meeting planner Archives - PlanAnEvent.org

Are Event Planners Souring on India?

April 10, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

photo by www.swarnym.com

Event planners love it when they’re able to take a group to international destinations. Not that there aren’t extra steps that would have to be added to a planner’s checklist. For example, it can be very time-consuming communicating and ensuring that all of the delegates have the proper paperwork in order to leave the country. It’s estimated that only 35% of Americans have valid passports. This percentage is far below the norm for most Western countries (as a comparison, 64% of Canadians have valid passports). Nonetheless, many event planners love the opportunity to plan conventions internationally.

A Meeting and Event Planner Is Always Concerned with Safety

India is usually an attractive destination due to its low costs and ideal weather. And of course it’s history. There has always been a certain level of concern from event planners with regards to terrorism in India. Being a Westerner in many parts of the world can be a security issue today. However recently we’ve seen negative news headlines coming out of India. Particularly the horrifying rape stories which have exposed a cultural battle that is occurring in India.

Tourism in India is on the Decline

As a result of the attention grabbing headlines coming out of India, and especially regarding crimes against women, India tourism is being hit hard. Conventions and tourism in India is an $18 billion a year business. India tourism usually projects a 12% increase in visits each year.

But that trend is hitting a snag.

According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, 72% of tour operators are reporting that their businesses are experiencing unprecedented cancellations. A noticeable decline is women from the US, Canada, Australia and the UK. Overall, there has been a 25% drop in tourism business since January 1 of this year alone. Additionally there is a 35% drop in visits by foreign women.

And that is raising alarm bells within the country.

photo by www.worldette.com

It’s obvious that India is in the middle of a cultural battle. It’s very easy for us in North America to shake our heads in disgust at the news headlines regarding crimes against women in particular.

From the figures above, it’s obvious that event planners are taking a cautious approach when considering India. If the country plans on playing in the big leagues of conventions, meetings and events, then government officials will need to do more to address the situation there, particularly the safety and security of women. And let’s hope that they do take swift action as India does have a lot to offer as an international destination.

Filed Under: Planning A Conference Tagged With: event planner, eventplanning, eventprofs, India tourism, meeting planner

Event Ethics, Meeting Planner and Supplier Edition

March 20, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

shaking hands with fingers crossed behind back

photo by jaypgreene.com

The better part of my event planning career has been on the supplier side of the industry. Specifically I was a partner with a small boutique destination management company (DMC). It was our job to act as a broker for our clients, meeting planners. In order for us to win a piece of business, we would compile a proposal that we would then present to a meeting planner. That proposal would encompass a program outline based on the criteria that was provided to us by the planner. And our competitors were doing the same thing in hopes that they would win the meeting planner’s business.

Quite often I found that our venue suppliers were, at times, put into an awkward situation. You see, as part of our proposal we would often put venues on hold by providing the meeting name to the supplier. And our competitors did the same thing. Suppliers that understood how DMCs worked knew that one of the bookings would, most likely, be successful and that they would be awarded the business.

Is a Meeting Planner Obligated to Work with the Supplier without a Contract?

Here’s where the awkward situation sometimes occurred.

A DMC is not necessarily known outside of the meetings and events industry. They work very diligently in the background to ensure that their client’s program is a success. DMC’s are very well known by meeting planners and event suppliers. I can’t tell you how many times that I would get a call from one of our venues where we had placed a hold, telling me that the meeting planner had called them directly to finalize the booking.

Here’s Where the Event Ethics Issues Arose.

Fortunately for my company, we had great relationships with our suppliers and venues. I’m not trying to say that a meeting planner does not have the right to deal directly with any supplier or venue. Of course they do. What I do, however, have a problem with is when those particular meeting planners ask you (and most likely your competitors) to spend time sourcing appropriate suppliers and venues for their programs knowing very well that they have no intention of booking with you, or your competitors for that matter.

text stating you need to know what's happening behind your back

photo by hackingshmacking(dot)com

We were fortunate as those venues would build in a commission to us. While that was not mandatory, we did feel it was appropriate as we had pitched that particular venue to our potential client. The ethical suppliers understand this. And for those that did not… Well, safe to say we didn’t continue proposing them unless they were an absolute fit for a potential client.

I’m talking about this issue because I hope to impress upon new planners entering the industry. This practice is not considered ethical. While there are no repercussions that can be done towards a planner, I have found, through my experience, that they soon obtain a reputation within the industry. And, as such, very soon that planners job becomes more difficult with time. Nobody wants to work with them.

We’ve talked a lot about the Association for Destination Management Executives (ADME) here. I can remember when this association was just getting underway. All of us in the industry, even though we were competitors, were excited by the fact that we had one Association that could now set industry standards moving forward.

Some additional articles regarding the Association for Destination Management Executives (ADME):

Key Items for an Event Planner Contract

Say YES to Destination Management!

Ethics in any industry can be a touchy subject. And, more times than not, trying to lay blame or pointing fingers only ends up hurting you. But, by establishing standards for the event planning industry, we are hoping to create a level playing field that all of the players can abide by.

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: ADME, DMC, eventplanning, eventprofs, meeting planner, meetingprofs

Stress and The Life of a Meeting Planner!

March 12, 2013 By Randy Markus Comments

black word stress, slightly faded from a green pencil erraser

Courtesy of Alan Cleaver

It seems with every report and survey that screams a meeting planner is amongst the top ten best careers comes equally compelling reports that say being a meeting planner can be one of the most stressful occupations as well. As I type I can hear a rousing “exactly” from all my meeting planner friends. And no matter the career, I’ll be the first to say that every job comes with its own set of pressures and worries. And as we all know meeting planners definitely encounter and tackle some of the trickier and more demanding scenarios, and are almost always under some kind of stress and pressure to ensure success is met.

For a Meeting Planner Success is the Name of the Game!

You may wonder how a meeting planner can land on both lists. But if you have ever had the responsibility to plan a meeting or event then you know exactly how and why. As blogged a zillion times or more, a meeting planner is responsible for the planning and executing of all phases of a meeting or event. And is accountable for every single thing from budgets to site selection from negotiations to on-site coordination and everything else in between including (but not limited to) speakers, transportation, venues, menu selection and so much more. And while a career as a meeting planner comes with some gratifying and rewarding possibilities and experiences, to be successful takes a lot of multi-tasking, pedal to the metal, work. Next time you’re at an event, watch the meeting planner and all the behind the scenes craziness that goes on and you will really appreciate what it takes to achieve success.

Meeting Planner Prescription – Less Stress, Prioritize and Laugh More!

Responsible for more or less everything, a meeting planner almost always can be found right in the middle of it all. While ensuring the meetings and events are running effortlessly and efficiently and the delegates are satisfied, the meeting planner probably hasn’t eaten a “real” meal, taken a break, had a proper night’s sleep and don’t get me started on the hours. And while meeting planning can be amazingly fulfilling and a satisfying experience it can also be one of the more demanding, nerve-racking and yes stressful ones.

It has been said that for meeting planners stress is to be expected and no matter what is unavoidable. We’ve heard it before and don’t need a Doctor to tell us how bad stress is for us and the harmful influence it can have on our health. And some say the secret to managing stress is all about attitude and taking a positive approach. So if stress is in fact inescapable then why not jump the line and implement some easy to use tips.

Be Prepared – Do not, I repeat do not leave anything to the last minute. Create a to-do list and follow it. Book it, get confirmations in writing and be sure to confirm all services prior to execution. You’ll be so glad you did. The number one way to prevent stress is to be prepared.

Have a Plan B – By having a back-up plan just in case, knowing we can’t control it all will go a long way to easing stress. Concentrate on what you can manage, organize and manipulate and be assured that the Plan B is there, should you have to pull it out of your hat.

Take Care – Nourish yourself by eating right, getting enough shut eye and incorporating exercise into your routine. First instinct is to always say impossible, there is no time. But by making health top of the to-do list, we help to alleviate stress and allow more valuable time to get the work done. It’s truly a win-win situation.

Incorporate Laughter – A good laugh definitely goes a long, long way to brighten up a mood and who doesn’t enjoy a good chuckle. Whenever possible take some time for a bit of fun and a giggle, it truly will make all the difference.

In the end, it really is up to each of us to find the solutions that will help to create the job and life that works best. For all those meeting planners that still can’t see their desk or the light of day, take a minute to prioritize, shake up your routine, enjoy a laugh, get some sleep easy first steps on the road to having a happy and compatible work and personal life.

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: meeting planner, meeting planning, meetingprofs, meetings, planning

Are Event Planning Standards Slipping?

March 6, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

customer service rating from excellent to poor

photo by blog. metrobrokers.com

This is the second blog, in a series of three, addressing meeting and event planning industry standards. Our first post dealt with meeting and event planners and how satisfied they were in their jobs. In that article we talked about how happy planners were with various aspects of their jobs. Most survey results indicated that, while there is always room for improvement, most event planners are content. Part of those findings show that a lot of professionals in the meeting and event planning industry are continuing their professional development. That’s a good sign indeed.

Read the full article here: Are Meeting and Event Planners Happy in Their Jobs?

Establishing Event Planning Standards Is Crucial

For this post we are going to shift our focus from event planner satisfaction to event planning standards. And, in particular, are those standards slipping. In the past when potential clients have asked me why they should hire me over a competitor, my reply has always been towards the standards. What I would generally say to a potential client is basically a transportation vehicle will be the same vehicle no matter which company you select. But what sets my company apart is the customer service that we provide during that transportation. In other words, I was trying to set us apart from our competition by addressing service expectations and our attitude towards them.

In my research for this article I found that most companies hold their customer surveys very close to their chest. However, I did reach out to a few of my colleagues in the industry and got them to give me some information and insights into customer satisfaction.

Generally, most customers have very high regards for the venues that are hosting their functions. There is a lot of attention to detail that is being given to the physical structure. The food also rated quite high on the satisfaction scale. Where the food was critiqued was in the price and portion sizes (as in too small). I have to say that I’m not quite in agreement with the portion size comments.

Where there was “room for improvement” was in the service personnel. A lot of feedback here was related to attitude and lack of knowledge regarding the event. And unfortunately this is probably one of the easiest areas for improvement. So why aren’t we improving?

horrified look on woman's face guarding event planning standards

photo by www.gurl.com

I want to relay a staff recruiting story that I heard at a recent networking event. I was having a conversation with a few hotel executives when one started to relay an employee recruitment story about her hotel. This particular hotel (name and location obviously withheld) was hosting a job fair at a college. The job fair wasn’t particularly busy and the students had a laissez-faire attitude. The individual relaying the story was shocked with the lack of professionalism from the students. Most did not bother to wear business attire, rather many showed up in sweatpants. Now here’s the shocking part of the story. The next day, during an executive meeting, the human resources manager stated to the team that they may be faced with lowering their hiring standards in order to fill all of the jobs that were currently vacant. Yep, you heard me right. Now I’m not implying that we should hire someone just because they are wearing business attire. But, come on, if a potential employee doesn’t have the wherewithal to come to an interview in proper attire, you can pretty much be assured this is not a good match for you.

Now if I had been the hotel’s general manager there probably would’ve been one more job opening that day; the human resources position.

It is crucial that, when hiring, you look for someone that is able to implement your standards. At a minimum.

Key Items to Ensure You’re Hiring the Right Person for Your Event Planning Company

photo by www.resultswithldg.com

Employees are also potential customers. A mentor of mine taught me this a long time ago. Of course when interviewing for a position, you’re not going to be able to hire everybody that you meet. But it is crucial that you treat all interviewees as if they were your customers. Because, you just never know, one of them may be in a position down the road to offer your company a very lucrative piece of business. And they’ll remember their experience with you, even if you did not hire them.

The management versus staff mentality. If you are currently using these terms in your business stop right away. There’s nothing that drives me crazier than seeing a sign in an establishment signed by “the management”. To me using those terms to identify hierarchy in an organization is simply off putting. Whether you are the president of the company, or a more important coordinator, to me you are all staff. I really don’t care who has more authority within your organization. All I care about is that I’m getting the service that I expect.

Responsibility versus authority. Both have to be equal or the job task is not aligned properly. How can you possibly make somebody responsible for an action without giving them the proper authority to implement that action. All too often employees will have all of the responsibility with no authority. A no-win situation.

Establishing minimum standards of service for your company. I know that sounds like a no-brainer statement, but you would be surprised at the number of event planning companies that do not state its service standards. I guess it’s as if all the employees are mind readers? We’ve talked a lot about event planning checklists here. Well this is one item that I think should be built into every checklist. An event planning checklist must address company standards.

Service standards must be developed by the team. Establishing service standards is not a top down approach. The days of the boss dictating how he or she wants things to be done are becoming very unproductive. How many service training seminars have you attended where the presenter is in the front of the room running through some acronym that relates to service standards (like ” S is for standards”)? Honestly does this even work anymore? A service training program has to be inclusive of the participants in the room. The good ones are the ones where a checklists is developed throughout the training seminar by the participants input.

All indications are that most customers are quite happy with their event planning company. Event planners do have a keen sense of service standards. Where our industry standards sometimes fail is when we do not relay our expectations to our coworkers.

The next article relating to event planning industry standards will focus on the relationship between colleges and industry players.

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: event planner, event planning company, eventplanning, eventprofs, meeting planner

Have You Joined a Meeting Planner Association to Further Your Career?

March 1, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

become a member of a meeting planner Association

photo by www.washingtontibet.org

Ask a seasoned meeting planner what they would recommend you do to further your career and, more often than not, they will tell you to network. Networking is a great way to meet industry leaders as well as to keep on top of the latest and greatest event planning trends. Think of it like organic growth. You won’t necessarily start to see the results of your efforts until you have attended several networking events. But, by becoming a member of a meeting planner association, what you are doing is establishing a long lasting reputation for yourself as a meeting or event planner.

For a Meeting Planner, Establishing a Relationship with a Potential Client Is Key

Let’s face it, obtaining customers is a never-ending task. Most of us do not like cold calling. While sometimes necessary, cold calling can be deflating. How many times have you been trying to get contact information when it was obvious that the person on the other line could not wait to get off the phone?

The key for attracting a new customer, or to retain current customers, is integrity. A potential customer wants to know that the event planner has their best interest in mind. So how do you inform a potential customer that they would be in good hands working with you? Well, again, it boils down to establishing a relationship. And by attending an event planner association’s function you’ll be introduced to many colleagues as well as potential clients. But be careful, the last thing you want to do at these events is to jump into a sales pitch. Wait for the client to ask you for that information. Otherwise, you should be discussing common interest items. Not only will you be nurturing relationships with potential clients but you’re also going to gain valuable industry information from your peers.

An Event Planners Association Is a Great Place to Start Networking

When I first started in the meetings and events industry, I was part of a young, upstart, DMC (Destination Management Company). What I and my partners quickly learned was that we needed to join industry associations so that we would start to be recognized.

The first association was our local CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau). Being a member of your local CVB is crucial. Not only will you be listed as an event supplier, you will also get great exposure to meeting planners that are bringing groups to your city. Next we joined two of the industry’s largest associations; Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). We also joined the Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME). ADME is great for developing and standardizing codes of conduct, contract language, best practices, etc.

Most meeting planner associations also have local chapters. This is a great way to meet all of the key industry players in your area as well as to have an active role in the local management of the association.

A meeting planner association is a great way to develop new contacts and learn key industry information from your colleagues. Many customers prefer to select their event planning companies once they have developed a relationship. In other words, Integrity is crucial for repeat business.

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: ADME, association, CVB, eventplanning, eventprofs, meeting planner, mpi, PCMA

How to Select the Right Venue for Your Events

February 27, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

a unique venue for an event Venues play an integral part of the event planning process. Quite often a meeting planner will plan to take their group to an off-site venue as part of their overall program. This aspect of the meeting is often social by nature. It’s an opportunity for the delegates to unwind after a full day of sessions and interact with fellow delegates. Selecting the right venue is crucial to the meeting planner as its representative of the program overall.

Meeting Planners Need to Be Specific about a Venue Definition

In my experiences, I have found that you can save a considerable amount of time during the planning stage if you take the time and find out from the meeting planner that criteria that’s important to them. For example if the planner is considering a restaurant for their off-site function then you would want to find out, at the onset, whether or not a private room is crucial. That little item alone could help narrow your selection considerably. At the beginning of my career, I developed a venue definition checklist to help prompt me in asking the right questions. A venue definition can simply be a quick checklist of items that are crucial for the venue to feature.

Factors to Consider for Selecting Venues

In my blog post last week, my article dealt with tips for hosting a food and beverage function. Whether it be budget saving tips, or the style of function requested, the answers that you get from a meeting planner are important as the venues that you propose need to match that criteria.

Here are some additional factors that you will want to consider for selecting the right venue for your event:

The district. What part of the city is the planner willing to consider.

Venues Style. What type of venue will peak the planner’s interest. Are they looking for a banquet facility, a nightclub, convention center, golf course, Museum or a restaurant for example.

The Type of Event. Events can range from weddings, a food and beverage function, a standup reception, or tradeshow, etc.

Availability. I can’t tell you the number of times people have proposed what appeared to be a great venue only to find out it was not available during the times I request it. It’s important to ascertain from the planner when they are considering hosting their function and then match that to venues that can accommodate that timeframe.

Capacity. You may think that’s a no-brainer but it’s important to know the number of delegates.

Outside Caterers. Some meeting planners have a preference towards which catering company they like to use. Some venues only allow in-house caterers while others allow meeting planners to bring in an outside caterer. Note – many times with outside caterers the venue will charge what’s referred to as a landmark fee. This fee is usually a percentage of the food and beverage costs.

Is the Venue Private and Exclusive.

Wheelchair Accessible. This question is crucial especially if you do not know the delegates personally. Most venues, today, our equipped to handle wheelchair access.

Here is a link to a venue page on our affiliated site, WTTC.com. The category alone presents a list of venues throughout the country that are applicable for the meetings and events industry. However by refining your search you are able to eliminate venues that do not meet your group’s criteria.

Selecting the right venue for your events is crucial to the overall success of your program. It’s recommended that event planners take the time up front and review the criteria that’s important for the group. Doing so might just be the difference in receiving that repeat piece of business.

Filed Under: Planning An Event Tagged With: eventprofs, meeting planner, meetingprofs, venue, WTTC.com

Event Planning Tips for Food and Beverage Functions

February 22, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

photo by www.thewakemanagency .com

For most meeting planners, planning for a main event often involves food and beverage. And, as most meeting planners will also tell you, when planning an event with food and beverage you can chew up a large portion of your budget. Our experiences have taught us that there are ways that you can execute a successful event without breaking the bank.

Event Planning Tips to Keep Your Budget in Check

There are ways that you can have your cake and eat it too. Of course it’s vital that you do establish a budget for your event. It’s vitally important that you know how much you have to spend in order for you to make the best decisions for the event.

Here are a few key areas to address that will help you in your decision-making process.

The Facility or Venue

photo by suhaag.com

Of course we would all love nothing more than to take our group to the hottest venue in town. But, in reality, sometimes that’s just not within your budget. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There are a lot of great places in many convention cities that you can choose where your guests will have an outstanding experience.

Whenever I’ve done site visits I’ve always tried to prequalify my client to determine where they have flexibility and where they do not. Unfortunately I’ve also had cases where I’ve had to explain to many a meeting planner that they need to be more flexible as what they want for their group doesn’t necessarily match their budget. And I admit that can sometimes be a very difficult feat.

Generally speaking when you take a group outside of the hotel to what’s referred to as an “off-site venue” you are often charged a facility rental fee. For budget conscious groups, I always present the possibility of keeping the food and beverage function inside the hotel. Nowadays most hotels have outstanding banquet facilities. And the beauty of keeping a group “in-house” is that you will not be charged a room rental fee. The savings here can be in the thousands.

The Caterer

photo by cateringcardiff .blogspot.com

Many meeting planners have told me that they are often hesitant about providing their budget to a caterer as they feel that the price will always come in around the budgeted amount (even when it could have been cheaper if the caterer wasn’t aware of the budget). Now I’m sure there are those catering companies out there that may match dollar for dollar what the meeting planner told them. But my advice, and experience, is that it does not hurt to divulge your budget. My experiences has taught me that many caterers will help work within your budget all while designing a menu that is still appealing for your delegates.

Quite often if you are hosting a function at an off-site venue, say a Museum for example, the client is often charged a service and equipment fee. This additional fee is because many off-site facilities do not have kitchens. And as I’ve outlined here before, the service and equipment costs can be as much as the food menu cost itself. If you select a facility that has catering facilities on site, you will save a considerable amount.

Another aspect of the menu cost is the food menu itself. Many meeting planners tell me they like to host food stations as it allows their guests to mingle and offers a variety of dishes. Food stations are great as they can easily be incorporated into the atmosphere of the venue. If you are budget conscious, and you’re not hosting a sit-down dinner, one consideration would be to have passed hors d’oeuvres. But better make them heavy hors d’oeuvres (that’s about 10 to 12 pieces per person) if you’re not having a sit-down meal. For those that are adamant about food stations, work with your caterer in designing a menu that could have a pasta food station, for example, along with past hors d’oeuvres. The planner has much more control on the quantity of food that is being distributed. And the delegates are still satisfied as servers have been making the rounds with a variety of hors d’oeuvres.

For many meeting planners, hosting a food and beverage function is viewed as chewing up a large portion of their overall meetings budget. But by working with an event planner, as well as the caterer themselves, there are many ways that you can offer an outstanding food and beverage event without blowing the budget.

Filed Under: Planning An Event Tagged With: caterers, event planning, eventprofs, meeting planner, meetingprofs, venue

Questions Meeting Planners Are Asking Online (You May Be Surprised)

February 13, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

photo by salesheartbeat.com

If you’re reading this blog then I’m willing to bet that you have an online presence. Nowadays, it seems, we all have accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit… (you get my gist here). I’m in the event planning business. So naturally the social media accounts that I tend to follow are people that are also in my industry. Then it’s followed by topics or subjects that I’m personally interested in. But, for us to get the proper exposure, we sometimes have to keep our personal life separate from our business life.

What Are Meeting Planners Asking of Their Colleagues Online?

I thought it would be an interesting analysis to actually take an in-depth look at the types of questions my colleagues were asking on the various social media platforms. There are a lot of people, like myself, that will post their blog posts on social media. If done properly it can be a great way to provide colleagues with useful information that, hopefully, they can implement in their own business. And, let’s face it, it’s also a great way to drive traffic to our websites. But as we’ve seen from Google’s updates in 2012 it’s more about engaging the users as opposed to writing about targeted keywords.

Sorry I’m going off on a SEO tangent here – so back to my main thoughts.

Before I started checking out my colleagues on social media, I truly thought that most meeting and event planners would be asking about technology and how they can implement it into their business. Now, don’t get me wrong, there were several post along this lines. But technology wasn’t as top of mind to meeting planners as I thought it would be.

photo by www.tmaresources.com

The Top Three Meeting Planner Questions That I Came across Were:

Venues

There were a lot of meeting planners asking about venues suggestions. An answer to the question “what are the most important factors when selecting a venue?” that surprised me was location and pricing. Okay I can give the location as a good answer to that question. But pricing? Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand pricing is very important, especially today. But if it is a top factor in how you select a venue then I’m afraid you’re going to be very disappointed with some of the venues you select.

There are many great online databases that will assist a meeting and event planner with selecting a venue (and please promise not to make pricing one of your top priorities). Here are a few that I recommend you check out:

BizBash – in addition to a great print presence, BizBash offers a great selection of venues and all of the top meeting and convention cities.

Cvent Supplier Network – Cvent isn’t just for registration purposes anymore. This company has made great strides over the last few years in establishing itself as a great resource for the meetings and convention industry.

WTTC.com – The Meeting Planner’s Best Resource – is a free national online business directory of resources and contacts for the meetings, incentives, conventions and events industry.

Event Planner Templates

Meeting and event planning templates is a very popular search term that provides a lot of organic traffic to our site. It seems, on social media anyways, that a lot of meeting planners are asking what type of templates are best. Another type, or maybe boilerplate might be a better term, are contract templates (and particularly what type of language planners should include or look for when signing contracts with clients and suppliers).

Here are a few additional resources that we have on our site that deal with event planning templates.

You Don’t Have To Re-Create the Wheel to Get Good Event Planning Forms

Finding a Good Meeting Planner Template on Microsoft Office

Using a Conference Planning Template

Event Planning Template for Establishing a Venue Budget

Event Planning Jobs

While I wasn’t surprised that this is a question that event planners are searching for, I was surprised to see how frequently it was being asked. Of course networking, be it through attending events or networking online, is one of the best ways to make contacts with people that can help further your career.

A few resources that may assist you, when searching for event planning jobs, are:

LinkedIn Jobs

Meeting Professionals International (MPI)

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)

Social media plays a vital role for meeting and event planners. Our social media accounts allow us to network and interact with colleagues on a number of issues. Whether we are asking for an expert opinion on venues, or sourcing what jobs are available, more and more we’re turning to social media for those answers.

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: event planner, eventplanning, eventprofs, meeting planner, meetingprofs

Event Planning Certification – A Groundhog Day Lesson

January 30, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

event planning certification and groundhog day OK, I know you’re wondering “what the heck does event planning and groundhog day have in common”? Well, the Groundhog Day that I’m referring to here is the Groundhog Day movie with Bill Murray.

First let’s get some basics covered. To jog your memory, in the Groundhog Day movie Bill Murray’s character, Phil, is a small town weatherman that was sent to see if Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow. However the movie unfolds as each morning Phil wakes up early to realize that he is reliving the same day, Groundhog Day, over and over. And only he seems to know this.

But it’s more about what Phil did during this recurring day that brings me back to the title of this blog.

You see, many meeting planners will tell you that quite often their job can become repetitive. As we become more experienced in our jobs the tasks that we used to dread become easier and easier to do. Sometimes it even gets to the point where some of the finer details get overlooked because of the routine nature of the task.

Now Back to the Groundhog Day movie for a moment.

Once Bill Murray’s character, Phil, realized that he was stuck in this loop of repeating the same day over and over again, he decided to become proactive. One example was when he took piano lessons and became a concert pianist. Much to the astonishment of everyone that he knew. Enter the comedic quality of the movie.

Like the Groundhog Day movie, meeting and event planners often duplicate several task when executing a meeting or event. So, perhaps rather than looking at this task as a mundane part of your job, why not try and master that task by improving on it each time you have to do it. For example, let’s say transportation is part of the event. And, as the event planner, your job is to ensure that the vehicles are queued so that, when required, they can easily be called upon and loaded with guests. Any seasoned meeting and event planner will tell you that transportation can often be a tricky component to an event. There are many factors that can interfere with your plans. So rather than dreading the transportation element to your event, why not draw upon your past experiences, analyzing mishaps, with the goal of improving how it will be executed.

You see what’s happening here right? When you focus on the same component of an event each time you are executing that event, eventually you are going to become a pro at it.

Once you have improved and mastered a component pick another (the menu, for example) and repeat.

Event Planning Certification

Here are a few additional posts where you can find more information regarding event planning certification and event planning education;

Interested in Obtaining Certification to Be a Certified Meeting Planner?

Interested in Becoming a Certified Meeting Planner?

QC Event Planning-a Great Way to Become Certified in Event and Wedding Planning

Event Planning Degrees; an Investment in Your Career and Yourself

As one of the main focuses of this website is education, naturally I’m more inclined to promote it. Education, like the Groundhog Day analysis above, should be looked upon as you becoming a professional in the meetings and events industry.

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: event planning certification, eventplanning, eventprofs, Groundhog Day and event planning, meeting planner, meeting planners

No Rest for a Meeting Planner – PCMA’s Convening Leaders Conference Is about to Start

January 11, 2013 By Andrew Maxwell Comments

PCMA convening leaders 2013 We have talked about down time for a meeting planner on this site many times before. Many people assume that meeting planners are relaxing this time of year. You see, generally speaking, this is a slow period for meetings and events in general. However no rest for the wicked as one of the industry’s largest association, PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association), will be holding its annual conference in Orlando from January 13 through January 16.

This conference, which is held for planners and industry vendors alike, has a strong emphasis on education. This year’s conference also showcases innovations that meeting planners can implement to help them do their jobs better.

Orange County Convention Center Will Host PCMA’s Convening Leaders Conference 2013

Orlando’s convention center, otherwise known as the Orange County Convention Center is host to this year’s PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2013. And if you have to go to a conference in January, Orlando is certainly an attractive destination. There is no shortage of activities for organizers and suppliers to plan for networking and supplier events. To find out when an event can be hosted as well as PCMA’s guidelines for hosting an event, click here.

More about the Orange County Convention Center: Orlando’s Convention Center; Getting down to Business in America’s Playground

This conference is considered to one of the meeting planning industries top events. The website has been designed to provide easy access to scheduling and the various events occurring. There are also some great tools that anyone attending can utilize.

The speakers alone are an impressive lineup. One of the top speakers this year is Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman. Mr. Friedman is a renowned author as well as a New York Times columnist. For a full list of conference speakers, click here.

Good News for Those Wanting to Become a Certified Meeting Planner

PCMA has always been conscious of our next generation of leaders. Each chapter within the Association has some type of program, or focus, geared towards students within their regions. Personally, this is one of the main reasons that I have the respect that I do for PCMA. They recognize the fact that upcoming leaders are a crucial part of our industry.

Many new and existing meeting planners are interested in the certified meeting planner, or professional, designation (CMP). Well the good news is that individuals can earn what’s known as “clock hours”. These clock hours are part of the requirements for the CMP program.

Many meeting planners and suppliers are now making their way to Orlando for PCMA’s convening leaders 2013. This educational and innovative conference is one of the top events in our industry. For those who want to follow the conference and any updates on twitter, you can do so by following the hashtag #pcmacl .

Filed Under: Tools & Guides Tagged With: CMP, eventplanning, meeting planner, meetingprofs, Orange County Convention Center, PCMA's convening leaders 2013, Professional Convention Management Association

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Now Back to the Groundhog Day movie for a moment.

Event Planning Certification

As one of the main focuses of this website is education, naturally I’m more inclined to promote it. Education, like the Groundhog Day analysis above, should be looked upon as you becoming a professional in the meetings and events industry.

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Orange County Convention Center Will Host PCMA’s Convening Leaders Conference 2013

Good News for Those Wanting to Become a Certified Meeting Planner

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