The meetings industry has lost a legend. Marta Hayden was one of a kind. A friend to many and a mentor to even more.
I remember the first time I met her, when I was a young hotel salesperson attending my MPI Sacramento Chapter tradeshow. As it was my first visit to that particular chapter, and my first time exhibiting in their tradeshow, I decided to attend the supplier session in the morning.
I arrived early, and the only other person in the room when I got there was a very well dressed and perfectly put together woman sitting toward the front of the room. We started chatting, then as the room began to fill up, I realized she was the presenter. Yes, that was Marta. She was always classy and perfectly put together, and always willing to engage in conversation, especially with folks new to the industry.
Over the years we would run into one another regularly at various meetings industry events and would always greet one another with a smile and a hug. I would call or email her on a somewhat regular basis with questions, looking for a particular contact—because Marta knew EVERYONE—and after the dawn of social media in general, and Facebook in particular, I always looked forward to her “National Day” posts.
From “National Donut Day” to “National Wine & Cheese Day” (which I’m sure was among her favorites), I would regularly comment and thank her for keeping us informed and would almost immediately receive a message from her saying hello and thanking me. Marta loved making those posts, and also preferred to reply privately to comments, which I found refreshing.
First Female President of MPI
Marta was the first woman to serve as president of MPI and, if memory serves, was also very involved in helping add additional supplier representation to the ASAE board of directors.
In her later years she served in “acting” capacities, such as her position as interim executive director of the Monterey CVB, another organization that she had greatly helped become what it is today. I once introduced her to a colleague as “the person who had put Monterey on the map,” and Marta, ever so humble, responded that she was part of the group that had worked together to do that and thanked me for what she considered a great compliment.
Marta reached out to me, as she did every year, just last month on my birthday. We talked about the possibility of her coming up to Victoria, British Columbia (my home), for a visit next year to enjoy our annual food and wine festival. Although I am saddened that our visit won’t happen, I plan to enjoy a nice glass of pinot noir and a slice of cheesecake tonight, because it IS National Cheesecake Day, after all.
Rest in peace, my friend, and thank you for making the world a better—and most definitely a more colorful—place.
Charles Chan Massey
Founder and CEO
SYNAXIS Meetings & Events, Inc.
and
Executive Director
The Personal Stories Project
