March 2021- Dorie Wirtz

Dorie Wirtz Director - Strategic Partnerships MPI Georgia Chapter

When I was asked, as a board member, to write for Leadership Corner, the first thought was could I escape writing this feature since writing about myself is not something that I like or comes easily.  What would I say to my fellow MPI Georgia colleagues?

Then I thought about how crazy this past year has been and how being part of MPI Georgia has been one of the things for which I am most grateful. Before the pandemic started, I had decided to join the board because I really enjoyed being on the Education and Phoenix Awards committees and it was time to grow my leadership. This year our board has had to learn and change how we plan and execute our events and meetings. Even through Zoom, I feel very engaged and supported by my fellow leaders. It has all helped me become a better planner and pushed me in a good way.

For instance, I attended WEC Digital and was very impressed with the sessions ranging from virtual engagement to personal development, learning more about our industry and still being able to make MPI connections virtually.  For the December issue of ReConnect, the editor asked Allyson Wagner, CMP, President MPI Georgia and me to share highlights of our  individual experiences at WEC,  in-person and virtually, respectively.  It was an exercise that came to me easily and confirmed my impression of how virtual can, when done properly, be  a worthwhile experience.

This pushed me even further out of my comfort zone to take the certificate class in Virtual Events and Meetings Management. The instructor was very engaging, and I loved learning about this brave new world (to many of us) of how to plan a successful virtual event.

We have all had to be resilient and adapt (notice I avoided the ‘p’ word) but we are meeting professionals and when is that NOT true? So thankfully as things improve in our meetings and events world, I hope that you are seeing some light at the end of your tunnel.