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Welcome to the 1st Ever MPI SoCal Educational Conference & Expo. We are expanding our CON-NECTIONS this year and very excited about this joint venture between MPI Southern California, MPI Orange County and MPI San Diego. Thank you for being a part of it.

The concerted effort of all three chapters to plan, coordinate, and create this exciting and thought-provoking conference can successfully be seen in the

vast speaker line-up, increased networking opportunities, and the strategic plan to S.E.E. what the future of the meeting industry looks like for both planners and suppliers.

As you spend time throughout the day, please take the opportunity to thank the planning committee for volunteering their time over the past 8 months to ensure a successful program. I look forward to hearing how this opportunity and this program assisted you in expanding your Connections, and look forward to many more years of joint planning and effort amongst the three chapters in our continued efforts to address, meet (and hopefully exceed) our members’ needs.

Larissa J. schuLtz, cMP, MhaLJs Meeting strategies2012/2013 PresidentMPi southern caLifornia chaPter

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this historic California MPI regional event:

The MPI SoCal EdCon & Expo (S.E.E.)

This three-chapter collaborative effort spanning almost two years of discussion and planning has been a labor of love for the many dedicated volunteers that make up the planning committee and teams. Initially, this begun as I was fresh into my year as President Elect and it is amazing to see this

bloom into a fruitful education conference and tradeshow with triple member exposure during the last months of my Presidency.

President’s Letters S.E.E. is the benchmark of the future of meetings and events for our region. The quality of the education provided, the distinguished suppliers in the Expo hall and the excellence of the sponsors featured today marks the power of all three chapters join-ing together. Even more importantly, the triple power of the teams that designed and implemented this historic day by working diligently and well together, despite being from different counties. I am proud of the considerable dedication of these volunteers, so please take a minute to thank them as you see them throughout the day.

I look forward to meeting many of you at one of the education sessions, out on the tradeshow floor or at the reception. Today was designed with you, the member, in mind – so let me know what you think. Your valuable input is important to the future success of this collaborative endeavor.

MeLissa darisay thorPe, President & ceoeurobar coffee & beverage events2012/2013 PresidentMPi san diego chaPter

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~ Helen Keller

Welcome to the MPI SoCal Educational Conference & Expo! I am thrilled to see the three MPI Chapters in Southern California, Orange County, San Diego and Southern California, make history through this inaugural event. Together, we are able to provide extraordinary education, networking and business opportunities in an exceptional location at an incred-

ible value – we could not have provided this same experience as individual chapters.

While education is crucial to the conference, many of us attend industry events for the networking, and this event provides a unique opportunity to interact with a larger group of people than any single chapter event. This opportunity to create new conversations, relationships and ultimately, new collaborations is what excites me this most, and I hope you are able to take advantage of this opportunity. Collaboration is the future and I am so proud that we are the trailblazers. Enjoy the conference!

ananda ybarra, cMPPresident, MPi orange county

thursday, april 4th6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

HOSTED BUYER RECEPTION Petco Park

7:30 PM - 9:30 PMBlock 16 Union and Spirits

Networking event for ALL registered plannersand conference sponsors

friday, april 5th9:00 aM - 10:00 aM

Panel Discussion Opening Session: Industry Trends and the Impact on Event Professionals

10:15 aM - 11:15 aMBREAKOUT 1 - The Future is Now, Where Mobile Technology

Meet: James Spellos & Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP

10:15 aM - 11:15 aMBREAKOUT 2 - Leadership in a Changing World:

Terri Breining, CMP, CMM

10:15 aM - 11:15 aMBREAKOUT 3 - What’s New & Coming to Contracts

– clauses, addendums, and more: Kelly Bagnall

10:15 aM - 11:15 aMBREAKOUT 4 - Ditching the Notebook: Jon Trask

1:30 PM - 2:30 PMBREAKOUT 5 - The Future is Now, Where Mobile Technology

Meet: James Spellos & Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP

1:30 PM - 2:30 PMBREAKOUT 6 - Mining the Gold in Your Team: Becky McCrary

1:30 PM - 2:30 PMBREAKOUT 7 - Color Outside the Lines

– Step Across Boundries: Dawnna St. Louis

1:30 PM - 2:30 PMBREAKOUT 8 - Entertainment Panel

– Fox, Disney, Warner Bros

2:45 PM - 3:45 PMCLOSING KEYNOTE:

Ideas to Action: Creating & Implementing a Sustainable Strategy, Jeffrey Cufaude

Manchester grand hyatt san diegoD I R E C T I O N SFrom San Diego Int’l Airport (Lindbergh Field) approx. 3 mi. Exiting the terminals, follow the signs to Downtown San Diego and Interstate 5. Stay in the right lane and this will lead you onto North Harbor Dr. Continue south on North Harbor Dr. approx. 3 mi. along the waterfront. Go one block past the Seaport Village entrance (Kettner Blvd.). Turn right at Market Place into the hotel’s main entrance.

ROBERTA RINKKER-LUDLOFF, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SALES AND CLIENT SERVICES, LA CONVENTION & TOURISM BOARD Roberta Rinker-Ludloff has spent more than 30 years in executive-level sales and marketing roles with such well-known hotel brands as Hilton Hotels Corpora-tion, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and ITT Sheraton Corporation, along with destination management leadership at the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. More recently, she was based

in Hilton Hotel Corporation’s former headquarters in Beverly Hills, representing the Conrad brand as Vice President, Brand Performance, and previously Conrad’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing/North America. As a tourism industry leader, Rinker-Ludloff has served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association and as Chairperson of the Oahu Visitors Bureau. She was recognized by Travel Agent

magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Travel” for three years.

MARGIE SITTON, CMP, VP OF SALES AND SAN DIEGO TOURISM AUTHORITy Margie Sitton is the SVP of Sales and Services at the San Diego Tourism Authority, where she leads a team of 18 national sales directors, plus convention services, site inspection, events and lead generation teams. Prior to joining

the SDTA , Margie spent 12 years in regional sales and marketing roles for both Hilton Hotels and Starwood Hotels and Resorts for Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. Known for her mentoring and sales leadership, her sales teams have always been successful. She is the creator of San Diego’s highly regarded site inspection program and the award winning iLead System.

In this panel discussion, experts will offer insight on the economic and the financial state of our industry in Southern California and beyond.

9:00 am - 10:00 am SpeakerS ContInued...

TERRI BRIEINING, CMP, CMM, Principal, Breining Group, LLC Terri a thought leader and principal with Breining Group LLC, will moderate a panel discussion with industry leaders.

Terri is a principal with The Breining Group, LLC, whose focus is facilitating, training, and consulting. She has been in the meeting planning industry since 1976. She also founded Concepts Worldwide, a meeting management firm focused on ROI measure-ment was headquartered in San Diego County for over 21 years, and serves as a member of the Advi-sory Board for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. Terri served as chairwoman of the APEX commission, the

Board of Directors of the San Diego Convention & Visitor Bureau, and co-authored, Measuring ROI in Meetings & Events. As a reflection of her lifetime of contributions to the meeting industry, she was selected for induction into the Convention Industry Council Hall of Leaders, whose ceremony took place in January 2010.

MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ, CHSE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, MGM Resorts Michael has been actively involved in the hospitality industry for the last 25 years. His early career included Hyatt Hotels, Starwood Hotels, Loews Hotels & Resorts and numerous independent hotel management com-panies. In 2003, Michael led the efforts of Destination sales and marketing for the Palms Springs Desert Resorts CVA where he served as Vice-President of Sales. In 2012, Michael joined MGM Resorts International as Senior Vice President of Global

Sales. His responsibility includes oversight of the sales operation for 13 Las Vegas based hotels as well as 3 Regional Hotels in Detroit, Missippi and Reno. Michael serves as Chair-Elect for the International Board of Directors for MPI, Industry Issue and Trend Task Force for PCMA, The Industry Partner Alliance for ASAE as well as numerous Advisory Boards including: Elite Meetings, Meetings Evolution, Bound-less Networks.

9:00 am - 10:00 am

oPening generaL session: state of the industry PaneL

speakers

Moderator

JAMES SPELLOS, PRESIDENT, MEETING U Meeting U. is a company specializing in helping people become more productive and comfortable with technology. Spellos is certified as a Micro-soft Office Specialist (MOS). He delivers over 150 seminars annually on how to use technology more efficiently, including social media. He is a faculty member at New York University, teaching in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies since 1990. Through Meeting U., he publishes a monthly

technology e-letter named Techniques which shares technology applications and services that apply for professional and personal use. He also shares cool technol-ogy tools through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Scoop It.

CORBIN BALL Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, MS is an international speaker, consultant and writer helping clients worldwide use technology to save time and improve productivity. With 20 years of experience running international technology meetings, he now is a highly acclaimed speaker with the ability to make complex subjects understandable and fun. His articles have appeared in hundreds of national and interna-tional publications and he has been quoted in the U.S. News and World Report, Wall Street Journal, the New

York Times, USA Today, Fast Company, PC Magazine and others. Corbin serves or has served on numerous hotel, corporate, convention bureau and association boards. He is the only person to have received both the MPI International Supplier of the Year and the MPI International Chapter Leader of the Year awards. Corbin was recently named as one of “The 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” for 2012 by Successful Meetings magazine, having received this award four times previously.

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10:15 am - 11:15 am | Four optIonS to ChooSe From

The Future is Now, Where Mobile Technology Meets MeetingsJames Spellos & Corbin Ball, CSP, CMPTwo of the meetings industry’s top technology speakers, Corbin Ball and James Spellos, will share ideas, links, apps and tools to assist in events, communication, travel and more that you can start using today. You will also learn how to identify the major mobile and tablet trends and their impact and promise to the events industry, use mobile marketplaces to add apps and enhance productivity, and identify why and how your web presence should be optimized for mobile devices.

10:15 am - 11:15 am breakout SeSSIonS ContInued...

RALPH GRIPPO, PRESIDENT OF THE IRVINE COMPANy RESORT PROPERTIES Roberta Ralph Grippo joined Irvine Company in 2007 and oversees all operational aspects of the company’s growing portfolio of resort holdings in California, including The Resort at Pelican Hill, The Island Hotel Newport Beach, Hyatt Regency Irvine; Oak Creek Golf Club; and approximately 500 boat slips at five California marinas. He has worked in the luxury resort industry for more than two decades, including 17 years with

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Previously, Grippo was Vice President and Area General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, where he was responsible for the company’s hotels in Southern California and Hawaii.

JOHN SEVERINI, PRESIDENT/CEO OF CA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION John Severini is the President & CEO of the California Travel Association (CalTravel), the unified voice for the California’s travel industry’s political concerns. John is the associa-tion’s first full-time dedicated President & CEO and his illustrious hospitality career includes serving as President of Trafalgar Tours USA, senior executive positions at the Walt Disney Company, and Vice President of Sales for Royal Cruise Line. By advocat-

ing directly to the state legislature, the Governor’s office, local and federal officials, businesses, and the public, CalTIA addresses issues that ensure the health of the state’s tourism industry.

9:00 am - 10:00 am

oPening generaL session: state of the industry PaneL continued

JON TRASK, CMP, SR. DIRECTOR, GRASS SHACK EVENTS & MEDIA AND CO-FOUNDER AVFORPLANNERS Jon has spent the last 26+ years in the audiovisual and technical production areas of the meetings and events industry. He joined Grass Shack Events & Media in 2011 and was the co-founder of the new on-line service, AVfor-Planners in 2012. A member of MPI since 1994, Jon earned his CMP designation in 2003 and is currently completing the CMM Program and hopes to earn that

designation in 2013. He has presented at MPI Institutes, WEC, PEC, numerous local MPI chapters and the CMP Conclave on a variety of technology and social media topics. Jon has taught college classes at UCSD, OCC and to CMP study groups. He is currently serving on the CIC Education Committee for the 2013 CMP Conclave and has been asked to contribute to the CIC Manual 9th Edition as it is under goes a revision in 2013. Over the past four years Jon has co-hosted the “Meetings Podcast” reporting and discussing meetings industry related information and interviewing meetings industry leaders. Before entering the meetings industry in the 1980’s, Jon worked in radio broadcast journalism as a newscaster and reporter in Southern California.

11:15 aM - 1:15 PMLUNCH & EDCON EXPO

12:15 PM - 1:15 PMBOOTH PRIZES AT EXPO

Prize winners will be announced every 15-20 minutes in Expo area

breakout 4 Ditching the bulky paperback notebook– iPads for PlannersJon Trask, CMPSo you bought a great new tablet to use, but have found yourself wondering “now what should I do”? Join us for this specific and in depth session about how you can ditch your old 10 pound binder and begin using that tablet while on show site. We will discuss what apps do you should know about, how they work, and how you can store your information for best onsite accessibility.

Leadership in a Changing WorldTerri Breining, CMP, CMMThis workshop is intended to help those in attendance become more effective leaders and create work environments that are more successful, profitable and enjoyable. With changes in business, an increased accountability for meetings, and a mandate for planners and suppliers to justify the contributions of the meetings we produce, the expectations of meeting planners has profoundly changed. This will be a highly interactive session, providing participants with specific tools and techniques that will allow you to thrive as leaders in your business and community.

What’s New & Coming to Contracts – clauses, addendums, and more: Kelly Bagnall, Attorney at Dykema Gossett PLLCNegotiation specialist, Kelly Bagnall, will discuss and demonstrate how to better understand key legal concepts and the legal consequences whether you are creating a new contract or making alterations and amendments to “standard” contract lan-guage, knowing what it means for your organization is imperative. The session will focus on contract provisions related to insurance, indemnity, reciprocal damages/penalties, choice of law, and various other key provisions. Take away tools that will help you reduce the potential loss associated with signing a “risky” event contract.

KELLy BAGNALL Kelly Franklin Bagnall’s prac-tice focuses on hospitality, commercial litigation and general business counseling matters. She has represented hotel and resort owner and management entities in all aspects of operational matters, includ-ing dispute resolution, preparing event contracts and negotiating a wide variety of supplier/vendor agree-ments. Ms. Bagnall also works with clients in the commercial real estate, printing services/supply and the construction related industries. She represents

and counsels clients in all types of litigation, arbitration disputes and other matters involving breach of contract and property damage claims, antitrust prevention and evaluation, policy and procedure review, products and premises liability issues, deceptive trade practices/consumer protection laws, landlord/tenant disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, franchise disputes, creditor’s rights/collection matters, labor and employment issues, and various discrimination matters. Prior to joining Dykema, she was a Partner with Brown McCarroll, LLP.

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10:15 am - 11:15 am | Four optIonS to ChooSe From

Color Outside the Lines – Step Across BoundariesDawnna St. LouisDawnna brings the perfect combination of Tony Robbins’ motivation and Steve Jobs’ business savvy with her own brand of engaging humor. She then creates a unique whole audience experience that not only drives a message home but actually gets you out of their seats, into the action, and moving forward long after the event is over. You will learn how to create a new reality and envision a better future, increase potential with simple perspective changes, and spark innovation by seeing things from a different angle.

DAWNNA ST LOUIS, author of Yolo and Audacious Acts of Successful Women: Break the Glass Ceiling, instantly charges your team into action – not only after the event – but during it. Her daring journey from living in her car after high-school to a C-Level Executive within 15 years will inspire your people while challenging their own beliefs about the rules of life. Today, Dawnna is considered the preeminent expert on taking action at the crossroads where op-portunity and innovation meet. She shares lessons

learned from her own adversity to motivate people and companies all over the world to take the next step fearlessly. Dawnna gets to the root causes of holding back, failure, and the lack of momentum – and shows your team how to have the guts to move forward. She is bold, audacious, and unapologetic, and consistently brings excitement to every event.

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1:30 pm - 2:30 pm breakout SeSSIonS ContInued...

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Four optIonS to ChooSe From

The Future is Now, Where Mobile Technology Meets Meetings (repeat)James Spellos & Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP Two of the meetings industry’s top technology speakers, Corbin Ball and James Spellos, will share ideas, links, apps and tools to assist in events, communication, travel and more that you can start using today.You will also learn how to identify the major mobile and tablet trends and their impact and promise to the events industry, use mobile marketplaces to add apps and enhance productivity, and identify why and how your web presence should be optimized for mobile devices.

Mining the Gold in your Team: Becky McCrary, CSPWhat is gold to you? Maybe it’s results, goals or accomplishments. Maybe it’s hu-man capital, ideas for innovation or retention. Maybe it’s getting people to read your emails, or multiply yourself. To achieve GOLD: Goals and results, Organizational awareness, Long term changes, Debriefing, you need collaboration. Take away strat-egies to build relationships with those who impact your success.

BECKy MCCRARy, CSP Becky McCrary is called the Carol Burnett of Conventions, the Energizer Bunny in high-heeled shoes, a redhead Amy Poehler, Southern Sass. She is a highly sought-after key-note speaker, trainer and facilitator who energizes and inspires association and corporate audiences. Becky is the author of Relationship Networking “On Purpose!,” helping you move from the comfort of the wall in to the power, action and business found in the center of the room. She is a professional member

of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and serves as a Chapter Leadership Consultant, mentoring current and future association leaders. She has earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional credential, one of only 232 women in the world to hold this designation.

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Jeffsekidoa native of Southern Califor-nia, Jeff Sekido has worked his magic at the Walt disney Company for 23 years. Currently executive director,Corporate events for disney abC television Group, Jeff oversees a team of planners and event logistics experts in both new York City and burbank. he and his staff are in charge of producing 100+ events a year, including: network upfronts; television Critics association (tCa) press tours; primetime emmy® awards; d23 expo; plus high-profile premieres and corporate meetings for abC television, abC Family and disney Channels World-wide. prior to his present position, Jeff was manager of Special events for disney Investor relations Jeff began his career at the Walt disney Company as a Guest relations tour host atdisneyland.

toMikoiwatatomiko Iwata began her career at parties plus, one of the first full-service catering and event production com-panies in town. her talents were further developed at other great organizations including olsen Incentives based in San Francisco. She found her true calling when over 15 years ago Fox took hold of her full-time to manage their special events. now, as Senior Vice presi-dent of Creative Services Group, in addition to leading the Special events depart-ment she oversees Video department and design Group at Fox broadcasting. her projects have included Super bowls, emmy’s, Golden Globes, american Idol, and more.

hiLLaryharrishillary harris makes dreams come true—at least for a day or an evening. as the visionary at the helm of

Warner bros. Studios Spe-cial events—a full-service event production department specializing in entertain-ment industry, corporate, charity and weddings—she creates and produces more than 275 events per year, both on the Warner bros. Studios lot in burbank and at outside venues. harris’s team services not only time Warner and Warner bros. entertainment clients—in-cluding “Conan,” “theellen deGeneres Show”, Cartoon network and hbo—but also an impressive list of corpo-rate clients that range from the CW network and mtV to mercedes-benz and ap-ple. among the non-profits making use of her expertise are the environmental me-dia association and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. her success at producing holly-wood premieres, lavish cast parties, themedcorporate events, and dazzling fund-raisers has lead harris and her team to win numerous industry awards. She has served as a featured speaker at international and regional conferences and serves on the advisory board of two event publications bizbash and event Solutions as well as the non profit organiza-tion SearCh Foundation. harris was inducted into the bizbash media hall of Fame and wasnamed a bizbash Innovator of 2012.

keynotePanel1:30 pm - 2:30 pmbreakout Session 8

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm

From Ideas to Action: Creating & Implementing a Sustainable StrategyJeffrey CufaudePrincipal Idea Architect Jeffrey Cufaude, a recognized leader in the design and facili-tation of provocative learning and strategy development experiences, believes that great ideas come from ordinary people engaged in honest inquiry with others about compelling questions that matter. If you seek to build environments where the im-possible is made possible, where great dreams are realized, and where inventiveness and ingenuity are seen as hallmarks of great thinking, you won’t want to miss this!

JEFFREy CUFAUDE A former association execu-tive and university student affairs staff member, Jeffrey Cufaude (koo • fawd) is an architect of ideas, building communities of ideas and idealists through his writing, facilitation, and speaking. His areas of work include strategy think tanks that bring fresh eyes and innovative thinking to critical questions; conference workshops; volunteer and staff sessions and retreats; and major keynotes. He is a popular keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, including

speaking on lifelong learning at TEDx Indianapolis in 2012.

He designed and led the American Society of Association Executives Future Leaders Conference for 10 years, demonstrating his unique gifts in crafting and facilitating multiple day leadership and learning experiences. His work is known for reflect-ing best practices in adult learning, and he often teaches presentation design and facilitation skills to subject matter experts.

He volunteers with several professional associations, most recently serving on ASAE’s Innovation Task Force, for which he created the global Innovation Talks initia-tive. He also currently serves on the board of directors of Big Car, an Indianapolis nonprofit building community and culture by bringing art to people and people to art.

3:45 PM - 4:00 PMGRAND PRIZE DRAWING OF 2 ROUNDTRIP AIRLINES TICKETS

(MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN)

4:00 PM - 6:00 PMCREATIVE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY – RUSH HOUR RECEPTION

closing keynote

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Four optIonS to ChooSe From

Entertainment Panel – Fox, Disney, Warner BrosModerated by Mr. Chris Clark, Extraordinary EventsPanelist: Tomiko IwataVP, Special Events & Creative Services, Fox Broadcasting Jeff SekidoExecutive Director of Special Events, Disney/ABC Hillary HarrisExecutive Director of Special Events, Warner Bros. Have you ever watched the Oscars, Premieres, and Hollywood Galas and wondered, “How do they do that?” Listen in as leading entertainment event experts from Fox, Disney/ABC, and Warner Bros. provide an exclusive look into what really happens behind the scenes of premieres, fan fests, red carpet soirees, press events and more!

CHRIS CLARK, ExTRAORDINARy EVENTS In his 11 years in the event industry, Chris has produced a wide-range of special events that have included small VIP dinners in exclusive locations to an over-the-top wedding for a Hollywood producer to a corporate holiday party for 5,000 guests. Prior to his current position as an account executive with Extraordinary Events, Chris produced events for Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, Universal Studios, and Los Angeles Party Designs. Chris got his profes-

sional start in wedding design and coordination that he still enjoys today for a select group of clients. He is a member of the International Special Events Society (ISES), LA, Inc., and a board member with of the Los Angeles chapter of Meeting Profes-sionals International (MPI) where he produced the MPISCC annual conference and trade show and annual fundraiser.

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eventsWhere Substance Meets Style

Register for a Smart Event today!

Announcing the All-New 2013 Smart Events!Our exclusive educational and networking events bring meeting professionals the opportunity to:» Meet in one-on-one appointments with premier properties and destinations» Learn from industry expert speakers» Connect with seasoned meeting and event professionals» Discover and be inspired by our cutting edge decor and cuisine

For more information on finding the right event for you, visit: smartmeetings.com/smart-eventsCall 415.339.9355 to attend the next event.

DatE

January 30

February 28

March 21

May 22

June 27

August 15

October 30

December 5

LOCatION

JW Marriott, San Francisco, CA

Georgia World Congress Center & Glenn Hotel, Atlanta, GA

The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, WA

The Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, Chicago, IL

Eventi Hotel, New York, NY

Four Seasons Hotel, Philadelphia, PA

Montage Beverly Hills, CA

The Joule, Dallas, Dallas, TX

1-Day 2013 Event Schedule

DatE

April 28–30

September 22–24

November 17–19

LOCatION

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad, CA

PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach, FL

Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, Ojai, CA

3-Day 2013 Event Schedule

The vision of leaders inspires us to achieve more than we can ever imagine. Cheryl Rivas, Julie Powers, Ananda Ybarra, Melissa Darisay Thorpe, Michael McGuire, Larrissa Schultz, and David Anderson inspired an amazing team to do great things creating the first tri-chapter educational conference especially for Southern Cali-fornia Meeting Professionals and business providers. I thank you for your vision, inspiration, and leadership. But what is vision without action. I am honored to have been part of a stellar team and I deeply thank Heather Even, Suzanne Swanson, Keith McCready, Sophia Mellow, Shang Hur, Bryan Quinan and Russell Harris for their dedication, hard work, creativity and inspiration! I also thank all the volunteers who have devoted their time and resources to making this inaugural event the largest MPI Educational Conference and Expo held in Southern California.

deanne figueras, cMP, vP, educationMPi orange county

There are so many people to thank for helping produce this educational conference with all three chapters. Starting with MPISCC’s Co-Chairs, Bryan Quinan and Rus-sell Harris, I am so grateful for the sense of humor that kept us going. The success of this conference has a lot to do with the great collaboration between the three chapters. I hope that all our members and guests will experience the benefit of this joint effort and gain a truly productive EdCon.

shang hur, director of sPeciaL eventsMPi southern caLifornia chaPter

Henry Ford once said “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” He didn’t say it would be easy, but nothing worthwhile is easy. I espe-cially want to thank Shang Hur, Bryan Quinan and Russell Harris from the Southern California chapter, and Deanne Figueras and Heather Even from Orange County, for their collaborative spirit, hard work, creativity and enthusiasm! I’m also grateful for our San Diego MPI team – Sophia Mellow, Keith McCready, Amy Cowden, Diane Cheryll, Tammy Minor and Claudia Wehrman for “opening doors” and turning ideas into action. Finally, a special thank you goes to the Manchester Grand Hyatt for their patience, flexibility, guidance and enthusiasm. They have gone above and beyond to make this EdCon a great experience!

suzanne swanson, cMP, vP of educationMPi san diego

thank yous