Celebrating the birth of our Society.
Commemorative holidays. Birthdays. Anniversaries. These are reminders of an event deemed memorable enough to honor, a milestone crossed, or a commitment worth celebrating. SMPS CEO Michael V. Geary, CAE, kicked off the 45th anniversary of SMPS in his April QuickLook message, with a reflective look back to 1973 and our nascent network of marketing and business development professionals. Oh, how far we have come!
Today, we remain strong in our commitment to advocate, educate, and connect our members—and all professionals engaged in marketing and business development roles in our industries.With this milestone, we have much to celebrate!
- Our powerful certification program, CPSM, recognizes the commitment that nearly 1,000 professionals have made to continuous improvement, rendering the designation a mark of distinction and measure of expertise.
- More than 7,150 members participate in 58 chapters across the United States and Canada, demonstrating the desire of marketers and business developers to learn best practices, acquire leadership experience, and gain confidence in their ability to shape the future of their firms.
- Our educational offerings, through SMPS headquarters and chapters, attract over 45,000 attendees each year, providing opportunities for individualized learning, group discussion, and networking. Build Business and The Pinnacle Experience are both on track to set record registration levels for 2018, positioning them as the premier events for professional learning and connection among business professionals.
Even more exciting is the way we are embracing the SMPS vision, Business Transformed Through Marketing Leadership, and recognizing that we can lead from whatever role we fill. We have individuals who understand the value of marketing and business development in positions that influence the success of our firms. We are driving growth through market research, strategic planning, critical pursuit activities, client relationship development, communications, and more. Our members are champions of visual communications, effective messaging, innovative technologies, and business efficiencies. Our past-president is president of his firm; our president-elect is a COO. Who could ask for anything more?
And so, as we celebrate the birth of our Society, we also celebrate the anniversary of our own commitments to SMPS. How old are you? This is my 30th year as an SMPS member!
Are we still relevant? Absolutely! I am proud of our past and of the spark that continues to inspire our today. We. Are. Leaders.
SMPS President Nancy Usrey, FSMPS, CPSM, is associate vice president of HNTB in Plano, TX. She can be reached at nusrey@HNTB.com.
