Gulf Coast Express Newsletter of the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter of SGMP Winter 2013 Message from the President: Inside this issue: Linda J. Williams- CPM, ACG, CGMP, City of Houston Public Works & Eng HGCC appreciates “YOU”. We get asked to work or participate in many activities, organizations and endeavors. And when we make the decision to give of our very precious time to that endeavor, it is not a small dilemma. I say this because an organization like the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter (HGCC) needs and appreciates members like you who get involved. Involvement can include anything from attending the monthly meetings, hosting a meeting, being a committee member, participating in an officer position on the board or much more. Our lives are made up of commitments and when we make that decision to commit ourselves freely, we get much more given back to us. “YOU” make the organization stronger and more vibrant when you get involved, “YOU” take the burden off of a few and the responsibility gets shared when you get involved. The easiest way to burn anyone out is to not have enough people involved. relaxing with them, so even though I am committed and working with an organization, I get so much more back by getting to meet and know some absolutely wonderful people. So for me, each and every one of “You” by what you do for HGCC makes our organization a better place for me and you. I want to thank each of you for all that you do for our chapter. Our chapter may be small but it has a big heart. It would not exist without “YOU”. I have a love of people, getting to know them, working with them, Upcoming Events: March 7: 5:30PM Topic: Finding the Appropriate Speaker Host: Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake Bring newspaper for BARC!!! April 4: 11:30AM Topic: Keeping Ethics a Priority Host: Courtyard by Marriott Houston NASA/ Nassau Bay SGMP Region V PIE Conference March 1-3, 2013 SGMPnorthtexas.org Jan 2013 Event 2 2013 Region V PIE 2 Feb 2013 Event 2 Tips for Savvy Planners 3 Comm. Outreach 4 Fundraising Report 5 Financial Report 6 New Members 7 10 Tips for RFPs 7 Kudos 7 Education Report 8 2012-2014 Board 9 Recipe 9 2 January 2013: CYOA - Cover Your Own Assets Tony Cross of the Division Training/ Accreditation Manager at the Houston Emergency Center was the speaker at the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter of SGMP January meeting. This luncheon was hosted January 10 at the Marriott Houston Airport at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Tony spoke the group with information on how to protect personal and professional assets in the workplace. He used his extensive experience in the military and security to explain his point. HGCC looks forward to hearing from Tony again in the future! Thank you to our January 2013 host! Upcoming Region V Conference: Partners in Education The early bird registration prices for 2013 Conference travel fees not in the the Region V Partners in Education Conference has been extended to February 28! Join us on March 13, at the Sheraton Arlington Hotel. Attend educational seminars, visit the silent auction, enjoy the keynote speakers, collect information from suppliers at the trade show and bring back a wealth of information for yourself and other planners in your office. budget this year? The HGCC Chapter is offering a scholarship for one planner’s registration and hotel stay. Watch HGCC’s Facebook page for the winner to be posted soon. See page 3 for a sneak preview of what you can expect from the conference from Todd Hunt, the PIE keynote speaker. February 2013: How to Get the Most out of Microsoft Office for Events Carol Desai and Bonnie Sandberg (pictured on left) with the City of Houston E.B. Cape Center were joint speakers for the HGCC Monthly Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Houston on Feb 6. Bonnie and Carol covered uses for Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint specifically in regard to events and planning. Thanks to both ladies for a fun presentation! This program qualified for the technology core competency, which can be used towards the GMS program or renewing your CGMP. For more information on either of these programs, please email [email protected] 3 Tips for savvy planners (and speakers) By Todd Hunt, Business Humorist SGMP 2013 PIE Keynote Speaker Planning a tight meeting is one of the hardest things to do, because everyone wants “just a few minutes” on the agenda. By the time the president delivers her welcome address, sponsors are recognized, housekeeping announcements made, service awards given and everyone sings Happy Birthday to the founding member...sometimes there’s no time left for the paid speaker! So here's a suggestion for savvy meeting planners: Separate your main speaker from other business if possible. One client had me speak from 5:30 to 6:15 pm, right before dinner. Perfect! Everyone came from the hors d’oeuvre reception (so they weren’t starving), and were very attentive. Dinner was served promptly at 6:15. As dessert came out, the president stood up, gave out awards and conducted other business. I wasn’t competing for their time, nor they for mine. Another client had me deliver the opening day keynote from 9 to 10 am. Nothing else -- not even a presidential welcome. The second morning was devoted to association business (president’s report, officer election, legislative update and so on). Here are some more tips for a smooth meeting: For Speakers... 1. If your presentation has nothing to do with the announced topic, at least be interesting. 2. Stop talking before the audience stops listening. 3. If you insist on speaking past your allotted time, you should at least be more entertaining than the next scheduled event. 4. Your humor must be clean AND funny. Just one doesn’t cut it. 5. If you’re going to read PowerPoint slides, just mail printouts instead -- saving clients your travel costs and speaking fee. For Planners... 1. Skip the gift. It’s one fewer hassle for you, and speakers don’t need another clock or pen set. If you do give a thank-you, how about a gift card? It's easy to carry home on the airplane. 2. Tell the speaker upfront if your group has any sensitivities (competitors referenced by name, for example) 3. Keep announcements and other business separate from your paid speaker’s slot, if possible. Audiences want to hear the big event, and you want to get the full value from your investment. 4. Most speakers keep it clean, but it never hurts to request a G-rated program...especially if last year’s speaker was off-color, and you heard about it from members all year long. 5. If the meeting is running behind schedule and you need the presenter to shorten his talk, tell him what time you want him to end. Professionals create their speeches in modules, so they can accommodate such requests (but you must ask BEFORE they start their speech). [AUTHOR INFO] Todd Hunt is a business humorist who speaks to organizations that want to add fun to their meetings and send members back to work smiling, with tips to improve communication and success. He will present two programs for the PIE conference on March 2 – “What Time is the Noon Lunch? Maintaining Your Sanity in the Wonderful World of Meetings” and “Finding, Hiring and Working with Professional Speakers.” Visit him at ToddHuntSpeaker.com 4 Community Outreach Report Submitted by Sanaa’ Taylor, CGMP Community Outreach Committee Chair SGMP National is big on community service, and so is the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know SGMP HGCC is partnering with BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions for an ongoing community service project. The animals are so appreciative of our newspaper donations that they asked the humans at BARC to compose a letter from them. Last quarter I asked you to stay tuned for details about our critical needs supply drive coming in June. Well, here goes. In addition to our monthly newspaper drive, we will have a donation box for the following items at the June 6 Awards Ceremony and Silent Auction: • • • • • • • • flea shampoo Dawn dishwashing liquid (brand-specific request) small hand towels natural rawhide chews dryer sheets tennis balls new, unopened toothbrushes unopened, unexpired peanut butter Thank you for this quarter’s newspaper donations. Keep ‘em coming. AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE: Sanaa’ and Patricia Swagerty will be coordinating a team on behalf of SGMP in honor of HGCC member Lucy SanFilippo, who is currently battling breast cancer. Would you like to donate time and/or money to HGCC’s team? Email [email protected] for more information! 5 Fundraising Report Submitted by Melinda Mintz, Houston Marriott South Hobby Airport Thanks to all those who participated in the fundraising conference call in January. The Houston Gulf Coast Chapter 2013 fundraising efforts began with a Valentine’s Weekend Getaway Raffle. The chapter raised over $350 through selling raffle tickets for the package. Congratulations to Veronica Montelongo, who purchased the winning ticket and thanks to all who supported the chapter by purchasing tickets. From Left to Right: Veronica Montelongo, President Linda Williams, Treasurer Michele Moura To join the fundraising committee or become more involved in the chapter, email [email protected] The chapter will be making an open call for volunteers for committees in March, so watch your email and respond as soon as possible with your interest. Thanks to our Valentine’s Weekend Getaway Sponsors! This fabulous prize was valued over $750 and included: • A champagne & deluxe chocolates gift basket, courtesy of the Hyatt Regency Houston • Overnight guestroom for two nights at the beautiful Hilton Houston NASA/Clear Lake • Two tickets on the Valentine's Dinner Cruise, courtesy of Star Fleet Yachts • Two passes to Space Center Houston and two All-Day Ride passes to Kemah Boardwalk, courtesy of Bay Area Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau Want to donate items for SGMP fundraisers? Email [email protected] 6 Financial Report Submitted by Michele Moura, Treasurer FINANCIAL REPORT – 2nd Qtr Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Michele Moura, Doubletree Hotel IAH, Treasurer Starting Balance $5,320.61 (Oct 1) Ending Balance $7,432.34 (Dec 31) INCOME Meeting Registration (Oct-Dec). . . . . . .$625.00 No Shows Collected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $00.00 Raffles, Silent Auction, Other . . . . . . $1,834.50 Revenue Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $832.00 Sponsorship Ad – Newsletter . . . . . . . . $00.00 Total Income: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,291.50 EXPENSES Bank Card/AMEX . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . $128.74 PO Box (annual Fee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$139.00 Tax Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $200.00 JLM Lodging Pres/2VP). . . . . . . . . . . . .$712.03 Total Expenses: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,179.77 Net Income for 1st Qtr . . . . . . . . . . . $2,111.73 Message from the Treasurer: On the “Income side”, the Silent Auction in December was quite successful and rendered a significant amount of income, and revenue share was up. Under “expenses”, the JLM (Joint Leadership Meeting), which is a required meeting for chapter Presidents and 2nd VP’s was moved from January to October, and National no longer pays for the (airfare or) accommodations. Our Bank Card/Amex fees will be decreasing as we are now set up through Pay Pal for credit cards. There will only be a couple more fees showing in the next quarter (3Q); the remaining fees/payments will be to Pay Pal. At this time, it appears to be a considerable savings since we took in $400 in February via Pay Pal, and the total fees assessed were only $16.46, when normally the fees would have been $42.90. In regards to Pay Pal, we hope to be able to accept credit cards at the door for future meetings very soon. However, until further notice please pay your meeting registration online (preferred) or bring cash/check to the door. You can also purchase raffle tickets on line, and for regular raffles you will receive one (1) extra ticket for the online purchase. Note: $10 is the minimum online raffle ticket purchase for which you will receive 8 tickets instead of 7. If you need to invoiced separately for the Raffle tickets, contact Melinda Mintz and she will send you an invoice via Pay Pal. We will invoice all No-Shows that do not cancel at least 24hrs prior to the meeting (extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the board). No Show invoice fees not paid will be collected at the next meeting the planner/supplier attends. Please stay current! Star Membership (our annual discount meetings fees) is available to everyone and will save you the cost of a couple of meetings. Contact Melinda Mintz for more information ([email protected]) or pick up information at the registration table at your next meeting. 7 10 RFP Tips for Getting the Best Price Submitted by Michele Moura, DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Intercontinental Airport 1. Get History from your previous venues, especially your guest room “pickup” day-by day totals 2. Do not over-inflate your room block – attrition or room rental can be costly 3. State your preferred location – Downtown, Airport, Resort, etc 4. State your preferred dates; be flexible with dates as well as date patterns if possible 5. State the room rate or rate range you are seeking 6. Specify how many meeting rooms you need, the preferred set up, and how many attendees per room 7. Be flexible with your set up style if possible (ex: crescent rounds instead of classroom) 8. Be flexible with your meeting space – if setting the General Session in rounds, hold lunch in the same room 9. Utilize foyer space with 6’x30” table-tops instead of booths with pipe & drape for exhibitors and vendors whenever possible. There is considerable cost savings 10. List your Concessions (value ads) in order of “Really Want or Need” to “Would be Nice to Have” Welcome New Members • • Ernye Zawitkowski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (January 2013) Robert Whitaker, ePro LLC (January 2013) Kudos Congratulations to HGCC member Michele Moura, who became a grandmother on February 13 at 11:16AM to Lillian Elizabeth, 6 pounds and 11 ounces. Congratulations to both Gina Goosby-Harris, who was recently elected and Linda Williams, who was re-elected to the Board of Directors of the Houston Metropolitan Federal Credit Union, which is a 3-year term. The HGCC is lucky to have board members so active in the community! Do you have an accomplishment to share? [email protected]. Promotion? Award? Please email Submit any announcements or newsletter articles by May 17 to be included in the spring 2013 newsletter, published by June 1. 8 Education Report Submitted by Linda Williams, President Education is our motto! I am very proud to say that we have now completed our 2013 calendar and if you have not taken a look at the speakers that we have, please do so. As show business folks say, we have a really great line up. Please take advantage of some wonderful speakers coming up. After the meetings, please let them know how much we appreciate their presentations because ALL of the speakers have donated their time and are free of charge to HGCC. If you have the opportunity, please try to attend the Partners In Education (PIE) 2013 March 1-3 or the National Education Conference (NEC) 2013 on May 22-25. These are great learning opportunities! Please see our full 2013 calendar below (subject to change). As a Rodeo committee member, I would like to put in a little plug for the HLS&R. Whether you buy tickets, attend the BBQ, go to the carnival or go to see the exhibits, all funds go for educational opportunities for our children. So every time you are singing and enjoying the concert, riding the roller coaster, biting into that tasty turkey leg or taking pictures of those 18 little pigs that were just born, you make a difference in the life of a Texas child. I encourage you to put those boots and jeans on and become a Cowboy or Cowgirl for a day at Reliant because you are educating some really great kids and giving back to your community. 9 Society of Government Meeting Professionals – Houston Gulf Coast Chapter PO Box 130746 Houston TX 77219 www.sgmphouston.org [email protected] SGMP's Mission & Objectives have served the government meeting professional for 30 years! Our mission is to enhance the knowledge and expertise of government meeting professionals. Our objectives are to improve the quality of, and promote the cost-effectiveness of, government meetings. SGMP is the only national organization in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to government meetings. SGMP delivers our membership value of education, resources and networking to our 3,800 members and through 32 chapters nationwide. The Houston Gulf Coast Chapter invites you to join us during our monthly meetings and become a member of our chapter. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month and include a variety of professional development topics. Locations vary throughout the Houston area allowing our supplier members to showcase their properties and planner members to view different sites in a relaxed social atmosphere. Check the “Monthly Meetings” section on our website for the latest information regarding meeting locations and educational topics. 2012-2014 Board Members: President: Linda J. Williams st 1 Vice President: [Vacant] nd 2 Vice President: Melinda Mintz Treasurer: Michele Moura Secretary: Gina Goosby-Harris DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup butter, softened • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed • 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 2 eggs • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice • 1/2 cup rolled oats • • • • • • 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 3 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts DIRECTIONS: 1.) Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. 2.) Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just blended. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended. NOTE: For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies. 3.) Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions onto an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. (You will probably only fit 4-6 cookies per sheet at this size) Bake in a 350°F oven for 16-18 minutes or until cookies are light brown around the edges and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft.