How I spent my summer vacation…. In Taipei.

This summer I was given the opportunity to travel to Taipei, Taiwan to work on the Soroptimist International of the Americas 40th Biennial Convention. I worked with Soroptimist Meetings Manager, Eva Matyskiela, CMP last summer completing my junior internship working on the Soroptimist Professional Development Seminar and was invited back in March 2008 to begin work on the upcoming convention.

The 40th Biennial convention was made up of 1,800 women from the United States, Canada, Latin and South America, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. The convention spanned four days and was preceded by three days of leadership meetings and took place between three different locations.

My main responsibilities prior to leaving for Taiwan included organizing registration forms, creating confirmation and visa letters, updating hotel rooming lists, flight information and banquet event orders, creating VIP seating and speaking charts, and creating VIP name tents.

When I started back at Soroptimist in March, I was excited for Taiwan, but it still seemed so far away. But as time passed and that July 11th departure date grew closer and closer, my excitement grew higher and higher. Seventeen members of the headquarters staff would travel to Taipei and I was the only intern out of four to go.

The flight was long. Five hours to the west coast then thirteen hours to Taipei. This was the first time I had ever left the continent, but I was comforted in San Francisco when I saw Soroptimists who recognized me from the previous year’s conference. We landed in Taipei Saturday night and had less than 24 hours until the first event took place. And so it began…

The first three days were consumed with leadership meetings at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, a hotel brand that is not yet in the United States. During this time, my responsibilities included registration, checking room sets, tent card placement, and any other errands or jobs that the Executive Director or my boss needed me to do. One crazy adventure ensued when Patricia Chang, the Taiwan Region Secretary and I had to travel to several banks to get as much NT$ (new Taiwan dollar) in the smallest size bills and coins to use for change at the convention.

We then moved to the Grand Hyatt Taipei, our convention hotel and the Taipei International Convention Center for the four days of convention. The convention itself was comprised of two dinners (each with more than one seating), four general sessions, and three sets of six educational sessions. My main responsibilities included checking room sets, placement of signage and VIP seating tent cards, coordinating interpretation equipment and emerging leader’s information, but primarily keeping my boss from losing her mind.

Through this experience I was able to not only learn how a convention is created and implemented, but also different international practices and etiquette. While we did work with people in Taiwan who hold the same positions in the convention industry as we have here in the United States, there are great differences in how business is taken care of. Also, I was able to interact with and learn from women from over 13 countries. This was an amazing learning experience that I was given the chance to take part in and while it was a lot of work, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Astrid Schrier
Temple University

What are employers in the Hospitality, Tourism, Events Industry Looking For?

This was a post by Joan L. Eisenstodt on the MIForum (Meetings Industry Forum). This post contains a lot of good information on what employers are looking for in potential candidates in our industry, as well as, some of the hot topics of today that potential job candidates should do research on. If you would like to see the entire post CLICK HERE.

The MIForum is a great place to find information on our industry and discuss between professionals. If you would like to access MIForum CLICK HERE.

Topics Covered:
1) What the appropriate training or life experiences are to get into this industry.

2) If there is too much 101 v. exploration, etc.

3) The CORE knowledge base for our industry.

1. As I've helped clients over many years identify the qualities and skills desired in those being interviewed for positions in meetings departments and when we've interviewed people for those jobs, there are some things that stand out:

• Desire to learn demonstrated by what the person reads, watches, listens to;
• Inquiring mind demonstrated by the research the person has done about the company or organization with whom they are interviewing and the questions asked;
• The ability to communicate demonstrated by written and verbal communications;
• Broader knowledge of the world of business and the world demonstrated by the knowledge of what's in the news and the impact on our industry/the work to be done.
• What other experiences they've had. (Those experiences do NOT have to be in this industry or even a related one - life experiences can lead to great successes depending on the experiences and what one has learned.)

For those who have been in the industry even a short time, there are different questions and a different look:

• How have they continued learning (This goes even more for those who have achieved a CMP, CMM, MTA, or any advanced certification or degree. )

2. There is never enough 101! I am heartsick that MPI has suspended (for this year they say) MPI's Institute program this year. There are virtually NO "101" programs being done at industry meetings (other than brief sessions at Affordable Meetings) or by industry organizations. As the "Queen of the Basics" along with sharing the crown w/ Vicky Betzig, we KNOW there are many who need to know the basics - and who need to brush up on the basics. The turnover in our industry is high and many people continue to enter this industry … including those who have graduated from a degree program but may not have received the anecdotal learning they also need.

We need to broaden how "101" is taught, providing more experiential learning. Years ago, when Dolce Conf. Centers had a great "101" 2 day program, and when PCMA did "The College of Meeting Knowledge" and before that, the "PCMA/Sheraton Showcases", and the early days of MPI's Institutes, and GWSAE and ASAE did similar programs, we DID experiential learning - hands-on site inspections, hands-on plating of food, presentations to show what was learned and to help people build confidence in their presentation skills.

3. The core knowledge base for our industry is more difficult to pin down. We, on the planner side, often miss the core knowledge of how our industry partners operate and thus think that we 'should' get more when we negotiate; most have so little knowledge about language let alone contract language that so many things are missed. Business partners (and MANY planners) are missing what we (you and I, Everett) know about adult learning and how room sets and the impact of where a meeting is held on outcomes. There is so much more. I've not even touched risk management issues or nutrition and food allergy issues and on and on.

Yes, I concur with Newt Gingrich that most of what I learned, was by 8th grade and my life experiences enhanced what I had as basic knowledge. Yet, my basic education by 8th grade also included reading and listening to news, discussing world events and so on. In today's world, the internet allows the 'haves' to gain knowledge so easily.

Few use it.

Job Hunting Tips and Tricks

I'm sure for many of the recent graduates out there, the job hunt has already begun. Here are some tips to remember when looking for and applying for a job:
Job Hunting 101 for New Grads by Kate Lorenz

25 Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search by Anthony Balderrama

Leave This Info Out of Your Interview by Rachel Zupek

6 Steps for First Time Job Hunters by Kate Lorenz

For more articles on finding a job, check out Career Builder and Degree Driven Here

Internships and jobs available on PCMA Website

I know many of you are searching for jobs and internships for the summer. Please be sure to visit the PCMA Career Center by clicking here in order to check out new postings.

This website is updated constantly, so be sure to check back for new job listings!

As internships are passed along to me, I will also be posting them on the blog. All internships are posted here and on a seperate blog that I have made for only job opportunities:

http://gppcmainternshipsandjobs.blogspot.com/

Many of these internships are still available, so please apply!

Another place to search for jobs and internships is on the Meetings Industry Forum (MI Forum) located here: http://groups.google.com/group/MiForum .
The MI Forum is a good resource for discussion between current industry professionals and prospective professionals. Many times I come across great opportunites listed here.

If you have any questions, or would like someone to look at your resume, please email me at gppcmastudents@gmail.com

Thanks!

Belinda Keota
Meeting Manager
Produce Marketing Association

Student Development Chair
Greater Philadelphia Chapter of PCMA