News Update:
Omni Hotels of Texas Wins MPI THCC’s Hall of Fame Award The MPI Texas Hill County Chapter is blessed to have many wonderful suppliers. Over the years, our suppliers have more than generous.
This year, we would like to recognize one such supplier with our coveted “Hall of Fame / Honor Award." This prestigious award recognizes the chapter member who has selflessly served our chapter year after year after year.
Recipients of this award embody EVERYTHING a THCC member should be: devoted, hard working and generous. This year’s recipient certainly has all these qualities.
Oddly enough, this year’s recipient is NOT an individual. Rather, it is a hotel chain who has constantly come through for us. They have left their mark on many, many, many of our events… including this year's TEC. They have always stepped up to the plate when we have asked them for their assistance. Their work is always flawless, and they have been an invaluable asset to our chapter; one that has always come through for us.
They have been loyal members of our chapter. With staff members who are always helpful and responsive to our needs, we couldn't ask for a more supportive group. Following the example Leanne Hallisey, the Omni chain of hotels has always supported MPI's goals and have promoted MPI at every opportunity. We are so very grateful to everything they have done for us over the years.
It is our great pleasure to present this year’s “Hall of Fame / Honor Award” to….. Omni!
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 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
This issue of the Spotlight shines brightly on SEVERAL very deserving members of our THCC family… our 2009-2010 Award Nominees.
The following individuals were all nominated by their peers in appreciation of their hard work, dedication and chapter involvement. It is a huge honor to be nominated for these prestigious awards, and we congratulate every nominee.
Each of you contributes so much to this chapter; each of you help to make THCC the success it is.
You are ALL winners.
Click here to read bios on all our nominees!
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Award Winners Announced at Annual Awards Banquet
Congratulations to MPI THCC’s 2010 award winners! We appreciate your hard work and dedication to making our chapter great.
Planner of the Year: Cindy Lo, Red Velvet Events
Supplier of the Year: Dana Williams, CMP, Dallas CVB
President's Award - Debra Gassoway, Designed Events of Austin
Rising Star of the Year- Paulina Van Eeden Hill, Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark
Committee Chairs of the Year - Missy Floyd –Seward, CMP, Texas Middle School Association and Donna Harbers, CMP, Texas Apartment Association
Committee of the Year -TEC
Silver Platter of the Year - Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, Spa & Conference Center
Unsung Hero of the Year - Jeff Rasco, CMP, Attendee Management, Inc.
Hall of Fame Award — Omni Hotels of Texas
 Tipping Our Hats to You!
MPI THCC’s annual Awards Banquet & Silent Auction serves a simple yet critical purpose. It’s where we say thank you to all the volunteers who make this chapter the incredible organization it is today. Several companies donated products and services to make the evening more special, and for that we extend heartfelt thanks to them.
• Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, Spa and Conference Center
• Austin Convention Center
• Adventures in San Antonio
• AV Technical Support
• BBJ Linens
• Continental Airlines
• Freeman Company
• Hilton Papagayo Resort and Spa--Costa Rica
• Nancy J's Gift Services
• Red Velvet Events
• Swank Audio Visuals
 Silent Auction Raises Nearly $10,000 for THCC Scholarship Fund
The 2010 Silent Auction and Scholarship Drawing were a huge success. We could not have done it without the help of the Silent Auction Committee and all of the generous donations that we received to support and help raise money for the MPI THCC scholarship fund. We were able to raise almost $10,000! A special thank you to Ed Pivik with Continental Airlines for donating two round trip airline tickets as well as Andres Alfaro with Hilton Papagayo Resort & Spa Costa Rica who donated a two night inclusive stay for the scholarship donation drawing...and the winner is Brian Foster! Congratulations also to Nancy Anstead, winner of the second raffle prize, the big basket of all things Texas. We were overwhelmed with the donations to the scholarship fund for the drawing and appreciate everyone's support.
We also incorporated a new, fun item to the auction this year, the "mystery boxes" and let me tell you they went like hotcakes! For just $20 you got to turn over a box of your choice to find your prize from an Austin Doubletree (donated by Cerissa Beveridge) hotel stay to a $50 Perry's gift card (donated by Diane Denney), even a $50 Southwest Airlines gift card (donated by Dana Williams with the Dallas CVB) and so many more awesome items! We are excited to have started this fun tradition and look forward to even more mystery boxes next year.
The auction seems to grow every year and we couldn't be more thrilled by the number of donations we received, 100 items above the Mystery Boxes, we were overwhelmed by the generosity! Everything from MGM Grand in Las Vegas (donated by Michelle White) to a Keystone, CO Resort vacation (donated by David Sackman) and the Hyatt Regency Houston (donated by Jessica Torres) we were so happy to have donations from near and far.
Thank you for everyone that came, participated and donated to the MPI THCC Silent Auction. We are already looking forward to what next year will bring!
Sincerely,
Cerrisa Beveridge (Chair of the Silent Auction Committee)
Shelley Gale (Co-chair of the Silent Auction Committee)
 CMP Study Groups Resume in Austin and San Antonio
The CMP Study Groups in Austin and San Antonio prepare for another season of valuable and fun study sessions! Area professionals wishing to pursue their Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification may join this exciting group for weekly presentations that wrap up with a Study Weekend and Mock Exam experience. These power-packed study sessions will give CMP candidates the edge they need to improve their chance at passing at the January 8, 2011 certification exam.
Sign up now to attend the Orientation and Application Review Session. In San Antonio, the orientation is on August 3th, 2010 at 5:15pm. in the Conference Room of the newly renovated Administrative Offices of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. In Austin, the orientation is August 2, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. at a location still to be determined. Watch www.mpithcc.org and this newsletter for more information.
Click here for Austin’s general course information, details of the program and the proposed course syllabus information or here for San Antonio’s. If immediate assistance is required, feel free to contact any of the committee chairs for the Study Group at the contact information provided below:
San Antonio:
Anne Moses, CMP annemoses2002@me.com
Al Lomas, CMP, CMM, CFE alfredolomas@sbcglobal.net
Elias Aguirre, CMP eaguirre@therkgroup.com
Brenda Teichroeb, CMP bteichroeb@therkgroup.com
Austin:
Lisa Gallo, CMP lisa.gallo@horizonmeetings.com
Debbie Farnum, CMP debbie.farnum@tasb.org
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THCC Welcomes
Our New Members:
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Supplier:
Julie Browning
Global Sales Manager
Lakeway Resort & Spa
13401 Galleria Circle #149
Austin, TX 78738
612.677.2602
thejulieb@gmail.com |
Supplier:
Donna Herrera
Director of Sales & Marketing
Fredericksburg Inn & Suites
101 Cristol Drive
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
dherrera@fredericksburg-inn.com
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Supplier:
Tracey Monroe
ESales Manager
Harrah’s Entertainment
Western Regional Sales Office
c/o Paris Las Vegas
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
tmonroe@harrahs.com
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Supplier:
Craig Thibodeau
X Director of Sales and Marketing
Hotel Allandale
7685 Northcross Drive
Austin, TX 78757
512.452.9391
Craig.thibodeau@austinss.com
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Planner:
Rose Valenzuela
Event Coordinator
Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
505 E. Huntland Drive, Ste. 150
Austin, TX 78752
512.873.0045
rose@torchnet.org |
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San Antonio Noontime Network@Night
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Ye Kendall Inn
128 West Blanco Road
Boerne, TX 78006-2001
(830) 249-2138
Free Parking on-Site.
On-site registration will be taken in a space available basis only. On-site fees:
member = $20.00, non-member = $30.00
All "no-show" or cancellations received after the cut-off date (May 25, 2010) will be charged.
A credit card must be provided to register for MPI THCC events.
Receipts will be available at the meeting.
Click here to register!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Chapter Meeting:
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Westin La Cantera Resort, San Antonio
“Shields Up – Protect Yourself, Your Company and Your Family When You Do Business on the Internet”
Monday, August 17, 2010
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
University of Texas Club
Sponsored by the Waco CVB
Texas Education Conference (TEC)
November 4-5, 2010
Lakeway Resort & Spa
Contact Dayne Sullivan or Karen Krull, CMP if you’re interested in joining the committee.
Visit www.mpithcc.org for more information on these events and more!
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 Austin Wins Readers’ Choice Award from Budget Travel Magazine
Congratulations to the City of Austin! Austin has won Budget Travel magazine’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Award, the magazine’s first-annual celebration of readers’ favorite companies and destinations. Austin won the readers' choice award for best local music scene in the U.S. and will be featured in Budget Travel magazine’s October issue, which arrives on newsstands September 21.
Over the course of almost two months, 164,000 votes were cast at BudgetTravel.com by readers around the globe, on categories ranging from favorite apps to top island getaway.
 United, Continental plan to combine airline operations
Continental Airlines and United Airlines will merge in a deal that executives say will create a world-class global carrier.The two companies are proposing creating a new holding company called United Continental Holdings Inc.
United’s Chairman, President and CEO Glenn Tilton will become chairman of the combined company’s board of directors. Jeff Smisek, Continental’s chairman, president and CEO, will become CEO of the combined company.
Under the terms of the agreement, Houston-based Continental will be folded into the United Airlines brand. The two airlines’ fleets will feature the United name with Continental’s logo and colors. The corporate headquarters will be in Chicago but the company will maintain a significant presence in Houston. Continental’s hub will remain at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The CEO will maintain offices in both Chicago and Houston.
The deal is structured as an all-stock transaction and should result in operating efficiencies of $1 billion to $1.2 billion annually.
Chicago-based UAL Corp. (NASDAQ: UAUA) is the parent company of United Airlines. United currently operates 3,400 flights daily to more than 230 domestic and international designations. United flies out of Terminal 1 at San Antonio International Airport. It ranked as the eighth-largest airline at San Antonio International Airport in 2009 based on passenger volumes, according to Business Journal research.
Continental (NYSE: CAL) offers more than 2,700 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The airline serves 132 domestic and 137 international destinations. Locally, Continental and Continental Express flies out of Terminal 2 at San Antonio International Airport. It ranked the third-largest airline at the airport in 2009 based on passenger volume, according to Business Journal research.
The merger has been approved unanimously by the boards of both companies. However, the airlines’ shareholders must still vote on the transaction. The airlines also need to clear regulatory hurdles and other customary closing conditions. The merger should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.
 Within the Emperor's Garden: The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion - Irving Arts Center - Dallas
The Smithsonian's Legos
By Melissa Crowe
As if watching your roommates interpret DIY assembly instructions for IKEA cabinets couldn't get any funnier, imagine a crew of Irving's finest assembling a 3,000-piece model of one of China's most famous displays of architecture.
The Smithsonian Institute loaned Irving Arts Center its hand-carved, 9-foot-tall, one-to-five ratio model of the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion found at the Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City in Beijing, which had to be assembled piece-by-painstaking-piece earlier this month to prepare for the unveiling this Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. The exhibition, Within the Emperor's Garden: The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion, will feature hands-on activities including Tai Chi demos, calligraphy and lantern-making, as well as photographs and text panels, in English and Chinese, with information about the Imperial Garden and the construction of the model. The pavilion will remain at the Carpenter Lobby until June 30, 2010. Let's just hope there are no extra parts! The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit irvingartscenter.com.
 2010 KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED.
INDIGO GIRLS FIRST APPEARANCE AT KERRVILLE
KERRVILLE, Texas - - - The Kerrville Folk Festival at Quiet Valley Ranch, nine miles South of the Texas Hill Country resort community of Kerrville, has announced an exciting 2010 festival schedule for its 39th annual event. Once again this legendary songwriter’s festival will run for 18 straight days, from Thursday, May 27 through Sunday, June 13, 2010.
Festival Producer Dalis Allen is pleased to announce the first ever Kerrville Festival appearance of INDIGO GIRLS. Hot on the release of their latest album “Poseidon and the Bitter Bug” and writers/performers of such hits as “Closer to Fine” and “Galileo”, the Indigo Girls (Amy Ray & Emily Saliers) came into prominence as part of the late-'80s folk singer/songwriter revival, and had staying power where other artists from the same era quickly faded. Their two-women-with-guitars formula may not have seemed very revolutionary on paper, but the combination of two distinct personalities and songwriting styles provided tension and an interesting balance. We are thrilled to have them this year. Indigo Girls will be performing on Sunday, May 30 (Memorial Day Eve).
Click here for the rest of the line-up.
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Press Release FYI
If you would like to send a press release, there is now an easy form available on the web. Just access it, fill it out, and send to the PR Committee, and you've got news!
Have Breaking News? MPI-THCC is proud to help spread the word about our members/industry. We want to hear from you.
Send your news to: commteam@mpithcc.org
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Trying to get in touch with Nickie Morgan, CMP?
You’ll find her now as the Director of Membership & Meetings at the Texas Rural Water Association. Call Nickie at 512/472-8591 or email her at nickie.morgan@trwa.org.
Congratulations to Jill Sutton on her new position as Specialty Society Manager at the Texas Medical Association!
Congratulations also to Mary Ann Keenan on her new position as Senior Sales Manager at the Hilton Austin Airport Hotel!
Come on, THCC members,we know more of you have awesome news to share! Send your dirt to commteam@mpithcc.org
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Reach Out!
Would you like to reach the MPI-THCC membership right at their desktops? Sponsor Hill Country Spotlight! Click here for information about advertising, or call Josh Henry at 512.847.7120
We have lots of advertising opportunities on the website, and a great special on ads and enhanced membership directory listings. Contact Josh for the scoop!
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MPI Offers Low-Cost (or Free) Registration to the World Education Conference
Apr 12, 2010 3:11 PM, By Sue Hatch
Meeting Professionals International has cut its registration fees dramatically for its July World Education Conference, with a limited two-week registration promotion that offers rates more than a third off the early-bird member price and more than half off nonmember rates.
Registration for the WEC in Vancouver, British Columbia, opened last week, offering a $399 rate to members and nonmembers through April 23. When the discount expires, the rates will be $625 for members and $935 for nonmembers through June 25. After that they jump to $935 and $1,045, respectively.
If the WEC’s promotional rates are still too high, a hosted-buyer program is being offered to qualified planners who commit to meeting with 18 suppliers over three days. The hosted-buyer program provides attendees with four complimentary hotel nights and a free registration, which includes lunches and two receptions in addition to the educational sessions.
The conference will offer eight educational tracks, including those on corporate social responsibility, strategic meetings management, contracts and legal concerns, and the future of meetings.
Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) World Education Congress (WEC) serves as a forum where ideas, marketplaces, and people all intersect to explore concepts and share perspectives from around the globe. With an expected attendance of more than 3,000 meeting professionals – over 40 percent of which are projected to be meeting planners – WEC is an extraordinary opportunity to tap into the energy of the meeting and event industry’s fast-paced decision-makers.
CMM: Certification in Meeting Management
 The mission of the Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) program is to select, educate, and certify management-level meeting and event professionals. The focus of the certification is to provide continuing educational enhancements to the strategic decision-making ability of these leaders to manage and deliver exceptional meetings and events that drive organizational success.
What is the CMM Educational Program?
MPI’s CMM educational program is an intensive learning opportunity designed for experienced and highly accomplished members of our global meeting industry community seeking personal career advancement and professional recognition.
The five-day program enhances the strategic decision-making ability of these leaders, enabling delivery of exceptional meetings and events that drive organizational success. The CMM certification and resulting designation is the most prestigious in the meetings and events industry. The program is continuously updated and revitalized with curriculum enhancements for today’s evolving business culture.
Who is qualified to obtain the CMM?
Obtaining a CMM certification is rewarding for those with experience and the need to continue to project their careers to the next level. Qualified candidates will be:
Meet Your Business Goals
In collaboration with American Business Journals, MPI and One+ created a powerful and relevant tool focused on the performance results of meetings and events. This special section was published and distributed in February 2010 to 250,000 BizJournal readers in 25 major markets around the United States, and features original content from MPI’s award-winning magazine, One+, proving the overall importance of meetings and events as vital tools to help businesses of any size, in any industry meet their business goals in 2010 and beyond. Download the pdf version of the special section here, or visit the BizJournal.com.
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MPITHCC PO Box 49135 Austin, TX 78765-9154
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