When selecting its new executive director, the Senior Planners Industry Network, better known as SPIN, went with a meetings industry veteran itself.
Rod Abraham, who will help steer the organization founded by Shawna Suckow in 2008 for planners with at least 10 years of experience, brings a wealth of knowledge, including being a charter member of MPI, a two-time chair of the MPI Foundation board of trustees and member of its board of directors.
Abraham’s journey to SPIN has a bit of a full-circle quality to it, too, as an organization he helped found turned out to provide the inspiration to dive back into a leadership role.
“I wondered if I was still relevant,” he said. “I went to Atlantic City [for WEC 2016], and I thought it was one of the best meetings they’ve had in a long time. It started to show itself in San Francisco the year before. [MPI President & CEO Paul Van Deventer] said, ‘We’ve got our mojo back,’ and I came away from there thinking I’ve got my mojo back, too.”
Abraham hopes to bring that revitalized energy and business acumen to SPIN, but for now, his top priority will be to listen and learn.
“I will always listen before I decide anything,” he said, “and I am most interested in knowing from the [membership] what it is that they’re not getting, what they’re happy with and what they’re not happy with.”
As the founder of Professional Meeting Planners Network, which serves independent meeting and event planners, Abraham can leverage that experience to help an organization that has a similar membership.
“There are so many people in our industry that are all very good at their craft, but they may have little or no business acumen or business experiences. I still think it’s a crying need,” Abraham said.
