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.
