Ceré Netters, CMP, 28, works in Tempe, Arizona, as director of education and events at the National Speakers Association. As a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree, Netters discusses her passion for the events industry.
What I do: I oversee the creation and development of all our educational and product offerings by working with our committees and subject matter experts. I also manage a team that handles all logistics and event management/planning for our conferences.
How I got here: I got my start in hospitality as a senior associate for events at my last association, Institute for Supply Management, where I was eventually promoted to program manager of events. I managed more than 75 yearly conferences and seminars for procurement professionals. I grew so much there and decided to take on a new opportunity as director of education and events, here at the National Speakers Association.
Greatest career accomplishment: Receiving my CMP.
Impressive stats: At my last association, I came up with and spearheaded a new experiential idea that led to the increased profitability of our annual conference by 28 percent. I saved my last association more than $30,000 by renegotiating an already signed hotel contract while creating a meaningful partnership with Marriott. For my current association, I was able to decrease our expenses to our annual conference by about 15 percent by renegotiating contracts, forming new supplier partnerships, and applying some new tactics to the preplanning process, all without effecting the attendee experience.
What I am working on now: Influence is the name of our annual conference designed to educate, connect and inspire successful professional speakers. This year, we’ve changed the structure to the overall conference and added in some surprise wow factors that our attendees will only experience on-site.
What I do outside of work: I currently tutor first graders on reading and writing every Monday and Wednesday at a local library. I do volunteer work with Junior Achievement, which is a company that educates youth by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money; plan for their future; and make smart academic, career and economic choices. I also guest present for our local MPI chapter’s CMP university classes, which is a course designed to better prepare individuals looking to obtain their CMP designation.
