Past Events

 

Breakfast Program
May 16, 2024
Negotiate This! – Applying Skills and Creative to Secure a Winning Deal

Featured Presenters: Matthew Cronin, Professor, George Mason University; Jane Davis, Esteemed Hospitality Solutions
Location: Hilton Fairfax

 


Breakfast Program
March 21, 2024
The Rise of Incentives: Celebrating Your Mission, Creating VIP Experiences

Moderator: Phil Rappoport, Virlybird
Panelists: Andy Schwarz, Incentive Research Foundation; Sibley Giulianelli, Creative Group
Location: Hyatt Regency Dulles

 



Breakfast Program
January 18, 2024
Moving Should Do's to Done

Featured Presenter: Bart Berkey, Founder and CEO, Most People Don't, LLC
Location: Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks
 



Breakfast Program
November 30, 2023
Sustainable Meetings

Moderator: Phil Rappoport, Virlybird
Panelists: Dawn Jones, Freeman; Meredith Flanagan, Gensler
Location: Washington Dulles Airport Marriott Suites, Herndon
 


image-20231009225520-1

FLEX Summer Camp: September 8, 2023
Lansdowne Resort & Spa, Leesburg, VA

Summer Camp returned in 2023 with enthusiastic participants and a sold-out exhibit space. The selection of Lansdowne proved to be a hit, with 96% of our survey respondents stating they want to return to the venue next year. 100% of survey respondents said they felt welcomed, and another 80% enjoyed the availability of post-program sports and art activities.

Featured Speakers:
Jonna Mendez, author and former Director of Disguise, CIA
Conor Sibley, Association Analytics
Joanne Dennison, CMP Educator and Editor, The Meet Guide
David Borghesani, Mars Company
Steve Hoffman, The Tax Translator 

We received so many positive comments and high marks about our speakers, the topics, the food, the event space, the originality of FLEX, and much more. Here's a sampling:

“Education was top-notch. Topics were relevant and fresh. Speakers were insightful!  Best educational event I've been to in a long time!”

"Everyone seemed happy to be there and willing to talk. It's also affordable to attend."

“The atmosphere felt great, as I thought the energy was very high. I also liked the variety of sessions/speakers because there were some event-specific and some just generally interesting topics.”

“The F&B at Lansdowne was great, lunch was filling yet still felt healthy. I also appreciated the variety of topics throughout the day.”

"Loved the location and the timeframe. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. Loved the variety of activities."

 

image-20240612184134-2




FLEX Kickoff Event: July 13, 2023
Clyde's at Willow Creek Farm, Broadlands, VA

 


Breakfast Program
November 17, 2022
Transforming Sponsorships
Guest Speaker: Bruce Rosenthal
Location: Trajectory Event Center, Herndon

 RHMP Nov 2022
 

Breakfast Program
September 15, 2022
Multimedia Storytelling for Digital Campaigns
Guest Speaker: Allegra Tasaki
Location: Trajectory Event Center, Herndon

Breakfast Program
May 19, 2002
Why We Help: An Outlook on Volunteerism
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Vicki Johnson, Eric Commodore
Location: NRTC, Herndon

January 27, 2022 (Virtual)
Tackling Human Trafficking in the Meetings Industry
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Yvonne Chen, MaryAnne Bobrow, Lara Korson, Matt Felix

 




November 2021 (Virtual)
How to Thrive in the Gig Economy
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Gretchen Hartke, Sheila Murphy, Annette Suriani

October 2021 (Virtual)
Leveraging Technology to Create Safe Meetings
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Sarah Buchbinder, Sumanth Channabasappa, Shannon McCallum, Jim Kelley

September 2021 (Virtual)
Enjoy Your Stay...or Will You?
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Eric Commodore, Marcus Eng, Cheri Fairchild

July 2021 (Virtual)
Ready or Not, Here They Come...5 Post-Pandemic Conference Design Changes
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Guest: Dave Lutz

June 2021 (Virtual)
Shot or Not: Will the Vaccine Affect Live and Hybrid Attendance?
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Joan Eisenstodt, Sandra Harwood

May 2021 (Virtual)
So, How Are You....Really? Our Mental Health Check
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Suzanne Robinson, Vicki Johnson

April 2021 (Virtual)
Virtual Studio Production
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Brian Monahan, Derek Suminski, Troy Peters, BJ Singh

March 2021 (Virtual)
Meal Prep
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Tracy Stuckrath, Judy Caplan, Pierre Stone, Pamela Bertelson

February 2021 (Virtual)
The Return to Live
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Marianna Gallo, Kathlene Stakely, Shelli Vasser Gilliam
 


August 2020 (Virtual)
Active Engagement: How to Keep Virtual Participants Plugged In
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Panelists: Chris Bent, Nicole Cylkowski, Anneliese Toft, Justin Earp


June 2020 (Virtual)
Virtuoso or Zoombie: Which One are You?
Moderator: Phil Rappoport
Guest: Brad Weaber


January 2020
Leading Through Change, Being Resilient, and Creating Empowerment
Tammy Koçhkaya