People 4-1-2002

Meetings & Conventions: People April 2002

People

By Terence Baker

Lyn Collins has been planning events and trade shows for more than 16 years, working primarily for computer companies. Four years ago she launched Collins Consulting, an independent planning firm in Sunnyvale, Calif., and now counts Silicon Valley-based companies such as Lockheed Martin and eBay among her clients.

Are you a glutton for education? I currently am the only person in the world with a combined CMP (Certified Meeting Professional), CMM (Certified Meeting Manager) and CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer) status. I have found that clients more readily put their faith in you when they see you have put in the work and reached a certain standard. I passed the CTSM exam in 1999; it’s a new qualification that so far only 50 or so people have attained.

As an early Silicon Valley meeting planner, did you feel like a pioneer? Yes. Looking back, computers were still in their infancy in the mid-1980s, so both computer companies and planners had to have a certain degree of flexibility. We always worked on our toes. My first meeting planning position was with a start-up software designer. Then I worked for Sun Microsystems, which had a much larger planning budget. I have tried to stay friends with everyone I have worked with, as the Valley sometimes can be very small.

What are some of the most interesting places where you’ve held events? Rome, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, among other places, and I am off to Paris and Amsterdam for two events this summer. I love to travel. I recently took a vacation in Budapest, Hungary, and I can tell you that despite the title of the waltz, the Danube is definitely not blue.

What have you learned from your experiences? If the news is bad, tell the client immediately, but always follow it up with how you plan to solve the problem.

PLANNERS

Dobson debuts at PGI
Rick Dobson is the new senior vice president, exhibitions and HRT (housing, registration and travel), at Arlington, Va.-based PGI Inc. Dobson is responsible for the company’s exhibition and conference management department. Formerly, he was with Quincy, Mass.-based Passkey Inc.

Baum now at HelmsBriscoe
Christopher Baum has been appointed regional vice president at HelmsBriscoe’s Boston office. Baum, a 17-year veteran of the meetings industry, is responsible for expanding HelmsBriscoe’s business in New England.