Loretta Yingling, CMP, entered the hospitality industry at 19 years old, working in front office and operations, not soon after a representative from a hospitality program at a local business school visited her high school and spoke to her class. She had considered becoming a teacher, a veterinarian or even a lawyer, she says, but “Suddenly, I just knew that was my career path. That was over 30 years ago, and I still love my chosen field.”
She worked in hotels for over a decade before entering the world of CVBs. Now, she works as the national sales manager at Visit Raleigh. “18 years later, I can truthfully say I made a good choice!”
Why She Became a CMP
“I believe the CMP designation has helped me especially when I’m working with a planner that I might not yet have a strong relationship with. I feel like we are much closer to being peers in the industry, instead of just planner and supplier, and we have a deep mutual respect for each other,” she explains. “That is extremely valuable to me.”
There’s no question that the designation brings with it a level of professionalism and knowledge. Before she earned her CMP, Yingling remembers, “When I saw those letters after a person’s name, I knew they were someone I could trust to be a professional in our industry. [It] brings with it the knowledge that the individual who has earned the CMP designation worked hard to achieve it and takes our industry very seriously (as I do!).”
The Value of Continuing Education
Yingling considers herself to be a lifelong learner. One of her favorite things about the industry is that it encourages her to learn continuously. “Not one day in my life at work is ever the same!” she says. Any time she has a chance to join an education session at a conference or online, she pursues it. Not only can she earn CEUs for her CMP recertification, but, she says, it’s so helpful for her own professional expertise. “I love exchanging ideas with planners and learning what really matters to them.
“I recently attended a session at a conference that was set up like a fish bowl—which was NOT in the CMP study guide!” she says. “The learning was incredible because it was the sharing of knowledge from the actual attendees—and attendees have so much knowledge.”
She sees continuing education as critical for the success of the industry as a whole and for the individuals within it. “Trends are always changing. Technology is always changing,” she says. “I just keep learning and being open to changing the way things have been done previously. I believe we need to be open to change to thrive in this industry.” As Yingling has explained, the CMP certification is one of many outstanding ways for a professional in the industry to demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning, flexibility and professional development.
Earning the CMP
The first time she applied to take the exam, Yingling did not have enough points to qualify; however, this only motivated her more. She began volunteering more often, writing articles and planning events on a volunteer basis. “Having it be something that wasn’t easy to achieve made me desire it even more,” she remembers.
This level of work it takes to earn the CMP designation can be intimidating for many. It was for Yingling, too. When she was preparing to take the exam, she says, her director of sales at the time told her, “I know incredible people who have taken the exam and passed, and I know incredible people who have taken the exam and failed, and it was okay. Don’t worry!”
When Yingling joined a study group, there was a member who had previously taken the exam and didn’t pass. This member did not give up, though—she gave it another try, this time with a study group. Each member read and outlined assigned sections of their readings then presented it to the whole group in each weekly session, and Yingling says it was her absolute favorite way she studied.
After all the preparation, studying and worrying, Yingling says, “I’m happy to say that everyone in my group passed.” As for that member who had joined the study group to prepare for her second try on the exam, Yingling says, “She was proof positive to all of us that the study group was key.” This member is also proof that failing the exam is not the end of the world—it is a chance to learn more and to value yourself and your career enough to try again.
Study Tips for the Road
And the study group wasn’t the only way Yingling prepared.
“I read the entire book more than once,” she says. “I was scheduled to take the exam in January, and when my family drove to Ohio from North Carolina during the holidays that year, I literally re-read the entire book in my 18-hour round trip car ride.”
Yingling remembers wondering if she should wait until her children, five and seven at the time, were older. But she found that she was able to balance her home, professional and educational lives with hard work. “I would say to anyone, don’t wait! It is possible to study and take this exam while you are busy with life. Because let’s face it—when are we not?”
She also recommends taking as many practice exams as possible to get a feel for how the questions will be worded on the exam.
Like many of the CMPs featured in this Spotlight Series, Yingling stresses that everyone learns differently, so it’s essential to determine which study methods work best for you.
Importantly, she says, “Anyone preparing to take the exam should try to let go of putting pressure on themselves about passing. I just feel that makes it more difficult and adds anxiety that none of us need. Find peace in knowing that you have prepared to the best of your ability, and don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t pass the first time.”
The CMP Today
Since Yingling earned her CMP 14 years ago, she says things have changed drastically—in the very best ways. She remembers using carbon copy papers to keep track of her CEUs and maintaining a thick folder filled with them. Now, when she attends an event that offers CEUs, she’ll simply receive an email from EIC, and all she has to do is edit the number of CEUs that she sat for in the education sessions she attended.
“I am so grateful to EIC and how hard they’ve worked to put systems in place to make the tracking easier,” she says. When it comes to the actual exam process, she says that it is far easier with modern technology. She had to travel to Washington D.C. from her home in Raleigh, North Carolina to take the exam at a hotel. There, she bubbled in a scantron, and didn’t get her results until eight weeks later. Now, she says, “I have a friend taking the test soon from home on her laptop—talk about change! And this way, you find out immediately whether you passed or not.”
Looking back, Yingling says, “When I think about how different our industry was when I began my career as a 19-year-old front desk agent, I am just amazed at how far we’ve come. How strategic our industry is. How important relationships are. How we have evolved post-Covid. How important diversity, equity and inclusion has finally become. How it’s now standard to do community service as part of a conference in the destination you are in.”
Her favorite quote—Harry Potter fans, get ready—applies to both the industry and life as a whole. Albus Dumbledore said, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if we only remember to turn on the light.”
“Always turn on the light!” Yingling says. “Be the light!”
