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You are here: Home / Auctioneers / Tomorrow I’m beefing up for my CMP recertification
Aug 14

Tomorrow I’m beefing up for my CMP recertification

Sherry Truhlar Leave a Comment

benefit auctioneer Virginia - CMP recertification

Though I’m now a benefit auctioneer in Virginia, my corporate past included working as an event planner. As part of that career, in March 2005, I was relieved to learn from the Convention Industry Council that I had passed its difficult CMP exam.

They sent me a letter with an official sticker. Sweet.

Here’s some background.

What is the Convention Industry Council®?

An organization of national and international members who are involved in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. (Think event planners, hotels, convention centers, caterers, production companies, and the like).  The group has 103,500+ individuals and 17,000+ companies as members.

What is the CMP®?

A designation program. It identifies those “individuals who have achieved the industry’s highest standard of professionalism.” 

And what does that mean? In layman’s terms, it means that if you work in the events industry and want to qualify for the CMP, you better be well-prepared to document all of your work experience, educational background, and extracurricular activities to prove that you live and breathe events.

When I decided to apply for my CMP, I’d already been working in event-management for several years. I saw the CMP as a differentiator in my growing auction business. (To this day, I believe I am the only auctioneer in the world who also has a CMP.)

I assumed that with my on-the-job training and relative ease at taking tests, the test would be easy. After all, I was pretty much a straight-A student right through my Master’s degree. How difficult could this be?

Wrong!

That test sent me running home with my tail between my legs.

Admittedly, the CIC offers a number of CMP study groups to help event managers prepare for the comprehensive 4-hour test. But around the time I’d been approved to take the test, my life changed.

Within a two-week period, I’d left Washington, DC to live in Florida for the winter. For the first time ever, I was living in a warm climate … in January. The idea of finding a CMP study group in Florida didn’t even cross my mind. I grabbed my textbook, headed to the beach, and (ah hem) prepared for my test.

Two months later — with a lovely tan — I drove to Orlando to take the test.

I wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked, but I’d read most of the book. By the time I left the classroom, my eyes were glassy and I was stunned into submission by the test’s difficulty.

I wasn’t alone. As I left the building, groups of students were commiserating in the parking garage.

“I studied 6 months and feel like it was a waste,” said one.

“I’ve been in the meetings business for 20 years,” said another, “I couldn’t answer their layout questions with any certainty.”

As for me, I was reminiscing about bok choy and if it was the right vegetable to serve with chicken.

Somehow I passed.

But every five years a CMP must re-certify. Next year is my big CMP recertification year.  Lovely.  The CIC gods will review my immediate 5-year history to see if I am still deemed worthy of the letters.

To boost my own re-certification points, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM tomorrow, I’ll be volunteering to grade (or, “review” as the CIC politely says) some of the CMP applications from the 600-800 people who pay a $225 fee to apply for the test.

Statistically, I believe about 30% of those applicants will be rejected. Some will appeal and a few will win. All qualified applicants then pay $450 to sit for the CMP exam.

My CMP documentation folder from the past five years is fat with proof of my attendance at conferences, speaking engagements, and events (fundraising gala auctions, in my case). But I want to be sure I have some cushion on my application, just in case.  So tomorrow I’ll be volunteering.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

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Copyright © 2009 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved

About Sherry Truhlar

Fundraising auctioneer and education, helping schools and nonprofits plan more profitable benefit auctions. A prolific writer for her own blog and other fundraising sites, she’s been covered in The Beacon-News, Town & Country Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wiley's Special Events Galore!, AUCTIONEER, and other publications.

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Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

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Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

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Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

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Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

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I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development
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If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda
2016 NYUMBANI Board member
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The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

Darrell, a long-time attendee
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We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events
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Sherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year! Some of the tidbits: You added EXCITEMENT and ENTERTAINMENT… You added EXPERTISE and FUN… You helped the evening FLOW, in a wonderful and positive direction… You were FUN,… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

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Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

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You have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, … she got the bidders to bid without being rude/pushing, … I loved observing her, I just watched her, … she did a great job.’ It was… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

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Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” The following year, she herself ‘stepped up’ and became one of the gala… Read The Rest “Geri”

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Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal with people in a way that isn’t intimidating — men, women,… Read The Rest “Irene”

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Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering.   Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went off… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

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As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business. She is skillful at managing an audience and keeping them focused on the task at hand – which is… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

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Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)
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