by Lumi Hilchey, Atout France / NYPCMA Marketing Committee Chair
NYPCMA welcomes our new incoming Sponsorship Director, Meagan Prescott – and she shares her thoughts on our chapter, her work, and some fun tidbits.
Take it away, Meagan!
What inspired you to become an NYPCMA member?
I’ve always valued education and networking, and am lucky to work for a firm who really encourages volunteerism within the meetings industry. I first got involved in 2015 when I attended a New York event and got recruited to join the Awards and Recognition Committee, who was in the process of planning the inaugural ACE Awards. I loved being able to help get something started within the chapter and have really
enjoyed watching the event grow for the last two years as the Awards Chair. In 2016, I was fortunate to win the New York Chapter Scholarship for Convening Leaders in Vancouver and I was blown away by the event!
I’ve taken away so many ideas and inspiration from PCMA programs, and look forward to attending each year. Through staying involved, I have made great connections within the industry who I know will now be both great contacts and lifelong friends. The chapter was instrumental in me obtaining my CMP last summer, by providing opportunities for credit qualifying education and the online prep course for my license. Since the chapter has made such an impact on me, I knew I wanted to give back by joining the Board of Directors, and I am looking forward to three years of service!
What are your biggest goals as you take on this important mission as the Sponsorship Director
for our chapter?
Coming from a strict planning background, I am pretty new to sales! There is a lot to learn, but I am really looking forward to challenging myself and coming up with unique sponsorship and partnership opportunities for our amazing suppliers. Our programs offer so much value to our membership, and I really see the benefit we can provide for branding, exposure and networking to our sponsors throughout the year! My main focus is to really align each sponsor package with the goals of the organization to maximize the experience for everyone and provide the greatest value possible to our partners.
What do you think are the most important skills that can bring benefit to the Sponsorship team
and ultimately the entire PCMA family?
I think my organizational skills and enthusiasm will be big assets to the team! I have lots of ideas on how to streamline the sales process moving forward, and how to track deliverables on an ongoing basis. I believe my attention to detail and ability to maintain timelines and multiple workflows will be crucial in delivering on sales for each event and for our annual strategic partnerships.
And my love of PCMA and enthusiasm to see the chapter flourish will help me to contribute to the Board as a whole. I’m really looking forward to the Chapter Leadership workshop at Convening Leaders, where I can take best practices from other chapters and help implement them back here in New York. Throughout my three years as a Board Member, I have been looking forward to growing and contributing new, fresh ideas for our chapter.
Lastly, can you tell us a few (fun) things about yourself outside of work?
Some of my passions outside of work include travel (this year I did skiing in Denver, Napa and Mexico), trying new restaurants, seeing Broadway shows, knitting, volunteering, reading and finding new podcasts.
My happy place is at my family’s house up in Maine, where I spend time every summer. I also love swimming, getting out on the boat and playing tennis. I enjoy staying active by running or going to spin class, and taking weekend walks in Central Park at the reservoir. Lastly I love TV and movies – am looking forward to Oscars season and watching all of the nominated films. I try to stay very busy and take advantage of all that New York has to offer!
