Did you Know?
To all of the caffeine addicts and pumpkin spice latte enthusiasts reading this – get your coffee mugs ready because September 29 is National Coffee Day! Did you know that the Coffee Arabica Tree (known to produce the highest-quality coffee) only produces one to two pounds of coffee per season? That means some of us (you know who you are) basically require an entire coffee tree farm to fuel us all year.
Celebrate National Coffee Day this month by trying something new! If you haven’t already, you’ve got to check out this whipped coffee recipe. It's all the rage these days (as seen on TikTok).
Go get yourself a cup (or two) of your favorite go-to coffee and seize the day!
5 Things to Know in September!
- Your colleagues are discussing event metrics and budgets, virtual Scotch tastings, FAM trips and more on TheNetwork. Join them!
- The Events Industry Council's APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force has just released the Health and Safety for Hotels Accepted Practices Guide.
- The September digital edition of MeetingsNet is now available.
- Need tips for engaging virtual event attendees? Visit this article on TheBlog.
- Check out Smart Meeting's recap of our August FICP Chats where we covered VIRTUALLY everything! Access the recordings on TheNetwork.
FICP: Reimagined
FICP is excited to introduce FICP: Reimagined, a fully virtual experience taking place November 16-18 in place of its in-person 2020 Annual Conference. FICP: Reimagined will feature the same world-class education you need to adapt to the future of meetings, plus creative networking opportunities and the chance to earn 12+ CMP credits. Learn more.
A Race to Registration discount is now available for all FICP meetings professional members! Register before September 18 for just $99!
Stay tuned for additional information to come for this exciting virtual experience.
FICP: Reimagined Sponsorship Opportunities
The FICP sponsorship team will be reaching out to sponsors who have already committed and paid for the 2020 Annual Conference with options to participate in FICP: Reimagined. Hospitality partners who haven’t committed and are interested, details about sponsorship opportunities for FICP: Reimagined can be found here.
Sponsors are highly encouraged to support FICP: Reimagined, which will provide opportunities for visibility and recognition to the FICP community at a time when it is important to stay connected.
If you have questions or would like additional information about these opportunities, please contact sponsorship@ficpnet.com. Additional information can also be found on our website.
If your company facilitates networking or entertainment that is applicable to virtual events, and you wish to offer your services for FICP: Reimagined, please contact Shelby Fulkerson at sfulkerson@ficpnet.com.
FICP Chats Today - Last Chance to Join!
Our next FICP Chat is…TODAY! Don’t miss your chance to join Jen Squeglia, CMP, FICP Board Member, as she hosts The Future of Meetings – Your Career During COVID-19. Bringing together our meetings professionals members and hospitality partners, Jen will moderate a discussion about focusing on how your career trajectory has been impacted by COVID-19.
There’s still time – Register on TheNetwork and join us today, September 10 at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
Just Released: Incentive Travel Industry Index
A joint initiative of FICP, Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), the Incentive Travel Industry Index (ITII) provides a historical snapshot of where the industry has come from and a predictive hypothesis of where it’s going – all in one comprehensive study. This year, we focus in particular on COVID-19 and attempt to evaluate the sort, medium and long term effects of the pandemic on our industry. Take the 2020 survey.
Latest Webinar Recording: You Are Not Alone When It Comes to Planning
As many meeting professionals try to navigate through virtual conferences, hosting in-person events this year or postponing everything until 2021, we want you to know you are not alone!
Moderated by Susannah Frances, CMP from FICP’s Education Committee, this discussion focused on changes in the industry and the new opportunities for collaboration that can be made from them.
Key Takeaways:
1. Learning how to readjust your mind to utilizing your strengths vs. just outright selling your traditional services/products
2. Leveraging technology so that we can help each other go beyond our normal audience
3. Being mindful of how we reach out to clients and prospects (because video fatigue is real) and making a more lasting impression through creative and intentional engagement
Watch the recording here.
Save the Date for the 2020 Strategic Leaders Event – December 7-9
FICP is excited to invite our meetings professional members to our 2020 Strategic Leaders Event, taking place virtually December 7-9, 2020.
About the event: This meeting is designed for strategic meetings professional FICP members. Those with at least 10 years of meetings management experience, who currently oversee meeting planning functions (along with staffing, budget and policy responsibilities), are encouraged to apply to attend. Applications will be reviewed by FICP, and strategic leaders will be notified of their acceptance to attend the event.
Mark your calendars and keep an eye out for more information coming soon.
September Member of the Month: Shane Watkins
Get to know our featured member this month! In his role at ALFA Mutual Insurance, Shane Watkins is the Director of Meetings and Incentives for the Alfa companies (Alabama Farm Bureau, Alfa Mutual Insurance, Trexis Insurance) where he’s been for almost 20 years. Shane has been a member of FICP roughly 12-13 of those years. Get to know Shane before this month’s SIG Virtual Idea Exchange where he’ll share his experiences planning and executing live, in-person meetings in the time of COVID-19. Congratulate him in TheNetwork.
Congratulations to these New CMPs
FICP would like to recognize the following members and hospitality partners for earning the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in August from the Events Industry Council (EIC). The CMP program was launched in 1985 to enhance the knowledge and performance of meeting professionals, promote the status and credibility of the meeting profession and advance uniform standards of practice. These individuals join nearly one-third of FICP members who have achieved this designation. Congratulations!
Jordan Brett, Raymond James Financial, Inc.
Thomas Edelen, Thrivent Financial
Patrick Harrington, Cigna
Brittney Kaiser, Transamerica
Kylie Nelson, Raymond James Financial, Inc.
Erin Stokes, Raymond James Financial, Inc.
Emily Thornhill, TD Ameritrade
Learn more about the CMP and FICP’s Preferred Provider status.
Strategic Partner Profiles
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Devin Lewis, CEM, CMP; Director of Regional Sales, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
“Relationships are always key, but even more so during this unprecedented time. Our Strategic Partnership has been immeasurable through the years because it has allowed Las Vegas to showcase the best of who we are to the best of the FICP community. Working together to connect and produce the ultimate meeting and conference experience is our top priority, and while things may look a little different for a while, we’re confident guests will still find the world-class, Only-in-Vegas experiences they’ve come to expect. The Las Vegas Convention Center and all of our resort partners in the destination have spent the past several months preparing so that when you’re ready, you can get back to business with confidence.”
As the destination began to reopen in early June, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority created the citywide Vegas Smart campaign to encourage visitors to stay smart, healthy and responsible while enjoying the destination. Additionally, in August 2020, the Las Vegas Convention Center was awarded the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR facility accreditation by ISSA, the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. Considered the gold standard for safe facilities, the GBAC program was designed to control the risks associated with infectious agents, including the virus responsible for COVID-19.
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Melanie Stevens, ALMI; Global Sales Director, PRA
"PRA and FICP share a long history. Collectively we’ve seen it all, celebrated the prosperous times and pulled through some real challenges. 2020 has been like no other! We are beyond grateful to be a strategic partner of FICP. The FICP leadership and community have been delivering at an exceptional level an outpouring of knowledge and communications offering a broad range of opportunities to come together in a virtual space, thus keeping everyone connected as we see such dynamic transformation in the meetings & events industry.
FICP creates a platform for immersion into the finance & insurance industry, and what it takes to support the planners and the events they lead that are vital to the business outcomes of their companies. Being able to engage too with the wider hospitality community that supports this unique industry is also a valuable bonus. We are all learning, adjusting and growing together in ways that set everyone up for success and even deeper relationships!
The FICP community has greatly invested in PRA and we do all we can to return that investment by dedicating so much of our talented team and encouraging participation in events (live or virtual), sponsorships, volunteering in committees, HPAC, etc. Myself and my Global Sales colleagues, Dean Altvater, Mary Patton, Cosimo Bruzzese and our extended family of local destination and digital experts love our engagements with FICP.
We invite our FICP community to explore all the latest happenings at PRA by visiting our website. You may find our launch of “QuickBEATS” a fun watch - https://pra.com/webinars/. In bite-size short videos, you can keep up with PRA’s approach during this health crisis, thought leadership and solutions around CSR, Operations, Design & Creative, etc. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!"
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FICP Welcomes New Members
Meetings Professionals
Anna Grearson, Union Mutual
Laura Snyder, Crowe LLP
Peggy Rupprecht, CPIA, Frankenmuth Insurance
Sheen Kennedy, CMP, Magellan Financial and Insurance Services
2020 FICP Strategic Partners
Double Diamond
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Diamond
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Emerald
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All Other Partners
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| ACCESS Destination Services |
AZA Events, Inc. |
The Broadmoor |
Preferred Hotels & Resorts |
| Disney Meetings and Events |
DMC Network |
Fiesta Americana Hotels |
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority |
| Global DMC Partners |
Island Partners Hawai'i |
JPDL Destination Management Canada |
Visit Newport Beach |
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Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings |
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