Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Grad Spotlight: October 2022
Sandra Dagovic, Event Producer at Bond Brand Loyalty
How has being a CMP helped you? Being a CMP brings a level of credibility to my conversations when planning an event. Through obtaining the CMP designation, I have gained the necessary understanding of industry standards for meetings and events. I have found this knowledge essential to maintaining best practices, producing quality results and ensuring decisions foster an inclusive environment.
What advice do you have for those prepping for their CMP exam? I would advise anyone taking the CMP exam to ensure they schedule enough time to study and go through the practice tests. The study resources that I would recommend would be; the study prep course by Meeting Protocol, "The Events Industry Council Manual" textbook and "Professional Meeting Management: A Guide to Meetings, Conventions, and Events" textbook. Once you have made it through those resources, I would recommend using the CMP Pocket Prep app. I completed the practice tests about 2-3 weeks prior to taking the exam. I found the practice tests helpful because they mimicked the types of questions that are on the actual exam. The app will show you which questions you answered incorrectly and will highlight content areas you are most and less knowledgeable about. Completing these practice tests a few weeks before your exam will also allow you to pinpoint which areas of study you should spend more time brushing up on.
What do you love about being an event professional? Being an event professional allows me to create unforgettable experiences that spark both unity and wonder. For me, events are more than a deliverable. Events in their nature are fleeting. It is this particular feature that makes them meaningful; knowing we have one shot to create an unforgettable experience. Growing up as an immigrant in Canada, events have always given me a feeling of public unity and pride. Events remind me to be present in the moment and offer a shared memory to look back on. Events can be snapshots of our history in the making; a time to come together as a community to rejoice, make contributions and inspire the best in one another. Whatever the purpose of the event, I take pleasure in exploring new ways of producing events as a method of creating lasting bonds between colleagues, clients, and communities. With all that said, for me, there is no greater thrill than turning a vision into an event.