The January 18^th SGMPAZ lunch at the Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort & Suites was a full house! It was hosted by Sales Manager Laura Litke, who  chose a wonderful healthy fresh soup and salad lunch for everyone to start off their New Years resolution right. 

The Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort, located in the heart of Scottsdale, features 25- acres of beautiful grounds at the base of Camelback Mountain.  The casita guestrooms give you a residential feel with everything you need to feel at home.  Renovations done in 2010 now has pool rooms off the main Oasis Pool.  With 7,760 square feet of indoor event space for meetings, weddings or special events that can accomodate from 25 to 400.

Our  guest speaker was Fran Tropea, CMP, a government planner member that  works for the City of Phoenix in Procurement.

The topic of the meeting was “The Nitty Gritty Details of a Conference Budget”, in which Fran outlined a “Step by Step” process to help you estimate attendees, costs, revenue, the breakeven point for the budget of a conference. Fran has been a member of SGMP for over 20 years and fully understands the ins & outs of planning great meetings on a restricted government budget. Fran’s presentation taught us how to determine the Fixed & Variable expenses of  the event, before setting the registration fee. Fran developed an itemized expense worksheet to estimate the revenues and costs for any event.  

Key points of the formula that were discussed:

Revenue:

Registration

Fundraisers

Exhibitor fees

Costs: 

• Conference brochure design

• Keynote Speaker
• F/B  - Lunch, Welcome Reception, AM/PM Snacks
• Scholarships
• Award/Recognition Gifts
• Room Rental
• Setting up Electronic Registration
• Entertainment – Band or DJ 

Remember to invite more people than you anticipate showing up,  or attitution, because it all comes down to the bottom line, the “Profit”. You don’t want to come up short in case an unexpected expense pops up.

Fran kept the audience engaged  and on their toes by asking questions and concluded with a math quiz at the end of the meeting. Yes, she provided the answers too!

 Article contributed by Ginny Brown                                                                                                          Government Meeting Planner - AZ Department of Transportation

The February monthly program meeting focused on unique venues for a small business meeting. The program committee chose Coach and Willie's Restuarant which is centrally located in Downtown Phoenix.     

Located at 412 S. Third St.between Jackson & Buchanan Streets, this resturant is located in an historic brick building and it’s down the street from the Light Rail and just a few steps from Chase Field and the US Airways Center.

 Walk through the iron gates of Coach & Willie’s outdoor patio including a water fountain filled with an understated ambience. Get ready to enjoy what they have to offer, a very quaint old fashion pub hospitality. You walk into a sunken mahogany bar with a view of the staff cooking in the open kitchen. There are plenty of big-screen TVs through out Coach & Willie’s showing all the sporting events of the day. They offer a nice selection of reasonably priced food and beverages, from burgers to chicken dinner. Try their $7  delicious lunch specials and free parking!  

When you venture upstairs to their V.I.P. room, your group of 15-20 people will be comfortable and have access to a private patio that looks Downtown Phoenix.  

Coach & Willie’s is Sports Bar that offers great hospitality, friendly people and is a great place to relax and enjoy yourself.   Call Jason at 602-254-5272 to arrange your next meeting at Coach & Willie's

The guest speaker was Karolyn Kiburz, CMP of Meeting and Concierges Sources, LLC on Special Venues for Extra Special Events. Professional planning to make each event unique and an individual experience.  With innovative ideas for indoor, outdoor, patio, lake, park, bowling alley, museum or theater venues and special planning tips and contracts that comes with them.  

To get the members excited about attending the National Education Conference in New Orleans in May and in true Mardi Gras flavor, the New Orleans CVB sent Mardi Gras beads, masks, jazz CDs, Zipps chips, and pralines. Rebecca Landry from the Western Regional Office, personally invited the members to attend NEC in the Big Easy and enjoy everything that the City has to offer.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez - or let the good times roll!

Article contributed by Helen Turner-Epple                                                                                                  Government Planner - AZ Board of Nursing

Keep bringing planner guests to the complimentary program meetings.  Our educational topics speak for themselves.  SGMP Arizona  added 4 more new members for March!  The Chapter  is really taking advantage of the 30th Anniversary Planner membership drive and our chapter is healthy and growing!   Interested in Membership with SGMP Arizona?  Don’t hesitate to contact Teresa McCormack(teresa.mccormack@azed.gov) or Francie Christopher (Francie.christopher@doubletreephoenix.com). 

All suppliers must join with one government planner!  We look forward to welcoming you to our chapter in future months.  

Welcome and thank you to our new members.  THE CHAPTER IS GROWING STRONG!

 Welcome new members!

March 2012

Marty Brown, Glendale Civic Center (supplier)

Laura Dudzik, Dept of Education (planner)

Jeff Curwen, AZ Association of Counties (planner)

Isabel Kim, Westin La Paloma/Starwood Hotel (supplier) 

February 2012

Penny Allpin, Wigwam Arizona Resort (supplier)

Carey Carnahan, Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa (supplier)

Mireyda Leal, Dept of Transportation (planner)

Phyllis Lewis, Dept of Transportation (planner) 

January 2012

Kaci Feldman, JW Marriiott Las Vegas (supplier)

Pamela Lynn, City of Phoenix (planner)

Phyllis Seitts, Bureau of Land Management (planner)

Parley Stock, The Saguaro (supplier)

 Make sure you greet them at the next meeting and say HELLO!  

Member Profile Questionnaire  

Government Meeting Planner:   Virginia (Ginny) Brown

 State Agency: ADOT – MVD Driver Improvement Program

 What you enjoy about your position? 

 I work with drivers that had their driving privileges revoked because of DUI’s, so most customers are not very happy. But once in a while you come across a customer that is truly grateful for my help in assisting them in getting their license back. That makes my job completely worth it. 

 Married or Single:   Married 33 wonderful years to Jim Brown

 Children: 1 Son, Jimmy, 1 Daughter, Rachel, and 3 adorable grandsons 

Where I grew up:  Lived in New Jersey until I was 11, and then we moved to Phoenix

Hobby:  I love Decorating Cakes

Favorite Vacation spot:  I love going on cruises and visiting other countries

 If I had a superpower:  I would like to have the power to travel anywhere I think about instantly

 What makes you happy?  Helping those not as fortunate as I myself, and spending time with my family. 

 Three words or less:   Count Your Blessings

 Hamburger or filet mignon:   Filet Mignon

What do you like about SGMPAZ?   I love the networking; I’ve made so many lifelong friends. I’m looking forward to going to New Orleans for the National Education Conference in May! The workshops and classes are wonderful!  SGMPAZ provides so many resources and educational opportunities.  

 Favorite part of being a meeting planner/supplier:   I love the challenge of picking a venue, the food and beverage, speaker, and then the feeling of accomplishment when the meeting is over.

What do you think we can look forward to in government meetings?   I think as the economy gets stronger we will have more opportunities to plan better meetings assisting the Arizona hotel industry at the same time. 

Congratulations to our Scholarship recipients for NEC 2012 – Ginny Brown and Fran Tropea!  They are thrilled to have the chance to attend the National Education Conference in New Orleans and represent Arizona.  Their active involvement in our chapter and their huge membership drive commitment helped them earn the opportunity to go to National on us!

The monthly raffle proceeds and money raised at the Silent Auction  go 100% into our scholarship efforts.  Our goal is to get everyone the opportunity to attend NEC.   

It’s so easy to start planning now to have the opportunity to attend next year’s conference!  Our scholarship application is a standardized process based on your participation in the chapter within the calendar year.  Every meeting you attend, new member that you refer, years of membership or committee involvement gets you closer to have an opportunity to attend the conference.   It’s an easy point accumulation of items you are already doing. 

Start documenting now and we may be sending you to Orlando, FL in 2013!

Getting Your Return on Investment (ROI)

By Shelley Mann, CGMP, Director of Government Sales, Hilton World Wide

We on the Supplier side tend to always talk about Return on Investment (ROI).  It is ingrained in us from our very beginnings in this industry.  We want to know what we are going to get back for the energy we put in to each task or opportunity we take on.  But have you planners thought about your ROI? 

In these increasingly difficult times to be a Federal or State planner, it is extremely important that planners begin to focus on their Return on Investment and how to increase this valuable tool in your planning arsenal!  And make no mistake; SGMP is here to assist you so let’s find out how you can arm yourself:

1. Attend your monthly chapter meetings!  The training you get here is extremely valuable and getting more so with the focus on the Meeting Core Competencies!
2. Network!  The relationships you build at SGMP events with fellow planners as well as suppliers will benefit you in many ways over your planning career.  That person sitting or standing next to you may have the answer to an issue you have been dealing with on a meeting or may have the ideal facility to host your next event.  
3. Volunteer!  Whether it is by running for a chapter office or by volunteering for a committee, you will get far more out of SGMP than you give into it when you become part of the leadership.  On top of that, you gain valuable experience in a leadership role that can assist you in your career path!
4. Show the Suppliers the ROI!  Let’s face it…the suppliers show up for your monthly events most of all to spend the time with YOU.  If planners are not showing up to the events, suppliers are going to stop as well and then where will you be?  Show your suppliers support!

I know in these tough times of reduced budgets and being asked to do more with less that getting out of the office (whether you have to take vacation time or not) is difficult but if you make the effort and invest your time and energy, your ROI will increase.  Attend the meetings and give yourself the tools you need to make yourself a success!

11 Ways to Think Like a Connector Instead of a Networker

Friday, February 3, 2012 by Jenise Fryatt

 I've recently been asked by several people how it is that I seem to easily find paid work that I love. While I'm not on the fast-track to wealth, I have been very fortunate in the last few years and I've been thinking about what made it all possible.

In all cases, I wasn't actively looking for work though I certainly had my ears perked up. Also, in all cases, I was offered jobs by friends or friends of friends that I had made online. I would say that the number one reason I made such a positive impression on these people was that I helped them without seeking anything in return.

Once I committed to a strategy of engaging, informing and retweeting on social media, helping others and building relationships with them became what I did.  I did it to help my audio visual company, Icon Presentations. Not only has my business improved as a result, but I have grown and reaped many rewards on a personal level. 

One of my online friends, Dennis Shiao, today pointed my attention to this article in Entrepreneur Magazine, about how it's much better to connect than to network.  It got me thinking about the habits that have been instrumental in improving my business "luck."  Here are a few.

1. Help Everyone

Seriously. Don't size them up before you lift your finger. No matter who you help you have to trust that the good you do will come back to you in some form or another. Adopt this as a habit and you will see what I mean in short order.

2. Don't Wait to Be Asked to Help
You have to train your brain to always ask, "How can I help?" And once you have the answer just do it! This doesn't usually come easy.  I watched others. For instance, my friend Lindsay Fultz was always posting things on her Facebook wall promoting her online friends.  I learned from her and others like her.

3. When You Are Asked, Do not Miss That Opportunity
If someone actually asks for your help and you have the time and/or resources to comply, make sure that you do. It usually takes a lot for someone to ask for your help. Don't leave them hanging, if you can avoid it. They will remember you for it.

4. Compliment and Encourage
Compliments and words of encouragement cost nothing. Yet most people actually value this feedback more than money. Don't be stingy. When someone does something you admire, let them know!

5. Introduce People
You can actively introduce two people who you know will benefit by knowing each other.  Or you can invite several people to a get together such as a tweet up or a Google+ hangout.
 
6. Be Friendly
If someone you don't know tries to start a conversation online with you, don't ignore them. Answer them.  It's pretty easy to leave a conversation if you find the person is rude, too friendly or just trying to sell you something.  Don't be shy about initiating conversations with strangers.  I have found that doing so online is MUCH easier than it is face to face.

7. Take a Chance
Be bold and take risks.  Someone asked me to lead a session on improv at a peer driven conference last year. I said yes. As a result I now blog and speak about how improv concepts can help people. That is just one example of the many ways in which taking a chance has benefited me.

8. Be Open, Do not Limit Your Friendships
I've heard it said that you should only follow or friend people who are in your niche or who look like they might benefit you.  If I'd taken that advice, I never would have met Amit Verma, a 16-year-old kid from India who has introduced me to some of the most influential people on Twitter.

9. Think the Best of People and Try Not to Judge
Spoken language itself is fraught with misinterpretation. When you limit visual cues the way that online communication does, you enter a virtual minefield of misunderstanding. It's always best to give people the benefit of the doubt.

10. Take Your Online Friendships Offline
Anytime you have the opportunity to meet an online friend offline, take it!! Online friendships that were strengthened in this way have become my A-team support for everything I do.

11. Be Grateful and Express It Often
Don't take your network for granted.  Whatever I've achieved wasn't my own individual accomplishment. Yes, I have a few skills that are useful to people. But lots of folks have that. It's my network of friends that has helped me to benefit from those skills. They've encouraged, supported, educated and promoted me. Not only is gratitude the appropriate response, but I know that expressing it keeps things moving in a positive direction.