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M. Theresa Breining, CMP, CMM

PAST In the meetings industry since 1976, Terri Breining founded Concepts Worldwide in 1988. Concepts Worldwide is a meeting management firm specializing in ROI measurement, consulting services, and strategic meetings management.

CRED The Convention Industry Council recently announced Breining’s nomination to the Hall of Leaders, a tribute to her long career of innovation and volunteerism. She was chairwoman of Meeting Professionals International in 2003–2004 and has served on CIC’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) Commission since 2000, now as commission chair, leading the effort to establish industry best practices and voluntary standards. In addition to the Hall of Leaders nomination, she has been recognized with such honors as MPI’s International Planner of the Year award in 2000 and EIBTM’s International Personality of the Year award in 2008.

FORWARD THINKING Breining is an activist for the growing professionalism of the meeting industry. As a co-author of Return on Investment in Meetings and Events (with Jack J. Phillips, PhD, and Patricia Pulliam Phillips, PhD, of the ROI Institute), published in 2007, and a member of the first ROI certification workshop for the meetings industry, she’s been an evangelist for the importance of measuring the success of meetings. “Implementation of an ROI measurement system gives us the ammunition to make a business case for meetings,” she says, “and then gives us the information to make good, solid decisions about whether the meeting is working, and where its greatest value exists.”

GIVING BACK In January, Breining, on behalf of her company, accepted the Professional Convention Management Association’s Spirit Award, which goes to a meetings industry organization that stands out for its community service. Concepts Worldwide has a program called Concepts Acting Responsibly for the Environment and Society (CARES) through which it coordinates internal office environmental efforts; philanthropic staff activities, such as helping out with the Special Olympics and participating in charitable walks and beach cleanups; and supporting clients who want to build social responsibility into their meetings. Also, Concepts has long been a training ground for interns, but it set up a special intern program in 2008 as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. Called “20/20 Vision for the Future,” the program’s goal was to give 20 people hands-on meeting planning experience in a corporate environment.

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