convene PCMA ® PUBLISHER Deborah Sexton, (312) 423-7210

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Sherrif Karamat, CAE, (312) 423-7247

CONVENE EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Michelle Russell, mrussell@pcma.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christopher Durso, cdurso@pcma.org SENIOR EDITOR Barbara Palmer, bpalmer@pcma.org SENIOR EDITOR Hunter R. Slaton, hslaton@pcma.org ART DIRECTION Mitch Shostak, Roger Greiner Shostak Studios Inc., (212) 979-7981 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jennifer N. Dienst;Maureen Littlejohn

CONVENE ADVERTISING

DIRECTOR, PARTNER RELATIONS & ADVERTISING Mona Simon, (312) 423-7244, msimon@pcma.org

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Wendy Krizmanic (AK, CT, DC, DE, ID, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, NV, OR, PA, RI, VT,WA) phone:(312) 636-9254; e-mail: wkrizmanic@pcma.org

Mary Lynn Novelli, CMP (AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OH, SC, TN, VA,WV, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Carribbean) Dallas, TX; phone:(312) 423-7212; fax:(469) 574-5590; e-mail:mnovelli@pcma.org

Albert Pereira (AZ, CA, HI, NM, OK, TX, UT, Canada) 345 Kingston Road, Suite 203, Pickering, Ontario, Canada L1V 1A1; phone: (312) 423-7277; fax: (905) 509-6810; e-mail:apereira@pcma.org

Mary Lou Sarmiento (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO,MT, ND, NE, SD, WI,WY, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand) 1033W. Taylor Street, Suite 1E, Chicago, IL 60607; phone:(312) 636-0636; fax:(312) 896-7397; e-mail:msarmiento@pcma.org

Ken Torres (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central andSouth America, Caribbean) P.O. Box 9128, Miramar Beach, FL 32550; phone:(850) 837-5177; fax:(850) 837-5277; e-mail:ktorres@pcma.org

MANAGER, PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION Keisha Reed, (312) 423-7246 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kathleen Mulvihill, (312) 423-7236

PCMA OFFICERS

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Susan R. Katz, True Value Company

CHAIR-ELECT Kent E. Allaway, CEM, CMP, Produce Marketing Association

SECRETARY-TREASURER Johnnie C. White, CMP, Cardiovascular Research Foundation

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Kati S. Quigley, CMP, Microsoft Corporation

PCMA DIRECTORS Willie L. Benjamin II, International Reading Association

Hunter Clemens,CMP, Association Management Group/Meetings Management Laurie Fitzgerald,CMP, Allstate Insurance Company Ben Goedegebuure, Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre James S. Goodman,CMP,American Dental Association Richard B. Green, Marriott International Mary PatHeftman, National Restaurant Association Christine Klein,CMP,meetings and business development consultant Raymond J. Kopcinski,CMP, Million Dollar RoundTable Carrie Freeman Parsons, Freeman WilliamF. Reed,CMP, Experient Inc. James E. Rooney, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Randall Tanaka,Hawaii Convention Center ChristopherWehking,CMP,American Society of Anesthesiologists DonWelsh, Chicago Convention&Tourism Bureau

David L.Williams,CMP, International Association for Energy Economics

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of PCMA.

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PCMA@LinkedIn: Valuing the CMP

LASONIAHOLMES,CMP, regional supervisor for event plan- ning/operations with Franciscan Health System, recently postedthis question toPCMA’sLinkedIn group: “Does theCMPdesignationcarry moreweight thana bachelor’s degree? What industry positions require both?” Here aresomeof the responses

that she received:

HEREWASMYEXPERIENCE: With a master’s degree in adult edu- cation, I had been leading a team of meeting professionals in producing high-level research-to-practice con- ferences at a graduate school of pub- lic health. For several years we had been the planners for a [Florida] Department of Health conference, and had actually managed a merger of that conference with an associa- tion since the target audiences were virtually the same. Then things changed, and because of the dollar value of the contract, it had to go out for bid. Lo and behold, aCMP was required. Thoughmyteam had collectively over 50 years’ experi- ence, and we had been doing this conference for years, we no longer qualified to make a proposal. The conclusion:Pay the money and get the CMP; it is nowadays simply easier. Ginger Phillips,CMM Owner Arden Solutions

IEARNEDTHECMPDESIGNA- tion two years ago after being in the business close to 30 years, and even though I was thrilled to pass the test, the new designation meant absolute- ly nothing tomyemployer and I certainly didn’t receive any mone- tary reward for it. Iamproud, how-

ever, to be acknowledged as “certified” bymypeers, and I wish more experience was required to qualify for the test. Penny Pina,CMP Director of Meetings and Conferences American Mathematical Society

ABACHELOR’SDEGREEISA minimum requirement in many organizations for manager-level positions and to advance through the management ranks to the execu- tive level. TheCMPcertainly enhances a planner’s professional growth, but experience and a college degree usually count more. I would not be likely to hire aCMPwith only three years of experience if I was looking for someone with at least 10 years of experience. But if I had two qualified candidates with comparable experience and only one of them was aCMP, theCMP would have the edge inmybook because I believe there is great value in the designation. AmyChisholm, CAE,CMP Director of Conventions and Meetings BOMA International

ITHINKTHEREISVALUE IN both the [bachelor’s degree] and the CMP—the former for a broader education and the latter for a nar- rower purpose. If I were hiring a senior manager, it would mean more to me the level of their experience and what they can bring tomybusi- ness. Hiring theCMPwould be more strategic for someone doing the day-to-day work of meeting planning. Laura Heavrin,CMP HR Programs Specialist Automatic Data Processing

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