President's Message - Jan/Feb 2012

PMPI President
Kumi Anzalone
Regional Director, National Accounts
Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau
2011-2012 PMPI Chapter President

1 in 7 Billion


In October 2011, the world reached the milestone of 7 billion people on the planet. As our world continues to grow in terms of population, it also continues to shrink as we become ever more interconnected through technology, transportation and trade. With this massive increase in humanity, competition for skilled jobs and positions is also growing like never before.

This heightened competition makes it even more critical that each of us pursue a personal commitment to improve our own professional positioning through the development of skills, knowledge and networking. In addition to the practical aspect of being better positioned in the job market, personal and professional development provides us with a sense of confidence and self fulfillment that has its own value. Knowing that you have the most up-to-date and proficient skill set can instill an important sense of personal satisfaction.

Another piece of our development should also include improved networking and communication skills with peers, colleagues and customers. Today we have access to a constantly expanding supply of sophisticated tools that enable us to connect to more people than ever before — and in a more intense and effective way This combination of mastering high-level professional technical skills, together with the ability to effectively use multiple networking platforms, is the new standard.

PMPI can help provide you with the education and tools you need to support your personal and professional development. On Friday. February 10. PMPI will host MACE! 2012 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center. This year's event will help fulfill your educational goals through expanded tracks for directors, senior level planners, plus students and junior planners We'll also offer a separate track designed to meet the needs of our supplier members. Also on the program is a hands-on
computer lab and the return of the Flipped Marketplace, where we match buyers and vendors through one-on-one appointments. If you're looking for more opportunities to connect, mark your calendars for Thursday. February 9, and at return of the PMPI Casino Night and Texas Hold'em Tournament. Ihis exciting networking event will conveniently take place the evening before MACE!, so you can get a head start on making those important connections. You'll find expanded information on session content and networking opportunities throughout this edition of the Memo, or you can visit www.pmpi.org and click on MACE! 2012.

We are also thrilled to welcome MPI's 2011-2012 chairman of the Board of Directors, Sebastien Tondeur, to MACE! this year. Sebastien will join us from Geneva, Switzerland, as he shares MPI's Chapter Connect message with our membership. We're very excited about this special opportunity to connect with Sebastien and hope you'll plan to attend.

Whether you are new to the industry or a meetings veteran, it's a great time to hone new skills and expand your areas of expertise I invite you to take advantage of the many resources PMPI offers you to develop your professional knowledge and to help you engage with new connections in the industry.