This award honors those rare individuals who, by visionary hard work and creative insight, have positively changed the global meeting and event industry. It recognizes sustained commitment and substantial contributions to the meeting and event community.

Are there any specific factors that you feel contributed the most to you receiving this RISE Award recognition?

A consistent effort on my part to say “yes” to any opportunity to connect with my MPI family. Volunteering with MPI—at both the chapter and global level—has been such a huge part of my industry career across 34 years of membership, and I’ve been fortunate to have been in many right places at many right times to contribute where I could. The relationships, the influence and the impact of those opportunity touchpoints have made all the difference in my career. It’s no different for me than any other MPI member, when you show up, people notice. The opportunity to contribute is always there.

Can you name any certain skills—existing or new—that played a significant role?

This year, especially, I was inspired by the mindset of the chapter leaders I work alongside as an MPI facilitator, who take on some daunting challenges. These volunteer leaders show up—maybe that’s the skill. Every day, they juggle our fast-paced industry, their individual careers and personal workload and the tremendous commitment to leadership excellence their MPI roles require. They inspired me to step up my own involvement and commitment of time, talent and treasure to MPI. I share this Meetings Industry Leadership RISE Award with every chapter volunteer leader because they inspire me to play at their level.

Is there a skill that you think meeting professionals in general should really be focused on developing right now?

For seven years I’ve had a front row seat to the emergence of digital technologies in the meeting and event industry thanks to my relationship with Kelly and Leigh Massey and their team at Grit Productions & Expositions. We office together in a complex that was built and grew during the pandemic to ensure both Grit and my company, Foster+Fathom, would have a platform to stay connected to our clients and colleagues in a time of great disconnect. Through the years, we’ve partnered on many of MPI’s digital offerings: Chapter Leaders Summit, Global Meetings Industry Day and now MPItv. It’s been a master class on where the industry is and where it’s going from a technology standpoint, one I’m not sure I would have paid that much attention to if not for the relationship with Grit. Every meeting professional today needs to be paying attention to the evolution and opportunities these technologies provide for both in-person and digital meetings and events. As an author and speaker whose entire career has been in front of the camera, I’ve developed a huge respect and admiration for the skills of those behind the camera.

What advice do you have for industry peers who may be struggling with the myriad challenges in the meeting and event industry?

We live and work in a complicated, noisy and often busy world. Thanks to technology, we feel more connected to that world than perhaps at any time in history. But are we really more in touch? My advice to myself, first and foremost, is I need to be in touch. In recent years, I’ve tried to look past where I am, personally and professionally, to see what others are doing no matter what they might be challenged with. Here are a few examples that have inspired me.

When she was chapter president at MPI Tennessee, Melanie Blanche decided to become a foster mom. That was a big lift, and certainly not easy. But she made the choice to lead her chapter to excellence and also fulfill her dream of becoming a mom. And she is great at both. Melanie Blanche wasn’t too busy to build the personal and professional life she wanted.

At the same time he was anticipating his leadership role at the MPI Southern California chapter, Bryan Quinan was also facing a battle with cancer. There were a lot of unknowns, and everyone would have understood if he backed away. But that’s not what he did. Bryan wasn’t too busy to face his challenges like a warrior, and today, both he and his chapter are better for it.

My mentor and friend O.D. O’Donnell passed away last year at the age of 94. He was a tireless advocate and relentless MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter volunteer, serving in a variety of leadership roles across three different decades, where he set the bar for member involvement. He was old school and always carried a stack of MPI membership applications in his jacket pocket ready to hand out to everyone he met. And his approach worked. He won the chapter’s member recruitment award a record 12 times and was personally responsible for recruiting more than 300 members to MPI. Even into his 90s, O.D., who was still running his entertainment company into his 90s, wasn’t too busy to show up and make a difference.

So, my advice to my industry peers is to be like Melanie, Bryan and O.D.—find ways to stay in touch. Build relationships that help you grow, find mentors that provide trusted advice and find that balanced space where you can give something to others and also build the knowledge and relationships you need to be successful and make your own difference in the world.

From a work/business perspective, what are you most excited about in the near future?

I’m a huge fan of the long-running series “The West Wing,” and I always loved when the character of President Josiah Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen, would ask his staff—usually after working through a tough day or critical decision—“what’s next?” It seemed to be the ultimate statement that we made it through this hard thing and we’re still together and ready for more, so let’s keep moving because there’s work to do. I’m most excited about what’s next for myself, my company and my industry. The possibilities are truly endless and there has never been a better time to go full throttle (you didn’t think I was going to miss an opportunity here to drop in a motorcycle reference, did you?). “What’s next,” for me, is leaning into the wind, embracing the road ahead and doing what others think is too hard, too time-consuming or just not worth it. What’s next is continuing a ride that makes a difference.

What led to Steven Foster receiving this RISE Award?

Steven G. Foster, CMP, managing partner of Foster+Fathom, first volunteered at MPI in 1994 and has been a member for 33 years. In 1999, he served as MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter president and subsequently served on multiple MPI global volunteer committees, including the Facilitator and Chapter Training Committee (he’s the longest-serving MPI chapter facilitator, having done that for 20 years).

As a chapter leader, Steven helped to establish an endowment with the Dallas County Community College Foundation to create the Travel, Exhibition and Meeting Management Program at Richland College (now Dallas College)—one of the first in the nation. Long before GMID, he was also chair of the Texas Meetings Industry Legislative Action Day.

More recently, he helped develop a cash analysis tool during the pandemic which many U.S. chapters still use to better understand fiscal management and strategize use of financial reserves, as well as strengthen community engagement with meaningful volunteer development opportunities, and assisted in creating cross-chapter partnerships through sharing of best practices.

Since 2020, Foster+Fathom and its partner Grit Productions & Expositions have been the Signature Sponsor & Event Production Host for MPI’s GMID broadcast. Since 2021, his company has partnered with MPI’s Chapter Operations to produce and broadcast the two-day Chapter Business Summit (now the Chapter Leadership Summit).

He also co-founded 2 Guys Doing Good, a nationwide initiative facilitating “team-giving activations” that help businesses connect with local non-profit organizations to impact communities through meaningful acts of service.

Steven is a member of the MPI Community of Honorees, named one of MPI’s 50 Most Influential Members and is chair of MPI’s Southwest Regional Council.