Thank you for attending!
ESPA 2023 Annual Conference - January 20-22, 2023
Pittsburgh, PA
ESPA Annual Conference
ESPA 2024 Annual Conference
Featured Speakers
Elliott L. Ferguson, II, President & CEO, Destination DC
Paul Wesselmann, MA
Partners & Sponsors
Elite Partners:
Partners:
ESPA Friends:
Join us as a sponsor of the Event Service Professionals Association Annual Conference!
Schedule
See the full details on the Optional Programs section of the web site. Options include:
1:00 – 3:30 pm
Pittsburgh Historic Market Food Tour
1:30 – 4:00 pm
Hometown Heroes Tour
2:00 – 5:00 PM
Brews and Pews Tour
Fired-Up! Culture, a national consulting firm specializing in leadership development, culture, and high-performing teams, has partnered with ESPA to create a specialized 3-hour workshop that will benefit leaders at any stage in their career journey.
Through deep conversations with your peers, group activities and insights from Fired-Up! Culture’s Advisor, attendees will gain valuable tools to leverage their strengths as services professionals, inspire their staff with retention tools, and create plans to take their corporate culture to the next level.
Topics covered in the session will include:
- How to leverage your role as a service professional to be a “culture ambassador” for your organization
- How to connect with your team and find what drives them
- How to tap into retention tactics that are free
- How to show the value of event services to leadership
This session will be moderated by Mike Robertson, DES, CSEE. Before becoming an Advisor at Fired-Up! Culture! Mike spent 8 years as Senior Services Manager at VisitPITTSBURGH and worked with over 600 conferences and events. With a deep understanding of the importance an event service professional brings to their organization, Mike will be able to curate content directed specifically to ESPA members.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
Fee: $50
Celebrating ESPA’s 35th Anniversary…ESPA, The Finest of Jade
Jade meaning: Good Fortune, Wisdom, Love
Come join fellow ESPA members as we celebrate a monumental 35 years in the event services industry wearing our favorite green fashions, or jade jewelry! Jade is the modern 35th anniversary symbol. And because we are celebrating a milestone hailing back to 1988, let’s have some ‘80s fun too!
Share your best wishes on the ESPA Reflection Wall highlighting the attributes of Jade: Good Fortune, Wisdom and Love. If you are really bold, share your best picture from 35 years ago for a montage (stay tuned for instructions on this). That’s right! We want to celebrate the big hair, the lip gloss, the Running Man! Calling all Prince, INXS, Whitney Houston, Guns N’ Roses, The Judds, Rick Astley, and Salt-N-Pepa fans to represent for 1988. We’ll have the music, and for those of you who truly want to get into the ‘80s spirit, we welcome you to dress up as your favorite 80s icons, (with a touch of green!).
You don’t want to miss this festive evening!
Sponsored by HRI Hospitality and the Westin Pittsburgh
Event Service Professionals are on the frontlines servicing inclusive events, and this opening keynote is not to be missed in gaining insight on successful resources, strategic partnerships and valuable dialogue impacting the events industry. Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO of Destination DC, is a 33-year veteran of the travel and hospitality industry and is a premier industry voice in the very current and valued DEI, race and racism conversation.
Learn how you can be an ambassador for the diversity of your destination as you help planners consider diversity, equity and inclusion to strengthen their events and attract more attendees. You’ll also hear success stories from Washington, DC and more about tourism industry DEI initiatives. Walk away with an understanding of how your customers can benefit from DEI initiatives in your destination or venue.
A 33-year veteran of the travel and hospitality industry, Ferguson leads DDC’s efforts to generate economic opportunity for the District through meetings and tourism, overseeing the organization’s convention and tourism sales, marketing, finance and business development operations.Ferguson celebrated his 20-year anniversary with DDC in December 2021. He began his tenure in December 2001 as the Vice President of Convention Sales, became Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Services in 2005 and has served as President and CEO since 2009. Prior to DDC, he was Director of Sales and Vice President of Sales at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and Director of Sales at the Savannah CVB.In January 2021, he was named Board Chair of Tourism Diversity Matters, an organization focused on creating diversity, equity and inclusion opportunities at all levels of the workforce. He has been instrumental in advancing conversations about race and racism throughout the hospitality industry.Ferguson was National Chair of the board of directors for the U.S. Travel Association from February 2019 to February 2021 and is currently chair of the compensation committee. He serves on the board of Brand USA from December 2021-December 2024.
As the tourism industry faces the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferguson is focused on strategic recovery with many organizations including DDC’s Recovery Advisory Committee, Connected DMV, the Downtown Recovery Work Group.
Sponsored by 
CMP-ISE
ESCP Approved
Roundtables are always rated as one of the most important features of the Annual Conference. This is your time to have dedicated discussions with your peer service professionals. Conversation starter questions will be provided. Groups will be broken up into tables with peer groups including:
- Leaders
- DMO
- Housing
- Venue (hotel, convention center, special event venue)
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
When a convention or conference is booked, there are a myriad of operations that are triggered into action. It is the goal of this workshop to show how we all play a vital role in servicing these convention groups and how the responsibility rests solely on all our shoulders to make these events unforgettable and not forgettable for our client! Like a well-oiled machine, we all play a vital part in the convention service process. Whether it is the tracking of a sales lead or making sure that all the meeting breaks are set and fully stocked, to the leading of a site visit. We are all reliant on one another to do our jobs and to be efficient. However, do we really understand the operational processes that our vendor partners initiate when it comes to servicing the client…for the most part “No?” However, this workshop will play a major role in changing that perception and turning that “No” into a resounding “Yes.”
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
When it comes to executing memorable site visits and supporting clients during the planning process, we should not be operating on an island. If you are, then this session is the “lifesaver raft” you need! Join us to learn how to how to better develop cooperation within your region with local partners in support of better experiences for everyone involved. Event Service Professionals are the connectors of all business partners in the destination…from city services, transportation, culinary, venues, hotels, and everything in-between. Host more impactful meetings and events in your city by inviting key stakeholders to the table and close the gap on rebooking business in the future!
Objectives:
- Communication with key partners
- Vendor support that makes a difference
- How to ensure a better experience for clients and attendees
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISF
ESCP Approved
A review of the findings of the DEI Task Force with a focus on best practices for event service professionals relating to DEI Education, Inclusive Marketing, and Supplier Diversity. The information presented is designed as a toolkit to help members at various stages of their DEI journey and to help them do their part to help ensure their venue and destination is intentional in their efforts to create and equitable and inclusive environment for all guests.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISF
ESCP Approved
Getting to know your meeting planner and their event expectations is key as an ESP. You are the meeting planner’s right hand. As an Event Service Professional, your goal is to make the meeting planner look good and host a successful event at your facility. This session will cover how you, as a Service Professional, should learn the goals and objectives of the event and know the likes and dislikes of the meeting planner.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
Sales & Services should have one common goal, happy clients. Each plays a very vital role in how a customer views the city or venue they are in. What can each team do to make that happen? What are unique ways that Sales & Services can work together to create the best experience for your client? This session is for event professionals who are interested in learning more about collaborating with your Sales team to make your clients happy and benefit the most from your city or venue. Our panel will give you tips, tricks, and ideas on how to work together to create the best possible outcome. We will begin the panel with three main discussion questions and then follow with a Q & A from attendees.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISB
ESCP Approved
Learn valuable tools and resources that make event service professionals’ jobs easier. From looking at the best websites in the industry to hearing what other DMOs and venues are using, you will take away tools to add to your toolkit to continue providing the best service to your clients!
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
When a close team exists in the community, information is easily shared among CVB, Hotels and Centers. There’s a common goal of working together to support a successful event, and with collaboration it makes the event coordination easier for the meeting planner. Learn tips to create these beneficial partnerships.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
In this session, you will get an opportunity to ask the questions you have always wanted to ask a planner but couldn’t! Learn their hot buttons, what they wish they could get from their venue or destination partners, their favorite services, and their biggest challenges as a planner in today’s environment.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISB
ESCP Approved
Tabletop exercises (TTX) present a unique opportunity for participants and participating organizations to discuss their operational procedures and response to an emergency scenario. TTX allows for collaboration among local, city, state and federal personnel alongside venue staff to address issues that arise pertaining to the complexities involved with emergency response. Listen to venue and emergency professionals on lessons learned facilitating TTX.
Takeaway goals from this session include:
- Identify the roles and responsibilities of all internal and external players during an emergency scenario.
- Test the effectiveness of communication, established emergency response plans, the use of specific roles and assignments to manage and oversee the emergency, etc.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISC
ESCP Approved
Event Service Professionals hold the key to event design and hosting successful events that allow all attendees to feel a sense of genuine inclusiveness. Be prepared to hear from an expert panel who will deliver professional tools and critical suggestions to effectively service events with a variety of needs including religious dietary restrictions, hearing, visual and non-obvious impairments, and events for attendees with service dogs. Let’s have a significant conversation about how ESPs can create an environment that accommodates attendees with accessibility requirements and that is welcoming to all stakeholders.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
See the full details on the Optional Programs section of the web site. Options include:
6:00 pm
Food, Drink and Jazz at Con Alma Restaurant & Jazz Bar
6:30 pm
Dine out at Sienna Mercato
7:30 – 9:00 PM
An Evening of Comedy on the Burgh Bus – All Aboard!
(Note: this outing does not include dinner, it is “after-hours” fun; there are many restaurants near the hotel to dine first, then meet up with the ‘Burgh Bus)
Sponsored by
(Space is limited, sign up early to secure your spot!)
Start off your day with a wellness activity that is growing in popularity. Sound baths have seen a rise in popularity, thanks to the purported benefits of soothing stress and tension. This morning, immerse yourself in a blissful Sound Bath that melts away stress and anxiety. You’ll lie in total comfort as sound vibrations from singing bowls, gongs, and ocean drums wash over you, inducing deep relaxation and promoting healing from within.
Monique concludes this 60-minute sound journey with a beautiful violin serenade that gently awakens you to a more relaxed reality.
ESPA will provide a healthy breakfast for you to take on-the-go to participants following the session, giving you ample time to return to your room and prepare for the 9:00am conference sessions.
Violinist Monique Mead has been a lifelong advocate for the healing power of music. She has performed on major international stages as well as in trauma and cancer centers. Monique invites you to experience the sounds of the violin and singing bowls as a powerful modality for healing and wellbeing.
More information at awcpittsburgh.com/sound-healing
Session is full – wait-list sign up available during registration
Does your destination struggle with reporting on the value of your sports events? Do your hotel partners provide you with the information you need to report on the success of the sports event bookings? Is there an easier way to justify why you are investing so much effort pursuing an event that “doesn’t support your time based on economic impact’s value”? We will show you different options available through Simpleview to better calculate attendance, spectators, and overall city impact that isn’t solely based on sleeping room nights.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISH
ESCP Approved
The workings of a Hotel, Convention, Destination Services Manager World.
Join in on the discussion as we formulate a comprehensive understanding of our Services Role.
We will explore the interworking of day-to-day tasks and explore how we can leverage each other’s knowledge.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
Working through housing needs for sports events can be a real challenge. Using 3rd party housing companies can be a great way to assist our clients who visit our city but how does that affect us? This session will take a deep dive into how CVBs, Hotels, and Convention Centers can work together with 3rd party housing companies to create a seamless housing experience for the customer. Team Travel Source will share their expertise as well as some of our colleagues from across the country in this panel discussion.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISH
ESCP Approved
Learn about your professional growth opportunities in the form of beneficial organizations, associations, certifications, and trainings. This session will provide an overview of a number of career advancement certifications, including ESPA’s new ESPC designation, the CMP, CMM, and more! We will also review organizations that can be beneficial for training and continuing education hours.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISE
ESCP Approved
If eSports is something that you would like to know more about or if it would work in your market, come and learn more about this new and rapidly growing sport!
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
This session will dive into what DMO Services teams can to enrich the experience of planners during the planning process, and of the convention attendee on-site. Many times, location and how your DMO is run can affect what your end goals and offerings are. To that effect, we will allow for collaboration time and seat attendees in groups based on the size of their DMO. We will also brainstorm ideas to better tap into ESPA resources and make valuable connections among our peers.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
Join us as we take a dive into exploring the fresh new trends our venues and hotels are seeing in Food & Beverage, Tech and Housing. We have compiled a panel of professionals with years of experience in the Hotels, Audio Visual and Food and Beverage, ready to share with us the tips and tricks of staying competitive in the ever-changing world of event trends. Service professionals will gain new insight into what can make you stand out and on trend in this can’t be missed session.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISG
ESCP Approved
This will be a new take on roundtables! You will have time to meet many new people and establish new relationships to build your network of peers. (pre-set topics on mobile app, 5-6 minutes per speed date)
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
As we wind down our time together, we’ve asked The Ripples Guy to help us wrap things up with a big wave of ponderous inspiration that we can bring back home with us. As front-line ambassadors for destinations and venues, and key drivers of repeat business, most of us are doing more with less and wearing multiple hats with fewer staff as our industry rebounds from Living in the Time of Covidia. Paul has been helping event service professionals and others bring their full and best selves to work and life for over two decades, and he’s promised to assemble a collection of his best ideas along with a few new surprises as well. You are guaranteed to leave this session with a refreshed attitude and a handful of specific actions to manage all the changes and challenges that will surely be waiting when we get back to work.
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
Be sure to bring your coat, gloves and hat – you will be leaving the hotel for this activity.
Attendees will go off-site to the Senator John Heinz History Center to take a one-hour docent led tour of the Western PA Sports Museum, followed by Sports Services roundtable discussions to share ideas and have open discussion including on topics that were discussed during the earlier sports track.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISA
ESCP Approved
Attendees will go off-site to the Senator John Heinz History Center to attend a panel discussion around the topic of destination management companies (DMC). Hear from a local DMC, The Hutton Group, and learn ways that DMCs can partner with DMOs and planners to create another level of service. Following the discussion, attendees will experience a docent led tour of an exhibit at the museum.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISG
ESCP Approved
Attendees will go off-site to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC) to attend a panel discussion about events leaving a legacy in a destination. Hear from experts on why it is important for groups to leave the destination better than they found it, and how DMOs can use those stories in their destination marketing. Following the discussion, attendees will take part in a community service project at the DLCC.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISH
ESCP Approved
Attendees will go off-site to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) and tour the new permanent exhibit, August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape. In addition to the exhibit tour, attendees will tour the rest of the AWAACC venue and learn about their mission, history, and cultural events that are planned and executed by the AWAACC team.
Continuing Education Credits:
CMP-ISE
ESCP Approved
Optional Off-Site Programs
This year, we will have opportunities on both Friday afternoon and Saturday evening to sign up for fun ways to explore the ‘Burgh.
Friday Afternoon Tour Sign Ups
(Each activity is optional. Additional fee required. Space is first come, first served, so sign up early to secure your spot)
Pittsburgh Historic Market Food Tour – Friday, January 20, 1:00-3:30, $45
Hometown Heroes Tour – Friday, January 20, 2:00-5:00pm, $70
Brews and Pews Tour – Friday, January 20, 2:00-5:00pm, $80 (includes beer and pierogi tasting)
We are offering three organized group outings on Saturday night. For anyone that would like to do dinner on their own or with colleagues, Visit Pittsburgh will provide a list of restaurants to help with your planning.
Join us for an evening of Food & Jazz at Con Alma – $65 (FULL)
6:30pm – Rooftop Cocktail & Dine at Sienna Mercato – $75
Laughs on the Burgh Bus – All Aboard! – $40
Registration Rates
Registration Policies
Please note to receive Continuing Education (CE) Credits for attending sessions, you must pre-select all sessions during the registration process. Only sessions listed on the agenda with a CMP Credit noted will be eligible for CMP Credit. You may add/delete sessions prior to the conference. You will only have CE Credits tracked for those sessions you selected. Following the conference, your sessions will be listed in the My ESPA Portal under the “My ESPA” drop down on the “My Continuing Education” page.
Registration Rates
The following are the ESPA Conference Individual registration fees: (Note: Members whose companies are Organizational members of ESPA, and who are registering 3+ people see below for group registration fees.)
ESPA Organization Member Registration fees:
Organization and Corporate Member group registrations fees are listed below. In order to register at the group registration fees, your company must be an Organization or Corporate Member of ESPA. Please complete the following form to start your group registration.
Conference registration cancellations received in writing by December 16, 2022 are eligible for a 50% refund on the ESPA Registration fee only. There are no refunds for cancellations received after this date; this includes cancellations that occur due to weather or other day-of air travel delays or cancellations as it is understood that ESPA has already included you in counts for F&B and other arrangements and therefore is responsible for all costs related to attendance. Substitutions are accepted.
Our Host Hotel – The Westin Pittsburgh
Our Host CVB
VisitPittsburgh is our local destination host for the 2023 Conference. And they are going to show off their town! Below are some helpful links to help you get to know Pittsburgh and be sure to sign up for one of our Friday afternoon tours or Saturday evening outings (see the schedule for details).
A Bridge to Wellness
Fitbit Challenge – Count Those Steps! You will be invited to join our Conference Fitbit challenge through an email communication prior to the Conference. For those that do not have a Fitbit, you can also download the app to your smart phone. Fitbit will be giving away 4 Fitbits to the top four steppers!
Health + Wellness: Sound Bath + Breakfast, Sponsored by Visit Greater Palm Springs
Monique concludes this 60-minute sound journey with a beautiful violin serenade that gently awakens you to a more relaxed reality. ESPA will provide a healthy breakfast for you to take on-the-go to participants following the session, giving you ample time to return to your room and prepare for the 9:00am conference sessions.
Safety
Updated 1/10/23
