Do you ever find yourself in a meeting just looking around the table at the people sitting next to you and truly seeing the people around you for the first time? Not just seeing their physical appearance but their life and career experience. Recently I was in a strategic pre-planning meeting for a conference and in the midst of all of the banter back and forth I sat back for a second and looked around the table and was struck by the lives that had been lead by those that were around me; the personal and professional experiences that had been had by most of those sitting around the table. There were those who had started in their same field and worked their way up for more then 20 years, others who had reinvented themselves several times in many different worlds but always managed to make their way back to the top. Still others had been dedicated to a career and an industry that was constantly beating them down and they never gave up or lost hope. And here they all sat around a large round table dreaming of what the world would be like in a few years and how to stay ahead of ever changing trends.

Later the same week I sat around a different table, squarer in shape, but with quite a similar experience, as group of people were trying to keep the strong legacy of an organization alive instead of a conference. Some around the table were young and scarcely had what you would call a career of experience behind them, while with others it would be hard to find a person in their industry that does not know and respect them for their years of service; in either case their passion is real and dedication unwavering. As I glanced around that table, overwhelmed by a full meeting agenda, I was once again struck by the amazing talents and abilities that surrounded me. The phrase “Power of the Collective” comes to mind as I reflect on that moment now. The group so different but together we are able to become so much stronger and accomplish so much.

I didn’t write this just to reflect on two different meetings I had or to even make you feel better about the next time that you are stuck in a cursed meeting, as I am not a huge fan of “meeting for the sake of meeting”. I did want to write my last newsletter address to you talking about two different things. Over the course of my presidency and my short career thus far, I have been very lucky to be able to “have a seat at the table” as evidenced in the first example. This is something that Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has been advocating outside of our industry for the past several years and whether or not that has had any impact in your individual industry I encourage you to start to take small steps within your own organizations. You never know what could help. Read up on articles and books that would apply to your organization, not just to the meetings and events industry, and forward anything applicable on to your President/CEO or GM. Over time he/she will begin to see that you are actively taking part in “their” world. The second thing is take a minute in your next meeting take a second and look around the conference table. Are there things that you could learn from the people around you, whether in a higher or lower position within the organization then you? Ask them about it, you never know what you might find out and who might be sitting right next to you.

It has been an honor and privilege to “sit across the table” from each of you over the past year. We have some amazing people in our chapter who are dedicated to developing themselves professionally, personally and committed to growing our chapter. I have nothing but confidence in the incoming leadership and know that the Tennessee Chapter will continue to provide the best education and business development opportunities for its members for the next year and many to come.