First Vice President’s Thoughts

Okay, here it is July. Which means the year is officially half over! Where does the time go?!? I hope everyone is blessed with the art of being chaotically busy! Like many of us in the industry, this time of year means long work hours, very little rest and not a lot of time for family or friends. While we continue to do our jobs to the expectations and gratification of happy clients, I hope that each of you will take time out for yourselves. 

I have found that scheduling time off for myself (and Christopher) in our planners (or PDA, or Palm Pilots for you technical wizards) allows us time for ourselves. It may be as simple as getting up early to enjoy breakfast out; dinner with your best friend; going to the zoo or even turning off the cell phone and reading a book for a few hours. Whatever you need to do to keep the sanity. So many times we “cater” to our clients wants and needs, but we forget about what we need. 

ME TIME! Allow yourself one day or even one hour each day to take care of YOU. So, what are you waiting for?

The Greater Detroit Chapter of
The National Association of Catering Executives (NACE)
Invites you to join us for our

July Chapter Program
Wednesday, July 18
5:00pm – 8:00pm

Toledo Country Club
3949 River Road
Toledo, OH 43614

Network with the Special Event Association of Northwest Ohio (SEANO)
ONLY A 45-MINUTE DRIVE FROM DOWNTOWN DETROIT!

Register online at
www.detroitNACE.net

THREE REASON'S WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THIS MEETING!

1)  Learn tips on networking on the golf course during our ONE-HOLE golf outing!

2)  Enjoy creative idea's for your next corporate summer party - from adult inflatable games - to the latest trends in tent equipment and lighting techniques!

3)  Members of SEANO - the Special Events Association of Northwest Ohio - will be showcasing business opportunities for you in Toledo...

Prizes for the most people in a car pool and longest distance traveled

Register online at
www.detroitNACE.net

AND IN AUGUST
We're bringing Toledo to Detroit
For a second networking opportunity!

August Chapter Program
Wednesday, August 15
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Display Group
1700 W. Fort Street
Detroit, MI 48216

For more information on this or any of our upcoming meetings, please call

Natasha Aiken, Chapter President
419-392-1800
naiken1973@bex.net

Good Morning, 

On behalf of the Executive Board and Membership, we are delighted to welcome you to the Greater Detroit Chapter of NACE! 

We are excited that you have decided to further your professional education and commitment to the hospitality industry by being a part of our dynamic family. We are always happy to answer questions, help you find what you need and contribute to your continued success. 

The current membership roster is available to you via our members only section of our website each month at www.detroitnace.net.  Our online meeting registration allows you to make reservations for each chapter meeting at your convenience and allows you to pay by credit card. I would be happy to talk you through the website if you have any questions and I truly look forward to meeting you at our next chapter meeting. 

Please do not hesitate to contact any board member if we can provide further support to you in your hospitality career or NACE membership. You are among the top professionals in the industry, and we are honored to have you as part of our NACE family. 

As Hospitality Chair of the Detroit NACE Chapter, I ensure that guests and members are greeted as they walk in and are supplied with a nametag at each meeting. My goals are to continue to raise awareness of NACE and advise fellow peers in the event industry about the benefits of being a member.  I am working to clean up our prospect list by updating contact information, and adding new prospects to the list.  I am enjoying the benefits of being a member, getting to know other members, learning about what they do and how the businesses we work for can benefit from each other.  As Hospitality Chair, I make a point to discuss the benefits of being a member of NACE at any industry related event that I attend.  I pass out brochures on becoming a member and encourage others to come to a meeting to see what NACE is all about.  GO NACE!!!

Angela M. Chizmarik
Detroit NACE Hospitality Chair 2007
Director of Marketing for Display Group
Detroit, MI .

Members In The News:

Go Online and take a look at the impressive article relating to VideoMagic!

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070708/NEWS03/707080432&SearchID=73287447361965&GID=g01DKfKdXrLMhYev5n1I2LN4AhpWHqjMcT6BcExPgS0%3D <http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070708/NEWS03/707080432&amp;SearchID=73287447361965&amp;GID=g01DKfKdXrLMhYev5n1I2LN4AhpWHqjMcT6BcExPgS0%3D

Hold on tight...your organization is about to sky-rocket to the next level!

On Sunday, July 15th, 2007, I had the awesome privilege of representing our chapter at the NACE National Conference Joint Chapter Presidents Council Meeting with the National Board of Directors.  That's the long winded way of saying I sat in on the update from the big-wigs at NACE National.  And I have pages and pages of wonderful items to report...but here's the highlights:-

*     Membership is UP, UP and AWAY!
NACE is growing at rapid speeds all over the country.  As of June 5, 2007 our membership count is 3,579.  For the last twelve months we have experience a net GAIN was 259 members, reversing a trend of the last couple of years.  We, the Greater Detroit Chapter, are one of only six chapters that have shown positive growth every year for the last THREE YEARS with a net gain of 6 members in the last 12 months.  Not bad at all considering how transient our industry can be!  GO DETROIT NACE!!

*     A New Logo for NACE
In celebration of our 50th anniversary, the marketing committee has designed a new logo to build on the new marketing pieces they are developing for a more cohesive and professional appearance for our organization...and

*     A New National Website for NACE!
The best news yet is the launch of a new National Website - it's a much needed improvement!  Members will be able to access their membership information online to make updates and changes and non-members will be able to search for services by type or region - it's a real win-win for everyone!  Look for more information on this in the next few months.

*     CPCE Certification
The certification program has undergone a major overhaul with the assistance of the University of Central Florida .  The new material will include a broader spectrum of questions relating to the entire catering industry to ensure that we will be able to address the needs of the majority of the market - and not just on the onsite hotel caterer.  The test exam will be released in the fall and people can begin sitting for the certification early next year.

*     NACE National Educational Conference - Winter / Spring 2008
There are going to be some very exciting and monumental changes made to our National Educational Conference in this our 50th year of NACE.  Firstly, NACE is building a relationship with the CaterSource Conference held annually in Las Vegas - the hope is to have this partnership finalized and ready to roll for the 2009.  However until the agreement is finalized, NACE will be represented at CaterSource with a hospitality lounge, an over-the-top trade show booth and sponsorship of several educational classes.

*     NACE National Leadership Summits - Spring / Summer 2008
Traditionally our organization has grouped chapters by region and held several leadership conferences in the spring for chapter leaders.  Each one had its own agenda and covered different topics.  For 2008, National would like to design each of these leadership summits to cover the same information - to ensure all chapter leaders are on the same page and receive the same training!  Great idea!!

*     NACE National Catering Trends Conference - Summer / Fall 2008
To replace the former NACE Educational Conference in the summer, NACE National will be hosting a "trends" conference focusing on the catering and event design trends with a goal positioning NACE as a leader in this area of our industry.  The objective is to take attendees to many off premise venues to showcase catering and event trends such as an event designers warehouse or off premise caterers kitchen.  The conference location has not been released yet - nor the location - but I will let you know as soon as I have more information.

Financially, NACE National is stronger than ever with a positive equity of approximately $30,000.  Compare this to a negative equity of $90,000 only twelve months earlier - this is amazing news!  Much of this success can be attributed to a strong National office and board making smart decisions.  The conference was sold out for the first time in years and by going "green" and following other cost saving initiatives this conference was expected to make a profit of $50,000 - again not bad considering we budgeted a loss of $30,000!

And the conference itself was amazing - the events as always are inspiring and first class all the way.  My camera is over-loaded with photos.  I’ll let one of the other board members rave in their report about the conference…but be sure to go to the NACE National website at www.NACE.net and see some of the highlights - and make sure you budget to go next year.  I hear 2008 is going to top them all!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, I'd be happy to assist.  Just call or email.

Best regards,

Natasha Aiken
Chapter President
Detroit NACE
419-392-1800
naiken1973@bex.net

Responsibilities:

The Finalizations and Logistics Technician is responsible for finalizing all orders and making arrangements for local services (deliveries, installs, etc).  This individual also assists the Detroit Sales Manager with sales and oversees the Local Install Team.  Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Must have proven sales experience.
• Must possess above-average organizational skills and problem solving skills.
• Must have the ability to be flexible on shifts, including weekends.
• Must possess superior customer service skills.
• Experience within the event industry preferred.
• Must be a proven self-motivator, with self-guided disciplines.
• Must have the ability to work with little to no supervision, along with the ability to work within a team environment. Must have the ability to work in a fast-paced, high pressure environment.
• Must possess above-average computer skills.

All qualified applicants should e-mail a resume, along with salary requirements, to Kristen@linenhero.com.

MPE Event Productions, Inc. has a Great Career Opportunity for a Great Floral Designer.

Experienced Event Floral Designers can send their resume to mark@mpeevents.com