The MPI Potomac Chapter received the 2020 MPI RISE Award for Industry Advocate. This award recognizes an MPI chapter, club or student club for achievements in advancing the meeting and event industry by promoting an understanding of its impact, participation in Global Meetings Industry Day or strategic use and implementation of tools and resources provided by the Meetings Mean Business (MMB) Coalition.
We discussed the award with Anthony Molino, chapter immediate past president and director of hotel sales for Choose Chicago, and Carlos Pelham, chapter director of leadership, diversity & inclusion and director of meeting and conference services for the American Gas Association.
What does this mean for your chapter to receive this RISE Award?
Anthony Molino: Any sort of recognition for hard work is very exciting. MPI Potomac has struggled with its identity in the past, mostly because we are made up of an extremely diverse membership. It’s very easy to press on doing great work and forget about who you are doing the great work for. Our members are the most important part of the chapter and after years of talking, it was time to see all of them represented in our leadership. As a board of directors, we decided to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and make it our mission to educate our board and our members in hopes that it will become common practice and will show in our leadership succession.
Having MPI Global recognize our chapter with the Industry Advocate award is a huge compliment and it also proves we were correct in our mission to highlight, act and continue our efforts to recognize, respect and include each of our members, no matter where they come from, what they believe and who they choose to spend time with.
Carlos Pelham: We recognize there are many chapters and clubs doing amazing advocacy work, so for our chapter to receive this award, this is a true honor and it says thank you and job well done to our members who volunteer so much of their time and talent towards our many chapter initiatives focused on industry advocacy.
What has inspired your chapter to this high level of engagement, particularly around diversity and inclusion?
AM: MPI as a whole has many extremely qualified and talented industry professionals represented in their board of directors and committees. I have always found comfort and confidence being a member and a chapter leader, however, something that has stood out for quite some time is a lack of diversity both at the chapter and global level. It is very hard to appeal to all members when a large portion of them are not represented and cannot “see” themselves have a seat at the table. To make change, it starts with admitting there is a need for change.
MPI Potomac created a Diversity & Inclusion task force to get to the root of the problem. This group of members spoke freely and honestly. They spoke to the membership and created a road map that created safe spaces to implement their initiatives. The education team planned events highlighting diverse speakers and content. The networking team formed affinity meet-ups. The office of the president conducted town halls in order to define what D&I meant to the chapter members. The communications team used their resources in both print and social media to celebrate our mission and communicate to each of our members. The membership team focused on diversifying recruitment efforts and led the charge in implementing how we would approach succession planning. It has truly been a team effort, something I will always be proud to have been a part of.
CP: As the D&I task force started its initial conversations, we quickly decided that we did not want D&I to simply be a checklist that was passed along to our chapter leaders, but instead we wanted D&I to be woven into the fabric of the organization. By taking the same principle concepts of event design, we looked at all the different segments of our organization and identified areas for improvement. It was then the commitment from the chapter leadership to embrace these changes while being transparent and authentic when communicating them to our members.
“To make change, it starts with admitting there is a need for change.”
How has the success of the chapter inspired and motived members going forward?
AM: Aside from all that is going on in the world, the 2019-2020 chapter year has been extremely successful. Chapter morale is high, our events are attracting new members—tenured members whom we haven’t seen in a while and a whole new group of non-members wanting to know what all the “buzz” is with MPI Potomac. Joining our local PCMA chapter on Capitol Hill for a day of legislative visits sparked a new energy, passion and understanding that we all have a part in influencing public policy. That, in combination with our efforts to embrace and appreciate our diversity, [shows] active volunteerism has become “popular” again. Ending the year as the largest chapter in the organization is proof of that.
CP: I believe there is an elevated level of motivation and excitement within the chapter. After receiving this award and the other successes from this past year, our volunteer members and leaders want to continue to elevate the opportunities and experiences for all of our members.
How has your chapter’s commitment to education and programming helped raise the profile of the chapter and MPI with meeting professionals in your community?
AM: MPI Potomac is an inclusive community of meeting professionals who embrace learning, collaboration and our members’ development. We have always prided ourselves on being the best source of industry education in the Mid-Atlantic region, if not the entire United States. Our content is cross-categorical, frequent and complimentary to planner members due to an amazing education sponsorship opportunity. This past year we offered two (of the six) education events focused on D&I, as well as five opportunities for members to prepare to take their CMP exam.
2020 MPI RISE Awards: Learn more about all of the recipients.
What was the best lesson learned from this experience?
AM: I am still learning. As a white, cisgendered, homosexual male in the hospitality industry, I would be tone deaf to say I am an expert on what it means to fully understand diversity, equity and inclusion. What I can say is that I am open and willing to do my best to stay educated, remain curious and fight the good fight alongside my fellow leaders and members. I am very proud of myself, but even more proud of my team. This has been a journey of self-identification and humility for all of us. MPI Potomac has a huge sense of gratitude toward Carlos Pelham, director of meetings and conference services with the American Gas Association. Carlos is a Potomac past president who came back to help create the new board director position to lead the D&I initiative. We owe a large part of our accomplishments to him. I have learned a great deal from Carlos and not only admire him as a successful industry professional, but hold him very close to my heart as one of my greatest friends.
CP: The best lesson I learned from the award submission process was the need to take time throughout the year to celebrate the hard work and successes of our organization. As we started writing our submission, I was reminded of both the GMID event and our diversity and inclusion initiatives. The GMID event was a huge undertaking where we created an opportunity to train 75 event professionals to conduct Capitol Hill visit meetings.
They had 18 meetings with prominent members of Congress, which included Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C.; Congresswoman Marcia Fudge of Ohio; Congressman Ben Cline of Virginia; Senator David Purdue of Georgia; and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to show our support for three major bills that directly affect our industry. Our second success, the diversity and inclusion initiatives, started with a town hall conversation at our regional conference to elicit feedback from our members and non-members about their experiences and expectations of our organization. This led to us having diversity and inclusion professionals from ASAE, IBM and Georgetown University to help us navigate the conversation of the importance of D&I in our industry.
What are the values that inspire your chapter?
CP: For me, the values that I see that inspire our chapter are integrity, passion and a commitment to our members.
What’s next for your chapter?
AM: We are just getting started. As we grow, we will continue to educate and ask questions. The goal is for every member to feel safe, welcome and represented both in our leadership, but also in our education content. I will end my year as president feeling excited and confident in the future of our team. I will pass the baton to an extremely smart and motivated leader in Devin Lewis from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. She has been by my side during this entire process, sharing the passion for D&I and supporting the follow-through of the committee’s initiatives. The planning has been well underway, now it’s time to see it all in action.
“We wanted D&I to be woven into the fabric of the organization.”
How has the chapter coped with the COVID crisis?
AM: I believe we are making our way through all the stages of grief. We are a very close-knit community that thrives on face-to-face events. Our struggle has not been to switch to virtual; our struggle is coming to terms that it will be some time before we can see each other in-person again. Out of this darkness has come some silver lining. Members are hosting happy hours and the education team created a three-part “Resiliency of the Meeting Professional” series that focused on taking control of your own situation and setting yourself up for positive and successful outcomes. Also, our certifications team created a virtual CMP Prep Course to keep members engaged and motivated to take the CMP Exam in the fall. I also believe that our current situation has offered more opportunities for us to communicate and share ideas with other chapters. This month we partnered with seven other chapters to host “MPI Big East Presents: A Road Less Traveled” with Michael Dominguez.
What advice would you give to MPI chapters about high-level engagement in our industry?
AM: Member engagement should be the top priority and focus for any board of directors, no matter the size of your chapter. Metrics aside, we do what we do for one reason, and that is to provide a community of education and networking to members in the hospitality industry. Similar to how we approached our D&I initiatives, it is important for all members to be able to see themselves in the content, direction and mission of the chapter. To do that, your leaders need to ask and listen to what your members want and need out of their membership. To increase engagement, you must be open to change. I look at it this way: A bus needs a driver, but the driver can’t move the bus unless it has all four wheels. As leaders and drivers, our focus must be on the maintenance and care of our members. Teach every driver on your team to fix a flat!
Who were the key members who were involved in this initiative that resulted in the MPI RISE Award for Industry Advocate?
AM: Carlos Pelham and Devin Lewis (chapter president elect).
Next Monday, we’ll speak with Liliana Cabrera and Francisco Cachafeiro from the MPI Mexico Chapter, which received the RISE Award for Marketplace Excellence.
