Event planning conferences are a great way to further your career as well as network with industry colleagues. In this age we’re becoming very accustomed to conducting our meetings virtually however having some face-to-face time with educators and peers within your industry is a great way to stay connected. As 2012 approaches a couple of the industry’s largest associations members will be getting ready for their annual or regular meetings.
Event Planning Conferences Are Great Places to Share Ideas
I know a lot of you are either working for yourselves or working in larger organizations where cost-cutting measures have become mainstream. And quite often as part of these cost-cutting measures travel is put under the microscope. However investing in yourself, in my opinion, is never money wasted. That’s not to say that each and every conference is a must to attend. Rather you should look at the conference outline to see if there are educational components that you feel would benefit you in your career. Then see if your budget allows for you to attend those conferences which you deemed educational. Conferences always have networking events. And let’s face it networking events can be a lot of fun as they are very social in nature. We all need to relax and unwind every now and then. But networking events can also be a great way to get new ideas as well as share some of your ideas. I often leave conferences with several ideas that I can implement both for my clients events as well as my own business.
There Are Several Event Planning Conferences to Choose from
MPI, or Meeting Professionals Incorporated, has a great events and education page on their website. On their site you can see a list of upcoming events whether it be the European meetings and events conference in January 2012 or information on WEC 2012 held later in the year. There’s also information regarding certification programs here as well. Some of the information is only accessible in the members only area so if you’re not a member you may want to consider joining to gain full access to this robust site.
PCMA, or Professional Convention Management Association, has an upcoming annual meeting from January 8-11, 2012. This is a perfect time of year for meeting and event planners as they are typically the least busy at the beginning of the year. Obviously planned this way for a reason. This year’s PCMA conference is being held in San Diego. This conference is very educational in format. You will always see the industry’s heaviest hitters at this conference.
So as 2012 approaches why not make a New Year’s resolution to further your career. And there’s no better way to do that then attending an industry conference. Not only will you gain valuable knowledge on how to perform certain functions of your job you’ll also get to network with industry colleagues.
Related articles
- Attending Event Planning Seminars to Further Your Career (plananevent.org)
- Event Planning Degree – Yeah or Nay? (plananevent.org)
- Event Planning – Spotlight on San Diego (plananevent.org)
The forum is a brighter place tanhks to your posts. Thanks!
I enjoy going to cfocerenne local and way . This year the NAFCC cfocerenne is in Green Vally Ranch Resort Las Vagas in July 21-23 I will be going. NAFCC has a layaway plan that started back in September of 10 payments to be made by June 10. This is away that they make it possiable for providers to be able to go to these type of cfocerenne they are one of the best. NAFCC they go out of there way to make it a enjoyable time. Your family can also go on these trips with you so you can make it in to a vaction time also. Conference have where you can pay to get your CUE,s that we need for CDA and accedition. This is the four NAFCC cfocerenne that I have been able to go to. They are very up lifting to me because they are made up of many providers and others to make the best workshop for us. They have many vendiors of all types.The hotels are very nice that we get to stay in. If you want just look up the hotel for the July cfocerenne you will be able to see for yourself. Go to Green Valley Ranch Resort Las Vegas. I also go to cfocerenne local. These also have it where you can get CEU’s. I enjoy the cfocerenne because I get to make new friends and see olds too. We have a support group that is very active. The support group has workshops that we can get hours needed for Paths to QUALITY . Some of the workshop are free and thats a great way to get your staff to these workshop. So you are able to keep your cost down. We also do Child Care Resource & Refferral workshops. This also a great way for yourself and staff to get good training.I also was able to go to the one day workshop with APPLEBAUM this year. It was a very good one and it also had CUE’s . They have books for sell. They have a test you can take after reading the books they make it possiable to get CUE’s this way.This is away to be able to get the hours and CUE’s on your own time and a good price too. I enjoyed all the cfocerenne that I have be to over the 25 1/2years. I always walk away with being refresh and a new ideals. I love the new songs that I am able to bring back with me to put to use. I also have been a presenter at some of these cfocerenne.
What a great question and great tinimg too! I am 2 weeks into recovering from a national conference that I coordinate, so I am asking these same questions from two perspectives, planning and participation. I am on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Childcare Professionals.We have experienced a marked reduction in our numbers since the economy went south. Unfortunately, the nature of conference planning is such that you have to secure venues way in advance and then you are contractually obligated and can’t respond, or react in some cases, to the changes in the economy. This has been really difficult to manage from a planning and implementation standpoint to say the least. Conversations with our membership revealed two primary inhibitors to participating in conferences that are out of town and/or that last for more than one day.1. Cost2. Inability to be out of the centerThe first is no surprise and neither is the second really, but it’s not one we immediately identify. Many programs have had to reduce expenses to the bare bone and because of ratios, have only limited ability to affect classroom staffing. That leaves administrative positions on the chopping block. So directors and leaders are filling every hole possible to save payroll dollars and can’t be gone from the center.It’s a different time. I, like you Rhonda, LOVE conference! The energy, the connections, the new information and opportunities and I believe that leaders still need that to stay sane enough to keep coming back on Mondays. Conferences need to adapt to the new world. Our conference committee has been brainstorming for months to come up with cost-saving ways to make conferences affordable and accessible in the new economy. We will be implementing some new strategies with our 2013 conference since it will be the first one that wasn’t contracted pre-economy crisis. There are other reasons as there always are, but those tend to be more subjective. The two I mentioned seem to be more universal to our industry based on feedback from the 2010 and 2011 membership and conference participants.Hope this helps! Sorry to be long-winded. It’s fresh!
I attend as many coeecrfnnes as possible. DVAEYC in Phila, PA almost every year. Csaeyc in Williamsport as often as they have good topics. I find that most of my colleagues that I mentor arent interested in many of the topic areas, or they have already been trained in the same areas offered many times. There are so many required trainings through various agencies such as PA Keys, and or licencing office, that most of the time spent is looking for required trainings. this doesn’t leave much time for family care providers to go to confrences. The cost of the coeecrfnnes are becoming an issue. family care providers don’t have the funds for coeecrfnnes, replacement staff, or agencies that are willing to send them. I have been in business for 17 years and know how important coeecrfnnes are for recharging the mind and refreshing my book of tricks for teaching infants and toddlers. Most providers don’t go and never find out how worthwhile coeecrfnnes are.
I have attended servael out of state conferences over the past 4 years thanks to theAir Force. I have been lucky enough to receive financial help from the Air Force to attend the NAFCC conferences the past 4 years. I have to say though after my first conference I was hooked. It was very energizing! I came back a happier person filled with great ideas and so excited to tell everyone what I had learned and all about the amazing people I met. I know it is hard to get away sometimes but after my parents saw how excited I was and how rejuvenated I was they have no problems with taking a few days off or going to back up care for a few days!