CHAPTER NEWS

June 2022

President's Message:

I hope everyone had a successful and busy May! It’s been 3 years since we had a “normal” May and I had forgotten that feeling of being busy and was quickly reminded of the madness, in the best way possible. 

Our Director of Programs and the board have been working hard to prepare an amazing June program. We are flying in a well-known industry educator to speak and we hope to see all of you there. You don’t want to miss this one. The details of that meeting are included below so be sure to save the date!

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Your 2022 Chapter President, 

Alli Prato-Carney, CPCE

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Upcoming Meeting

When: Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Where: Richmond Marriott | 6pm - 8pm

Topic: Stronger Bridges, Bigger Tables- Moving the Industry Forward with Diversity and Inclusivity 

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We are so excited to welcome Guest Speaker, Terrica to Richmond for our June Monthly Meeting. We will gather at the newly renovated Richmond Marriott starting at 6:00 for hors d'oeuvres and beverages, followed by powerful presentation from Terrica that you won't want to miss!

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ABOUT TERRICA

Spreading her metropolitan style throughout the low country, Terrica has been creating exquisite weddings and events in the Golden Isles area for the past sixteen years.

A contributing board member of the North American Academy of Wedding and Event Planning, Terrica's weddings and expertise have been featured in The Knot, Reader's Digest, Martha Stewart Wedding, HLN tv, Style Me Pretty, PeopleTV, and a host of others.

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A Speaker of the Year nominee for the National Association of Catering and Events ONE award and a popular educator for The Knot and Wedding Wire, she launched her new wedding industry education system, Hustle Sold Separately and VIP community, Hustle & Co. in 2020.

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Terrica is an ardent educator of those in the wedding industry, hosting the "She Doesn't Even Go Here" podcast. Additionally, she is also a passionate leader within the industry, spearheading the Unity Through Community initiative to make the wedding industry more diverse and inclusive.

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As an avid lover of cake and champagne, you'll find her at home in the Golden Isles with her four kids and disgruntled cat. When not entertaining family and friends, she's frequently binging on RuPaul's Drag Race and Game of Thrones.

NACE EXPERIENCE

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Join us July 24-27 in sunny Orlando where we'll be guiding you down the path to master the excellence that lives within you! This is your opportunity to connect with other catering and event professionals as well as catch up with your industry friends at the beautiful Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. If you're ready to ignite your excellence and step outside of your comfort zone, register today!

The 2022 NACE Experience Conference brings together catering and event professionals who will have opportunities to meet and network with the brightest minds in the industry, find out the newest trends in the industry, have access to top notch catering and events sessions that are tailored to enhance your skills as an expert, and learn how to get involved with local NACE chapters!

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From NACE National

Foundation of NACE and Vince DeFinis Scholarship

Are you a student or professional member looking for a career development opportunity? The Foundation of NACE extended the deadline to apply for the Vince DeFinis and Foundation of NACE Scholarships. The new deadline is April 15. These are amazing opportunities so don't miss out! Submit your application here.

Wedding Wednesdays Instagram Live Series

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Join NACE for the sixth week on Instagram live for Wedding Wednesdays on April 6 at 1 PM ET as we speak with Christie Osborne from Mountainside Media. Christie will focus on the importance of a website, how to measure results, and ensure the website is creating revenue. Follow our Instagram page here so you receive the alert when we go live! And click here to add it to your calendar.

Black Caucus CPCE Scholarship

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In October 2021, the NACE Black Caucus Committee and The Foundation of NACE announced a partnership to raise funds for a Black CPCE scholarship program. The path to NACE leadership starts with the CPCE.  To effectively cultivate Black board members at both the local and national levels, our community needs to broaden the opportunities for Black members to have access to earning their CPCE. You can donate to the program here or apply for the scholarship here. 

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Diversity Initiative:

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• Board Statement

  • The board released a statement on June 11th regarding the ongoing injustice and racism in our country. We realize that our statement was late. We, as a board, wanted to take the time to educate ourselves, listen to webinars and podcasts, and become well informed before making a formal statement to our members. We recognize that there is a current issue and need for change within our local catering & event industry and our chapter. We WILL do better.

• Diversity Committee

  • We have added a diversity committee which will be overseen by the Director of Membership. This group of racially diverse members will work to recruit new black members and retain the involvement of current members of color. This committee will curate black speakers to educate members on topics like racism and inequality within the event industry, promote black owned businesses and members through #unitythroughcommunity, and facilitate meaningful connections and conversations between our members.

• Re-allocating Funds

  • Quarterly donations to organizations both locally and nationally to support BLM

    • A donation has already been made in honor of Aleya Harris to the Equal Justice Initiative. Thank you Aleya for having a candid conversation with our members about racism and allyship within the wedding and events industry. You can watch the replay here.

  • Sponsor a student member from a local HBCU, Virginia State University or Virginia Union University.

  • Updating our current and future monthly programs to include Black speakers & education as well as partnering with local Black catering & event professionals to showcase their work

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We're Here For You!

When the first impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the catering and events industry, NACE moved quickly to support members The National Board has enacted several resources and measures to maintain our strong, vibrant community. We have expanded the membership grace period to 120 days, introduced flexible installment plans, expanded online education, and more.