Meetings Today LIVE! South

OWN YOUR LANE™ - AMBITIOUSLY 
Embrace The Challenge, and Make a Splash-tastic Impact
    
Do you feel stuck in the same routine, struggling to break free and achieve your next big win? Are you ready to stop comparing yourself to others and start competing with the only person who truly matters—yourself? How would it feel to set audacious goals that inspire you to thrive in both work and life?

Get ready to dive into an electrifying, high-energy experience designed to transform your mindset and fuel your ambition. With Deborah's inspiring Guinness Book of World Records journey, this jaw dropping experience and real-life story will empower you to outdo your past self and embrace the challenges that come your way.

Plus, through interactive fun, and actionable insights, you'll learn how to compete with confidence, set bold goals, and make a lasting impact. Are you ready to own your lane and make waves in your life? Let’s do this!

Key Takeaways:
-Discover how to tap into your inner champion, identify your unique strengths, and steer confidently toward success.
-Learn to turn everyday challenges into extraordinary opportunities by creating bold, game-changing goals that energize and inspire.
-Participate and master the art of celebrating your wins—big or small—while radiating positivity to own your lane like never before!

Deborah Gardner, CMP, CVP

President & CEO
DG International, LLC

Oh, whoa! Meet Deborah Gardner: the ultimate “Triple Threat in a Skirt!” A dynamic entrepreneur, Deborah is a global keynote speaker, seven-time bestselling author, and certified meeting and event expert who masters logistics like nobody else.

As a former NBC and CBS Sports broadcaster and pro athlete, Deborah doesn’t just talk the talk, she ambitiously swims the swim—Olympic trials, no less. Crowned Mrs. Arizona and Mrs. America, she is a business royalty with a mic, blending ambition, action, and a splash of fun to motivate audiences around the globe to shake up the status quo, supercharge their dreams, and dominate the fast lane.

Deborah has partnered with industry giants like Walmart, American Express, Success Women, Marriott, and Siemens, helping them prioritize their people and achieve legendary results. Her laugh-out-loud, high-energy presentations are like a Red Bull and double espresso for the soul—guaranteed to get people out of their seats and into action.

Her magnetic presence has recently earned accolades like Top 30 Global Gurus in Hospitality, Best of the Stage Speaker, and features in USA Today, Success Magazine, Fabulous Arizona People, and Meetings Today. She’s also the creator and host of Hospitality Today Live, a worldwide broadcast sensation.

When she’s not lighting up the stage, you’ll find Deborah soaking up the Arizona sunshine, swimming, or hiking with her husband, Jerry, and their rambunctious furry 4-legged lover boy, Bear.

What a Waste: Food Waste Prevention for #Eventprofs

Food waste is a pressing global issue with significant environmental, economic and social impacts, and is a major issue for meeting and event professionals and their organizations that value sustainability.

Learner Outcomes:
In this enlightening session led by MPI Academy’s Jessie States, participants explore effective strategies to prevent food waste at meetings and events. Gain insights into the scale and causes of food waste globally and explore innovative solutions to tracking, managing and reducing food waste at meetings and events. Discover practical knowledge and tools to combat food waste effectively.

Jessie States, CMP, CMM

Vice President, Consulting
Meeting Professionals International

Jessie States, CMP, CMM, is the Vice President of the MPI Academy for Meeting Professionals International, where she leads and advances MPI’s professional development strategy, developing and managing MPI’s portfolio of educational products, including live and digital events, educational experiences, professional certificate programs and educational partnerships. Jessie has received the Pacesetter Award from the Events Industry Council, an honor that recognizes emerging leaders and industry supporters. She has also earned spots on the lists of 25 Most Influential People in Meetings and Events (Successful Meetings magazine) and Trendsetters (Meetings Today magazine).