• Letter from the President
• Anniversary Feature: Creating Camaraderie Amongst Competitors
• CSEP/Eventworld Scholarship Reminders
• Next CSEP Group Meeting
• April Program Highlights
• Twin City Bridal Association Named Partner of the Year
• Call for Entries for the ISES Esprit Awards
• Photographic Copyrights
• May is Membership Drive Month!
• Member Orientation Event
• Hospitality Minnesota is Going Green
• Meet a Board Member
• ISES Sound Off

It is almost May, which means it is almost time for the annual ISES membership drive. Although we have more members in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter than we ever have had in our history, ISES Minneapolis-St. Paul still has room to grow! I strongly believe that the more people that are ISES members in our community the better for all of our businesses. A group of professionals that subscribe to the same standards of ethics and professional conduct can be very powerful.

So as you conduct your daily business, I encourage you to share your ISES story. All of us experience ISES in a different way, but I am sure for each the key message is one of connection; connection to a Creative. Collaborative. and Credible. community of like professionals. And that message of connection and the ISES brand needs to be told. This month, let's all work together to break another membership record during the upcoming May membership drive. Thank you for sharing your stories and I hope to again have record numbers to report next month.

Best regards,

by Tiffany Gaudette, (tiffany@umn.edu)

Ever sit around in your bathrobe and talk shop with other event professionals? Well, Diana Brasch (dbrasch@plato.com) has!

Counting that experience among her favorite ISES moments, Diana said, "I attended an ISES conference in Washington, DC and a few of the chapters got together and created an after-hours event which required each attendee to wear their hotel robe. It was hilarious because everyone looked and felt very comfortable and we had a blast sharing event challenges and successes from across the world."

That sharing and collaborative spirit shines in stark contrast to the competitive environment that existed amongst event producers and vendors when Diana attended The Special Event conference in Orlando and began to envision a Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter. "I will never forget sitting at the awards ceremony and watching all of these amazing teams on stage accepting their awards and thanking their fellow chapter members and thinking to myself how wonderful it would be if we could have that in the Twin Cities," Diana said. "I really felt that if we created that camaraderie amongst the vendors in our cities, that it would bring our events to a whole new level."

As Diana and the original founding group met at Perkins on 394 for early morning planning sessions, new ground was broken. "It was not at all common for competitors to work together," she said. "I was working at Design Group when I first got involved in ISES. Back then it was unheard of for a Design Group to team up with a Destinations Management or a metroConnections." At those initial meetings, the conversations focused strictly on ISES and allowed sharing between the competitors about current projects.

Reflecting on those early days, Diana extended special recognition to Cheryl Kranz (ckranz@equinoxcreative.com). "Cheryl was an incredible contributor to the founding of this chapter. Her knowledge and experience were instrumental to our staying on task and completing our mission. Cheryl owned her our event management company at the time and was really the only common thread between all of the founders. She had the vision that we could all work together and team up on events. Her vision was absolutely right on and I believe that this has helped to get Minneapolis-St. Paul on the map in the event industry." After her original inspiration while watching other chapters at the Orlando awards ceremony years before, things came full circle when, at the 1998 Special Event Gala Award, Diana took the stage to accept the "Best Entertainment" award. "My internal Design Group team and ISES partners teamed up to produce this event and I believe that teamwork is the reason we won the award. I was so grateful to accept it and share in the joy. It was an incredible moment that I will treasure for a lifetime."

While it seems not much could top the "bathrobe party," another of Diana's favorite moments was one of our very own monthly chapter programs. "Lisa Marie Borchert (lisa.borchert@allianzlife.com) was in charge of producing the monthly ISES events and she had planned a dine-around in downtown Minneapolis. We went to the first destination and the food was wonderful, the speaker was engaging and the wine was flowing. By the third location, people were having such a wonderful time that she practically had to get out a giant hook to move members out of the restaurant in order to make it to the final location. The event was a huge success but as a planner you can imagine what it would be like to herd a bunch of event planners that were socializing and cocktailing."

Diana also expressed her personal thanks to Lisa Marie. "I have had the honor to work with Lisa Marie over the years and she is an amazing event designer and producer. Her passion for this industry shines through with all of her years of service on the board of ISES and her endless desire to make this chapter the best it can possibly be," she said. "I also want to thank her for tirelessly keeping us past members up to date on what is happening in the chapter and kicking us into gear to get re-engaged."

Regarding the growth and evolution of the chapter, Diana said, "I attended the most recent awards gala and was so proud as I thought about how far this chapter has come and what all of you have done to make it the International ISES Chapter of the Year two years in a row. WOW... what a magnificent success! It is the passion you all have for events and your many donated hours that have made a dream a reality. Many thanks and congratulations to all of you that have made this possible." And many thanks to you, Diana, for sharing in that initial dream and helping to create the camaraderie we so enjoy today. And now we all know the secret to successful collaboration. Bathrobes!

How would you like to go to Eventworld 2008 (mostly) for free? How about getting your CSEP (partly) on us? We want to remind you that the Eventworld 2008 and CSEP scholarship applications are due Monday, MAY 12, 2008!

About the CSEP scholarship:
In recognition of the ever-increasing importance of education in our industry and the newly revamped CSEP program, the Board of Directors of the ISES Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter is pleased to launch its CSEP Scholarship program this spring. All ISES members who are in pursuit of their CSEP certification are eligible for the scholarship. Applicants must have already applied for and been accepted to take the CSEP exam. The scholarship will provide the full $400 exam registration fee.

We will be offering one scholarship this year, and the deadline for application is Monday, May 12, 2008. Applications will be judged anonymously by another ISES chapter. See the CSEP Scholarship Application Form for complete details.

About the Eventworld 2008 scholarship:
To assist more local ISES members in experiencing the benefits of the international industry education and network, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter invites you to apply for the Leadership and Education Merit Award scholarhip. For the 2008 ISES Eventworld Conference in St. Petersburg FL, two recipients will be selected this year to receive the Full Education Package, admission to the ISES Annual General Meeting, as well as a travel stipend - an award worth $1,200. The deadline for application is Monday, May 12, 2008 and full details can be found on the Merit Award Application Form. Applications will be judged anonymously by another ISES chapter, and the winners will be announced at our June program. .

The Certified Special Event Professional (CSEP) Discussion Group was formed to assist those chapter members who are interested in attaining the CSEP certification.

The group meets every 4-6 weeks as members are available and they are planning the next three meetings:

Tuesday, April 29, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. at Event Lab
Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. at Augsburg College
Tuesday, June 24, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. at The Late Bloomer Floral Design Studio, Inc.

Discussion Group members meet to review the Content Outline for the written, essay portion of the exam. Members share their own, real-life experiences and help those with less confidence in a particular area as we support each other in our pursuit of this industry certification.

To RSVP for an upcoming meeting or join the CSEP Discussion group or if you are interested in hosting a future meeting, contact Ruth Wikoff-Jones (ruthsbluemarble@hotmail.com).

For more information on the CSEP certification process and exam, visit http://www.ises.com/Default.aspx?tabid=87.

By Erica Theil, (EThiel@moneygram.com)
ISES Student Member

This month, the chapter's Board of Directors provided student members the opportunity to plan the April program. Co-chairs in planning the afternoon were Jamie Plantenberg and myself, along with team members Rose Yep and Sarah Shindley. We put together a program focused on the future of the workforce in our industry, hosted at the Ted Mann Concert Hall at the University of Minnesota.

Attendees were greeted with members from the U of M Marching band playing school anthems. Guests had an opportunity to socialize and network, followed by lunch and an address from speaker Rosealee Lee. The topic for the afternoon was "ROS, Build it forward". Rosealee emphasized the importance of education and mentoring the next generation of event professionals. With more than three decades of planning meetings, events and trade shows domestically and internationally, Rosealee Lee developed the Meeting and Event Management Program of the Institute of Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Dakota County Technical College. Following her presentation, attendees engaged in a robust and delightful conversation over the future workforce in our local industry.

Student members of the University of Minnesota marching band welcome guests to the Tedd Mann Concert Hall.		Rosealee addresses the issue of the future workforce in the Hospitality Industry.

I enjoyed the theme of the April program because it reinforced that not only are student members a great resource, but we are the future of the industry. I am a current ISES student member and will be graduating from DCTC's Event and Meeting Management program this May. Whether it is a full time position, or volunteering for an evening, we as students seek experienced professionals for valuable mentoring opportunities. Over the past two years, ISES has been a tremendous resource for me to network and be involved.

As graduation approaches, others like me are busy looking for opportunities to continue to grow and learn in a workplace setting. As local members begin hiring over the summer, be sure to use the ISES Job Board. By posting your needs, members can be assured they are receiving a qualified individual to fulfill their requirements. In turn, students are gaining real life work experience, we all benefit! To quote speaker Rosealee Lee, let's "build it forward"!


Visit the Photo Gallery to see more photos of the April Program.

Would you like to do a Program Re-cap for the ISES Minneapolis-St. Paul Newsletter? Contact communications@ises-msp.org.

by Patty Fleming (patty@festivitiesmn.com)
Festivities, Inc.

Success in the event business is something that we all seek to achieve - sometimes it's financial success (hopefully), other times it's our client's gratitude or recognition by our peers. This year's ISES award for Partner of the Year was given to Twin City Bridal Association for their outstanding contribution to our chapter. Not only has TCBA been extremely successful in assisting with the growth and development of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter this year, but they have generously shared tips, tricks and encouragement with the rest of us. (Read Media Release)

I asked Matthew Trettel (matthew@twincitybridal.com) how their association with ISES had impacted their view of the special event community. "Do more has always been our philosophy - by being involved in and partnering with ISES we have been able to meet and collaborate with other professionals who see the world from that same perspective. We have been excited to meet others who want to step up and make a difference in the special event community".

As event-trend setters, I asked "What's Next," to which Matt replied "Evolution! Times have changed and so have the expectations of our audience; it's become much less about a focus on 'décor' and much more about engagement. What can an event do to impact our guests?"

And for those students out there just dying to get into the event business, Matthew offers this advice "Know what you are getting yourself into - intern! See first hand how glamorous and how absolutely not glamorous the industry can be. Do a lot of talking and asking questions of seasoned professionals. Consider finding a mentor. These are all ways that are going to open opportunities for you to break into the industry."

What does this say about our chapter? That we have an awesome group of members, like Matthew and his partner Bruce Vassar, who are not only successful themselves, but are committed to sharing their expertise with our entire group. Thank you TCBA for your tremendous contributions!

A nomination for an ISES Esprit Award has become one of the highest honors given within the special events industry. The ISES Esprit Awards Committee invites ISES members to enter one or more of your events in the 2008 ISES Esprit Awards.

Award nominees will be announced no later than June 16th and winners will be awarded at ISES Eventworld on August 23, 2008 at the Esprit Awards Gala at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Last year, 14 Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter members were nominated in 10 categories for their events! So start your entries. ENTRIES ARE DUE: MAY 1, 2008

Download the 2008 Esprit Awards Call for Entries at: http://isesew.vtcus.com/pdfs/2008_Call_for_Entries.pdf

For additional 2008 ISES Esprit Information, go to http://www.ises.com/IndustryAwards/tabid/83/Default.aspx.

By Matthew Coppersmith (coppersmithphotography@charter.net)
Coppersmith Photography

Editors Note: Everyone knows the value of great pictures! This month we wanted to bring you a photographer's point of view on the important topic of copyrights, something which is important for our industry as each of us tries to showcase our talents and build our brands.

Intellectual property is not a term you hear much in the event industry. But intellectual property is integral to what we do everyday. Everyday we are asked to create events for clients - and the act of creation, of dreaming up new and fun ideas for our events - means we are in the business of creating proprietary ideas. After all, no one wants to create a great event, present it to a client and then have that client do the event themselves or hire another company but use your ideas. It is the same with photography, and photographic copyrights. Understanding copyright will help you to understand why it is important to credit anyone who provides artwork to you.

As a photographer, I am consistently asked to provide various images of events I have photographed which, for the most part, I have no problem doing. Whenever I hand over one of my images to be used by another vendor, I stipulate that there must be photo credit associated with the image. By doing this, I have created a verbal contract with the vendor. Their fee is the photo credit. I have now given the vendor the right to reproduce this image wherever they would like. If this vendor uses my image and does not provide photo credit, they are essentially stealing the product.

Think of it this way: Say someone rents a car for two days. They sign a contract and agree to pay a certain amount of money. At the end of the two days, they return the keys and the car, and the contract has ended. As the renter they have no more rights to the car. But say they made a copy of the car key and later went back and took the car. Would this not be grand theft auto? Cars like copyrights are "property." A car is tangible personal property. A copyright is intangible. Ownership remains the same - and with photographs, this means that the ownership remains with the photographer per the terms of the contract you have with them, and the rights they give you to use their images. It is the intangible part that often confuses people when you talk about copyright.

Now I am not saying that if you do not credit the Photographer who supplied images to you that they will pursue legal action but they probably won't supply you with photographs again. Thus it is in your best interest to befriend your photographer - give 'em credit and they will give you great photos of each and every event.

Did you know? ISES Minneapolis-St. Paul has 198 members!

That makes us the largest chapter in the Midwest region...
That means we are only 2 members smaller than the Dallas Chapter...
That means we are only 19 members smaller than the LA Chapter (Yes, Los Angeles, California!)

ISES Minneapolis-St. Paul has become a beacon in the international special events community for the great members and chapter work. Because of this, the future continues to look bright, but our organization is only as strong as its membership. Which is why now is the time for you to consider joining!

And joining is more than just signing up for a few networking events and a monthly program. ISES membership is about making yourself known to your clients and colleagues as a member of our local event community who is committed to collaboration, creativity and credibility in special events. Joining is making a statement about who you are as an event professional.

ISES is the definitive resource to enhance and advance your career in the special events industry. From our local monthly programs to the international network of more than 5,000 special events professionals, joining ISES is making the commitment to life-long learning, leadership development, and raising the bar of professionalism for our profession. ISES members serve their clients by being the most trusted source for innovative, knowledgeable and professional special event services that consistently deliver high-quality events and tangible results.

Starting May 1, go to www.ises.com and sign up to be a member. When you sign up online, we waive the $50 application fee and you get 14 months for the price of 12, as your membership would run through June 30, 2009.

Need another incentive to sign up? The first 5 NEW members and the first 5 RENEWING members in May will receive admission to the June "Restaurant Tour" Program for free. How does that tickle your fancy? Do you have questions about membership? Please don't hesitate to call or email. We would love to answer any questions you may have. Happy Spring!

Meghan & Craig

Meghan Jager VP of Membership meghan@ises-msp.org		Craig Oliver Director of Membership craig@ises-msp.org

Building Your Brand

Guest Speaker:
Christopher Everett
See Design, Minneapolis, MN

Brands are not logos. They are so much more. Your brand is your identity; it is the experience you create for your clients and customers to engage with. This month, we invite you to join a master in the art of brands, guest speaker, Christopher Everett, whose work with top companies and their brands influences audiences across the world. Within the ultimate branding experience - the new Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America - Chris will share his philosophy on the basis of brands and how to make your brand work for you. It is a program not to be missed.

About the Speaker: For over 18 years, Christopher Everett's work has been about seeing. Looking beyond the surface and past the obvious for deeper meaning and hidden truth. To find the essence of a brand - the heart, the promise, the reason to care. He has worked with consumer brand leaders on everything from advertising, packaging and promotion to in-store experience. In the end, it's all about seeing how each of these touch points are just expressions of the bigger brand - the bigger promise. It's about connecting people to the brands they love.

He has been fortunate to partner with brands like Coca Cola, Dreamworks, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Purina and Target to manage, lead and design brands which impact audiences everyday.


When:
Thursday, May 8, 2008

4:00-4:30 - Registration & Networking
4:30-5:30 - Presentation
5:30-6:30 - Dinner

Venue:
Great Room at Mall of America
(Located in Nickelodeon Universe)
60 East Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425
952-833-8800 (General Information)

Cost:
ISES Members: $35.00
ISES Associates: $40.00*
Guests: $50.00
Student Members: $15.00**

*Associates are co-workers of an also attending ISES Member.
**Students who are NOT ISES Members must pay the Guest rate.

Please RSVP by Monday, May 5, 2008.

There will be a $10.00 surcharge for anyone who registers after the deadline. Cancellations after Monday, May 5, 2008 and no-shows will be billed.

Gold Sponsor,
ISES Member

Silver Sponsor,
ISES Member

Calling all First-Year Members: whether you joined ISES last May or last month, The International Special Events Society Minneapolis-St. Paul Board of Directors is excited to invite new members to our annual membership orientation.

This informal gathering will take place before the May program on Thursday, May 8, 2008, from 2:30 - 4:00 pm at the Mall of America Executive Center on the 4th floor. Now that you have become a member, plan to join us to learn how to make the most of your ISES membership and the ISES brand work for you.

In preparation for the Republican National Convention (RNC) this fall, the Minnesota Restaurant, Lodging and Resort & Campground Associations are collaborating with GreenGatherings to present this interactive seminar geared toward maximizing efforts on being a more "green" and environmentally-conscious property.

The seminar, "Greening Your Property for the RNC & Beyond," will take place Tuesday, May 13, from 8:30 am to 3 pm at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront. Learn how to maximize your properties green efforts through seminars and the resource center in preparation for the RNC and beyond.

For more information on the seminar, please visit the Hospitality Minnesota website.

Kate Stahl
Immediate Past President

kate@ises-msp.org
612-844-3374 office

Manager of Corporate and Leadership Events

Years in event industry: 15

Other positions held in ISES:
  - Member of the International Certification Committee, 2007-2008
  - President, 2006-2007
  - President-Elect, 2005-2006
  - Member of the International Conference Education Committee, 2005-2006
  - Vice President of Communications, 2003-2005
  - Marketing Director for CPD, 2003

As the Immediate Past President on the local MSP board, I am responsible for overseeing the Leadership & Educational Merit Scholarship program for Eventworld as well as the Partner of the Year program. Additionally, as a member of the International Certification Committee, I oversee and promote the Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) credentialing program.

I'm constantly inspired by the events I attend through ISES and the people I meet at ISES events. I've taken ideas gleaned from these events/people and transformed a tired "Christmas Lunch" into a popular, dynamic Christmas Reception that is the talk of our company each December. I've also tried to do this for countless other events I plan.

Hear what fellow event professionals are saying about ISES, our monthly programs and events, and learn the great things local ISES members are doing.

Member News:
meetingpages.com anounces that it has hired Curtis Romano in the role of Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He charged with the overall growth for Mighty Dog Media and its wholly owned subsidiary meetingpages. Romano's first priority will be to head up meetingpages.com's sales initiatives in Wisconsin, where the company expanded earlier this year.

meetingpages.com also announced the hire of Nicole Fannin as the new Minnesota Advertising Director.


Members Creating News:

Mpls. St.Paul Magazine Weddings will launch with a special issue this fall, and is looking for fabulous weddings and wedding receptions to feature in our pages. If you've been a part of a noteworthy wedding event within the past year, please e-mail Sarah Asp Olson at SAsp@mspmag.com by May 9, 2008.


Members in the News:

The Spring edition of Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal profiles ISES members Diane Pearson, CMP (diane@eventbizniz.com) and Nate Boutang (nboutang@mnorch.org) on pages 24 and 26. The magazine also featured comments from Chapter Board of Director Members Chrissy Mages (chrissym@sttheresenh.org), (page 30-31) Ryan Hanson (ryan@beeventsdesign.com) (page 36-37), and Jodi Collen, CSEP (collen@augsburg.edu) (page 40-41).

Jodi Collen, CSEP (collen@augsburg.edu) was featured in the April 2008 ISES Pages of Special Events Magazine talking about the importance of entering for an Esprit Award.


Do you have news you would like to share? Do you have an exciting announcement you want to brag about? Email communications@ises-msp.org.