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Louisiana Chapter Board of Directors
Attend a Board MeetingDid you know you can attend board meetings as an observer? Attending a board meeting is a great way to better understand the inner workings of our chapter and see decisions being made. Board meetings are the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. They precede our monthly education program. Contact the Chapter President if you are interested in attending a board meeting. CHAPTER HISTORYThe Louisiana Chapter began as a simple gathering of several government employees, convention visitors' bureaus, and hotels with a vision of learning more about how they could work together to plan and implement successful government meetings. On Thursday, June 29, 2006, at the Louisiana Department of Transportation a Development Training facility in Baton Rouge, the group held an "SGMP Awareness.” The goal of the meeting was to discuss how essential the SGMP organization could be in helping to improve government meetings in Louisiana. Ruth Harris, SGMP 1st Vice President at the time, was invited to speak and presented on the topic "What SGMP Can Do For You." After the awareness meeting, a committee was formed to see how many government planners and industry suppliers would be interested in forming a Louisiana Chapter of SGMP and joining as a member. The Early YearsOn August 24, 2006, the formation committee had their first gathering to become an official chapter of SGMP. The meeting was held at the Livingston Building in Capital Park of downtown Baton Rouge. Twenty potential members were in attendance. The committee reviewed key aspects involved in chartering a chapter of SGMP including membership specific requirements, chapter structure, and membership dues. Libby Noto created the initial chapter logo and it was approved by the committee. The committee went on to have several meetings throughout the remainder of 2006 as they worked to charter the chapter. Both government meeting planners and industry suppliers worked jointly on the application. By the end of 2006 the application to charter a Louisiana chapter of SGMP was submitted to SGMP National office. Through tremendous amounts of teamwork and support from the industry, the Louisiana Chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals was officially chartered on March 15, 2007 at the Hampton Inn & Suites in New Orleans with 59 members. The chapter installed their first Chapter Board which included: President - Libby Noto By the second year of being a chapter, membership had grown to 65 members. The first SGMP-LA Educational Tradeshow was held on September 11, 2008 with Partner Showcase in Baton Rouge and was a great success. The chapter continued to focus on their goals of developing education and training for all members. In 2008 the first chapter website was created. The group continued their work to advance the chapter and achieved a major milestone when the Louisiana Department of Administration - State Travel agreed to identify the chapter on the State's website. This simple act helped to solidify the validity of the organization with those in local State government. 15 Year AnniversaryLouisiana Governor John Bel Edwards recognized with Proclamation the Louisiana Society of Government Meeting Professional’s 15th anniversary celebration. On April 14, 2022, the chapter hosted the celebration for members and recognized the founding members of the Chapter. 10 Year AnniversaryLouisiana Governor John Bel Edwards recognized with Proclamation the Louisiana Society of Government Meeting Professional’s 10th anniversary celebration. On March 9, 2017, the chapter hosted the celebration for members and additional government planners at the Capital Park Welcome Center in downtown Baton Rouge. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser welcomed the group and paid homage to the importance of government meetings in the business economy of Louisiana and the importance of training to make planners compliant in all government dealings. CommitteesSGMP LA currently has 3 Chapter Committees actively working to improve services to members and the Louisiana meeting planning industry. Our Chapter finds it beneficial to designate committees to assist the Chapter officers in the organizational and administrative aspects of running a successful Chapter. In their areas of concern, these committees will consider objectives, discuss options, make recommendations, and implement Chapter decisions when called on to do so. Service on committees can also identify Chapter members who have special skills that may make them good officer candidates. Please contact our committee chairs if you have any questions or have an interest in joining a committee. Communications CommitteeThe Communications Committee is the voice of SGMP LA through our newsletter, Louisiana Lagniappe, our various social media outlets, and our website. Our committee members generate most of the content that is shared with the membership via these channels. Our goal is to share information, resources and best practices that are relevant to our membership and content that will enhance our planners and supplier's roles within their organization. For more information or to join the committee, please contact us at [email protected]. Community Involvement CommitteeSGMP LA members are eager to volunteer and be active within our community. This committee works to find and create opportunities in and that directly benefit our local communities. These opportunities include but are not limited to volunteering at a food bank, hosting a school supply drive, and participating in a Habitat for Humanity build. For more information or to join the committee, please contact us at [email protected]. Education and Programming CommitteeThe Education and Programming Committee provides educational opportunities to enhance members personal and professional development. This committee plans our monthly education luncheons, books guests speakers, secure meeting locations, and plans food and beverage menus. This committee also oversees member participation in GMS and CGMP certification. For more information, to host meetings, or to join the committee, please contact us at [email protected]. Fundraising and Sponsorship CommitteeThe Fundraising and Sponsorship Committee generates revenue for our chapter through ad revenue in our newsletter and on our website. Revenue raised directly benefits our members via education scholarships and the hiring of paid speakers. For more information, to purchase ad placement, or to join the committee, please contact us at [email protected]. Hospitality CommitteeThe Hospitality Committee serves to promote fellowship throughout the chapter. This committee helps to foster and promote a friendly, welcoming, and caring community within our chapter. The general work of the hospitality committee is to welcome new members, connect with existing members to ensure our chapter retains members, celebration member birthdays and anniversaries, and communication about member career milestones. For more information or to join the committee, please contact us at [email protected]. Membership CommitteeThe Membership Committee is responsible for the major functions related to management of chapter membership. This includes ensuring and overseeing membership database maintenance, developing and implementing member recruitment and retention strategies, and employing and enhancing communication and outreach to promote members’ involvement and connection to the chapter. For more information or to join the committee, please contact us at [email protected]. Chapter Awards HistoryEach year, our board and committees strive to create programming that is impactful, current, and purposeful. The board focusses on running the chapter in a manner that is effective, efficient, and complimentary of our programming. SGMP Louisiana is honored to have been the recipient of the below awards. 2023: Chapter Operations - Merit IDAHO SATELLITE CHAPTER INITIATIVEThe newest initiative of the SGMP National Chapter is support for satellite chapter development. SGMP Louisiana will be providing support for the development of the Idaho Chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals. Goals
Learn more about SGMP Satellite Chapters here. Visit the Idaho Satellite Chapter Webpage Contact UsSGMP Louisiana We are excited to be launching the Mississippi Satellite Chapter!
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President
1st Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer