Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Grad Spotlight: March 2023

Olivia Demarinis, CMP
Sr. Field Marketing Manager, Evolv Technology

How has being a CMP helped you? The growth into a fully well-rounded event planner. While I've been fortunate in my career with the variety of event size, scope, and scale I have planned, I wanted to be sure I understood all major facets and factors that go into the meeting management process. By achieving my certification I can now be certain of these skills. As someone who had no previous formal training in event planning, becoming a CMP now allows me to carry forward with credible proof of my talent to others in or outside of our industry. These three letters provided a big confidence boost and validation in my expertise!

What advice do you have for those prepping for their CMP exam? 

  1. Utilize every practice quiz or flashcard study tool you can find. This will quickly separate what you understand from what you need to review. It forces you to truly test your retention knowledge without any reliance on your study materials. 
  2. Give yourself more time than you think you need to study. Inevitably, daily life will surprise you and you don't want to end up relying on an all-night cram before the exam! 
  3. Remember that this is a standardized exam like any other so you should spend some time considering your personal test-taking strengths and weaknesses. Review the rules of your proctoring facility so you aren't surprised on exam day when you are already at a higher stress level. Plan your strategy for working through this 165-question marathon exam and stick to it on test day! 

What do you love about being an event professional? Being an events professional allows me to create real-world experiences from conceptual ideas. I deeply enjoy seeing all my preparations materialize in the physical world and watching attendees interact within the space I created. Event planning is one of few professions that offer this kind of gratification!