More than 300 hospitality experts gathered at MGM National Harbor this week for an interactive International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) Women’s Leadership Forum that put the emphasis on active.
IAEE President and CEO Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM, and 2025 Smart Women in Meetings Award winner set the stage for community building when she turned the microphone over to The P3 Solution CEO and moderator Sherron Washington, M.A. Reframing on everything from behavioral stress and positive negotiations to Zellenial motivations and the “power of no” ensued.
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Invite the Tiger to Tea
We all know that meeting planners have stressful jobs. What if stress were your secret weapon instead of your nemesis. Author and stress physiologist Dr. Rebecca Heiss made a full-throated argument for embracing the challenges we face rather than trying to avoid or deny them. The way she explained it, rather than running from the tiger, invite it in for tea.
“Energy can’t be destroyed but it can be transferred,” she said. “Face the fear and redirect the energy,” she suggested.
By activating curiosity and choosing to see challenges as an adventure, acting as if you had already achieved your goal, you can change the energy in the ballroom. “Stress is what leads to a meaningful and purposeful life,” she said.
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The Future is Multigenerational
From Baby Boomers to Gen Z, we are all shaped by the world events that happened during our lifetimes.
Trend Hunter futurist and Chief Insights Officer Armida Ascano advocated for understanding the subsets of generational traits within the broad 20-year spans most people use to develop strategies for adopting and leveraging technology.
To harness the differences between older leaders and younger influencers, she suggested implementing cross-generational, upward mentorship programs. “That can help organizations bridge the technology gap and foster better understanding of AI across generations,” she said.
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Negotiate Fearlessly
Forget what you thought you knew about negotiating as a zero-sum game played best by stoic men. The Wharton School faculty and author Mori Taheripour has found that traditionally female traits such as kindness and storytelling are actually powerful tactics for crafting a workable deal.
“Successful negotiations often result from thorough information exchange and relationship building, rather than rushing to discuss numbers,” she said.
Preparation, clarity of purpose and curiosity could be your most powerful tools.
“Negotiation is not just about conflict or transactions, but a part of our daily lives. Recognizing this can help reduce fear and increase confidence in negotiating,” she said.
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Just Say No
When we live in a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) world, it can be easy to say yes to everything and overschedule ourselves to the point of burnout or ineffectiveness. That is why author and recovering overachiever Yvette Simpson, MBA, Esq. suggested opting for the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO).
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She offered a “Yes test” for evaluating opportunities against personal values and goals, emphasizing the crucial alignment of head (intellect), heart (emotions) and gut (instinct). The default for anything that doesn’t advance those goals needs to be a hard pass.
“Ruthless prioritizing and selective commitment are the keys to owning your path and achieving true fulfillment,” Simpson said.
