3 days ago
A New Spin on SPIN
The challenge for Carolynn Santos, who was just named as SPIN's executive director, will be to remain true to the existing culture while adding new features like podcasts and hackathons to its annual event.
Earlier this week on the group's Facebook, Founder Shawna Suckow, founder of SPIN (Senior Planners Industry Network), announced that Carolynn Santos will take the reign as executive director. Santos, who recently left her role as client services manager at CM Event Solutions, is charged with leading the organization and reviving SPINCon.
SPIN, a community of senior-level meeting and event planners with 10 or more years of planning experience, has spent the past few years operating as a members-only Facebook group after ceasing its live annual conference, SPINCon, two years ago.
'If you've been to a SPINCon before, you know how special and freakin' magical these are,' Suckow said. Within a couple of days, dozens of members had already signed up to help get SPINCon back off the ground.
2016 SPINCon
Big Plans
Santos joined SPIN online during the pandemic. 'I felt like it was a really great group, and everyone was asking a lot of really challenging questions,' she said. 'Maybe it was just serendipity, but I was at a point where I needed to do something different and this came up.
'It's an opportunity to use my voice,' she said. 'I feel like there's not a lot I can do politically, but what I can do is use my voice in the industry I'm in to advocate for welcoming and inclusive hospitality.'
Just days into the job, Santos is already busy planning a virtual meeting for SPIN members in September, and based on a survey of members' availability, is planning to relaunch SPINCon in either Arizona or Tennessee in January of 2026. She is interested in potentially adding a paid tier of membership that includes content, and will be launching a new podcast at SPINCon, as well as a hackathon.
Santos is excited about creating the 'elevated education' that she feels is missing from both MPI and PCMA. 'I've always complained that I didn't think the education was of a higher level that senior planners were looking for. I don't want to learn things I already know — I want you to teach me something I don't.'
A Holistic Approach
SPIN was started in October 2008 by Suckow as a forum for 'a different level of conversation with peers at a similar experience level.' Its membership has grown to around 2,000 members, according to Santos.
In addition to its senior planner focus, SPIN is unique from most other industry groups in that its membership is free. Volunteers are the backbone of its operation. The group's four pillars are the 4 B's: brain, body, being, and business, and SPIN was known for incorporating wellness and mental health education long before they became part of the meetings industry mainstream.
Suckow will remain involved in SPIN, supporting Santos in an advisory role while she continues focusing on her career as a speaker and author. 'We're going to bring back a lot of the SPIN-ness that has been missing, even from the Facebook group,' she said.
'We've been missing a lot of the self-care and a lot of the fun. So look for some re-envisioning and re-invigorating.'
