By: Teresa Hellman, CMP Please welcome The University of Arkansas as an official PCMA Student Chapter. This is the second school year for the chapter, and they already have over 30 student members. Hospitality Instructor Dede Hamm, MS, CHE, CMP, said that the students who attended the Hospitality Career Exploration event in November 2017 had their
By: Danielle Wright, Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills Our 2018 President, Kerry Kerr, has chosen to focus this year on membership. Not only do we want to exceed 300 chapter members, we want to find ways to keep our members engaged and to provide the best networking and educational opportunities for them. To achieve this
Compiled by: Brad Plumb, CMP, Visit Overland Park Your program committee has been busy putting together experiences that are educational, social, and just plain fun. You don’t want to miss any of these upcoming events: May 17th- Disaster Experience: A Crisis Management Workshop, Embassy Suites, Olathe, Kansas June 14th- St. Louis Lunch and Learn July
By: Danielle Wright, Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills Each year the PCMA Heartland Chapter raises money for a nonprofit organization through the silent auction held during the Installation Banquet. This year the Heartland Chapter board selected The Veterans Community Project to support. The Veterans Community Project (VCP) is dedicated to supporting every man and woman
Compiled by: Cheri D. Jones, CMP, The Roark Group SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE For more information on sponsorship for the Heartland Chapter, please contact Priscilla Noland at pnoland@stfm.org and Katie Conoyer at ktconoyer@gmail.com. COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Contact: Danielle Wright at Danielle.wright@tmsh.net. If you have story ideas for next quarter chapter newsletter, or would like to write an article for
By: Cheri D. Jones, CMP, The Roark Group NWA hosted our first PCMA Lunch and Learn on April 4 and had over 63 in attendance. Michael Farr traveled from Tulsa to give the great a warm PCMA welcome and talked about the May 17 Best in Class meeting as well as the July 19 –
By: Brad Plumb, CMP, Senior Sales Manager, Visit Overland Park Heartland Chapter’s 2018 Officer Installation, Awards Dinner and On-line and Live Auction! On February 8th chapter members and guests donned their finest and gathered at the Westin Crown Center for a memorable awards gala and auction. The Westin Hotel never looked better as participants mingled at
By: Eric Jacobson, Ascend Integrated Media LLC “Convening Leaders is my happy place! I go every year – without question,” says Missy Johnson, Heartland Chapter member, CMP and Meetings Consultant. “I just put it in my budget because I know that I’ll have major FOMO if I don’t! The education is awesome, the opportunity to
By: Eric Jacobson, Ascend Integrated Media LLC Meet Heartland Chapter member Lisa Boon, CMP, Event Planning Manager at Retail Confectioners International in Springfield, MO. My favorite food is: American Comfort Food. My next dream trip is to: Asia! It’s the last continent on my list to visit. (I’m skipping Antarctica. Bbbrrrr…). Recently read book I
By: Danielle Wright, Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills Tell us a little bit about yourself. I have been in the industry since I started my own business as a marketing and sponsorship consultant in 1995 in Phoenix. Working from home was a pretty new concept back then, so I was worried about my dogs barking
By: Danielle Wright, Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills When did you become involved in the PCMA Heartland Chapter and what made you want to join? I joined PCMA Heartland Chapter, I suppose you could say out of necessity. I had the wonderful opportunity to move to Kansas City in 2010, working remotely for Visit Indy!
https://operationbreakthrough.org Founded in 1971, Operation Breakthrough is open 55 hours a week with a 2-prong mission in Kansas City’s urban core: To help 400+ children in poverty succeed in school and empower their parents to provide them a stable home environment. About 20% of the children are homeless. More than 70 % come from families surviving on
Compiled by: Cheri D. Jones, CMP, The Roark Group SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE: SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE: Contact: Sandy Wachter at sandy@aaspa.org The Sponsorship Committee worked hard finding sponsors for our events this year. A special thanks to Kerry Kerr for all of her help! We are in the process of updating the 2017 Heartland Chapter Sponsorship brochure. Our sponsorships will
By: Cheri D. Jones, CMP, The Roark Group If you have events happening in your city, please email them to Cheri Jones, CMP at cheri.jones@roarkgroup.com. We would love to highlight exciting things happening in your town. The information below is gathered from Chapter members, CVB websites, Meetings Today and Meeting Focus. Arkansas – The Natural
By: Brad Plumb, CMP, Senior Sales Manager, Visit Overland Park The experts gathered along with over 90 Chapter members and guests for Heartland’s annual “State of the Hospitality Industry” program this past November at the Sheraton Overland Park. The meeting was insightful, informative and maybe even a little frightening. After all, who could have predicted
By: Brad Plumb, CMP, Senior Sales Manager, Visit Overland Park For over 50 years St. Louis’ the Gateway Arch has been known throughout the world as a symbol, not only of westward expansion, but as a gateway of hospitality beginning at the Mississippi river. The structure is as spectacular today as it was on opening
The PCMA Heartland Chapter is pleased to recognize those outstanding individuals or organizations that generously contributed their time and efforts to the PCMA Heartland Chapter during 2017. Nomination deadline is January 5, 2018. Awards will be presented at the Chapter’s February 8, 2018 Annual Officer Installation and Awards Banquet. Please provide no more than one
Meet Heartland Chapter Member Jodie English, Director of Sales – Crescent Hotel & Spa – Eureka Springs, Arkansas My favorite food is: Oh, so hard to pick only one! I love to cook and food and beverage is such a big part of my life because of my job, that it is hard to pick
By: Heidi Smith, CINHC, CCWS, CMP at the Integrative Wellness Studio As we move into a new year, let’s look at ways that we can celebrate the best in the workplace by creating a more positive work environment which, in turn, creates a more powerful and positive workforce. In turn, when employees are happy, your customers,
The Heartland Chapter has selected Veterans Community Project/Tiny Homes as the charity the Chapter will support during 2018. Veterans Community Project (VCP) is dedicated to supporting every man and woman who took the oath for our country. They provide a variety of services that make a difference in the lives of homeless Veterans; a task
On Thursday, January 4, 2018, the PCMA Heartland Chapter Past Presidents will host the “Ring In” Reception. As a way to say happy New Year, the past presidents created this annual networking event several years ago to gather the members together in Kansas City before heading to Convening Leaders. Without a program at the January
Here are the Heartland Chapter’s Officers, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs for 2018. Thank you for your volunteering and we’re looking forward to a great year under your guidance and leadership! Officers President – Kerry Kerr – HelmsBriscoe President Elect – Caitlin Arnold – Kellen Company Immediate Past President – Liz Huston – Visit
A big “Thank You” to the following individuals who either became a new Heartland Chapter member or renewed their membership during the second half (June through December) of 2017. Our apologies if we inadvertently missed anyone from this list below. Members who joined or renewed prior to June 2017 were listed in the Heartland Chapter’s
By: Teresa Hellman, Senior National Account Manager, Experient The PCMA Heartland Chapter’s second Hospitality Career Exploration Day took place Saturday, November 4th at the Marriott Overland Park, Kan., and by all accounts it was a huge success! The nearly 40 students in attendance were enrolled in hospitality-related programs from even more college programs in our six-state
By Heidi Smith, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist, CMP, Author Are you addicted to sugar? Do you find yourself craving sweet foods or sugary drinks during the day? According to Dr. Mark Hyman, there are five clues to look out for that may signal you are addicted to sugar: You consume
The PCMA Heartland Chapter reception will take place from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 7, 2018 in the Omni Nashville Hotel, Cumberland 2 (Level 3). Each sponsor will have a table where they will conduct a prize drawing during the event. Two drink tickets per guest and a cash bar thereafter. Light hors d’oeuvres to
A big “Thank You” to all our 2017 Chapter Reception sponsors at Convening Leaders 2017. They represent an impressive list from within our six-state region. Here they are: Visit KC Explore St. Louis Visit Omaha Visit Oklahoma City Visit Wichita Little Rock CVB Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts (venue sponsor) Our reception attracted more than
Co Hosts Missy Johnson and David Kinney, former past presidents of the Heartland Chapter, hosted the fifth annual Dine with Destinations event at Lidia’s Restaurant in Kansas City on Wednesday, August 30, 2017. An impressive 15 CVBs, and various hotel brands, including global sales representatives from ALHI and Hyatt, all were part of the event
Grab your boots and cowboy hat Lisa Boon because you’re going to NASHVILLE! Congratulations Lisa, Event Planning Manager at Retail Confectioners International. You are the recipient of the 2018 PCMA Convening Leaders Scholarship to attend Convening Leaders coming up in January 2018 in Nashville, TN! “My sincerest thanks to the PCMA Heartland Chapter for this scholarship.
Plans are being made for the 2nd Annual PCMA Hospitality Career Exploration Day, sponsored by the Heartland PCMA Chapter. This year, the event will take place on Saturday, November 4 at the Overland Park Marriott from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you are a Chapter member and you would be interested in speaking at
The PCMA Heartland Chapter is delighted to announce the following scholarship to attend the 2018 PCMA Convening Leaders taking place in Nashville, TN, January 7-10, 2018. The award nomination deadline is September 8, 2017. The recipient will be notified via telephone and email by September 15, 2017. Description: This scholarship, sponsored by PCMA Headquarters, is
By: Cheri D. Jones, CMP, The Roark Group If you have events happening in your city, please email them to Cheri Jones, CMP at cheri.jones@roarkgroup.com. We would love to highlight exciting things happening in your town. The information below is gathered from Heartland Chaptermembers, CVB websites, Meetings Today and Meeting Focus. Kansas – Sunflower State Wichita
SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE: For more information on sponsorship for the Heartland Chapter, please contact Sandy Wachter at sandy@aaspa.org. The Sponsorship Committee has been hard at work finding sponsors for our events. A special thanks to Amy Roberts and David Kinney for all of their help! 2017 Sponsors to date include: ALHI Explore St. Louis (Platinum sponsor)
By: Kerry L. Kerr, Director, Global Accounts, HelmsBriscoe I attended PCMA Education Conference (Educon) in New York City this June, representing the Heartland Chapter at the Chapter Leadership session prior to Educon. The weekend kicked off with a board dinner at Charlie Palmer at the Knick, an iconic restaurant and hotel that have been completely
By: Elizabeth Houston, Senior Sales Manager, Visit Indy Happy summer, my fellow PCMA Heartland Members! I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe September is already just around the corner. Our Chapter has been hard at work; time has just been flying! I guess that’s the case when you’re hard at work! Have you heard? Our
Meet Heartland Chapter member Amy Westerman, Director of Meetings, International Association of Assessing Officers in Kansas City, MO. My favorite food is: Potatoes. My next dream trip is to: Go rafting on the Futaleufú River in Chile. Recently read book I recommend reading is: The Greg Iles trilogy – Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree and
Meet Heartland Chapter member Elisabeth Baluh, Global Events Meeting Planner at the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) in Tulsa, OK. My favorite food is: Today, my favorite food is homemade sushi. My next dream trip is to: I would love to visit Italy. I think seeing the caves and grottos would be a lot of
A big Thank You to the following individuals who either became a new Heartland Chapter member or renewed their membership during the first half (January – June) of this year. Our apologies if we inadvertently missed anyone from this list. And, a hearty WELCOME to all our new Chapter members! Pamela Hoffmann, CMP, Senior Meetings
By: Missy Johnson, Principal, MJMeetings, LLC I’m bothered by a current and growing trend in our society. It seems that the public is numb to the meaning of the RSVP for parties, events or invitations to just about any occasion. RSVP is a widely known acronym for Répondez s’il vous plait, which is a French
If you haven’t Liked us on Facebook or aren’t yet following the Chapter’s Twitter, it’s time get social! The Heartland Chapter uses both its Facebook page and its Twitter account to communicate important Chapter news and updates – important information that supplements what you read on the Chapter’s website. More than 115 people already have
By: Michael Farr, CASE, CGMP, Senior Sales Manager, Hyatt Regency Tulsa Tulsa hosted the first ever PCMA Lunch and Learn Wednesday, March 21 to much excitement and success. Produced by Chapter members Michael Farr and Danielle Wright, the event had 53 in attendance not only from Tulsa, but also from Oklahoma City, Northwest Arkansas and Southeastern
Heartland Chapter Networking Reception September 14, 2017 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. The Fontaine, 901 W. 48th Street Kansas City, MO Mix and mingle with your industry colleagues at The Fontaine (formerly Hotel Sorella) on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Heartland Chapter State of the Hospitality Industry Presentation & Reception November 16,
By: Sarah Morrissey, CMP, Director of Meetings and Events, Distinctive Meetings Inc. On Friday, June 16, the Heartland Chapter formed a regional Day of Service by volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club in four different cities within the region. Over 20 volunteers in Tulsa, St. Charles, Kansas City and Olathe participated. The Boys and
