Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Program

Home Sitemap Search

Emeritus CMPs

Susan King Byrd, CMP
Cary, NC

I can say without hesitation that obtaining my Certified Meeting Professional designation a little more that 10 years ago was one of the seminal moments in my long career as a meeting professional. Though I’ve enjoyed a tremendously rewarding 26 years serving as an event professional for SAS Institute Inc. (the largest privately held software company in the world), obtaining the CMP designation was the highlight of my career, formalizing my role as the primary meeting planner at my company and benefiting me greatly in my broader career as a meeting planning professional.

For starters, the CMP designation undoubtedly helped me secure my current position as the Education Operations Manager within my company. After many years serving as the primary meeting planner for our largest user group meeting, my primary role now is to mentor junior meeting professionals in the numerous events and conferences the Education Division at SAS executes. In addition to the duties that I perform within the Education Division, my expertise and excellence in the meeting planning profession (largely documented by my CMP designation) has allowed me to extend my services beyond the Division, earning my company wide recognition as a “go-to” expert on meeting planning. (Currently I serve as an internal consultant for a variety of other organizations at SAS who execute customer-facing meetings ranging in size from a couple dozen to more than 4,000 participants.)

Externally, the CMP designation has benefited me by providing me instant credibility as a professional in the field when dealing with hotels, AV companies, labor unions, and the countless other croups we interface with as meeting planners. With the CMP designation, vendors know that I am a professional who has advanced beyond simple competency, but has worked to obtain a recognized level of excellence within the field. They also know, as a CMP that I follow accepted project management practices and exercise recognized standards in meeting planning profession.

For me, meeting panning has been more than a career choice, it has been a passion. Having a CMP designation has undeniably helped me better perform my duties as a meeting professional. The designation has helped me build an extensive network of meeting professionals by providing me a forum to discuss best practices and the latest advancements in the field as well as issues and standards that are important to the discipline’s growth. Having the CMP designation has also helped me fulfill my personal mission of advancing the meeting management profession through collaboration with my fellow CMPs. Though I have many years in the field, I continue to grow in my profession. I am consistently learning new things to make me, and the staff I supervise, more efficient and effective meeting professionals.

Obtaining a CMP from the Convention Industry Council has proven to be one of the most sound career development decisions I have ever made and I hope you’ll accept my application to receive the Emeritus status that allows me to continue to use this important credential.

(Back to all Emeritus CMPs)

.

©2004 Convention Industry Council
Contact the CIC

Emeritus CMPs

Susan King Byrd, CMP
Cary, NC

I can say without hesitation that obtaining my Certified Meeting Professional designation a little more that 10 years ago was one of the seminal moments in my long career as a meeting professional. Though I’ve enjoyed a tremendously rewarding 26 years serving as an event professional for SAS Institute Inc. (the largest privately held software company in the world), obtaining the CMP designation was the highlight of my career, formalizing my role as the primary meeting planner at my company and benefiting me greatly in my broader career as a meeting planning professional.

For starters, the CMP designation undoubtedly helped me secure my current position as the Education Operations Manager within my company. After many years serving as the primary meeting planner for our largest user group meeting, my primary role now is to mentor junior meeting professionals in the numerous events and conferences the Education Division at SAS executes. In addition to the duties that I perform within the Education Division, my expertise and excellence in the meeting planning profession (largely documented by my CMP designation) has allowed me to extend my services beyond the Division, earning my company wide recognition as a “go-to” expert on meeting planning. (Currently I serve as an internal consultant for a variety of other organizations at SAS who execute customer-facing meetings ranging in size from a couple dozen to more than 4,000 participants.)

Externally, the CMP designation has benefited me by providing me instant credibility as a professional in the field when dealing with hotels, AV companies, labor unions, and the countless other croups we interface with as meeting planners. With the CMP designation, vendors know that I am a professional who has advanced beyond simple competency, but has worked to obtain a recognized level of excellence within the field. They also know, as a CMP that I follow accepted project management practices and exercise recognized standards in meeting planning profession.

For me, meeting panning has been more than a career choice, it has been a passion. Having a CMP designation has undeniably helped me better perform my duties as a meeting professional. The designation has helped me build an extensive network of meeting professionals by providing me a forum to discuss best practices and the latest advancements in the field as well as issues and standards that are important to the discipline’s growth. Having the CMP designation has also helped me fulfill my personal mission of advancing the meeting management profession through collaboration with my fellow CMPs. Though I have many years in the field, I continue to grow in my profession. I am consistently learning new things to make me, and the staff I supervise, more efficient and effective meeting professionals.

Obtaining a CMP from the Convention Industry Council has proven to be one of the most sound career development decisions I have ever made and I hope you’ll accept my application to receive the Emeritus status that allows me to continue to use this important credential.

(Back to all Emeritus CMPs)