kelley Gordon
Shane Jackson, Bonnie Grant, Pat Kraft-Hilpl, Gregg Talley
Nicole Erle
Meeting Manager
SIAM
GPPCMA Board Member
O
n Wednesday,
October 17, GPPCMA
held the 2nd Annual
“Bowling for Hunger”
Fundraiser in support of Philabundance and the PCMA Education
Foundation. Well over 100 chapter
members and guests gathered at
Lucky Strike Lanes in Center City
Philadelphia for this festive event
that included bowling, a silent
auction, raffles, and networking.
The silent auction included many
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overnight stays in Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Atlantic
City, just to name a few. There
were also day trips, bowling parties, and other fun things to do. In
the beginning, the silent auction
was slow to get started but as the
night progressed, bids were being
placed and as the last 5 minutes
begun to wind down, the activity
around the silent auction was
moving feverishly as everyone
tried to get the last bid on their
favorite items.
While some attendees were busy
placing bids, other attendees
were busy bowling. The bowling
gave the attendees an opportunity to show off their skills or at
least share a couple of laughs over
some delicious food and drinks.
The Community Service Committee set up the PALM giving tree
which gave GPPCMA members
an opportunity to help brighten
another person’s day during this
holiday season by donating gifts
Belinda Keota, Swoop
Courtney Pozo, Kelley Mishler, David Bradley
for the active seniors at the PALM
Center in Ardmore. The donated
gifts will be delivered to the PALM
Center on Friday, December 14.
We want to give a special
thanks to Tourism Toronto, the
event sponsor, and Lucky Strike
Lanes for partnering with us
on this event! We would also
like to recognize our individual
lane hosts: Advantage Boston,
Anaheim/Orange County Visitor
& Convention Bureau, Atlanta
Convention & Visitors Bureau,
Atlantic City Convention & Visitors
Authority, Los Angeles Tourism
& Convention Board, Orange
County Convention Center, the
Pennsylvania Convention Center,
St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area
Convention & Visitors Bureau,
and Valley Forge Convention &
Visitors Bureau. Thank you to Simmer Creative for sponsoring the
event’s graphic design. Thank you
to everyone who donated prizes
for the auction and raffles and to
all of the t-shirt sponsors!
THE INN AT PENN CONGRATULATES
BRENDAN MORRISSEY FOR A
SUCCESSFUL YEAR AS THE 2012
PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER
PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER OF PCMA.
3600 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 . (215) 222-0200
www.theinnatpenn.com
9
12/5 Chapter Program and Holiday Party
Julie Coker
Senior Vice President
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors
Bureau
GPPCMA Board Member
The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of
PCMA enjoyed an interesting and
engaging thought leader’s perspective
on finding your own upward spiral, just
prior to the holiday reception on Thursday, December 5th at the Pennsylvania
Convention Center (PCC). The annual
event, sponsored this year by the PCC
and PHLCVB, was entertaining from start
to finish. The educational portion was
delivered by Dana Lightman, PhD, educator, and author of POWER Optimism.
recognize this within yourself. She used
engaging stories and great examples to
enhance our learning. My best take away
was how you can turn a negative perception into an empowering action item.
Thank you for an excellent program!”
Holly Laird, Sheraton Atlantic City
“I enjoyed Dana’s presentation. Organized and interesting and I felt a little
better after the program.”
Andy Codamo, ShoAids
Here are a few reviews from the intrigued audience:
“I thought the speaker was great! The
content was very real and meaningful
as it relates to our daily lives on both
personal and professional levels. I will
certainly benefit from it and be much
more conscious of how I handle negativity in the future. ”
Dan Miller, PHLCVB
“The speaker provided great insight into
the power of optimism and how you can
Fantastic. Dr. Lightman’s presentation was humorous, entertaining, and
relevant. The information presented was
very insightful and universal – beneficial
in all aspects of life.
Tawnee Shuey, CMP, American Society of
Baking
“If Dana’s mission was to find and release
the optimist in us, I’d say she hit her
mark.”
Pat Kraft Hilpl, PHLCVB
Dana was an excellent presenter. She was
engaging and moved at a great pace.
Appreciated her sharing a personal experience to correspond with her presentation. Content had relevance to work and
home environments.
Neil Schriever, ACE Conference Center
Thank you to the Philadelphia CVB and
the Pennsylvania Convention Center
for sponsoring and hosting the event.
Thanks to ARAMARK for a delicious menu
filled with holiday treats!
Matt Reed, Kelly Mishler
Karen Rogowski, Katie Mohrfeld
Meg Taft, Kathy Mautz, Monica Mobley, Tawnee Shuey Allen Anderson, Gene Donato
Kiara Hanley, Kim Hall-Jackson
Elisa Jaworski, Patti Shanks Johnson
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Anne Madden
Photos Courtesy of Paul Coker Photography LLC
REST RE
the SHORE
Andrew F. Kazmierski / Shutterstock.com
Theresa Barrett, CMP, CAE
Deputy Executive Vice President
New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians
GPPCMA Board Member
H
urricane Sandy had a
profound impact upon
our community, both on a
professional level, and for
many of us, on a personnel level as well.
It will be years before New Jersey has
fully recovered. Many areas of the state
have been destroyed to the point where
they will never be able to come back
to the way they were before the storm.
Families have lost everything they had,
and in some cases don’t have the right
insurance to cover the damages. The full
financial and emotional toll that Sandy
has extracted from the residents of New
Jersey and of New York is still to be felt
and recovery efforts will go on for quite
some time.
Please, if you are able, donate to the
relief efforts to help your community
and your colleagues get back on their
feet. There are many ways that you can
donate:
Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund
Relief fund established by New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie and First Lady,
Mary Pat Christie to aid, comfort, and re-
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build New Jersey. 100% of the money donated to the Relief Fund will go towards
immediate relief efforts to those affected
by Hurricane Sandy in addition to the
long term recovery efforts across the
State. The purpose of the Relief Fund is
to assist in the rebuilding of communities
devastated by Hurricane Sandy and help
in those areas where insurance, the Red
Cross, or FEMA do not cover. The Relief
Fund is New Jersey specific - the money
raised will go directly to New Jerseyans
and their communities.
www.sandynjrelieffund.org
The American Red Cross
The Red Cross continues to focus on
reaching as many people as possible
who need help. Getting supplies, meals,
and water into affected areas is the top
priority. Financial donations make the
greatest and most immediate impact,
helping the Red Cross provide shelter,
food, emotional support, and other assistance to those affected by disasters like
Hurricane Sandy.
www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy
Restore The Shore projects is an initiative
to assist in disaster relief for Hurricane
Sandy victims. Their main goal is to work
quickly to provide relief and deliver it
right into the hands of victims and restore their lives back to normal.
Editor note: do your homework on this one;
there are lots of options to donate and lots
of sites.
http://www.facebook.com/restoretheshoreprojects
http://restoretheshore.cowerking.com/
If you want to volunteer to help with the
relief efforts, call 1-800-JERSEY-7 (1-800537-7397) or email volunteer@gov.state.
nj.us.
To make a bulk contribution of goods,
call 1-855-NJ-DONATE (1-855-653-6628).
If you wish to donate food, please contact the Community Food Bank of New
Jersey at 908-355-3663, email@njfoodbank.org, or www.njfoodbank.org.
To donate clothing, please contact
Goodwill at either Goodwill Industries
of Greater New York and Northern New
Jersey, Inc.; 718-728-5400,
www.goodwillny.org or Goodwill
Industries of Southern New Jersey and
Philadelphia, Inc. 856-439-0200, www.
goodwillnj.org
You can also check out the White House
Blog, where there is information and
updates on the recovery efforts.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
blog/2012/10/31/how-help-victims-hurricane-sandy
TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR PETS SAFE
AND HAPPY OVER THE HOLIDAYS
By BRIAN J. REAVER (paraphrased in-part from Dog Fancy Magazine)
GPPCMA Board Member
W
e are all most likely to
include our pets in our
holiday festivities this
season. Just like children,
pets will begin to show excitement as
the fanfare around the holidays begins.
This makes them all the more likely to get
themselves into trouble. Below are a few
helpful hints to make this special time
healthy and hassle-free:
• Ask visitors to place gifts on a high
shelf.
• Place plastic snow globes on a high
shelf, also. Chewed shards from broken
globes can be life-threatening, by
puncturing the bowel, and the liquid
inside the globe may be toxic to your
pet.
• Keep scented candles out of reach.
• Remove used plates and glasses left on
low tables.
• Decorate your Christmas tree with pets
in mind, hanging only pet-proof ornaments (nothing edible or breakable) on
the lower branches of the tree.
• Avoid using tinsel, popcorn strands,
ribbon, and other garland that are
choking hazards and may cause serious internal and intestinal injuries if
ingested by a pet.
• Be thorough when cleaning up after
unwrapping presents. When a pet
starts nibbling on one end of a ribbon,
they’re often unable to stop until they
devour the entire length of ribbon,
which poses intestinal dangers.
• Put a pet exercise pen around your
Christmas tree to keep your beloved
pets away.
• Make sure the electrical cords from
your holiday lights are well secured to
avoid having your pet chew on them.
• Give your pet (especially dogs) plenty
of exercise throughout the season, so
they don’t feel neglected and are less
likely to create havoc when you are
entertaining guests.
• Never leave your dog alone with
young children.
• Don’t feed holiday leftovers or scraps
to pets, and ensure guests understand
this, also. Raisins, nuts, chocolate, and
other holiday foods are often toxic to
pets.
• When traveling with your pet via car,
keep a leash, a food bowl, waste bags,
food, treats, and a gallon of water in a
sealed container or bag.
• Ensure your pet is crated or has a
restraining device on while traveling
in your vehicle. Not only is it illegal in
many states to have a loose animal in
your car while driving, but pets are automatic projectiles when sudden stops
or extreme braking occur.
Remember, pets are our life, but not everyone is comfortable with them or they
may have allergies to pets. So, ensure
you have a quiet room for your furry
loved ones when entertaining guests – a
spare bedroom is the perfect area. May
you and your pets enjoy this special time
of year!
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Tower of Strength, GPPCMA Chapter Award
The Tower of Strength Award was presented to Kristin Brammell, CMP
Meeting and Education Manager, Association Headquarters, Inc., for her volunteer
efforts throughout the year. Kristin was always willing to go above and beyond, assisting with programs and education, and always writing articles for the newsletter.
Emerging Leader, GPPCMA Chapter Award
This award is presented to an outstanding GPPCMA Committee Chair. This year, the
award was presented to Leslie K. Bellini, CMP and Danielle Pinto, Co-Chairs of the
GPPCMA Community Service Committee. Leslie is the Events & Meeting Planner at
Lockheed Martin. Danielle is the
Senior Account Executive at GEP Destination Management. Leslie and Danielle have worked together to build successful community
service activities for chapter members to participate in over the last two years.
GPPCMA recognizes both these outstanding volunteers whose efforts continue to
advance the mission of the GPPCMA.
12
C O N N E C T I O N S |
W I N T E R
2 012
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Linda Pond Rindos, CMP, CASE
Director of National Accounts
Boston Park Plaza
Bobbie Turner
Director of Events
American College of Physicians
Linda Rindos grew up in Green
Brook, NJ and now lives just
about 15 miles northeast of
there, in Chatham. But don’t
think Linda has always been
in the same place: in between
those 15 miles, she has lived in
Amherst, DC, Atlanta, and New
York!
Bobbie has held this position
for the past 10 years. She has
been with ACP for a total of
18 years and presently has a
staff of 7 handling all meeting and event logistics for the
130,000 plus members (34% are
women).
Linda grew up with a love of cooking and entertaining which
inspired her to go to hotel school at UMass in Amherst. Upon graduation she was recruited by Marriott, starting as a convention floor
manager for the Washington Marriott in DC. After about a year and
a half a “boating” accident during a managers’ retreat caused her
to change roles. The boat itself actually had very little to do with it;
rather, it was the chief engineer’s attempt to swing on a rope and
jump into the water that ended instead with him swinging on a rope
and jumping onto Linda’s leg! She recalls with a laugh that the ensuing cast prevented her from working the floor, so she started in the
newly formed role of executive meeting manager.
About a year later Linda took her first sales position with the Crystal
Gateway Marriott. After that she moved to the Washington National
Sales Office and helped start the corporate southeast team, which
grew quickly and relocated to Atlanta. Eager to be back “on property,” Linda joined the Atlanta Marriott Marquis sales team in the
mid-1990s, then moved to New York City to take a position with the
New York National Sales office. At the end of 2000 Linda took some
time off, and for good reason, celebrating the birth of her first child.
Linda returned full-time in 2003, joining the Gaylord National Sales
Office in New Jersey. After the recent Marriott acquisition, Linda’s
position was eliminated. She remembers all of her years with Marriott and Gaylord fondly, but saw this as a great opportunity to return
once again to an “on property” role. Ever since her college days
Linda has held a special place in her heart for the city of Boston, so
the Boston Park Plaza was a perfect fit. Linda also has the opportunity to represent other Highgate properties including the Westin
and Park 55 in San Francisco, and the Crowne Plaza Times Square.
Linda’s favorite part of sales has always been building relationships
and working with people.
When asked about her favorite childhood memories, Linda quickly
recalled frequent ski trips in high school, when her (very brave)
parents would escort her, her older brother, and 14-16 of their
friends up to the mountains. Linda already takes her children skiing,
Bradley (12), and Jessica (10). In her spare time Linda loves all varieties
of exercise, playing softball, and reading and cooking. She’s an NFL
watcher, a sucker for City Slickers, a fan of Phil Vassar (have her tell
you the “phone call” story some time), and loves a nice steak – rare,
of course – with French fries!
By Kristin Brammell, CMP
Meeting and Education Manager
Association Headquarters, Inc.
13
C O N N E C T I O N S |
PLANNER SPOTLIGHT
W I N T E R
This national organization
consists of internal medicine physicians; in layman’s terms, the
doctors that treat adults, and especially the older patient. Bobbie
mentioned that soon there may be a shortage of primary care
internists, as many young doctors today are choosing to become
specialists. This could potentially be a concern to the ever growing
population of older patients since we live longer in life today.
ACP plans over 20 meetings throughout the year for continuing
education. Their annual meeting typically hosts 10,000 attendees.
Bobbie grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey and attended the University of Richmond. She graduated as a history major, came back
home, and started her job hunt knowing nothing about the meetings industry. She interviewed with Jean O’Donnell and Gregg and
Bob Talley from Slack in Southern New Jersey and gained employment, starting her career in this industry. She worked for Slack for
10 years, which prepared her for her role within ACP.
One of her passions is food and wine. This she shares with her
husband Jonathan. Bobbie and Jonathan met while attending the
same food/wine event in Philadelphia 20 years ago. They were
married within 8 months of meeting and have one son together,
James- 10 years old.
Her husband is from England and has two children from a previous
marriage. Jonathan’s son, Alexander, is a Lieutenant Colonel in the
British Army who recently was honored at Buckingham Palace with
the Distinguished Service Order Award. His daughter, Rebecca, is
married with four beautiful children.
Travel is another hobby the family enjoys! Last year they arranged
a trip for 20 people in their wine club to travel to Champagne and
Burgundy in France. Their most unique travel experience was a
trip to Namibia, traveling through South Africa in their own Land
Rover. This two week adventure included seeing much of Africa’s
natural wildlife, staying in lodges, as well as visiting Cape Town and
Johannesburg.
The Turner’s have a faithful family pet named Fonzie who is a 5
month old Havanese. Most certainly he is spoiled rotten by the
Turner’s.
By Sharon Goodspeed
Regional Sales Manager
Caesar’s Entertainment
2 012
Member
News
ADVERTISEMENT
1.
2.
Veteran Valley Forge Destination Marketing
Executive To Retire
V
E
G R A P H
I
1.
2.
E
N
T
C S
Across
1. a noteworthy happening
2. used to break up the visual monotony
of the page
Down
1. to be in a state of incipient development
2. clever, imaginative, ingenious, innovational,
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CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER
Long time destination marketing
executive Paul Decker has announced his retirement from the
Valley Forge (PA) Convention and
Visitors Bureau where he serves as
president, ending a nearly 40-year
hospitality industry career. He’ll
leave the organization at the end
of March 2013. Decker started with
the CVB in September 1992 and
managed its growth from a staff of
12 and a budget of $1.5 million to its present complement
of 21 employees and a nearly $4 million budget. Previously,
Decker was president of the Memphis CVB and vice president of the Philadelphia CVB. Seven years into his tenure at
Valley Forge, he guided the agency through privatization as
a not-for-profit, membership-based destination marketing
organization.
Chairman of the CVB’s board of directors, Richard W. Kubach
III said, “Paul’s announcement was a bittersweet event in
that we’re sad to lose the benefit of his leadership, but we’re
happy to wish him well in the next phase of his life. His
legacy is the tremendous respect the bureau enjoys among
our customer audiences, members and the national, state
and regional travel industries.”
The bureau has engaged SearchWide, a Minnesota-based
hospitality industry recruiting firm, to seek its next president. “I’m extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to lead and grow the bureau, especially through several
challenging times that included three tough economies. I’m
most proud, though, of the terrific staff we’ve assembled
and with whom I’ve had the honor of working for most of
two decades,” said Decker. www.valleyforge.org
Past President, Linda Rindos, has recently become
Director of National Accounts at Highgate Hotels.
Congratulations to Melissa
Bronstein Hoffman,
Manager, PCMA Chapter Relations,
and her husband, Mike, on the
birth of their son, Elliott Jonathan
Hoffman, 10-29-12 1:50 pm, 7 lbs
10 oz, 20 inches.
Best wishes to Paul, Linda, and
Melissa.
14
C O N N E C T I O N S |
W I N T E R
2 012
Community Service DayS AT THE PALM SENIOR CENTER
Leslie Bellini
Elisa Jaworski, Belinda Keota
PALM Visitor, David Bradley
Tammy Alfieri
David Bradley
Nicole Erle
15
C O N N E C T I O N S |
W I N T E R
Service In Sync Day Volunteers
2 012
Kelley Mishler
2013 Chapter
Events
through 11/19/2012
Tammy Alfieri
Managing Director
AMP Audio Visual
Sandy Leatherman
Manager, Meetings and Conferences
Metal Powder Industries Federation
Lindsay Altieri
Sales Manager
Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson
Lou Marrocco CMP
President
Brandywine Events
Kelsey Androlia
Student
Pennsylvania State University
Jade Myers
Meetings Manager
Society of Hospital Medicine
Kathryn Bisbee
Student
Penn State University
Eric Olson
General Manager
Active Network
Chapter Meeting and Reception
5:00pm-8:00pm
Amy Borden
Guest Relations Team Member
Temple University
Kevin Richards
National Account Director-Northeast
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
June 3
Kellie Brielmaier
Director of Facility Rentals & Special Events
National Constitution Center
Maria Schulmann
Student
University of New Haven
Kim Cadwell
Senior Account Executive
JW Marriott
Beth Sessoms
Guest Attendant/Quality Assurance Intern
Minute Suites, LLC.
Chapter Retreat
details TBA
Xenia Castillo-Hunter
National Sales Manager
Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Megan Smutz
Student
University of Delaware
September 12
Jacob Choi
Student
Penn State University
Janice Sykes-Ross
CEO
Request for Professionals, Inc.
Liza Dabrow
Meeting and Events Assistant
Cozen O’Connor
Meg Taft
President & Editor-in-Chief
Meeting Goddess, LLC
Erika Firestone
Student
Temple University
Edward Vigliano Jr.
Director of Northeast & Special Market Sales
Starwood Hotels - New York
Victoria Hardison-Sterry
Assistant Sales Director
Walt Disney World Resort
Billy Walsh
Senior Sales Executive
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
Katelyn Kotulka
Assistant Director of Sales
DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City
Emma-Louise Wylie
Student
Queen Margaret University
January 13
Chapter Reception
with GPPCMA/NYPCMA
at Convening Leaders
Rosen Shingle Creek, 5:00pm-6:30pm
http://www.cvent.com/d/wcqcsh/1Q
March 7
Chapter Meeting and Breakfast
Sheraton Society Hill, 8:30am-10:30am
April 18
Phillies Networking Event
details TBA
August 14-15
Education Day
8:30am-3:00pm
October 10
Chapter Fundraiser
Lucky Strike Lanes, 5:30pm-8:00pm
December 12
Chapter Meeting and Holiday Party
PA Convention Center, 4:00pm-8:00pm
*Dates and times are subject to
change. http://www.pcma.org/
Chapters/Greater-Philadelphia.htm
for up-to-date information.
16
Welcome New Members!
C O N N E C T I O N S |
W I N T E R
2 012
Thank you to our 2012
sponsors and hosts!
Executive Editor & GPPCMA Chapter Administrator
Erica A. Keagy
Senior Editor
Theresa J. Barrett, MS, CMP, CAE
Art Direction, Design & Production
Contributing Writers
Chris Brown, CEM, CMP
Kristin Brammell, CMP
Sharon Goodspeed
gppcma
Connections Advertising
610-220-1232
gppcma@comcast.net
Connections is a quarterly publication of GPPCMA.
The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors
and do not neccesarily reflect the opinions or policies of
GPPCMA.
Thank you to the volunteers who contributed articles to this
issue of Connections. The deadline for articles and ads for the
next issue is Friday, February 1.
PCMA on Linkedin
Metropolitan Exposition Services
Orange County Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia CVB
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Life Sciences
PSAV
Revel Atlantic City
San Diego CVB
Seattle CVB
Simmer Creative
Starwood Boston
Metro Market
Starwood Convention Collection
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Tourism Toronto
Tourism Vancouver
Travel Alberta
Travel Portland
Valley Forge CVB
Visit Anchorage
Visit Salt Lake
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
For more information, contact Donna Young, Sponsorship Committee Chair and Past President, at dyoung@acp.org or call 215-351-2539.
Simmer Creative
Social
321 Connect Boston
Advantage Boston
Anaheim/Orange
County VCB
Association Headquarters, Inc.
Atlanta CVB
Atlantic City CVA
AVMG
CMI Communications
Doubletree Philadelphia
The Down Town Club
Fern Exposition &
Event Services
Grand Sierra
Hilton Inn at Penn
Hilton San Diego
Hyatt Penn’s Landing
IMEX America
Kansas City CVA
Lee County VCB
Long Beach CVB
Los Angeles Tourism &
Convention Board
Lucky Strike Lanes
Philadelphia
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
CritterCorner
Do you have a pet that you adore? Please share your
favorite photo with other GPPCMA pet lovers. To particiJoin
Us!
pate, please email your
photo
to Betty Schultz, GPPCMA
For membership
go to:
Past
President, atinformation,
Bettysjeep@aol.com.
http://www.pcma.org/Membership.htm
Click here to see critters.
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