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June 2021 NewsNet
Thursday, June 24, 2021

Did You Know?

Did you know that today is National Bomb Pop Day?!

National Bomb Pop Day takes place each year on the last Thursday of June for absolutely no reason other than to celebrate this tasty summer treat. The rocket-shaped, yet, ironically named "Bomb Pop" was first created back in 1955 by James S. Merritt and D.S. Abernethy, owners of Merritt Foods, in Kansas City, MO. Since then, this refreshing treat has only grown in popularity!

For those interested in learning more about the history of the Bomb Pop, feel free to read more in this article. However, if we are being honest, the real reason we are letting you know about National Bomb Pop Day is to give you an excuse to go make the most of summer and treat yourself with this delicious red, white and blue treat! Better yet, consider making your own with this homemade bomb pop recipe. 

5 Things to Know in June

1. There are many FICP year-round sponsorship opportunities available! View the 2021 FICP Prospectus for details. 
2. Eligible meetings professionals can become trial FICP members through July 31, 2021. Do you have friends or colleagues who may be interested in or benefit from FICP membership? Let them know about our trial membership offer!  
3. Your colleagues are sharing return to the office ideas for employees over on TheNetwork. Join them!
4. Speaking of TheNetwork, are you making the most of this invaluable resource? FICP recently shared the top 10 things you might not know you can do on TheNetwork – check it out.
5. The Let's Meet There campaign is a national initiative to restore professional meetings and events (PME) across the United States. Learn how you can support this initiative by visiting their action center for additional resources to help you spread the message to your own community and channels. 

Happening Now: Education Week 2.0

Today marks the final day of FICP’s Education Week 2.0. As we wrap up a robust week of online learning and networking, we would like to give a special thanks to all of our attendees and sponsors for participating and making this year’s event a success.

As a reminder to attendees, all permitted sessions are recorded and will be available on-demand following the live presentations. Keynote sessions will be available in the Education Week 2.0 community within TheNetwork through Thursday, December 23, 2021. All other session will be available indefinitely.

2021 Annual Conference Registration Opens Soon!

Meetings professional registration for the 2021 FICP Annual Conference will open next week. Save the date and plan to join us in-person (woohoo!), November 14-17 at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ.

Hospitality partners: View the sponsorship opportunities for this year's event by exploring page 5 of the 2021 FICP Sponsorship Prospectus. Learn more and how to apply here. 

Join the Silent Auction Sub-Committee 

Interested in helping FICP make an impact on an industry charity this fall? Join the Silent Auction Sub-committee, and help seek out donations and promote the auction. Email Katie King to express your interest in serving on the committee.

Access FICP Webinars and Resources Anytime 

Can't make it to an FICP in-person event? Do you need to find solutions "right now"? Access tips and tricks as well as thoughtful insights throughout our many resources available to meetings professional members and hospitality partners online, anytime. Visit our FICP Anytime page to view available resources including webinar recordings, podcasts, FICP Shorts, Resource Bundles and more! CMP credits are available for many of our webinar recordings.

Hospitality Partners – Are You Interested in Hosting a Small FICP Event?

FICP is looking for a partner to host a small gathering of meetings professionals and hospitality partners in New York City in late summer/early fall. If you are interested in hosting this event, please contact Ellie Hurley for more information.

Meet June's FICP Member of the Month

This month's Member of the Month is Julie Sutter, Manager, Meetings and Events, Selective Insurance Company. Julie was selected because of her service on the 2021 FICP Annual Conference Event Team this year. Learn more and say hi to Julie over in TheNetwork.

Congratulations to these New CMMs

FICP would like to recognize the following members for recently earning the Certificate in Meeting Management (CMM) from Meetings Professionals International (MPI). The CMM program was designed to bolster participants’ business management, leadership and meeting management skills.

• Christina Mirasolo, CMP, CMM, Liberty Mutual
• Heather Nutter, CMP, CMM, Commonwealth Financial Network
• Carlin Putman, CMP, CMM, AIG

Congratulations to Christina, Heather and Carlin on their accomplishment. According to FICP’s membership records, there are 42 CMMs within our community and 241 CMPs.

Strategic Partner Profiles

Shelly Archer, Managing Partner, 360 Destination Group

“Our FICP Strategic Partnership is one of the most important, fruitful and productive partnerships that 360 Destination Group enjoys. 360DG has been involved with FICP for over 10+ years and we continue to benefit from the high caliber education and quality networking opportunities we only find with this organization."

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Caleb Rice, Director of Incentive, Insurance & Northeast Sales, The Broadmoor

“Our FICP Strategic Partnership is valuable to us because of the relationships that develop as a result of our membership and sponsorship. FICP is the premier organization for leaders in the financial and insurance industries and our ability to network through forums, summits, committee meetings and the annual meeting is invaluable.”

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Leona Balthazar, Vice President of Sales, Island Partners Hawai'i

"Thank you FICP for continuing to provide Island Partners Hawai'i with a healthy environment to build long-standing relationships built on mutual respect that results in true partnerships that deliver value."

FICP Welcomes New Members and Partners

Meetings Professionals:

Bryan Fry, Grange Insurance
Victor Gromozov, RBC
Lisa Hepburn, Sun Life
Joellen Messerli, CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services, Inc.
Cassie Meurer, Sammons Financial Group
Christy Nolan, Cowen
Kathleen O’Connell, CMP, LIMRA
Lauren O’Neill, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.
Jen O’Toole, Manulife
Bobbi Taylor, American Family Insurance
Carrie Vieth, CMP, Argo Group US
Raylene Wetzel, American Century Investments

Hospitality Partners:

William Adams, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Shelly Archer, 360 Destination Group
Eliza Barros, The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort
Allison Breslin, The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
Gabriela Burria, Signature DMC
Mario Busquets, Park Lane Hotel
Sandra Cortez, The Westin Anaheim Resort
Michelle Couch, Event Experience
Mary Cretella, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans
Elizabeth Czarcinski, Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco
Michelle de Diego, Rosewood Baha Mar
Darrick Eman, NIZUC Resort & Spa
Michelle Green, Westin Mission Hills Gold Resort & Spa
Nick Hagelin, The Zanadu Group
Tricia Harrington, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
John Killacky, Bartha
Tori LaBella, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa
Kellie Linder, Visit Savannah
Mark Marino, GPS Destination Group
Christy McDougall, Vail Marriott Mountain Resort
Kathryn Millard, W South Beach
Kate Perez, CMP, DMCP, MC&A
Mollie Plotkin, Mollie Plotkin Group
Colleen Price, The Boca Raton
Amy Priebe, Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa
Stefany Randazzo, Eventis Destination Services
Erin Ridgway, Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Regan Rosdil, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
Traci Russell, JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Sandy Santiago Narvaez, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
Marti Tejada, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Buraeu
Annie Thalman, Washington Speakers Bureau
Sonja Turek, Niagara Falls Business Events
Debbie Veneziano, JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort Scottsdale
Amanda Warner, Marriott Resorts, Carribbean & Latin America
Cristina Zaragoza, St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London

2021 FICP Strategic Partners