Meet Caitlin Gaborow, CMP, CMM (MPI Upstate New York Chapter), project manager for Delaney Event Management, recognized as MPI’s Volunteer of the Month for July 2026.
How did you get started with MPI?
I first learned of MPI through my boss, who encouraged networking and professional development; I attended a few events but didn’t pursue membership at that time. When I found myself working remotely, I became a member and connected with the area MPI chapter as a way to find a local professional community. Shortly after that I was recruited as a Communications Committee member, which was really the start of my volunteer journey.
What’s your history of volunteering with MPI?
My relationship with volunteering for MPI has changed over the years. When I first started, I was new in my own career and volunteering was a way to grow my network and knowledge. I served on the board of the MPI Upstate New York Chapter, including serving as chapter president, leading the chapter through the onset of the COVID pandemic. It was a challenging time, but also very rewarding to help our chapter navigate the changed events landscape. Our emphasis was on supporting our member community, with the belief that our responsibility was to do all we could to support individuals and businesses over the chapter—knowing that the chapter is only as strong as its members.
After my term as past-president concluded, I took a step back from active volunteering for a few years. I’ve since found my way back to volunteering, this time at the global level, as a member of both the Emerging Professionals Advisory Council and the Event Program Review Advisory Board. While my early years of service were about my own development, now I volunteer to give back to the industry and support new and rising eventprofs.
What’s one of your favorite aspects of the MPI community?
MPI is such a supportive and friendly community, with a spirit of hospitality and service at our core. I feel like you can introduce yourself to anyone, at any time, without the ego or sense of competition that I hear of in other industries. We all genuinely just want to support each other.
What, if anything, would you like to see (or see more of) when it comes to the MPI community?
One thing that I’ve consistently heard through the years from members is that there is not enough programming aimed at senior-level/experienced professionals; as I continue to gain experience in my own career, I’ve developed a greater understanding of what that feedback really meant. There is a need for more content and community building for the eventprofs that are leading teams and driving strategic change, challenges that benefit most from peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing. I know that MPI global is working actively to address this need and have been happy to work with the Event Program Review Advisory Board to help develop some of this content.
What is one thing the meeting and event industry needs right now?
Recruitment! A lot of people exited the industry during the pandemic, and not all of those roles were filled but instead absorbed by others. I think this has led to burnout among some still in the industry, but it also creates development pipelines issues; it can be hard to rise in your own career if there is no one to backfill your role. We need to encourage people to join the industry, but that also means we need to celebrate the great things about it, not just talk about the stressors.
With that, I’m going to give a second answer and say retention is essential as well. That’s one of the reasons it is so important to support emerging professionals—we want to ensure their happiness and success in the industry so that they stay, and in turn bring in others.
