Pamela Wike Boyd, CMP, 33, works in Silver Spring, Maryland, as senior manager of meetings and events at The Solid Waste Association of North America. As a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree, Boyd discusses her passion for the events industry.
What I do: I am responsible for all meeting arrangements, including food service, room setup, audiovisual, registration, transportation and a list of other key elements for our three main events. I also manage the pre-show selection process, including contracting, site selection and visitation. I am also the key contact for all partnered vendors.
How I got here: I started with SWANA as a training coordinator for our education department. My interest in meetings and expo grew very quickly. Before I knew it, I was shadowing our meetings manager as I knew I’d be walking into that role one day.
Greatest career accomplishment: That will forever and always be the journey of obtaining my CMP designation.
Impressive stats: Since the implementation of both events in 2016, our Training@HQ program has brought in more than $50,000 per year. Our 5K run has registered between 60 to 100 people per event and raises more than $3,500 that goes toward ISWA Scholarship Fund, a charity that has great meaning to SWANA.
Specific improvement I’ve made: SWANA did not have a 5K run nor a Training@HQ (in-office training) prior to my introducing it to the training manager. I did the foundation layout for both events and we rolled them out during our next meeting.
What I am working on now: I’m gearing up for our annual WASTECON conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Although our events are catered to individuals in the solid waste industry, I am looking at ways to introduce mindfulness to our attendees. On our exhibit hall floor, there will be a mindfulness studio where attendees can test their abilities to meditate with the noise and activity happening with the exhibitors.
What I do outside of work: My husband and I love to travel and find unique locations to explore. We have more than 100 shot glasses branded with our traveled destinations. I’m also into beauty products and blogs lately.
