International Students Night, 2011

Video created by Jordan Hathaway

Tourism students representing the Event Management and Hospitality minors at Central Michigan University host “International Students Night”. The event is a culmination of 14 weeks content specific to culture shock, assimilation, acculturation, globalization, cultural diversity, and ethnocentrism. The event breaks down barriers, encourages unity, and allows students to make new friends.

CMU at 2011 CMA Award Show

Guest blogger and video created by Jordan Hathaway, CMU senior

Recently, ten Central Michigan University Event Management minor students from CMU’s student chapter of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) traveled down to Nashville, Tennessee, also known as Music City, to volunteer at country music’s biggest night… the 2011 Country Music Association’s Awards Show. This one-night event consists of 12 award categories and performances from the top country music stars along with plenty of tomorrow’s stars.

The morning of the award show the group worked on a marketing and promotions team with a CMA staff member to excite the streets of Nashville. With iPads in hand, they signed up hundreds of county music’s biggest fans for five chances to win a pair of tickets to the event. Even if they did not win, they had the same CMA guitar pic used by the hottest artists performing that evening to hand to them.

Just before the event took way, the group met up with another CMA staff member on the evening’s second largest stage — the red carpet! The CMU MPI students had the opportunity to serve as personal escorts to many celebrities, transporting the artists from the backstage area to the arena VIP section.

Behind the scenes, they had the opportunity to mingle with dozens of CMA staff members and volunteers who share the passion of special event production. The group was also able to catch a few short performances just before they were quickly summoned to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to work the CMA Post Party, concluding the volunteerism part of the experience. Their roles at this venue were to meet and greet the exclusive attendees and to direct them upstairs to the Hall of Fame rotunda where the silent auction and the winner of the Food Network’s Cupcake Challenge was located.

After returning home, catching their breath, and being able to take everything in, they can now share this experience and knowledge with their peers in the event management minor program at CMU. This opportunity provided them with real-world experience and an understanding of what it takes to succeed in such a competitive industry.

Follow CMU event management students on Twitter @CMUMPI and find our group on Facebook at MPI Central Michigan University Student Club.

LDR200 Flashmob and Service in Rogers City

Created by Tracy Burton, EHS Life

About 50 Central Michigan University students recently spent a day renovating the new Purple Martin Nature Center & Lakeside Inn of Rogers City, a destination deemed to one day change the lives of foster children and promote nature conservation.

Students participated in the daylong project as part of the curriculum for the leadership minor at CMU – one the largest and fastest growing minor programs on campus. The program encourages students to engage in service-learning initiatives that create social change.

Purple Martin Nature Center & Lakeside Inn was recently certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat. The mission of the Inn is to not only provide an ultimate retreat, but for the owner, Cindy Vezinau, to fulfill a lifelong passion of providing a respite program to children in the foster care system.

Leading in Las Vegas

Guest blogger Kara Waldecker, CMU junior
Video created by Jordan Hathaway, CMU senior

On October 10, 2011, seven (7) student members of Central Michigan University (CMU) Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Student Club departed from Mount Pleasant, MI to travel to Las Vegas, NV for the Future Leaders Forum (FLF) at IMEX America.  IMEX America is America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings, and events.  FLF is a program that has been created to give students insider information about the meetings and incentive travel industry.  Additionally, FLF is designed to help students grow from both a professional and personal standpoint.  There were ninety-five (95) students participating in this Future Leaders Forum from numerous universities.  Central Michigan University was honored to have the second-largest group of students in attendance at the forum.

The Future Leaders Forum (FLF) provides many programs to enhance student development in the meetings and events industry.  Prior to the Forum, students were given the opportunity to participate in a Global Experience Video Challenge to showcase why they want to build a career in the meetings industry.  This challenged the students to enhance their technology skills in an innovative manner.  Two students from CMU, Lindsay Ostin and Kara Waldecker, were selected to show their videos at FLF for a chance to win a sponsored trip to IMEX Frankfurt 2012.   These two students received numerous compliments for their efforts in video production and enthusiasm towards developing a career in the meetings industry.

The FLF participants were also faced with a challenge while attending the forum: they were required to form a group with 3-4 other students and develop an elevator pitch to present to Tamara Kennedy, President of the Green Meeting Industry Council, on why her group should hold their next annual convention in Las Vegas.  The students were not allowed to work with anyone else from their home university, so this was a great opportunity for CMU’s students to meet other student attendees.  All participants learned what it was like to work with a diverse population to achieve a goal on a deadline.  For the students who were selected to be their group’s spokesperson, it was a challenge to get up in front of the entire group and be confident that their proposal was the best.  In the end, the winning group, which included CMU student Lindsay Ostin, received student memberships to the Green Meeting Industry Council for one year.

Overall, this was an incredible experience for CMU MPI students to have the opportunity to participate in.  The students were not only able to grow and learn about the industry, but they were also able to connect with numerous influential industry professionals.  Every speaker that presented at the Future Leaders Forum had plentiful industry experience.  These speakers would take their time meeting with FLF participants following their presentations.  Our students were able to visit the tradeshow floor and network with industry professionals of their choice.  Additionally, through networking with industry leaders, several student members were able to attend a private reception that allowed for networking with even more professionals.  Attending the Future Leaders Forum at IMEX America was the experience of a lifetime for the seven students from CMU who were able to participate.  However, the benefits do not stop there.  Five of the seven CMU attendees are on the executive board for Central Michigan University’s Student Club of Meeting Professionals International.  We plan to take the knowledge we have received and use it for the overall welfare of our group.  We will be presenting a summary of our experience to the other members of CMU MPI at our next meeting.   Additionally, the FLF attendees from CMU will be available to answer any questions that members may have about this experience.  We will work to incorporate lessons learned at FLF into each of our meetings so that we can share the benefits with as many people as possible.  The seven of us who attended FLF as representatives from CMU MPI have grown, as individuals and the knowledge we have gained will help us as we search for internships and careers.

Looking back at Cannes!

Created by Tracy Burton, EHS Life

A group of Central Michigan University students wrapped up the academic year in France where they helped carry out the world’s largest showcase of film: Festival De Cannes.

The 14 CMU students who participated in the project are minoring in event management, a program that includes specialized coursework and practical experience to help students develop the skills necessary to become successful event managers.

“Students worked behind the scenes during the entire festival,” said CMU faculty leader Lorie Tuma. “This kind of experience is invaluable to their future careers.”

 

See you in St. Louis, 2012 !!

Guest blogger Lindsay Ostin, CMU senior
Video created by Jordan Hathaway, CMU senior

Monday was the last day for MPI students at the World Education Congress (WEC, 2011) in Orlando.  Jordan and Lindsay started the day by attending a Meeting Design Excursion hosted by John Nawn (Founder of The Perfect Meeting).  Students toured the Convention Center as he pointed out things to consider about Customer Satisfaction, Customer Sacrifice, and Customer Surprise in the meeting industry.  During lunch, they had an opportunity to see teams from two different Loews hotels prepare lunch and compete in an Iron Chef competition.

Within and around the conference they met more people – many either knew of the CMU MPI group, or worked with a CMU Alumni from the Event Management minor.  The conference was filled with special touches too.  For example, Canine Companions for Independence brought dogs for conference attendees to play with as an effort to relieve some of the stress of the long days.  Lindsay also had a chance to attend Flash Point Idea Assembly – a revolving speakers forum that spends 15 minutes on trending topics.

Later in the day, they met up with members of the Michigan chapter for a reception at Copper Canyon in The Pointe Orlando.  Shortly after, they drove down I-Drive with future leaders and explored.  The student president from Tourism Toronto invited them in for a private party where they met even more people from all over the world. Later that evening they attended an event sponsored by the Detroit Metro CVB where they were able to spend time with other future leaders, MMPI members, MPI Board of Directors, and many other people they met throughout the weekend.

The conference has now come to a close and the students are home.  MPI’s WEC 2011 definitely delivered and was everything they hoped for.  They are ready to face the 2011-2012 year with new knowledge, new perspective, and an increased motivation to take even more students back next year to……St. Louis !!!!  Site of the MPI WEC 2012 !!!  Congratulations to Courtney Stanley, Craig Zubke, Jordan Hathaway, and Lindsay Ostin on a successful conference and here’s wishing you much luck for a wonderful, prosperous, and successful year!

RISE up! CMU students take the Stage!

MPI Rise Award

Guest blogger Lindsay Ostin, CMU senior

Yesterday was an exciting day in Orlando for CMU MPI!  Craig Zubke took the stage and presented the MPI Rise Award for Young Professional Achievement to recent Central Michigan University (CMU) graduate, Courtney Stanley for creating networking and hands-on opportunities for CMU Event Management students. Not 10 feet from the stage was Lindsay Ostin and Jordan Hathaway in reserved seating armed with smart phones and video cameras capturing the moment and tweeting the details to hundreds of followers!  The RISE Award is the single highest award a student can receive as recognition in the meeting/events industry.

After the ceremony, Lindsay emailed saying the RISE awards ceremony was incredible.  She further added, “I think everyone fell in love with Courtney when she said she was looking for a job.” After the ceremony, Jordan and Lindsay attended the Global Emerging Leaders Town Hall to learn about how MPI wants to appeal to young professionals followed by a session about networking which focused on tips and hints to make the most of your networking experiences.

This is Day 3 for CMU students who traveled from Michigan to attend this major conference.  Since their arrival in Orlando they have been rushing from one event to another and this morning was no exception.  It started with a session on MPI Membership, immediately followed by the World Education Congress opening session.  Keynote speakers included the director of the Orlando CVB and MPI’s CEO, followed by Simon Sinek who spoke about the “why?”. Lindsay had some down time and decided to spend it in the “Hive” – aka the technology hub – picking the brains of PSAV Presentation Service employees and finding out what they do.  Next was the “Blitz” which was a brief networking opportunity in the convention center stocked with hors d’ourves where she met up with Sherry Cummins (Michigan MPI) and joined her and other members of MMPI for dinner at Seasons 52. After dinner, they attended “The Big Deal” which was Vegas in Orlando live band and all!

From what I can tell, it looks like they keep running into other future leaders and meeting people from around the world. Lindsay says Courtney’s award really made people more aware of the Central Michigan University MPI student club and with every question, they are taking the opportunity to open more doors for more “Beyond Hands On” projects.

Aside from all the excitement, Lindsay admits the days are long and hot, and her feet are achy and blistered from wearing heels, but, (she adds), “man oh man, is this experience totally worth it!”  As the day ended, she had only one request, “Lorie, please remind everyone to keep following @CMUMPI on Twitter.”

LOL ~ That, I can do!   :>)

CMU MPI at the World Education Congress, Orando FL, 2011

Four students from CMU Meeting Professionals International (MPI) arrived yesterday in Orlando ready for a week of networking, education sessions, and exclusive events!  The day started early for Lindsay (Senior from Marine City and MPI President) and Jordan Hathaway (Senior from Zeeland and MPI Treasurer) who received grants from IMEX to attend this year’s event.

Guest blogger Lindsay Ostin, CMU senior

Upon arrival they proceeded to registration and then attended the Future Leaders Forum, an exclusive group that encourages the best and brightest students to enter the meetings and incentive travel industry.  They met several other future leaders from all over the world – Denver, Orlando, Canada, Poland, California, Virginia, and Oregon and heard former future leader, Renea Anderson talk about “Why Not You? Why Not Now?: Finding Your Significance”.  Lindsay told me she was amazing and encouraged them to know “who you are, what you want, and who you want to influence.”

Next, Miguel Neves (recipient of the 2009 Foundation Student Scholarship, and Director of Online Marketing UK & Ireland Chapter) spoke on social media.  He discussed the importance of having a professional presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and how EVERYONE should be on LinkedIn adding, “a recommendation on Linkedin is like a post-it note on your resume that everyone can see.” Lindsay and Jordan told them about their crazy instructor that adds them on Facebook.  Needless to say, this morning I have a new Facebook friend!

They also had a chance to see 3 university challenge finalists present their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) proposals.   After the session, they took the designated shuttle to EPCOT where the Land, the Living Seas, and Innovations West had been reserved exclusively for MPI to enjoy!  Each area was themed and had live performers walking around. The food was gourmet and delicious!  They also met people from the Detroit CVB and they promised they would give them t-shirts tomorrow that say “Viva Detroit.”

After returning to the hotel, they decided to do a little more networking before calling it a night.  According to Lindsay, this event is more than she expected.  “Lorie – I am loving this! Everything is too cool and the networking opportunities are endless!!”   Jordan agrees, “This is like the most amazing opportunity I could dream of. I have met professionals from all over the country from Vancouver to Ireland to Germany and other ‘future leaders’ from all over the US and Canada and Germany and Poland. (I actually talked to a University Challenge Winner from Warsaw, Poland and seen his winning presentation) this is amazing Lorie!!!”

Away from the excitement of EPCOT, Courtney Stanley (past-President of MPI and MPI RISE Award winner) and Craig Zubke (former MPI Treasurer and Future Leaders Award Scholarship Winner) were busy preparing for this afternoon’s award ceremony.  Craig will present Courtney with the award at 12:30 and she will give an acceptance speech in front of approximately 2,000 people!

More from Orlando soon….

CMU Event Students are “Country Strong”

Tuesday morning, 16 Event Management students from Central Michigan University (CMU) piled into their cars and headed south to volunteer at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. The 4-day music festival attended by over 400 artists, included 30 hours of autograph sessions with fans and over 150 hours of country music concerts on the stages of Riverfront Park and LP field.

The event management students that participated in this volunteer opportunity were selected through a comprehensive application process followed by months of preparation. According to MPI (Meeting Professionals International) student club President Lindsay Ostin, “The CMA trip was really designed for students interested in coordinating meetings, conferences, and special events.”  She further added, “…and if their passion was country music – well, that didn’t hurt either!”

Ostin, a senior from Marine City, Michigan posted updates on the MPI Facebook page and “tweeted” to followers in an effort to share the experience with other students.  Her posts indicate the group checked in on Tuesday and received wristbands for the award show.  On Wednesday, the students served as event escorts for country music’s hottest artists before the kickoff parade.  Other messages implied support at VIP parties, registration areas and the artist green room.  Students also served on fun teams and as zone floaters.

The CMA trip, although designed to be a working experience, came with a few perks.  When students were not working, they had opportunities to explore Nashville and learn more about tourism initiatives crafted around the CMA and country music culture.  They also attended concerts at the festival. “Tonight, we went to our first concert at LP Field and ended up on the floor 19 rows away from the stage!! Chris Young, Little Big Town, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, and Rascal Flatts were all scheduled to perform and surprise guests Big & Rich, Thompson Square, Gretchen Wilson, and Scotty and Lauren from American Idol all gave phenomenal performances.”

The CMA trip is just one of the several hands-on practical experiences available to event management students at Central Michigan University.  The event management minor, offered through the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services Administration is interdisciplinary and encourages students to participate in these experiences to better prepare them for the industry.  To date, students have volunteered at hundreds of events nation-wide, and provided exclusive support to major events such as the CMA, Cannes Film Festival, and the Boston Marathon.  Students also serve as volunteers for events in their hometowns and throughout Michigan.

Follow CMU event management students on Twitter @CMUMPI.

Students that served in Nashville with Lindsay included: Lauren Heilman, Alexa Snyder, Molly McCracken, Joe Paul, Heather Stankoviac, Sabrina Besaw, Tyler Champt, Jordan Hathaway, Leah Farrell, Abby Goetsch, Shelby Sunderman, Emily Lowthian, Taylor Rushing, Jessica Torok, Vittoria Valenti, and CMA student intern Courtney Stanley.

CMU at Cannes. “That’s a wrap!”

We landed safely in the USA and cleared customs without any problems.  Students claimed their luggage and as I hugged them all good-bye and sent them through the exit door to meet their parents/friends, I couldn’t help but be a little sad.  It has been an amazing journey and one I think we will all remember forever.  From beginning to end, this group of RPL students has worked through some of the toughest cultural challenges imaginable for the largest, most prestigious film festival in the world.  In addition, they also served as ambassadors for Central Michigan University, and demonstrated skills learned in the Event Management minor.

The 14 students that participated in this adventure now have an additional set of event planning skills specific to international cultures & behavior.  As a tribute to their efforts, enthusiasm, and demonstrated professionalism, I produced a video that I hope captures some of these experiences.  I remain very grateful to the RPL department, the College of Education, and Central Michigan University for lending support to make this trip possible!  It was in fact, AMAZING!

~Lorie