Stephanie Zapata, MPI New Jersey Vice President of Membership, released the following letter regarding the recent MPI New Jersey event.
“MPI New Jersey, through the pandemic and at no cost to industry professionals, offered many different connection points: Membership Monday, Tune in to Talk, Education programs, and several other opportunities. Our goal was to keep our members aware of what was happening in the industry and in our world. We worked to keep our members engaged and accommodate a feeling of togetherness. We welcomed nonmembers to our group and offered support during an uncertain time. Zoom made it easy to join conversations, make new connections and share life challenges and experiences while providing a sense of community for people to comfortably share stories of similar situations. No longer were we planner and supplier; we were a united industry that was in this together and that sense has carried on as we pioneer beyond the pandemic. We saw this recently on Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) – a panel of industry experts from MPI GNY agreed that we all need to join forces and figure out how to work together moving through the continued uncertainty and needs of our industry.
“Globally, the MPI Foundation extended scholarships, offered payment options, and delayed renewals all to ensure that we, on a chapter level, could maintain our memberships and members could continue to receive the benefits of membership. It brings so much joy to say that MPI New Jersey has welcomed many of our members back and we are seeing more interest in joining of late, thanks, in large part, to a wonderful MEETS Conference that brought our community face to face for the first time in far too long. The success of our March conference showcased our enthusiasm and the bond of our members.
“There are many lessons we can take from our experiences during the pandemic and we don’t want to lose sight of them. As our industry and we, as individuals, start to get back to the norms of travel and in-person meetings we hope you will take time to reflect and maintain some of the lessons learned. The past two years brought some positive changes to us. Moving forward we should continue to take opportunities to connect through mentorship opportunities, the MPI-NJ community page New Jersey Chapter – MPI Full Community and industry activities. Visit our website and the MPI global site and follow us on social media to stay connected.
“Thank all of you for your presence, input, loyalty and comradery. There is a different unity in our industry following the pandemic. Thank you to the members who attended our events, shared info on social media, brought new faces, shared stories, and experiences and now as we get back to work continue to share.
“Without connections who would we be? That’s what this life in hospitality is all about, connections, caring, sharing and giving. I feel blessed to be part of such an amazing chapter connected to so many amazing people. Thank you all for choosing MPI New Jersey to plant your flag and stay tuned – there is so much more to come! Want to know more, plug in to events and reach out to volunteer and be part of the future!”
