Greetings PCMA New England!
If you are like me, you are likely scratching your head right now wondering where this year went and how are we possibly about to start another crazy holiday season!? They say the years go by faster and faster the older you get and 2018 was one of my quickest and most fulfilling yet. What seems like only moments ago, I was preparing myself to step into role as Chapter President this time last year. So, it is hard to believe that this is my final message to you all before we finish out our year and I turn over the reins to an amazing President Elect to take us into 2019.
As a chapter, we continued to build off the success of last year and have accomplished so much this year. We have continued to offer top notch education and social events in various settings that you have grown to love and expect from PCMA NE. We kicked off the year with a chapter celebration in Nashville and followed that with a first-time educational partnership with MPI-NE for a New England Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) celebration at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in April. The education kept rolling with a first-time waking up with PMCA NE breakfast event at the Marriott Copley Place in May. Our annual Red Sox Summer Social in July was another huge success where we cheered on our beloved Red Sox who ended their season as World Champions once again! We rolled into the Fall season with our annual Best-in-Class speaker series Lunch and Learn at The Social Register. Despite the inclement weather, we still had a sell out event! A huge thanks to the staff at The Social Register for their wonderful hospitality that day. Sans our lederhosen, we celebrated Oktoberfest with our friends at Somerville Brewing Company at our annual social on October 17th. We were treated to some tasty apps, a tour of the brewery and indulged in some delicious local brews. Thank you to the team at Slumbrew for your hospitality and support of this event! I also want to thank those members who continued to raise money for Marisa’s Mission by donating when registering for the Oktoberfest event. Through your generosity we raised an additional $95 for this very special cause.
We are not done yet though, we will be closing out 2018 with our most exciting night of the year at the Seaport Hotel on Tuesday, December 4th! Our Annual Meeting & Networking Reception will feature speaker Jessica Levin who will enlighten us with a talk on “Unsolicited Advice for Being Human”, our annual Don Lawrence scholarship presentation, check presentation to Marisa’s Mission from all your generous donations throughout the past year, induction of the 2019 Board of Directors and of course your opportunity to start get a jump start on your holiday gift shopping by bidding on our many live and silent auction items. This is the perfect time to network, celebrate all our successes over the past year and get excited for all the great things we have planned for 2019. Do not get stuck with a case of ‘FOMO’ and secure your spot today!
Are you heading to Pittsburgh in January for Convening Leaders? If so, then be sure to register for our complimentary chapter reception taking place at The Westin Convention Center on Sunday, January 6th from 4:30-6pm. Head to our website today and get registered for our 12/4 and 1/6 events all at once! https://newengland.pcma.org/.
It is never too late in the year to be engaged by attending our events, volunteering to serve on a committee or simply sharing your ideas with any one of us so that we can continue to amplify our chapter to the next level. We still have a few Committee Chair positions to fill and are always looking for volunteers to join any one of our wonderful committees. We are also always planning for the future, so if you and your organization would be interested in hosting and showcasing your venue for one of our educational or social events in 2019 or 2020, please contact myself or incoming President, Cara Pratt.
It has been a such an honor to serve as your President this past year. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many of you better and have made many new friendships. I am so excited and grateful for all of your generosity throughout the year in support of Marisa’s Mission. It is an organization near and dear to my heart and I know the foundation will be so very grateful for the donated funds presented in December. I want to extend another huge thank you to all our chapter and event sponsors that supported us this year. We could not do what we do without your contributions. Lastly, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the PCMA NE Board, Committee Chairs and Committee Members. It is your time committed to our chapter throughout the entire year that ensures our success. I am so lucky to have worked with such a phenomenal team! This experience has been so rewarding and not one I will soon forget. I appreciate you all and look forward to supporting Cara Pratt as she continues to build our chapter’s success in 2019!
I look forward to hosting you all on December 4th for our Annual Meeting & Networking event! Happy and safe holidays to you and yours!
Cheers,
Jason Ward, 2018 NE Chapter President
Seaport Hotel & Seaport World Trade Center
