A Toast to An Amazing Year & An Even Better 2024!
Happy Holidays!
Wow!!! What an AMAZING year.
2023 was a year of opportunity for MCCSN and for WITH. As you know, we often say at MCCSN “Meetings Made Easy” and that “WITH” is recognized as the premier organization leading the way and celebrating the contributions of professional women in tourism and hospitality. In 2023 you, our partners, and our friends, old and new, were telling us how true that is AND you matched your words with your resources. You connected with us, trusted us with your business, you motivated us to reach new heights, and funded us.
We are so grateful and so proud of our partnership with you. Thank you!
Our goals for 2023 were to increase our marketing and branding presence on a national basis, both live in person and on social media and to make new friends. And did we ever! We not only built on our existing relationships, but we also made many wonderful new ones!
In January, Kendra Scott saw us on social media “shining and doing good” for the women of our industry, so she joined us in a new partnership! Her organization Kendra Scott hosted and sponsored our March 2023 MCCSN “Bubbles and Sparkles Networking event at their Fashion Valley store location. We loved it and we were also able to spotlight new local women-owned businesses, during this Women History Month event.
In September we set sail for our 1st ‘Coastal Connections’ National Networking event – sponsored by the Omni Houston Hotel. This opportunity presented itself from one of our WITH conference attendees. Loren Brown, who works for the Omni Houston Hotel. The Omni Houston Director of Sales, David Bluford, helped connect us to Houston’s various hospitality organizations, including the Houston CVB, MPI, NACE, Executive Women Association, and some amazing executive women leading the way in tourism and hospitality in Houston.
In October and November, we attended two industry conferences; IMEX in Las Vegas October 17-19, 2023 and Connect West in San Franciso November 1-3, 2023.
At these meetings, we gained professional development, learned the latest trends in the industry, made new friends, connected to more valuable resources, represented our clients for their future meeting needs, and connected to future speakers for our 2024 WITH conference.
November, 16th – we were hosted and sponsored by the Hilton Airport Atlanta, for our 2nd MCCSN ‘Coastal Connections’ Networking event. What an event! We were joined by Peggy Berg, founder of Castell an ALHA Foundation, Chantel Ross Francois, CEO of East Point CVB and her executive team, and so many other awesome businesswomen and entrepreneurs. Special thanks to David Bluford, the DOS for all your support!
Our Coastal Connection partners recognized the MCCSN Magic and agreed, without hesitation, to host MCCSN’s Coastal Connections Networking events to help us raise the profile and connections of the women in their cities.
In just three months after envisioning ourselves connecting to cities outside San Diego, MCCSN had traveled to both Houston and Atlanta and exported the magic of our ingredients of bringing diverse women together for collaborations and opportunities.
More than 40 C-suite executive women joined us in September and November for the ‘Costal Connections’ Mixers.
These ‘Costal Connections’ not only increased the capacity and skills of the local women who worked with us to plan the events, but they also benefited our host hotels, everyone who attended, and the WITH organization.
At these highly successful events, we made even more new friends and WITH supporters including the Black Women of Hospitality, the Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB) in Houston Texas, and Atlanta Georgia. Our connections with these phenomenal women yielded partnerships and funds that will help elevate the WITH brand and improve the capacity of the WITH Conference to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Because MCCSN connected with the executive team of women from the East Point CVB at the Atlanta networking Mixer, MCCSN secured the East Point CVB as our Title Sponsor for the WITH 2024 National Conference!
On December 13, 2023, we held our 1st MCCSN WITH Holiday Soiree, at the Legacy Resort and Spa Hotel in Mission Valley. This event was generously sponsored by our partner California Coast Credit Union. Industry professionals and our advisory board members gathered for a festive event of live entertainment, delicious food, drinks, and awesome networking.
In 2023, we increased the capacity of the WITH organization by adding two new advisory board members: Brian Lesson, professor at San Diego Mesa College Hospitality Program, and Susanna Peredo Swap, Executive Director of Vanguard Culture. We are excited to add their creative and professional expertise to our team!
What’s next… Join us, March 28-29, 2024 at the 3rd Annual WITH National Conference and we promise you excitement, celebration, useful impactful information, and connections that will enhance your career and your personal life.
On a personal note, I want to encourage you to take a "wellness moment" to meditate on all the blessings you received this year. I am grateful that my two oldest grandchildren graduated from high school, and both are entering college. I am grateful that I celebrated 40 years of marriage to my wonderful supportive husband who retired AND celebrated a milestone birthday this year.
I am grateful for the love and wisdom shared with me by the matriarch of our family (auntie), who we lost this year after 100 years on the planet.
And I am grateful for all of you that bring joy to my life. You honor me and you inspire me. The opportunity to serve you energizes me to work harder and I promise "you ain’t seen nothing yet - the best is yet to come!”
Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!
Clara Carter