ILEA President's Letter: What’s Happening in Your ILEA World?
Friday, January 17, 2020
Photo credit: BoothEasy
By Jennifer Trethewey, CSEP
Hi everyone,
To our global ILEA Family: Happy New Year, and welcome to 2020. We hope a new decade brings you happiness and success and that we get to see even more of each other through this crazy world of events.
New Year’s Eve seems a distant memory, and yet it was only two weeks ago! The Australian bushfires have been top of mind for everyone down here. I cannot thank you enough for your texts, emails and calls, and for sending thoughts and your support. I am so grateful to have such caring colleagues.
Let’s change gears and talk about you, what’s happening in the world of events and, more importantly, ILEA. I want to give you some insights into the last few months and talk about what’s coming up.
Board of Governors
I mentioned at ILEA Live 2019 in Minneapolis how lucky we are to have such great, diverse talent on the Board of Governors. But at that time, I didn't realise “how” great until the last few months — the collaboration and support has been incredible.
However, we’re disappointed to advise that Tera Greenwood, upon taking on a new national role, has resigned from the board just before Christmas. On behalf of ILEA, we cannot thank Tera enough for the time and commitment she has given our association over the last eight years.
Regional Vice Presidents
One of the board’s strategic goals was to increase the information and messaging that is shared with RVPs. They are the key people on the ground, working beside our chapter leaders. In light of the ongoing change in our association and the live events industry, there needs to be strong, efficient lines of communication.
The many important topics and outcomes that result from our board meetings need to be timely and efficiently communicated and filtered to our community of chapter leaders. Tiffanie, Kristen, Kevin, Jane, India and Monique have upped the ante this year and proved that they play one of the most important roles in our organisation. We appreciate their dedication and the time they have put in … we cannot do this without you! I will be sharing more on chapters later in this message.
MPI/Yardstick/CSEP
At ILEA Live 2019, Sara Grauf, CSEP, announced the exciting collaboration and initiatives we recently instigated with Meetings Professional International (MPI) and Yardstick.
Collaboration seems to be the new “normal” around the world! In Australia, the business landscape is changing, and everyone is collaborating in some shape or form. From conferences and forums to sports events and big brand names, the globe is collaborating to leverage our collective skills and expertise, working beside one another to influence and expose brands and services to reach new markets. It makes sense, and we are excited our collaborative strategy is on track.
I’d like to extend massive thanks to our volunteers who traveled to Toronto in October, on their own time and dime, to participate in the roundtable discussion about the ILEA/Yardstick collaboration: Kimberly Beaune, CSEP, CMP; Eileen Bistrisky, CSEP, MBA, CMC; Amy Dearth, CSEP; Rachel Gilmour, CSEP, CMP; Elizabeth Nutting, CSEP; Jody Paulson, CSEP; Terry Singleton, CSEP, CDMP; Sally Webb, CSEP; and Kevin White, CSEP.
We will provide an update about the evolution of the CSEP program in our Town Hall webinar in February.
Membership participation in ILEA’s Education Spotlight webinars and other event education offerings is growing, and we are on course to deliver our new CSEP program in 2020.
If you haven’t already, check out the content and education on the ILEA On-Demand Education Portal.
Membership
We are always looking for new ways to engage and increase our membership. So many chapters have hit it out of the ballpark with their membership recruitment events and initiatives. With Jennifer LaGraff, Tom Kura, Debbie Cormier and Victoria Petersen driving our International Membership and Marketing Committee, we know we will see change.
ILEA has so much competition out there. The solution is converting members at the chapter level.
Toward the end of this message, you will read about some of the amazing events and initiatives chapters are executing that I hope you use for inspiration in your own chapter. Why reinvent the wheel?
ILEA Live 2020 — Esprit Awards and Spirit of Excellence Awards
Thank you all for your patience. We know it’s been a bit frustrating, and we share your frustration. A few curveballs have taken a bit longer to work through, but we will have an exciting announcement about ILEA Live 2020 by 24 January.
We are not only excited about the destination but also about the change in conferencing delivery — melding personal development with aspirational learning. We hope you feel it’s worth the wait. We have listened to your feedback and put much of this in place for 2020.
Our ILEA Live 2020 task force is made up of rock stars: chair Lisa Marks, CSEP; Morgan Doan, CSEP; Corinne Kessel, CSEP; and Dana Macauley, CSEP. Thanks for your incredible work, endurance and creativity!
Mr. Esprit, JC York, is once again taking charge of the ILEA Esprit Awards Gala this year. JC is a passionate leader and driver of our annual industry awards gala, and we will hear more from him in the coming months.
HQ Team
Marlee, Paige, Ande, Liz, Erin, Violet, Tyler, Tasha, Priyanka and the entire SmithBucklin team have been bunkered down to help us get ready for 2020. Wow, this team has put the hours in and done some serious work! They love ILEA and are passionate about our success. We so appreciate what they do for us.
What’s Happening in Your ILEA World?
Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Middle East, Europe, Hong Kong, Nigeria ...
Check out what’s been happening around the world in ILEA’s global chapters for great ideas and inspiration!
Let’s start with our ILEA family in the Middle East and United Kingdom:
RVP Jane Hague — EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Region
Raising the ILEA bar at Confex was a great idea and opportunity for members in the United Kingdom.
ILEA Middle East held their annual industry dinner at Address Montgomerie. More than 200 guests attended this amazing event. As always, Dubai didn't disappoint.
ILEA Nigeria just held an education session about clarifying strategies, goals and alignment for 2020 with two business coaches.
ILEA Europe excels in collaborative partnerships, including one with International Festival of Brand Experience (BrandEx) and another with Event Day 2019 as spearheaded by board member Erik Kastner.
RVP India Rhodes, CSEP — Southwest Region
ILEA Arizona hosted their 13th Annual Zonies Awards. This sold-out event was a rainbow explosion!
ILEA Austin held an education event about sustainability's impact on the guest experience.
ILEA Dallas held an industry holiday event benefiting the DFW Humane Society.
ILEA Houston will host the Texas Star Awards on 23 February 2020. They are excited to bring all the Texas chapters together for this occasion.
ILEA San Antonio has a members-only book club that focuses on business and personal development literature.
ILEA New Orleans is celebrating the holidays with a behind-the-scenes tour of holiday displays throughout various iconic hotels.
ILEA Nashville held an education event with local event designers to discuss the ins and outs of working in design.
ILEA Southwest region is still quite proud of being recognized as region of the year at ILEA Live 2019.
(So you all should be. We are proud of ILEA Southwest!)
RVP Kevin Molesworth, CSEP — West Region
ILEA Las Vegas hosted a Friendsgiving event at the Blind Center of Nevada where the entire meal was prepared and served by staff that are blind/visually impaired. The band that performed was also blind, and they called themselves "Broken Spectacles." Yes, they all had great senses of humour!
ILEA Northern California has an American Sign Language interpreter at their educational meetings for those who are deaf/hearing impaired.
ILEA Seattle had an educational meeting with Chef Eric Rivera, named Seattle's Chef of the Year, where he spoke about entrepreneurship and innovation, and he personally prepared a seven-course dinner for all attendees.
ILEA Portland hosted Richard Foulkes, CSEP, all the way from the United Kingdom to speak at a recent meeting and live-streamed the entire presentation to seven other chapters across the United States and Canada.
ILEA San Diego partnered with the local NACE chapter for a holiday event that welcomed nearly 300 guests for an evening full of entertainment, great food and networking.
ILEA Denver celebrated their 20th anniversary with a 1980s prom-themed party featuring lots of gowns with big, puffy shoulder pads, live performers and classic, full-size arcade games.
ILEA Napa Sonoma is producing two to three educational and networking events each month to provide superior value to their members.
Affiliate Chair Canada — Liz Nutting, CSEP
ILEA Edmonton held an education session about active shooters, inviting a survivor of the Las Vegas shooting.
ILEA Vancouver held their Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-themed industry party in December.
ILEA Toronto held an event focused on food with some local hot chefs on the panel.
ILEA Calgary hosted their annual sock drive in December, donating socks to the homeless.
ILEA Canada is kicking butt on extended memberships with four new members recruited in Edmonton, one in Toronto and one in Calgary in the very first week.
RVP Tiffanie Rosier — Southeast Region
ILEA Orlando raised $3,000 at the Aces Charity event and donated the money to the SEARCH Foundation and the Bananas Hurricane Relief Project in October.
Every president from ILEA Southeast was able to attend ILEA Live 2019 and Leadership Live along with several of their board members.
RVP Monique Jeffrey, CSEP — Northeast Region
ILEA Rhode Island collected money for the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless at their holiday party in December.
ILEA Boston started an ILEA Boston Members Facebook group this fall to provide an additional space for members to ask questions and seek and offer support.
ILEA New York participated in BizBashNY in October and is hosting an all-industry summit in January.
ILEA New Jersey collected mittens for the homeless at their holiday party in December.
RVP Kristen Porchia — Midwest Region
ILEA Cleveland has been restructuring the way they host their meetings, alternating different types of meeting each month. One month is fully educational and the next month is all networking. They have seen a huge spike in meeting attendance, including members bringing colleagues to the networking meetings. which has helped drive membership and retention.
ILEA Chicago finished 2019 strong by hosting a “give-back” meeting where they hosted a networking mixer and donated $2,000 to a local charity that supports youth in foster homes.
ILEA Indiana was having a difficult time competing with other local professional groups. Instead of working against them, they reached out and built a strong partnership with the local MPI, NACE and ABC chapters, hosing a joint meeting with each organization. They gained new interest in membership, appealed to a new group of potential members and profited from each meeting, which they will invest in their membership.
ILEA Detroit (where marijuana recently was legalized) hosted the most highly attended meeting thus far on the subject of cannabis and how it changes the event industry.
ILEA Minneapolis/St. Paul continues to be a powerhouse and has been providing members with amazing speakers to include keynotes by Kristin Banta.
All Midwest chapters have hosted a mid-year retreat, and Detroit will be hosting a Midwest regional retreat 9–10 February.
And Finally
The Australian Open starts in one week, which is always the hottest time of the year in Australia. I love tennis and our summers, but we must pray for rain. Queensland has been in drought for over three years now.
I look forward to talking to you all on the Town Hall webinar in mid-February. Don't miss our announcement for ILEA Live 2020 next week!
See ya soon!
JT
Jennifer Trethewey, CSEP
ILEA President
Tags: ILEA Live , ILEA , President's Letter