Past Chapter president Missy Johnson, CMP, Principal/CEO, MJMeetings LLC, shares this good advice and these insights with us today:

Question: What are good questions to ask a fellow Chapter member when meeting her/him for the first time?
Missy: What made you want to join PCMA and the Heartland Chapter? What do you expect to get out of your membership?

Question: What is a best practice tip you like to share with fellow meeting planners?
Missy: Always put yourself first! This profession is hard and if you don’t make time for #1, you’ll burn out really fast!

Question: What are good ways to get the most from your PCMA membership?
Missy: Volunteer! You only get out of it what you put into it so you MUST put yourself on a committee as soon as possible!

Question: What is the one industry trend you are most worried about and why?
Missy: The continuing rise of food and beverage prices. I know food costs are high and continue to go up but soon we’ll be at a tipping point of what groups can afford.

Question: What is the one industry trend you are most excited about and why?
Missy: I’m jazzed about the trend that gets attendees ‘moving’ more. Getting attendees up and out of their typical room-sets and banquet chairs into unique seating styles and healthier options like yoga, stretching or running before and in-between sessions.