CrossConnect: A Planner's Perspective

CrossConnect: A Planner's Perspective
(Or how I recreate a scene from "Rocky" with 110 of my peers)

by Emilie Perkins, CMP

I joined 110 of my peers for the 5th Annual CrossConnect- Where Organizational Professionals Meet to Excel at the JW Marriott. For those of you not familiar with CrossConnect, it is a collaboration between The Indiana Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (IMPI) and the Indiana Society of Association Executives (ISAE) for a full day of education and networking. The event would not have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors. A special thank you to the JW Marriott for hosting the day, Markey’s Rental & Staging for their AV sponsorship and all of the other exhibitors who made the day a success.

As a jaded planner there are very few “motivational” speakers that can actually capture my attention long enough for me to put my phone down and stop checking emails. I am happy to say I did just that this past Wednesday as I listened to Noah Blumenthal and his opening keynote “Be the Hero”. I am guessing I was not the only one, judging by the tweets and Facebook posts after the session; and anyone who get our crowd to stand up and re-enact scenes from Rocky, well you get the point. The breakouts were interesting and packed with plenty of brainstorming and interaction - lessons to be learned all around. The biggest one for me is to listen more closely at the stories I am telling, am I who I hoped I would be? The day closed out with Jesse Stoner’s “Use the Power of Vision to Engage Your Team and Get Where You Want to Go” Plenty of heads nodding in agreement and maybe even some uncomfortable moments as we questioned whether our associations were in fact leading by vision.

I enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and even making some new ones; re-evaluating my personal vision and definition of success; and making a commitment to put some of what I learned into practice. And as a bonus, found a keynote for my own conference next year, if Noah can work us in his busy schedule. As a long-time member of ISAE (9 years, I think) and the Vice President of Communication for IMPI, so I am always appreciative when we can combine forces to create an unforgettable day. Thanks to all those who attended and our generous sponsors, and feel free to hold me to anything that we learned last week...sometimes we all need a little reminder.

Visit the MPI Indiana Facebook page for photos from CrossConnect