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All About NACE

Making The Most Of Your NACE Membership

Being a member of the DFW Chapter of NACE is an investment in both time and money. But man, I can tell you, it is well worth both! The more invested you are with the organization, the more you will get out of it. Here are a few tips on how you can get the most out of your membership. 

  1. Join A Committee
    • This is by far the number one way to get the most of your membership. This gets you one-on-one interaction with other industry leaders that you simply can not get anywhere else. There is something about being on a team and seeing your work come to fruition for the industry that we all love that is incomparable. With sooo many different opportunities on the committees to do so many different things, I promise you will be able to find something that you will enjoy. From doing something you love to learning something new, to expressing your talents – the committees have it all. The relationships you build and the personal growth you will experience are all amazing!
  2. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
    • For extroverts, the thought of networking is exciting, but for people like me that tend to be more introverted, meeting strangers can be daunting, to say the least. Getting out of your comfort zone and meeting new people during the cocktail hours of our meetings, sitting at a table next to people you don’t know are two very good ways to not only get to know other professionals but for them to get to know you too. 
  3. Show Up
    • So, this one may be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway – simply show up. Every time you show up to a NACE meeting or event you will get to know more people, build stronger industry relationships, and have an opportunity to express what makes you and your business unique. We are a really fun group, we love to support each other, we love to get to know others in our industry. We want you to attend our events because we love seeing you and want to be part of your success!

I joined NACE almost 10 years ago – I was nervous, I was shy, it was hard for me to meet new people. As uncomfortable as it was, I showed up, got out of my comfort zone, and joined different committees. This all led to me finding the most success I have had in my ‘long’ career. These three suggestions are all things that any member can do and I promise that you will get more out of your membership than you ever thought possible. 

Adam Wilmore
Treasurer of DFW NACE

Lauren’s Top 5 Tips for Networking

Let’s be honest….networking is hard work. It is especially hard work since we spent the last year with the least amount of human interaction we have had in our lives.  Knowing how to effectively network is key to building professional relationships and in today’s crowded job market, the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”, could not be more true. NACE Experience is next week, so here are some tips to help guide you through effective business networking and dipping your toes into the people pond again! 

  1. Understand your goal
    • What are you wanting to accomplish with networking and your relationships? Is it building your client database? Honing in on a future job or career path? Maybe it’s just for casual talk and conversation. Whatever it is, try to keep in mind the WHY behind what you are doing. It can help guide your conversation and determine your follow up afterwards as well.  
  2. Relax and keep in mind, we are all a little uncomfortable. 
    • Networking and meeting new people can be scary and intimidating. Remember, it is not just you that feels that way. The people you are meeting and speaking to are ALSO a little nervous. So, take a deep breathe and try to be as cool, calm and collected as possible. 
  3. Keep it relatable! 
    • Keep your conversation relatable and interesting to the person you are meeting.  This way it not only makes the conversation more fun and engaging for you both, but it makes it easier to remember who you have met and what they do and how it relates to you as well! How can you help them? Make sure the conversation is not just about you, your job, your career, but about them, how you can help and work with them as well. 
  4. Document your connections
    • After meeting a few people, take the time to document who they are, where they work or what they do and their contact information. At NACE Experience, you will be on system overload, so do not rely on yourself to remember it all. Have a system in place to take notes or document your valuable information. 
  5. Follow up! 
    • This tip seems the easiest, but it is the most forgotten. Follow up with your new friends! Touch base with them, send a quick note, email, text or call soon after arriving home from conference. And make it a point to keep in touch with them.  Again, our relationships have incredible influence in our careers and this is a great way to strengthen opportunities for yourself and others.  

I am so excited to see everyone at the NACE National Conference in Vegas, and at our monthly DFW NACE meetings. And I hope these tips & tricks can help with your business and professional relationships. Please realize that you might be a little rusty and it might feel more uncomfortable than you remember, but don’t let that stop you! Meet some new people and squeeze the ones you already know (safely). Our event industry is dependent on strong, healthy relationships, so let’s do it! 

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” – Bill Nye 

 

Lauren Twichell
Owner of Painting with a Twist Rockwall
President-Elect of DFW NACE

Dana Blaugrund Shares All About the Foundation of NACE

 

I would not be where I am in my career had it not been for NACE. Supporting NACE and serving in the various roles I have taken on, is how I give back to this great organization and our NACE community. After serving for 10 years on our DFW Board of Directors, I had the privilege of serving on the National Board as the CLC Chair (Chapter Leader Council), which I LOVED. That role allowed me to share all of the great work that we were doing in the DFW area with other local chapters around the country. 

And now as a Board of Trustee for the Foundation of NACE, I have helped to integrate the needs of our local chapters with our fundraising efforts, and the main project I worked on this year, along with Timothy Lam CHT, CGSP was the “Speaker Series.” 

The Foundation’s Mission

The mission of the Foundation of NACE is to support the catering and events industry with education and investments that support local NACE chapters. We do this through innovative, transformative programs that elevate our collective community. Incorporated in 1985, the Foundation of NACE is a 501©3 charitable organization. So in other words … the Foundation was created to provide a vehicle for tax-deductible contributions to support catering and events related solely to education, scholarships, research, and philanthropy.

The Foundation serves NACE in multiple ways

The Foundation provides education for the speakers at our two National Conferences and also this year we started an amazing program called the “Signature Speaker Series” which provides education to NACE members through a variety of delivery formats to benefit members and chapters across the country. 

The “Signature Speaker Series” program helps chapters offer high-quality education through a vetted list of speakers and specially negotiated rates. HELLO … some speakers are offered at no cost to chapters! Local Chapters also receive a REBATE for booking the speakers through this program.

The Foundation also supports the NACE Community through grant-based investments. Our “Community Education Grants” help chapters provide high-quality programs at the local level. This year a total of 9 Chapters received community grants totaling over $12,000.00.

The Foundation provides support for current and future professionals through merit-based education scholarships. We have three scholarships which include: Vince DeFinis Scholarship, The Foundation of NACE Scholarship, and The Patti J. Shock Scholarship (in partnership with The International School of Hospitality TISOH). Together, these three scholarships award over $16,000.00 to 4 individuals. These scholarships provide aid that supports tuition, travel, leadership training, and professional development. You can find more information about the scholarships here: http://www.nace.net/give/educatingtoday/

Of course, this year was a special year, so the Foundation pivoted to offer additional programs for members and Chapters. With one of those programs, The Foundation paid the rebates back to the Chapter for all members that signed up during the membership campaign. And the Foundation also launched the “Chapter Grant / Loan Program” which provides funding to be used toward education programming, program development, membership development or general operations. 50% of the financial support is in the form of a “forgivable grant” and the remaining 50% is treated as an interest-free loan. 9 Chapters applied for this grant and a total of $15,000.00 was awarded.

Serving with the Foundation of NACE

The term of each Foundation member is a one-year term with a maximum of eight years. I am coming up on the end of my first term as a Board of Trustee on the Foundation, and looking forward to continuing my service with the Foundation next year. Also, next year, our very own DFW NACE member Terry Shields, CPCE, CSEP will be Foundation President taking office in January 2021!

An ideal candidate for the Foundation of NACE Board of Trustees has an interest in NACE, was active in their local chapter, and has good connections in the community so that they can fundraise. Remember, the Foundation is the fundraising arm of NACE. Each member is also encouraged to give a monetary donation as well.

Nominations are made by the current Foundation Board of Directors and Trustees. The Immediate Past President vets each candidate and the board reviews the applications. The number of available seats determines how many we are able to invite to join the Foundation. 

What the future looks like for Foundation of NACE

My hope is that through my role with the Foundation, I am able to build more awareness within the NACE community, for our local chapters and all of NACE, about what it is exactly that the Foundation does. We do so much more than pay for the speaker at Conference. We believe so strongly in the catering and events industry and we are here to support you.

We’re on a really tough road in our industry. I want to be part of the solution. 2020 was hard. The next two to three years will be even harder, but we have the opportunity to forge a new path and write a new story. My goal is to help lead the Foundation in writing a new story with some of the most amazing men and women I have ever had the opportunity to stand next to and say “how can we, as the Foundation of NACE, help you, our members?” Honestly, every single person on the Foundation is a good person. I am proud to be a member of this amazing group. They lift me up and I learn how to be a more diligent business person from them on a daily basis. Our connections go far beyond NACE.

Don’t be afraid to reach out and see how you can benefit from any of our Foundation programs. Whether you are working towards your CPCE, interested in a scholarship, community grants, or our speaker series, we are here to help you and push our industry forward.

Dana Blaugrund, CPCE
Board of Trustee for Foundation of NACE

NACE Virtual Town Hall

All NACE members are invited to attend the virtual Town Hall on August 20, 2020, at 5:00 PM Eastern. 

This annual event will provide an update from the NACE National Board and Foundation of NACE on the state of NACE including strategic initiatives, operating metrics, the ongoing response to Covid-19 and other topics of interest to members. Results from the 2020 NACE National Elections will also be announced. 

This event is free to attend.

Register here: https://www.nace.net/events/

Your Guide to the NACE National Board Elections

It’s that time of year when we elect our NACE National Board for the next year! Each year our National Board elections are held in the Summer months at the Annual Meeting during the National Experience Conference which is historically in July or August. The elected board serves a one year term from January to December.

Members should have received an email announcement from NACE National announcing the 2021 candidates, however, you can also find the information here: https://www.nace.net/elections2020/

The NACE National Board is the governing body of the association to regulate networking opportunities, showcasing for companies, and job opportunities for the community. They set the strategic direction of the association, help monitor progress on initiatives for each chapter, and work to strengthen and help grow our NACE community. The National Board will also give support to newer chapters in how to set up their boards, how to conduct a meeting, etc. And, let’s not forget the awards program! They have provided a platform for all NACE Chapters to showcase their achievements!  

The National Board also searches for resources that would benefit individual members that they normally would not qualify for on their own such as rental car rates, shipping, etc. They also focus on certification access, speakers and education, and a central community for our industry. Some of the member resources can be found on the NACE website here: https://www.nace.net/connect/memberbenefits/

Our NACE National Election board is elected by delegates. Each chapter is allotted 1 voting delegate for every 25 Professional Members in good standing. The voting delegates must be NACE Professional members in good standing and not subject to suspension at the time of election and at the time of the meeting. Our DFW NACE Chapter delegates are chosen by the President and are suggested to be a mixture of active members who are attending the National Conference (where the elections are held annually) and board members attending. It’s nice to have a mix of perspectives on the incoming leadership. The delegates will vote on behalf of their chapter and will vote with one voice, meaning they must be in agreement with their voting (per chapter).

This year our DFW NACE chapter delegates are: 

  • Don Mamone (Immediate Past President)
  • Kimberly Rhodes (President)
  • Angie Moors (President-Elect)
  • Lauren Twichell (Vice President)
  • Jennifer Burns (Treasurer)
  • Christopher Harmon (Director of Community Service)
  • Amber Knowles (Director of Communications)
  • Rebecca Wright (Awards Chair)

Here is a breakdown of the election process:
Once the Voting Delegates have been selected, each Voting Delegate is certified and authenticated by the Executive Director (Lawrence Leonard, CAE, CMP) that they meet the qualifications of membership. The ED will then notify each Voting Delegate of their approval as a certified delegate. A printed list of the certified delegates signed by the Executive Director is forwarded to the Governance Committee. 

The Governance Committee coordinates election efforts, reviews all potential candidates for elections to ensure they meet the minimum criteria required for each position, and they conduct the election process at Experience Conference where elections take place every year. 

The Chair of the Governance committee will appoint inspectors: a Judge and two Tellers – these inspectors cannot be a candidate for office, a certified voting delegate, or assigned as a certified proxy. The Judge and Tellers are responsible for processing & certifying the elections by determining the voting power of the certified voting delegates, the existence of a quorum, the validity and effect of proxies with fairness to all members. The Judge and Teller must be professional members in good standing and appointed (15) days prior to the election.

The Tellers, after collecting and counting the ballots, will determine the result of the election. The judge and tellers will certify and report the results of the election to the chair of the Governance Committee, who will be responsible for announcing the results to the membership. You can find the Governance Committee information on the NACE National website, along with other National Committee information (http://www.nace.net > “About NACE” > “National Standing Committees”). 

This year, due to COVID & the postponement of the National Conference, the ballots were mailed to the delegates and a virtual Q&A was set on July 19th. Each delegate is responsible for mailing, faxing, or emailing their ballots to the NACE National office no later than August 17th. The Governance Committee will meet on August 18th to count ballots, and there’s a virtual Town Hall meeting on August 20th at 4:00pm CST where the 2021 Board will be announced.

An email invitation for the Town Hall has been sent to all members, so if you are available to join, please do! You will also hear from our 2020 National Board & Foundation of NACE on the state of NACE including strategic initiatives, operating metrics, and the ongoing response to COVID-19. Log in to your NACE account here to register for the Town Hall.

Angie Moors
Owner, Funkytown Donuts
DFW NACE President-Elect