2026 Annual Chapter Meeting & Awards Luncheon

Agenda

Thursday, October 15, 2026

1:00 PM - 6:00 PM Registration

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM Welcome & Chapter Announcements

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM Plus It Up: Strengthening Ideas Through Collaboration
Speaker: Kristin Walker | Speaker and MPI Carolinas Chapter Member

Plus It Up is an interactive, collaboration‑driven workshop. In this session, participants explore ideas and practice a structured, facilitator‑led framework that strengthens those ideas through diverse peer perspectives. Participants engage in movement‑based activities, small‑group collaboration, and guided feedback rounds that help them expand clarity, feasibility, and impact. The session emphasizes practical application and shared expertise, giving participants a space to think creatively, refine ideas quickly, and walk away with stronger solutions they can implement immediately.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Apply a structured collaboration framework to refine and strengthen event‑related ideas.
2. Identify gaps, opportunities, and enhancements within an idea using peer feedback.
3. Use diverse perspectives to expand the creativity, clarity, and feasibility of a concept.
4. Prioritize next steps based on group insights and facilitator guidance.
5. Develop an actionable plan to move an improved idea forward after the session.
6. Demonstrate effective collaborative communication skills by giving and receiving constructive, strengths‑based feedback.

3:45 PM - 4:15 PM Afternoon Networking Break

4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Frontlines: How the Carolinas Can Lead the Charge in the Fight Against Trafficking
Speaker: Simon Arkley | Founder | The Lantern Project

Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the world. The Carolinas are not exempt. We are seeing huge increases in trafficking and sexual exploitation, but the Carolinas is poised to become something special in a fight against Trafficking. In this session, we will discuss why the Carolinas uniquely equipped to make a significant impact against trafficking and how our community is rallying to defend future generations from this evil.

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM New Member & First-Timer Reception

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Networking Reception

Friday, October 16, 2026

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Registration

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM Day 2 Welcome & Chapter Announcements

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM Beyond the Swag Bag: How Strategic Gifting Shapes Who Shows Up, What They Experience, and What Happens Next
Speaker: Kade Kimber | Founder & Creator| Kimber & Oak and Gift Intelligence™

Event gifting is often treated as a finishing touch. The budget is divided across the guest list, gifts are selected, and everyone receives something once they arrive. Used strategically, gifting can make an invitation harder to ignore, build anticipation, strengthen participation and connection during the event, and encourage action after it ends. In this keynote, Kade Kimber shows planners how to move beyond giveaways and use gifting strategically to influence who shows up, what they experience, and what happens next. The goal is not to give everyone more. It is to make every gifting dollar do more before, during, and after. 

Attendees will learn:

• How to use gifting before the event to strengthen invitations and improve follow-through
• How to decide what each gifting moment should accomplish
• How to allocate budget based on potential value, not just headcount
• How to define success and clearly explain the strategy to stakeholders
  

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Morning Networking Break

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Annual Awards Luncheon & 2027 Board of Directors Installation

Come together to honor this year's accomplishments and celebrate our outstanding winners!

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Event Leader Evolution: Turn Your Expertise Into Influence
Speaker: Kayla Worthy | Certified Event Coach | Worthy Events Coach

In-person events are more important than ever, and the business events industry continues to grow in both economic impact and strategic importance. As we look toward 2027 and beyond, the question isn’t only what’s next for events, it’s - who will lead them there? Event professionals spend so much time thinking about the event itself that we rarely stop to think about what we need as event leaders. This session shifts the focus to you: the skills you want to strengthen, what you want to be known for, and how you can use your expertise to have greater influence on the conversations and decisions that shape the business. Together, we’ll explore how to think more intentionally about the kind of event leader you want to become and how to position yourself to lead what’s next for our industry.

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM DEI Connects: Community Social Impact

Our October activity will be a packing-party-style event supporting the YWCA Central Carolinas’ Women In Transition (WIT) Program, which provides safe, affordable, transitional housing and intensive support services for single, adult, unaccompanied women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. We’ll also have an opportunity for networking and connection as we work together on the activity.

 

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