Recognizing MPI members who were in the news headlines this year, as selected by the staff of The Meeting Professional magazine.
Chandra Allison—Allison (MPI New Jersey Chapter), senior vice president of sales for meetings conventions and exhibitions and leisure for the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, was honored as a 2019 Supplier of the Year: Visionary by Smart Meetings. She’ll begin 2020 as chair of the MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees.
Carina Bauer—The CEO of the IMEX Group continues to inspire with her leadership, innovation and commitment to inclusion. This year, Bauer (MPI United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter) brought the She Means Business education program, launched at IMEX in Frankfurt, to IMEX America in Las Vegas. The program was highly successful and sets a course for continued engagement on an important topic. She’s a mentor for Fast Forward 15, a program to encourage women in the events and hospitality industry, and received the Smart Women in Meetings award for the second straight year.
Janice Cardinale—Be bold, influence with passion and purpose and break a few rules here and there were just a few of mantras for Cardinale (MPI Toronto Chapter), Chief Idea Hunter. She helped make the 2019 MPI World Education Congress (WEC) truly inspiring and fun with her activations throughout the event.
Michael Dominguez—After seven years with MGM Resorts International, including the last four as senior vice president and chief sales officer, Dominguez (MPI Southern California Chapter) in July was named president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)—a well-deserved promotion for one of the industry’s fiercest advocates. He continues to serve on key industry committees such as the Meetings Mean Business Coalition and the ASAE board of directors.
Carol Krugman and Gary Murakami—The Events Industry Council (EIC) recognized Krugman (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter) and Murakami (MPI Northern California Chapter), director of global sales at MGM Resorts, with the new EIC Chair’s Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. Krugman has been a longtime champion of CMP education while Murakami has been instrumental on the Industry Insights Committee.
Wojciech Liszka—Not only is Liszka (MPI Poland Chapter) the co-founder and former president of the MPI Poland Chapter, a former RISE Award recipient and owner of Z-Factor, he’s a highly respected international basketball referee. This past summer, he was invited to participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas as one of two European referees and officiated three games. He later officiated the World Cup in China, including three USA team games. One was the overtime thriller between the U.S. and Turkey and another was the battle between the U.S. and the NBA’s MVP Giannis Antetekumpo, who played for Greece. Don’t be surprised if you see Liszka at the 2020 Olympics.
Carole McKellar—As chair of the MPI Foundation’s Global Board of Trustees, McKellar (MPI United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter) set a bold tone early in her tenure. Joined by her good friend Julie Krueger, they took the Polar Plunge into the icy waters of the Antarctic as a fundraising challenge for the foundation. By end of year, the Foundation had raised US$750,000 and awarded 204 scholarships, 15 chapter grants and three major grants.
Heike Mahmoud—Mahmoud (MPI Germany Chapter) made news last year when she left visitBerlin to become chief operations officer for Congress Center Hamburg, a massive remodel and expansion project. She’s still making headlines and recently was honored with the 2019 Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) Profile and Power Award in recognition of her leadership, not only as an industry advocate but also as an inspiration for helping attract new talent to the meeting industry.
Sarah Soliman and Courtney Stanley—This duo is representative of the future generation of leaders. Together, Soliman (MPI Greater Orlando Chapter) and Stanley (MPI Essential Member) led education sessions on social issues such as sexual harassment prevention in the industry and other women’s topics. They were co-chairs of the MPI Women’s Advisory Board and named Meetings Today Trendsetters and MeetingsNet Changemakers. Soliman, who also is the face and voice of MPItv, was named to Connect Meetings 40 Under 40 and received the Smart Women in Meetings Entrepreneur Award by Smart Meetings.
WEC honorees—We’re grouping together all the members who were honored at MPI’s signature education event, WEC. RISE Award recipients: Member of the Year, Joe Marcy (MPI Southern California Chapter); Young Professional Achievement, Julia Spangler (MPI Indiana Chapter); Meeting Industry Leadership, Gary Murakami (MPI Northern California Chapter); Innovative Educational Programming, MPI Montréal/Québec, Ottawa, Toronto Chapters; Marketplace Excellence, MPI Southern California Chapter; Membership Achievement, MPI Greater Orlando Chapter; Industry Advocate, MPI Northern California Chapter; Industry Leader Award, Anne Hamilton (MPI Greater Orlando Chapter); Chair Award, Michel Wohlmuth (MPI Mexico Chapter).
Dec. 3: Members in the News
Dec. 10: Community Service
Dec. 17: Event Design
Dec. 24: F&B Experiences
