NEWS

MPI’s Head of Meeting Innovation Jessie States, CMP, CMM, receives the Events Industry Council’s 2018 Young Professional Pacesetter award during a special event at Jewel Nightclub at Aria Resort tonight.

States’ achievement is the first Pacesetter award to ever be received by a member of the MPI staff. A “young professional” perhaps, but States, 39, has been a part of the meeting and event industry and MPI for 12 years. In that time, she’s navigated numerous challenging fields within the world’s largest association for meeting and event professionals.

“Over the past few years, I have watched friends, peers, mentors—my industry heroes—receive Pacesetter Awards,” States says. “It is an honor to be included among these next-gen leaders as a recipient.”

States began her career with MPI in the publications department as a writer and editor for The Meeting Professional and One+, during which time she and the team received numerous national and regional awards for wordsmithing.

After several years perfecting those skills, she began managing and creating white papers as part of the association’s research team—this brought her increasingly out into the wild, presenting at events around the world. Her subsequent transition to the professional development team, fueled by a thriving passion for organizing events, has led to justified recognition as a multi-faceted industry expert.

“If you see an opportunity to grow, take it. If you don’t see an opportunity to grow, find one,” she explains as her advice for people new to or wanting to get into the meeting and event industry.

In 2017, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in Meetings and Events by Successful Meetings magazine and a Trendsetter by Meetings Today magazine. Expect to see her continue to grow as she helps event professionals prepare for the likely futures of the industry.

“I am singularly focused on ensuring that our industry is future-ready,” she says. “The skills we will need to be successful in the future will not be task-based. It is our duty at MPI to ensure that industry professionals have the knowledge and aptitude to survive the Tech Revolution.”

Register to attend tonight’s Events Industry Council’s awards event at the Jewel Nightclub at Aria Resort. There, States will share the stage with prestigious peers also being honored, including Zena Phillips, CMP, CPCE (Pacesetter for Innovation) and Jeff Chase (Pacesetter for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility).