See What's Cooking with Meetings Michigan - Indiana MPI Sponsorship

Trisha Olach, BOYNE Resorts

"See What's Cooking with Meetings Michigan" Indiana MPI Sponsorship

Earlier this month, Meetings Michigan headed to Indianapolis to sponsor the Indiana MPI May Luncheon with 8 partners from across the state:

Mission Point Resort
BOYNE Resorts
Detroit Metro CVB
Ann Arbor CVB
MotorCity Casino Hotel
MGM Grand Detroit
Grand Hotel Mackinac Island
Westin at the Detroit Metro Airport

Sara Faircloth, Mission Point Resort

In an effort to make the event fun and encourage networking, we decided to host a "See What's Cooking with Meetings michigan" recipe exchange.  Leading up to the event, we invited attendees to bring in their own, original recipe to be entered to win various giveaways.  In exchange, all of our partners handed out recipes from their region such as the famous pecan rolls from the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

The event was a huge success and I'm pleased to report that we received over 25 delicious recipes from various Indiana MPI chapter members!  Everyone had a great time interacting and networking with colleagues. We look forward to sponsoring another Indiana MPI event in 2013!

2012 HSMAI's MEET Mid America Recap

Earlier this month, Meetings Michigan headed to Chicago's Navy Pier to attend HSMAI's MEET Mid America conference. We exhibited with two partners: BOYNE Resorts and the Westin at the Detroit Metro Airport. As in years past, our booth was located in "Michigan Row" along with our friends from Visit Ann Arbor, Discover Kalamazoo and the Detroit Metro CVB.

New for 2012, the show received a complete format overhaul.  In addition to the usual trade show exhibition, planners and suppliers alike were invited to set up pre-scheduled face-to-face appointments.  We met with several planners during the conference who expressed interest in placing their next meeting in Michigan.  Time and time again we meet planners who are just hours away from Michigan but have never considered bringing their conferences or meetings to our great state.

Overall, it was a great show and we hope to exhibit again in 2013!

8th Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum

 
Meetings Michigan recently traveled to Orlando for the 8th Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum.  The event took place at the Marriott World Center March 25th - 28th. We were joined by 2 of our partners:  Discover Kalamazoo and the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

With the ever changing rules and guidelines of the pharmaceutical meetings industry, the educational opportunities available at this conference are always second to none.  Over 30 breakouts were available as well as panel forums (pictured above), general session speakers and more.

The Physician Payment Sunshine Act was a primary discussion point throughout the 4 day conference. As described by Elizabeth J. Cappiello, "The Physicial Payment Sunshine Act requires pharmaceutical, medical device, biological, and medical supply manufacturers to report to Health and Human Services (HHS) any "payment or other transfer of value" to physicians and teaching hospitals. The first reports will be due March 31, 2013 for the calendar year 2012 reporting period. The report must include information about the amount of the payment, the date on which the payment was made, the form of payment, and the nature of the payment (e.g., gift, consulting fees, entertainment). The PPSA specifically excludes certain transfers of value from this disclosure requirement."

What does this mean to the hospitality industry? Hotels and other vendors will soon be required to provide a full summary of any goods or services a doctor uses while attending an event hosted by a pharmaceutical company.  From shuttle service to the airport to flip charts to a cup of coffee, every penny spent will need to be submitted. Suppliers from all over the country were eager to share their thoughts and concerns with industry experts.  At the end of the conference, we left with many hard-pressing questions answered even though there are likely many more to come in 2012.