Episode three of the Better Meetings Podcast take us in a different direction than originally envisioned.  Still to come will be the delayed interview with Paul VanDeventer of MPI.  That will hopefully be along next week along with some additional episodes recorded in September at IMEX America. This episode is the most personal one thatI have ever done, but I think it's a topic that many of us hide from and are unwilling to discuss because it's uncomfortable and can be misunderstood.  I have been dealing with some depression over the past year to a point that it inhibited my ability to create this podcast, something that I take great joy in doing.  There's a terrible cycle of guilt when you promise something that normally would be an easy task and you're unable to follow through.   My usual reaction is to stay behind a wall and pretend nothing was wrong.  But, as time passed and I was unable to face the simple task of posting a few episodes I reached out for help.  To some friends, to a mentor...even to a celebrity that I'm lucky enough to have corresponded with.  I spoke with my doctor, I worked with him on medication...and I did some research to try and better understand what I was dealing with. I found that in a given year 7.1% of American's are dealing with some form of depression or anxiety.  I spoke to someone in the industry privately and learned of the challenges they had had.  I began to realize that in a business where we have huge expectations placed on yes, where you have to be completely in control and never showing weakness, where a high number are type A and high performing people...I knew I can't be alone in the struggle.  This podcast is my soapbox, my platform and the place where I have a voice.  So I decided the conversation should start here. That's the reason I've recorded this episode, and the conversation that I hope people might begin to take away from it.  Realize that someone you know or work with may be struggling inside.  Be there for them to support and help.   Open up if you are struggling and trust your friends, family and co-workers to support you.  Don't feel that you're alone, you're not.   Our jobs allow us to bring people together to create wonderful experiences and events.  But as good as we are at doing those jobs, we are also still human and we need to be there to lift each other when someone beside us falters. Here are a few places I did research with information and help for those in need. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-statistics-everyone-should-know-4159056 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007 https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/physical-symptoms-of-depression#1 https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/recognizing-symptoms   And this most important one: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255    TRANSCRIPT: Everyone deserves better meetings. So, we created the better meetings podcast is a place where meetings and events industry professionals can gather to discuss, analyze and report on the latest trends, challenges and news from within the meetings industry. Welcome back to the better meetings podcast. This is not going to be the third episode that I had planned for the better meetings podcast.  That episode, which will hopefully be posted eventually and hopefully soon, is a very interesting and informative interview with Paul Van Deventer of MPI.  It's also not going to be the 4th to about the 12th one, which we're all done in IMAX America back in September.  They discuss a wide range of topics with a really fascinating group of industry suppliers and thought leaders on what this is…it's going to be a pretty serious topic that I never really expected to talk about or cover, especially in relation to my job or to the meetings and events industry.  But sometimes things appear

To continue with the podcast relaunch on our second show, we were able to meet for a second time with Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO of PCMA as well as with Greg O'Dell, Chairman of the 2019 PCMA Board of Directors.  We caught up with them at PCMA's EduCon in Los Angeles.   This time we covered a wide range of topics, but we focused on two important topics in both the world and within the meetings industry today.  First was a discussion of diversity and inclusion, and the benefits of diverse skills and points of view in creating successful events.  The second topic was human trafficking, and how raising the awareness in our industry and can provide a huge increase in opportunities to recognize and stop this serious international issue.   TRANSCRIPT: JON: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Jon Trask, I’m your host and I'm here with Sheriff Karamat, the President and CEO of PCMA, and Mr. Greg O’Dell, the chairman of the 2019 PCMA Board of Directors. So welcome, gentlemen. GREG: Thank you, Jon. SHERRIF: Thank you for having us. JON: I'm very happy to see you again. We talked recently up at WEC in Toronto, and now we're down in Los Angeles at your EduCon. SHERRIF: Yeah, the world we live in is exciting, isn't it? So now in Los Angeles, wow. JON: We're just jetting all over. And that's one of the things that I've actually always appreciated about our business is the opportunity to travel and see places and get to go, places I might not normally get to go to on my own. SHERRIF: Yes, and experience many different cultures, different cities. JON: Absolutely, yeah, it's been a great part of the business for me. And you guys are having a great event here it seems. Just to touch on that briefly before we dive into the real topics. SHERRIF: Absolutely. I, you know, I love EduCon. It's event that we actually really get to visit with people. It's just a manageable size. And this year, bit larger than normal. Our largest EduCon in history. About 950 participants JON: Very nice. SHERRIF: And we've been creating some really interesting experiences. And I've been enjoying LA as well. Look at this city, it's vibrant. So, I have this thing that I'm comparing PCMA to LA. And so, here's my comparison…I absolutely think there's a renaissance, there's a transformation, there's a revival going on with the city. And I think it mirrors with all the exciting things that are happening at the PCMA. And so that's, that's my comparison is to, to a city and an organization that's on the move. JON: Both of them coming together. SHERRIF: Absolutely. JON: Yeah, this this area, I mean, I'm a native of Southern California. And this was not an area that you would necessarily want to visit around the convention center. Even a decade ago, it doesn't seem. And so what they've done here, with the expansion and growth and the hotels, and all of that is really, really changed the whole complexion of this part of the city, GREG: I would just echo two (of) Sherrifs comments from LA’s perspective and all the partners. You know, it's interesting before PCMA EduCon started, they had another major event here with the BET experience. And so, the transformation that happened from that event to ours was seamless. And I think, you know, hats off to the LA team. And they've been amazing and supportive hosting this event as well. JON: They're very good, very accustomed to large, high profile events and working through them. I know, I did something at the event deck over here at LA Live a few years back, and it was the same time as a basketball game, and the Disney Radio Awards going on in the theater. And yet, you know, everything flowed smoothly and worked out really well. GREG: That's right. JON: So, what we were really going to talk about today, though, is when we were in Toronto, we talked about like numbers and data and things around the meetings, and I wanted to maybe talk with you a little bit more about the human side of the business. And I know there's an initia

To begin things on show number one here on the Better Meetings Podcast.  We were able to meet up with PCMA President and CEO, Sherrif Karamat during MPI's WEC event in Toronto.  He shared with us his thoughts on the state of associations, big data in our industry (including news about PCMA's Beam Project) and some inspirational thoughts for all of us about the role that meetings, events and our industry can play in making the world a better place for everyone.   TRANSCRIPT: JON:  Alright, welcome back to the podcast. Today we're at WEC in Toronto. And we're speaking with Sherrif Karamat, CAE.  He's the president and CEO of PCMA.  Welcome.   SHERRIF: Thank you for having me.  It's a pleasure to be here in Toronto, WEC.   JON: We're having a wonderful time here.  And I really appreciate you taking time out of your schedule, because we know how busy you are, to talk with us here.  So, thank you for that.  And let's just dive right into things; I really thought first we could start out with just an overview of PCMA from your perspective.   SHERRIF: Sure.  So PCMA a number of years ago, we were in a very good financial position.  And we said to ourselves, now is the time to change.  And that change was predicated on the fact that we didn't want our backs to be against the wall before we start to realize that we needed to change.  This was changed on multiple levels on how we engage people in our community, what people find the value of just about everything.  And we actually hire Wharton School of Business, and went down 11 streams, and ended up with this global vision, and the vision of economic and social progress through business events. So PCMA being a platform for economic and social progress.  There were two other legs to that stool, though, beyond economic and social progress.  There was an organizational success as the second leg.  And then the third leg was about you as a human being and me as a human being about our personal and professional development.   JON: Right.   SHERRIF: And so, when we did that, we looked at the world, and we looked at it, and not because we wanted to be exclusionary to anyone, but we said, where could we have the most impact in the short term until we are able to build?  So, prioritizing our priorities.  And we look the three regions Asia Pacific, obviously very large.   JON: Yes.   SHERRIF: The Americas, but primarily in North America.  And then Europe.     JON: Sure.   SHERRIF: And so those are it, we would not exclude Africa, of course; and we will not exclude certain parts of Latin America.  But looking at how not the act of a business event.  And by the way, notice that I use business events and not meetings, because its outcome focused.  And we believe that any meeting or any event should have an outcome.  So what we were doing is looking at how event organizers were being viewed.  Were they being viewed just for logistics? Or were they being viewed for bringing the objectives of that meeting or that event to life?  And how does that tie to the organization strategy?   We absolutely know that business events make incredible difference economically in communities.  But business event should also make a difference socially for people. You know, the old saying is when we meet, when we meet face to face, we meet eye to eye.   JON: Yes.   SHERRIF: We should.  And we must use business events to drive economic outcomes, but social outcomes as well.  And social outcomes has nothing to do with socialism.   JON: No, no.   SHERRIF: I couldn't care less.  But I do care of you as a human being.  And I do care that when we get together, that we can see that both of us are progressive.  And so events should be that part of that.   JON: Lifting people up?   SHERRIF: Absolutely.  Well, another part is, let me touch a little bit on the personal basis, and professional basis.  When you are younger, and you've done an undergraduate degree, for example.  And then you do a graduate degree.  Where do

We recently caught up with Roger Rickard of Voices in Advocacy during the IMEX America show in Las Vegas.  We talked at length about voting and it's importance to the nation as well as to our industry. Roger publishes a great blog about politics and advocacy, as well as being a terrific meetings industry advocate and supporter.  His website and blog can be found here: Roger Rickard   And here's a direct link to the blog post that we are discussing on the show: American’s have a Big Decision on Election Day (and it’s not for president) It's an important message, and it reaches far beyond just our industry. So it's vital that we all exercise our right to vote in the upcoming election.  Make sure your voice is heard, not just on the top of the ticket, but all the way down to the local offices that can have significant impact on our business, schools and city governments.

On this edition of the podcast we're joined by an old friend, Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, CFPM.  Tracy is one of the leading consultants to the meeting and event planning industry on nutrition.  She travels around the world speaking to industry groups like MPI, PCMA, NACE, ILEA and SGMP on a wide variety of food related topics.  Tracy has extensive information and resources about all types of food and nutrition areas as they relate to planners on here website: Thrive Meetings & Events. On todays podcast in honor of "Vegetarian Awareness Month" we talk about the various types of vegetarian classifications and ways that planners can best understand and address them for their attendees.  We also talk about Tracy's upcoming sessions at IMEX America coming up on October 17-20, 2016 in Las Vegas. If you're attending IMEX and have an interest in nutrition, food waste and legal aspects of food service to your guests and attendees, be sure and seek out her sessions and visit her website for information and resources.

On todays podcast Jon talks about his upcoming webinar at "Meetings Today".  On October 26th at 1pm EDT he'll be presenting a webinar on the topic of "Contracts: Audiovisual & Speakers".  Here's a link: Meetings Today where you can register in advance for the webinar. Today he gives a preview by discussing AV Quotes and the material that's presented in them.  An overview of the various sections and a few pointers for negotiating before you reach the contract stage with a vendor. Be sure and mark your calendar to join him on the 26th of October over at Meetings Today

On this weeks podcast we catch up with Roger Rickard, professional speaker and advocacy consultant to the meetings and exhibitions industry.  He's the founder of "Voices in Advocacy", and you can learn much more about his work with industry groups via his website: RogerRickard.com We talked in depth about an industry initiative headed by IAEE (the International Association of Exhibitions and Events).  They've created a broad coalition of exhibition industry supporters to advocate for the industry via the website: Exhibitions Mean Business.  Since launching in 2011 they've generated over 750 million impressions, 2600 media impressions and a total of over 70 million dollars in publicity.   For the past three years they've sponsored an annual Exhibitions Day where industry members can meet with their representatives in Washington DC to advocate for the industry.  They've also created an Advocacy Center to provide information on pending legislation and convenient ways to reach out to your elected representatives. On the podcast, Roger provides a wealth of information about current issues that can affect the meetings industry and all of us.  

On today's Hall of Leaders edition of the podcast we talk with Colleen Rickenbacher of Colleen Rickenbacher, Inc and The Global Protocol, Etiquette & Civility Academy.   Colleen is being honored at the CIC Hall of Leaders Celebration coming up in October in Las Vegas.  We talk about her history and background; including her transition from event planner to become an author, speaker and industry expert on etiquette and protocol.   She's the author of four books:  Be On Your Best Business Behavior Be On Your Best Cultural Behavior The Big Book of People Skills Games (International) Be On Your Best Teenage Book And, she devotes a significant amount of her time working with prison and juvenile programs in the Dallas area to help both of those groups better transition into the workforce.  She's also a mentor to numerous students and others in the meetings and events industry. You can join Colleen and her fellow 2016 honorees on October 18th at the Jewel Nightclub at Aria in Las Vegas for the Hall of Leaders Celebration.

On today's Hall of Leaders edition of the podcast we talk with John "Jack" Patronski of Global Experience Specialists (GES).  Jack is being honored at the CIC Hall of Leaders Celebration coming up in October in Las Vegas. We discussed his history and background that brought him to the industry, how he moved from law enforcement into facilities management and then to Andrew Bartlett and later GES for the past 23 years. Jack is a PCMA Education Foundation Trustee and has been very active in PCMA, The Convention Industry Council and other vital industry groups and initiatives in the Chicago area over the past twenty years.  We look back at the history of the industry as well as forward to the future as he's honored for his years of work advancing the meetings and events industry. You can join Jack and all the other honorees on October 18th at the Jewel Nightclub at Aria in Las Vegas for the 2016 Hall of Leaders Celebration.

On today's podcast we talk with Lee Ann Benavidez, VP of Sales Operations for Hyatt Hotel Corporation.   (Or visit, Hyatt Meetings & Events)  Lee Ann will be part of an all-star panel representing many of the major hotel brands at the upcoming CMP Conclave in Baltimore.  She and the rest of the panel will be taking part in a session called: "Trends and Shifts in Hotel Sales Landscapes". Today we chatted about the shifts in technology and how planners and their hotel sales counterparts are all learning to adjust and adapt to the changes that touch the processes of booking space and managing an event.  We consider some of the ways that technology can provide helpful data to save time and costs while still honoring the traditional relationship model between planners and suppliers that is so valued in our industry.   We touch upon concessions and negotiations with your hotel partners.  And, we also spend some time on safety, security and contingencies and how the changes that occur around us have touched the meetings industry.  Including a bit about how each property deals with unique sets of conditions unique to their location when planning for the safety of their guests and attendees.   There's still time to join us in Baltimore at the CMP Conclave on September 16-18!

On today's podcast we talk with Janee Pelletier, MBA, CMP, DES of Conference & Logistics Consultants about her educational session at the upcoming CMP Conclave in Baltimore.   Her session, "Budget-Driven Meeting Planning: Contracts, Expenses and Your Career" is a terrific overview of how planners can look at their events with a budgetary perspective at the forefront of their thinking.  Flawless logistics are no longer the measure of a successful meeting.  And, with a greater focus in organizations on the budgetary side of an event, to progress your career and be valuable to your company, you need to be able to work within the budget realm. Janee will offer practical advice she's found for cost savings, as well as guidance for setting up a budget template and making well considered projections of possible variable expense areas of your event.  There's still time to join us in Baltimore at the CMP Conclave, September 16-18.

On today's podcast we talk with Carol Norfleet, MBA, CMP, DMCP of Destination Nashville about her pre-conferece session at the upcoming CMP Conclave in Baltimore.  Carol's session is a workshop that will bring together planner and supplier CMP's to begin the process of revising the legacy documents of APEX that need to be refreshed and updated. APEX is an initiative of the CIC that promotes the development and implementation of industry-wide accepted practices to create and enhance efficiency throughout the meetings and events industry.  It's vital that the APEX be updated to maintain it's relevancy and usefulness.  Amongst the topics to be considered in the session are: Event Specification Guide, Housing & Registration Guide, Site Profiles Guide and Post Event Reporting Guide. There's still time to join us in Baltimore for the annual CMP Conclave on September 16-18!

On today's Hall of Leaders edition of the podcast we talk with Richard Aaron, MFA,CSEP Emeritus of Biz Bash.  Richard is being honored at the CIC Hall of Leaders Celebration coming up in October in Las Vegas. We discussed Richard's history and background that brought him to the industry, how his broadway and entertainment career eventually led him to producing corporate events for a "who's who" of major companies in the 1980's and 1990's.  Then, his move into the burgeoning internet by joining BizBash as they were being launched.   Richard is a passionate teacher and we spent some time talking about his classes and his goals in training the next generation of industry professionals.  We also look at some of the interesting new trends in the industry related to things like festivals and how they can influence corporate meetings. You can join Richard and all the honorees on October 18th at the Jewel Nightclub at Aria in Las Vegas for the 2016 Hall of Leaders Celebration.

Our guest today on the podcast is Jim Clarke, CAE; the Senior Vice President, Public Policy at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).  Jim's will be leading a session at the upcoming CMP Conclave in Baltimore called: "Meetings in the Crosshairs - Current Legislation and issues affecting your events."  We previewed some of the major issues that he will cover in the session and bring some attention to topics that have the potential to significantly effect the meetings industry.   First up we look at a proposed overtime rule revision that will go into effect on December first of this year and impact organizations nationally by changing the salary level of exempt employees.  There's a potential compromise bill that could alter this rule and it's very important that as an industry we let our representatives know of our support.  To that end, and as mentioned in the podcast, here's a link to find your Congressional Representative: United States House of Representatives We also discussed recent ASAE Board Policy enacted on the subject of Diversity and Inclusion as it relates to our industry and actions like recently passes RFRA laws in some states. Lastly, we touched on recent progress for easing federal rules regarding attendance of federal employees to meetings. Each of these topics has significant impact on the meetings and events industry.  If you're interested in learning more, you can attend Jim's session at the CMP Conclave in Baltimore coming up later this month.  If you can't attend you can learn more about the work ASAE is doing on our behalf at their site: The Power of A.  You can also find out specific ways to become more involved in advocating and advancing our industry. 

On today's edition of the podcast we talk with Dr. Jan Roy of Kaplan University about her session slated for the CMP Conclave in Baltimore next month.  She'll be looking at a terrific area for self-improvement and career advancement.   "The Importance of Soft Skill Competencies for Meeting Professionals" will help attendees better understand the area of soft skills and how it's an area of growing importance within organizations and an individuals potential to advance their career.  Her focus is on the leadership aspects of soft skills and ways that attendees can better understand and develop them. There's still time to join us at the CMP Conclave in Baltimore on September 16-18.  You can learn more here:  CMP Conclave.

As event planners and suppliers we are all aware of evolving threats that can impact our venues and attendees.  The industry has never established a uniform set of international standards for safety and security.  To address that need, the international Secure Venue Standard is being developed in collaboration with a number of industry organizations. Paul Bridle and Vicki Hawarden will lead a session at the upcoming CMP Conclave in Baltimore to review the importance of standards in this critical area, then break into smaller groups to provide feedback on how the proposed standards can bets meet the needs of the industry. They join me on the podcast today to preview their session and talk about the vital role that providing a safe and secure environment for our attendees and guests plays in planning any event.  If you're attending the CMP Conclave you should plan to attend this session and assure that your concerns and needs are met by the proposed standards.

For this episode of the podcast we were able to connect with Patrick Delaney of Sool Nua in Dublin, Ireland about his induction this year into the Convention Industry Council Hall of Leaders this coming October in Las Vegas. We were able to spend some time chatting about his background and history in the meetings industry; and then what inspires him about our industry looking forward to the future.  And how the work we do in helping people come together to change the world can be so inspiring to each of us within the meetings industry. If you'd like to see Patrick inducted to the Hall of Leaders you can join him at the Hall of Leaders Celebration in Las Vegas on October 18, 2016 in the Jewel Nightclub at the Aria.

Internet access at venues is a topic that causes significant challenges for planners.  In this smart device connected age, attendees carry multiple devices and expect constant access and high speeds wherever they go.  Internet access is not longer an option and free is not always the best answer. We spent some time talking with Michael Owen of Eventgenuity and he gave us a preview of his upcoming session scheduled for the CMP Conclave in Baltimore.  We cover not just the nuts and bolts of internet access, but some specific areas for planners to begin to improve their results from HSIA (high speed internet access). We also spent some time talking about APEX and the many free tools and information available to planners to help them begin to speak a common language with their vendors about bandwidth and much, much more.  Here's a direct link to the APEX Bandwidth page: APEX Bandwidth & Connectivity  You can register for the CMP Conclave here: CMP Conclave And you can learn more about APEX and the information provided there via this link: APEX 

The Convention Industry Council holds its annual CMP Conclave in less than a month in Baltimore.  So that means that in less than a month attendees will be able to share in numerous sessions aimed at helping CMP's to hone and improve their personal and professional skills.   The opening keynote at the Conclave titled "Lead with Levity" will be presented by Karyn Buxman.  Karyn, a neurohumorist, has devoted her career and authored numerous books studying the ways that humor can enhance an organization and its leadership.  She offers practical tips and advice for applying humor to all types of situations and ways for developing better skills to add humor to your daily habits.   She spent some time on the podcast giving us a preview of her message, as well as a few of the many tips that she'll be sharing in person when she presents in Baltimore.   You can learn more and register for the CMP Conclave at the CIC website.  CMP Conclave

Last week we talked about the role of a fire marshal in keeping attendees safe at an event.  Continuing on the theme of safety and security, this week we’ll take a look at rigging and provide a brief overview of how that fits into the responsibility for a planner to assure thattheir attendees are safe and comfortable during their time spent at the event. ESTA (Entertainment Services & Technology Association) Technical Standards Program