Sales Trip to San Francisco

I am just returning to the office after attending the MPINCC 21st Annual Tradeshow and spending a week in San Francisco. For those of you who are not “in the know” on acronyms, that’s the Northern California Chapter of Meeting Planner’s International. Overall, the tradeshow went well. There were lots of companies exhibiting and those who attended seemed interested in what we had to offer. This was my first MPI tradeshow but from what I am told there was a decrease in attendance from years past. This is no doubt, indicative of the economy. However, I am confident that the event planning industry will weather this economic storm triumphantly! Directly following the MPI event, we enjoyed drinks and appetizers with the great people of Helms Briscoe. Ladies, thank you for a great time – and for all of your advice on marriage and dating!

After the tradeshow ended, I wasn’t just enjoying the weather in the city by the bay. My dedicated “Chicago Team” and I had two fun-filled days of sales calls with prospective clients. First, we visited the ultra-trendy offices of Jack Morton Worldwide, and then on to McKesson Corporation, whom I think were a little taken aback by our very large group. Ladies, thank you so much for your hospitality! We enjoyed a delicious Vietnamese lunch with Action Motivation then on to the “homey” loft-style offices of Mosaic Event Management. We rounded out the day with a presentation at Wells Fargo.

We began the second day with breakfast with the American Academy of Ophthalmology and received some great tips on cool places to visit in San Francisco to boot! George P. Johnson was our second appointment and it was an absolute pleasure to meet their very, very large team. (I think we may have actually been outnumbered at that appointment!) Last but certainly not least, we met with Immersa Marketing, who in a very short time period, has become a very prominent event marketing agency – kudos!

Overall, the trip was a success. I met a lot of really great people in the industry and I would be remiss if I did not say hello to my partners in crime – Barb at the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, April from the Ambassador East Hotel, Jamie from the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Kim from the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, John from the Sheraton Chicago and Thu from the Trump International Hotel & Tower. It was a pleasure selling Chicago with you all!

Lauren Banks
Sales Manager
lbanks@globalmsi.com
312-332-1919 ext. 26

Speed Networking for the Busy Professional

I recently attended a speed networking event hosted by the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB) at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery. For those of you are who are novices to the idea of "speed networking," as I was, it's a lot like speed dating. When registering for the event, you are asked a series of questions about your company and clients. In my case, I was asked what kind of events we plan, where and how many people on average, etc. You are also asked to rate your top choices for people to meet with from hotels and restaurants to venues, meeting planners and recreational activities.

Upon arrival, you are given a match list that tells you who you are meeting with and the location. Each appointment is about 5 minutes in length. After about 2 1/2 minutes, a CCTB facilitator shouts, "Halfway!" You are to switch up the conversation and allow the other person to talk about their company. At the end of each appointment, you hear, "Switch!" At that time, you exchange business cards and literature and move on to your next appointment. Each appointment has assigned seats. This added a nice "musical chairs" feel to the event as people scurried about trying to find their seat number for each appointment. We were given 10 appointments each. Unfortunately, due to weather, (it was a dreary, rainy evening) there were several "no shows." All "un-matched" folks were asked to move to the front of the room and network among themselves to make up for the missed appointment. This was actually quite helpful as it allowed you to meet with more than one person. I had two no shows and I have to say, if this were a real speed dating scenario, my ego would be a little bruised!

All in all, the networking event was pretty successful. Being new to the industry, I met a lot of great new contacts and saw some familiar faces as well. I am looking forward to upcoming meetings with Sofitel, Park Grill, Kehoe Designs and Cubby Bear Wrigleyville. Kudos to CCTB for a well-planned event!

Lauren Banks
Sales Manager
lbanks@globalmsi.com
312-332-1919, EXT 26

GMS APPOINTS NEW SALES MANAGER

CHICAGO, Illinois – Global Management Services, Inc., the leading international event planning company in the US and Canada announced today the appointment of Lauren Banks as the company’s new Sales Manager.

Ms. Banks obtained a Master’s Degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Advertising from Bradley University in Peoria, IL.

She brings expertise from a variety of marketing and sales positions. Her most recent position included account management for a prestigious advertising agency, where she coordinated multiple client accounts including the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. She also obtained tourism and marketing experience from Old World Wisconsin, an outdoor living history museum, and non-profit sales and marketing experience from the March of Dimes.

In announcing the appointment of the new sales manager, GMS president Hanson Ansary said: “We are very excited to have Ms. Banks on board. Her professional background and experience will bring a fresh perspective to our sales efforts.”

“I am excited to embark on this new career opportunity with GMS and I am eager to grow the GMS business in both national and international markets,” said Ms. Banks.

Founded in 1998, GMS has been operating on the highest possible level for more than a decade. GMS has come to be recognized as one of the leading event planning and destination management companies in the US and Canada with a focus on incentive programs, congresses and special events. In 2008 GMS also announced the opening of its second office in Florida.

For more information on GMS and its services, visit the company’s multilingual website at www.globalmsi.com or email us at info@globalmsi.com.