SPIN 重办 SPINCon 并转型非营利协会，欲与 MPI、PCMA 同台竞技

Skift Take

SPIN spent years as a members-only Facebook group. Now it wants a seat alongside MPI and PCMA. Can a free, volunteer-run association of veteran planners build that kind of influence?

The Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) has revived its annual conference and become a nonprofit association after operating for years as a members-only Facebook group of 1,400 and pausing SPINCon in 2023.

SPIN’s senior-level meeting and event planners are required to have 10 or more years of planning experience, though many have far more experience than that — an average of 19-plus years, according to Executive Director Carolynn Santos.

“They’re professionals who have been around the block, know their stuff, and are ready for something more than another predictable industry conference.”

That’s what she plans to deliver with the revitalized SPINCon, which will take place December 6 to 8 at the Silver Legacy and Eldorado Resorts in Reno, Nev. SPIN’s Founder Shawna Suckow, a small business keynote speaker and consumer behavior expert, will hold a pre-conference event marketing workshop, and keynoters Jasmine Romaine and Robynne Weaver will take the stage alongside several SPIN members.

SPIN differs from most other industry groups in that its membership is free. Volunteers are the backbone of its operation, and are helping to organize SPINCon. SPIN was known for incorporating wellness and mental health education long before they became part of the meetings industry mainstream, and this will continue to be a pillar moving forward.

Next Steps

It has been a busy year for Santos who, in addition to planning a virtual SPIN miniCon last November and the upcoming SPINCon, made SPIN a 501(c)(6) association in April. The inaugural board of directors just met at IMEX America to discuss the mission and vision.

“I would like SPIN to have a seat at the table with the Events Industry Council and the other players, and to do that we need to be a nonprofit,” she said.

In addition, members have launched the first SPIN cohort for the Certified Event Contract Professional (CECP) credential program, and SPIN organized a hosted buyer program at IMEX America, as well as an education session for senior planners, “The Senior Planner Advantage: Sustaining the Human. Leveraging the Expertise.” Now, Santos has set her sights on a hosted buyer group for IMEX Frankfurt next May.

Santos is excited about creating the “elevated education” that she feels is missing in the industry. Another difference between SPIN and various industry associations, she said, is the experience requirement for members. “As senior planners, we are thought leaders, and we can be influencers as well.”

Her hope for the future is to grow membership and get SPIN on the map as an equal player with the other industry associations, “to make us a vibrant community again with a voice in the industry much like MPI or PCMA.

“I want to play with the big boys.”