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Stress and The Life of a Meeting Planner!

March 12, 2013 By 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.

 

 

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Handling Event Planning Online Reviews

February 12, 2013 By Comments
Cherry pickers and the clouds

Photo courtesy of Mark Elliott

We’ve been event planning and hosting face-to-face meetings for a dog’s age and in dog lingo that’s a long time. And I’ve said it before and here I go I’ll say it again, it takes a uniquely special person to conquer the role of planner. I of course am biased (extremely biased) when it comes to the event and meeting planning industry. I am one of the lucky ones that have been able to plan events, meetings and conferences for many years and make a living at it too.

Event, meeting and conference planners are responsible to organize and manage all parts of events, meetings and conferences. They are in charge and accountable for all the meeting specifics including site selection, meeting particulars, food & beverage, transportation, entertainment and really so much more. When not on site a planner spends an incredible amount of time at their desk, in the office, negotiating, formulating and planning and yes the hours can be crazy.

Handling Event Planning Online Reviews – New Year New Trend!

As we welcome each new year we welcome new trends and tools that help us to do our job in a better faster way. More than ever event and meeting planning pros are revealing their thoughts and ideas online via online review and blog writing. They not only are sharing their experiences, views and know-how but opinions, expertise and criticisms as well. And while this industry trend has quickly become the norm it has been said to have both positive and negative merits, all at the same time. Being on both sides of this coin what I have discovered when it comes to online blogging and reviewing it really does have everything to do with the writer’s perspective, experience and involvement.

Handling Event Planning Online Reviews – We’ve Come a Long Way!

Let’s face it; everyone is online in some way or another. Blogging and online reviews have become one of the more accepted methods to source out services, products and events. And it’s an effective way to reach and influence the masses and maybe just maybe create a head start over the competition. When it comes to a product or service for these reasons and really so many more it is imperative that from start to finish companies create and ensure a positive experience. If not you can forget about that head start. Any type of undesirable or damaging review and or blog can definitely hurt and impact a business for a many years.

We absolutely have come a long way, the online civilization is where communication is instantaneous and direct, accessible and unrestricted and is a place we all feel open to sharing what feels like everything. And yes it does magnify the good, the bad, the positive, the negative and everything else in between. And while it does increase recognition, understanding and create familiarity it can easily do just the opposite.

Handling Event Planning Online Reviews – Tips to Managing Negativity!

In this online world the ability to share and literally shout to the world opinions and criticisms makes for those on the receiving end’s first instinct to fight back and with every resource we have. But really this situation does beg for the question “What do we do when we receive negative reviews”?

Respond and Quickly – Be proactive and don’t put the blinders on, an online review is not going anywhere, simply said it can literally last a lifetime. When responding only make assurances and guarantees that you can meet.

Be Positive – Whenever possible take the opportunity to become knowledgeable and learn from the situation and tweak, enhance and enrich your business. And involve clients that already feel positive about your services by having happy clients write their own reviews, no strings attached. A great way to manage damaging reviews is loads and loads of great reviews.

Swap the Negative – Manage the impact of negative reviews by way of adding new content that can be picked up by all the various search engines. This helps to handle the general influence a negative review can provide. When someone is searching for info on your organization yes the negative review will be there as will an abundance of positive reviews and new content.

No person or business is perfect. And the facts are when it comes to business sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. Reviews whether positive or negative are all about the perception of the author. And yes a negative review can last for years on line, but we all have the power to turn perception around. By bettering our business and continuing to provide good service, client care and in a nut shell successfully delivering on all business products, services and promises each and every time.

 

 

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Event Planning Ethics; Do We Have a Problem Here?

November 30, 2012 By Comments

event planning ethicsFor any of you that have been in the event planning business for some time, what I’m about to write here will come as no surprise to you. I cannot tell you the amount of networking events, that I have attended, where the conversation turns towards ethics in the industry. Generally speaking, the comments come from the supplier side of the industry.

Destination Management Company (DMC’s) Are Considered the Local Experts

I want to give you a brief rundown of the most common complaint that I hear. First a disclaimer. In my past life I was on the supplier side of the event planning business. I was a co-owner of a Destination Management Company. For any of you that aren’t familiar with this type of company, a destination management company, or DMC as they are referred to in the industry, acts as a broker for a meeting and event planner. In other words, it’s the DMC’s job to find out what their potential client wants for their program and then propose venues and suppliers that fit that bill. Ultimately, it’s the decision of the meeting planner as to which suppliers they will work with.

An Event Planner Needs to Establish Trust amongst Its Suppliers

Now back to the most common complaint.

Basically it goes like this. A meeting or event planner will put together an RFP (request for proposal) which gets sent to many suppliers to bid on. Then these supplier companies will put together a proposal based on the RFPs outline and then present their options, along with pricing, to the potential client, the meeting and event planner. Then, what normally happens, the planner will decide which of the companies that they want to work with based on the proposals that they have received.

Sounds pretty straightforward doesn’t it?

Well, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know that there are some meeting and event planners out there that will take ideas that were presented to them at the proposal stage and then proceed to contact the suppliers directly.

You’re starting to see the problem here, correct?

Basically what had happened was that the DMC went to all of the trouble to source, price and then present a number of options for the planner. The planner, rather than deciding which DMC to work with based on the proposals, decides to circumvent the middleman, so to speak, and deal directly with those suppliers that were presented to them.

Now a planner has every right to work directly with suppliers. The problem with the above scenario is that the planner misled the DMC’s into thinking that there was potential for them to be rewarded with business. To be honest, I have found that this situation occurs more often with meeting and event planners that are new to the industry. Planners that have been around the industry for a while seem to understand that this type of practice is considered unethical.

ADMEAssociation of Destination Management Executives (ADME); Membership Has Its Rewards

So what can be done?

Well, while the meetings and events industry has taken steps to address this, the fact of the matter is that there will always be those planners out there who are looking to take a shortcut and obtain ideas without giving proper credit.

For its part the industry has addressed ethics on the supplier side and has created an association for DMCs. The Association of Destination Management Executives, ADME, was created several years ago with the intent to establish standards that would be adhered to by its members. Through this association the suppliers, DMCs, are basically stating that they promised to play by the rules. Those same DMCs only hope that any potential meeting and event planners will also abide by those same rules. But by being a member of this association the hopes are that planners will understand that any of their potential DMCs are adhering to a strict code of ethics. Click here for more details regarding ADME’s code of ethical conduct.

Like any industry, the meetings and events industry will always have planners and suppliers that will try to circumvent the correct way of doing business. What I’ve learned from being on the supplier side is that you continue to provide proposals to potential clients based on the fact that the majority of planners are ethical and will not be stealing your ideas. My experience has taught me that eventually those planners that like to steal ideas get exposed (the industry can be a small world at times) and will find that their job will become harder and harder to do for their clients. For any planners that are considering working with a DMC, my advice would be to ask them if they are a member of ADME. After all, membership does have its privileges.

 

 

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Event Planning and the Convention Center

September 26, 2012 By Comments

Convention centers are a big part of the meetings and events industry. Pretty much every city has one. A convention center is primarily utilized by, but not limited to, associations and trade shows. The centers usually consist of one or more large open spaces with several smaller or “breakout rooms”.

The groups that will utilize a convention center tend to be larger in size. That’s where the smaller rooms, or breakout rooms are attractive to the event planners. You see, quite often with larger groups the event planner is tasked with providing smaller meeting rooms as well as a meal function. And if the facility does not have a variety of rooms to accommodate that, then the room turnover (switching a room from a meeting set up to a food and beverage function for example) would chew up valuable meeting time. And the smaller break out rooms are ideal as quite often there are many meetings for the group occurring simultaneously.

The Convention Center is about Location, Location, Location

A convention center is, most often, a standalone complex. They are also in close proximity to the city’s major hotels. So close that, in some cases, they are attached by underground tunnels or overhead walkways. Today, most convention centers are designed to be a focal point for the city that they are in. Not only visibly appealing, convention centers are also designed to handle large volumes.

Today’s convention centers, while attracting large conferences, are also structured to accommodate smaller groups without them feeling lost in a large sea. That’s where the architecture and design features come into play.  Event planners have often expressed concerns about using a convention center for a small group. Their concerns are that the attention that their group will be given will be overshadowed by any larger conferences occurring at the same time. Most of the newer convention centers, or ones that have been upgraded in the last decade or so, have addressed concerns that the smaller groups have expressed.

Event planning for large conferences usually involves coordinating shuttle transportation. Basically a planner has to coordinate moving the conference delegates from their hotels to the convention center. And, because of the group’s size, it’s quite common that they’ll be occupying more than one hotel. Convention centers are designed to accommodate multiple buses, arriving and departing, that are required to shuttle large groups.

Event Planning Tip – you can save a bundle off of your transportation budget by not providing shuttle transportation to any of the hotels that are in the immediate area of the convention center (say a two or three block radius).

A Convention Center is up to Date on Technology, Sustainability and Service Providers

Typical departments in a convention center include; technology (i.e. AV suppliers), security, guest services, housekeeping, catering and food and beverage, sales, convention and exhibitor services, and sustainability.

For many of the larger conferences, or trade shows, it’s vital that the service providers are able to accommodate their needs. Most convention centers will house the major suppliers in-house so that there is always an on-site person to deal with any needs that arise.

Green meetings are also becoming quite commonplace. Today a lot of event planning involves sustainability. In other words, meeting and event planners are becoming more and more aware of what can be done to improve their meeting’s sustainability requirements. And many convention centers are now receiving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Sales and conference services departments are equipped to help meetings go green with easy to implement sustainable solutions.

Convention Centers and CVB’s (Convention and Visitors Bureaus) Go Hand-In-Hand

Most convention centers are associated with the cities’ CVB. Many are as busy as major airports, having a few million delegates a year move through them. When the city’s tourism arm (the CVB) goes out on sales missions, they are quite often accompanied with convention center sales staff. This is usually a win-win for meeting planners. This relationship gives the convention center additional marketing capabilities as they are quite often in a position to provide incentives to lure highly sought-after groups to their cities. Additionally, many will have in-house marketing assistance that they can offer as a value added service.

At industry networking events you may have heard the term tier 1 or tier 2 convention cities. And unless you’re responsible for the event planning of a large group you probably don’t have a clear understanding of what those terms mean. Some groups are so big that their selection of cities is limited by the size of the convention centers. That’s why the industry has categorized convention centers in this manner. A tier 1 convention center has meeting space greater than 250,000 ft.² . A tier 2 convention center will have meeting space between 100,000 to 250,000 ft.². A tier 3 convention center has meeting space under 100,000 ft.².

For an Event Planner One-Stop Shopping Is Attractive

Of course event planners want their conferences to go off without a hitch. Event planning is like a director’s job. There are many components that need to be successfully executed in order for the one main conference to be a success. And that can be a logistical nightmare at times. So when an event planner has an opportunity to put their conference under one roof (except for the hotel portion of the planning) that can be a huge bonus. Especially given the fact that the centers have crucial suppliers (i.e. AV, caterer) housed in-house.

Convention centers also happen to be located in the best areas of their cities. This is an ideal situation for a meeting and event planner. If there are any down times, their delegates are able to walk out the door and find a multitude of restaurants and attractions at their feet.

It is always recommended that, as an event planner, you walk the space in the convention center that you are considering. Because of convention centers sizes, a planner will want to make sure that their delegates can find the meeting rooms without hassle. Most often meeting signage will be required to help direct delegates.

If you’re considering a convention center for your conference, it’s recommended that you book space as soon as possible. Many convention centers will hold space for up to 10 years in advance. But you had better be serious about your booking because there will be a deposit schedule presented.

A convention center has become a focal point, or hub, for their city. Convention centers tend to be a showcase for the city, quite often because of their award-winning designs. They are centrally located next to most major hotels, attractions and restaurants. Event planners love convention centers as they are able to coordinate a multitude of suppliers that are housed in-house. As most convention centers are associated with the CVB, they are able to package themselves with nearby hotels and restaurants. It makes an event planners job all that much easier if they are able to house most of the conference activities in one location – the convention center.

 

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Event Planning Tips on How to Prepare for a Meeting

July 25, 2012 By Comments
Event Planning Tips on How to Prepare for a Meeting

photo by ishn.com

Meetings are pretty much a part of every industry. And it’s probably something that you don’t look forward to. If you’re like me, I sometimes dread going to meetings. You see, many of us look at meetings as a disruption in our day. And let’s face it with event planning comes meetings. It’s one of those unavoidable tasks that we need to do in order to ensure that all of our planning will be successfully executed.

Meetings Are Big Part of the Event Planning Process

So why do we dread going to meetings? Well, for many of us, the thought of having to talk in front of a group can make us very nervous. To the point where we actually do not retain any information. Which is really a disservice to having a meeting in the first place. And, if you’re just attending the meeting and not being called upon to provide any input, well that too can create a distraction as it’s very easy to lose the thought process.

In the video below psychologist Dr. Cynthia Green has some tips for us on how to prepare for a meeting. Whether we need to overcome our jitters or we need to increase our ability to focus, these tips will prove helpful to you for your next meeting. And for those of us in the event planning business, maybe, just maybe we’ll be able to turn our meetings into a productive process of event planning.

 

 

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Hesitant about Green Meetings? Two Easy Steps to Get You Underway

June 15, 2012 By Comments
Green meetings can be easier than you think

photo by blogs.softchoice.com

Are you an event planner that has been considering hosting a green meeting? And is the reason that you haven’t done so already, is that you think that it involves a lot of planning and execution? Well, you would be surprised at just how easy it is to turn your meetings green. And the beauty of it all is that you can even do it in small steps, working towards your overall goal.

Implementing Green Meeting Ideas Is Easier Than You Think

At most conventions that I attend there are always green components nowadays. As our governments continue to point fingers and be pretty much in denial of environmental changes, it’s nice to see the meetings and events industry taking its own initiative. Lord knows if we wait for our government to act today then we could be in for a very long wait. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do whatever we can to help preserve this wonderful planet of ours.

Two green meeting ideas that you can easily implement

One suggestion that I always offer a meeting or event planner is to suggest that try not to think of green meetings as one overwhelming task. Rather, break down the various components to your meeting and then review which ones you can easily apply sustainability ideas to.

Tip # 1) Go Paperless. Going paperless, especially today, is easier than you think. Do you really need to print a brochure for your meeting or conference? Can you host it on your website? There are also a lot of event planning software that is free to use that helps you communicate with your attendees electronically.

If you find you have to arrange flights or any other means of transportation for your attendees then make sure all ticketing is done electronically. Why not even take it one step further and encourage all of your attendees to download their boarding passes to their smart phones. Set up a twitter account where you can provide all of your attendees up to the minute updates as well as any changes that you need to communicate.

Tip #2) Energy. Nowadays, most hotels and meeting venues utilize environmental light bulbs. When you are booking your meeting make sure to request that this is the case for the room where your meeting will be held. It’s also not a bad idea to ensure that all of the lights are turned off as well as the heating or cooling is set to minimal levels while you are not utilizing the room.

Going green does not need to be considered simply added responsibilities to your job. The two tips above can be easily implemented. The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) is an excellent resource for the convention industry on green meeting standards as well as additional ideas that you can implement. Green meetings also show your delegates and attendees that you are serious about sustainability. Our planet will love you for it.

 

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Convention Planning Security-Meeting Planners Show Concern for Concealed Gun Laws

May 1, 2012 By Comments

photo by blog.robpatton.com

Okay, you know the world is getting crazier when delegates CANNOT BRING lumber, hatchets, gas mask, chains, and super soakers to a convention but they ARE ALLOWED to bring concealed guns. Yep, you read it correctly, of all the things that are on the list of what you can’t bring to an upcoming convention in Tampa, concealed guns is not one of them. The convention planning that we are talking about is, ironically, the Republican National Convention.

This year is a presidential election year in the US. And as part of that process the major parties both host conventions where they announce and/or confirm their leaders. Obviously the Democrats will host Pres. Obama in his bid to win re-election. And, as it’s pretty much all over but the writing, the Republicans will present Mr. Romney as their candidate to take on Pres. Obama for the Oval Office. Florida and North Carolina have been selected by the respective parties to host their conventions. Florida and North Carolina also have laws which allow concealed weapons.

Security Has Become a Large Part of Convention Planning

Convention planning is a daunting task. Just read a few of our other blog post here and you’ll quickly get an idea of just how diverse the job of the convention planner really is. However, as most meeting planners will tell you, the security of their delegates is top priority.

So you could understand why the convention planners and organizers for the Republican National Convention are showing concern over Florida’s concealed weapon law. And under most other circumstances I can give them that argument without any irony being applied. But not this convention. You see it’s the Republicans themselves (with support from some Democrats) that are responsible for these concealed weapon laws that are law in over 20 states. But, as I said above, irony seems to be alive and well with this gang. Last week Tampa’s City Council passed a resolution to ask Republican Gov. Rick Scott to implement a temporary ban on concealed weapons. This is so they can take added precautions to make sure that their delegates and attendees are safer. Isn’t that the goal for politicians all of the time, not just temporarily??

Perhaps Politicians Need a Lesson in Convention Planning Security

Some meeting and convention planners, that I’ve spoken with, tell me that they are outraged that a political organization can be exempt from a particular law but not their own conferences. Now, I do understand that there are a lot of high profile and powerful leaders that will attend the Republican and Democrat conventions. So does this mean that the convention planners and organizers for the political parties think that the concealed weapon law is okay for 99.9% of the conventions and their delegates but should be temporarily pre-empted when their conventions roll into town?

I guess the saying “it would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic” is appropriate for this situation. From my take, I think that if the lawmakers think that this law is appropriate in their respective states, then they should put their money where their mouth is. Otherwise, perhaps these conventions will also show these lawmakers that wanting a little security for your delegates doesn’t mean you are in violation of the second amendment.

I would be very interested to find out from meeting planners, that are hosting meetings in states where concealed weapons are allowed, exactly what their thoughts are regarding security and how it relates to their convention planning.

 

 

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Has Stand Your Ground Had an Impact on Event Planners Decisions

April 13, 2012 By Comments

photo by christinamarie7 .wordpres.com

Unless you’ve been living on another planet, you have heard all the news surrounding the tragic Trayvon Martin shooting. We’re not going to get into the political debate surrounding this controversial law but it did get me wondering if all this attention has had an impact on whether or not event planners will hold meetings in states where this type of law exists.

Event planners walk a fine line. Their main objective is to successfully execute and host meetings and conventions where all the delegates are satisfied. And let’s face it that’s probably a pretty tall order to execute. You know the old saying – you’ll never please 100% of the people 100% of the time. So I’m sure there are always those that will approach meeting planners with some type of an issue that needs to be resolved.

Event Planners Do Not like Controversy

But there’s also another side to event planners. The last thing they want is for their meeting or event to be held in an area where controversial issues are taking place.

With all the negative news coverage that we’ve been seeing around Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, Convention and Visitors Bureau officials are raising alarm bells. After all, tourism plays a very large role in the Florida economy.

In a recent Tampa Bay Times article, it reported that Nikki Grossman, director of the Broward County Convention and Visitors Bureau, would be the first person to present to a state task force on the negative impact that the law has had, or is having, on Florida’s tourism.

Are Politicians Making Life Difficult for Event Planners?

There is no doubt that the Stand Your Ground law is having a political impact. Obviously laws are often legislated as a result of the majority party making good on promises that they have made to their constituents. That, in and of itself, is understandable as an elected official will need those constituents to be on their side for the next election. But are our elected officials implementing the right laws that will help their states economies? Well, judging by the reaction from the state’s tourism officials, I would have to think the answer is no.

If any event planners reading this article are currently planning meetings or events in states where Stand Your Ground type laws exist I would be interested to hear how they plan on proceeding. I guess time will tell as to whether or not there will be a dramatic effect on meetings and events where event planners feel there’s too much controversy to host a successful meeting.

 

 

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A Funny Way of Being Introduced at a Planning Meeting

April 5, 2012 By Comments

photo by blog.timesunion.com

Our upbringing helps us navigate through different situations that life gives us. Almost instinctively we know how to react when presented with various scenarios in our life. Or do we? Anyone involved with planning a meeting would tell you that upon entering the meeting room the usual protocol is to be introduced to anyone that you don’t know, you approach them shake their hand and engage in small talk.

But what would you do if, upon entering the meeting room, the person you were being introduced to gave you a big kiss instead of shaking your hand? Would you return the gesture? Or, if you’re like me, would you turn bright red and be at a loss for words.

A Unique Way of Communicating in a Planning Meeting

The video below, at first, everything looks like a normal planning meeting about to get underway. But as you’ll see, once the attendees arrive, they have a very unique way of greeting each other. While, at first, you might think this is an organization that you want to apply with, it really is showing us that spreading germs can be done more through a handshake than from an actual kiss. Let’s just say that this video by science world has certainly got their point across. So, the next time someone comes up to you before your meeting starts and kisses you instead of shaking your hand, you’ll know that they may just have the common cold. But before you return the favor, maybe make sure the person on the receiving end has seen this video first.

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What Are Your Expectations of a Meeting Planners Guide?

March 30, 2012 By Comments

photo by flickrhivemind.net

I keep hearing a lot of talk about how important a meeting planners guide is. While I don’t doubt that, it does make me wonder what exactly are planners’ expectations of a meeting planners guide. There are certainly no shortage of meeting planners guides to choose from. But, we thought for this post that we would review some of, what we consider to be, the key items that a meeting planners guide should cover.

Meeting Planners Guide Can Help You Develop a Checklist

We’ve often talked about how a meeting planner has to wear many different hats. So it only stands to reason that a good meeting planners guide will help a planner breakdown the various components of a meeting into workable objectives. So let’s review some of these “hats”, as it were, that a meeting planner is required to wear from time to time.

Important Items That a Meeting Planners Guide Should Include Are:

Planning. While this may seem like an obvious item, planning is crucial especially at the early stages of organizing and executing a meeting.

Budgets. With planning, budgets almost go hand-in-hand. Budgets are crucial, especially in the planning stages as it will help ascertain which components of the meeting are necessary versus components which can be eliminated should the budget not accommodate these items. Budgets help a planner determine what they need to achieve in order for the meeting to be a success and, in some cases, a revenue producer.

Meeting Room Set up and Requirements. A meeting planner needs to know all of the various meeting room set up configurations like the back of their hands. This is probably one of the earlier items that a new meeting planner learns as it is crucial in determining the type and size of meeting required. In addition, requirements can include items such as audiovisual needs and the type of speakers , etc.

Negotiating. This is probably one hat that sets seasoned meeting planners apart from the crowd. A good negotiator knows how to arrive at their desired results without offending or burning any bridges. A good negotiator also has to know what they are prepared to give up in order to achieve their overall results.

Contract. I remember studying contracts in my law classes in school. I dreaded those classes. But, lo and behold, understanding contracts has become a vital part of the meetings and events industry. So now I have to thank those professors for giving me the ability to read and understand contracts.

Suppliers. Many planners tend to think of suppliers as additional expenses to their budget. However, talk to a season planner about how they use their local suppliers and they’ll tell you quite often they request that their suppliers develop a program that works within the budget parameters assigned. Think of suppliers as the local experts in their field.

The above items will probably be found in most good meeting planners guides. Unfortunately the meeting planners guide cannot do the task for a meeting planner, rather they are designed to provide the planner with a map of key items that need to be addressed in order to make their meetings and events successful.

 

 

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