Become an event planner that organizes corporate events, birthday parties or weddings by volunteering with other event planners and taking classes in marketing, accounting and sales. Network an event planning business by making a Web site and contacting local vendors with the help of this free video on job information from a career service specialist.
To negotiate more effectively, work on your communication skills. You'll learn to overcome the communication barriers that block undertanding, and work toward mutually beneficial agreements. Here are some tips:
Improve your listening skills and you'll increase your negotiating effectiveness.
Negotiation skills are one of the most important skills that a meeting and event planner needs to be successful.
What do those acroynms mean? The meeting and event industry has at least four certifications for corporate planners, and many more for the suppliers and vendors who serve them. Here's a glossary of the acronyms you'll find trailing behind the names of the industry's most dedicated and accomplished professionals.
CMP. The Convention Industry Council's Certified Meeting Professional designation is the most widely recognized in the industry. Started in 1985, meeting professionals — planners and suppliers — who have earned the CMP credential now number 11,269 in 27 countries. Candidates must have three years' experience and a full-time job in the industry; accrue a minimum number of points based on the scope of their responsibilities, education, professional contributions, and so on; and pass a written exam.
CMM. For meeting professionals — planners and suppliers — with at least 10 years' experience, Meeting Professionals International offers a Global Certification for Meeting Management program, focusing on strategic issues and executive decision making. Applicants must be accepted into the program and attend a five-day residency, after which they take an online exam and write a strategic business plan for either a new venture or their department. Now in its eighth year, the program has conferred 373 CMM certifications.
CITE. The Society of Incentive & Travel Executives launched its Certified Incentive Travel Executive certification program in 1980 to recognize high achievement in the field. Opened to non-SITE members in 2005, the designation requires incentive professionals to have a certain level of experience and involvement with SITE, work with a SITE member mentor, pass a three-hour written exam, and write a 3,000-word research paper.
CSEP. The International Special Events Society established the Certified Special Event Professional designation in 1983 to recognize competence and experience in the special event field. The requirements include an exam and portfolio review. Twice yearly exam dates coincide with the Special Event Show and ISES EventWorld.
DMCP. The Destination Management Certified Professional designation, established in 2001 by the Association of Destination Management Executives, is awarded to those who demonstrate expertise, experience, and ethical awareness in destination management. The first exams were held in 2002, and now 94 certified DMCPs are on the books; all but two are from the United States.
CDME. The Destination Marketing Association International, in conjunction with Purdue University, has a program in which convention bureau executives earn a CDME designation — Certified Destination Management Executive.
Sources: http://meetingsnet.com/, Convention Industry Council,www.conventionindustry.org; Meeting Professionals International,www.mpiweb.org; Society of Incentive & Travel Executives,www.site-intl.org; International Special Events Society,www.ises.com; Association of Destination Management Executives,www.adme.org; Hotel Sales and Marketing Association International,www.hsmai.org; Destination Marketing Association International,www.destinationmarketing.org; American Hotel and Lodging Association,www.ahla.com; Merriam-Webster Online,www.m-w.com
Incentive cruises can be the optimal venue for incentive events of any size. The event may be small, intimate, and intense or a sizeable function that fulfills continuing educational requirements, or rewards employees for a job well done.
Everyone can leave a cruise just a bit healthier, these days. Gone are the days when a cruise was a never-ending buffet and shuffleboard. Dining is still first-rate and often gourmet, but it is no longer about indulging in empty calories. Cruise ship dining selections are offered to accommodate every need and lifestyle from vegetarian to gourmand.
Cruise ships are well equipped when it comes to staging corporate events, gratifying the requirements of the most stringent client. The best news is that these ships are more cost effective, compared to other standard conference venues. All inclusive cruise meetings can cut the cost of land based venues by 25-40%, allowing Event planners to persist even with today's shrinking budgets.
The demand for physical activities on a cruise has increased tremendously. Corporations are wisely heedful that physical fitness is vital to preserving their team members productive and healthy. Many cruise lines have the latest gym equipment and contract trainers to aid their guests stay in top shape. A stunning ocean view can relax the mind and boost the spirit while the body works away on the stair climber.
Pampering is also great for the body and spirit. A ten-minute chair massage enhances blood flow to the brain and the extremities, leaving the individual relaxed and more obliging. It can be a excellent team building event as well. Some cruise lines offer reflexology sessions, another great way to rejuvenate body and mind. Overall, a cruise leaves a corporate team well fed, healthier, and better prepared to meet the demands of the business world.
Another excellent point about a cruise event is the option to experience several destinations as you cruise along.
Why not make your next corporate incentive event a meeting-at-sea ?
If you are considering a career in meeting and event planning, you will need to understand how the profession is divided up. This means your market segment, or broad-spectrum specialty. For instance, if you want to plan events for businesses and other organizations, then your market segment will be corporate.
Why should you be concerned with this? Because it will determine how you market yourself, how you market your company if you go it alone, and how you network. This means that if you work solely for non-profits your networking sphere will likely encompass a good deal of the political world, grant writers, public relations personnel, event facilities, caterers, and hotels and motels. If you go for-profit, your sphere needs to include the properties and caterers, but you may have less interaction with politics and grants.
Make sure when you choose your event planning specialty that you understand the market segment it falls into. Talk to your business professors to see how they can help, and join a professional organization as well. Ask a lot of questions; people who are truly inclined to teach and to help others will be patient with your answers, but also make sure you do a good amount of your own research.
The end result will be a better understanding of your job and target areas. This could translate into a more secure position at a company or a more stable customer base, and less time spent creating it.
Native New Yorker, Frankie Hudak, offers you a glimpse into the not so glamorous world of professional meeting planners during the current recession, and offers some alternatives for meetings in New York.
If you would enjoy a meeting planner career but are also good at getting people together for everyone’s benefit, you may be just the kind of person that could thrive in an economic downturn. Everyone knows that Business-to-Business contacts are important, so why not focus on helping businesses get through the end of the recession intact? Consider a career helping business groups survive.
Let’s face it–a meeting planner has to be comfortable around people. She has to be ready to talk to a lot of strangers at any time, keep things running, and create maximum benefit for all. So if you are going to start your own event business, why not create a niche that will benefit you as well? Here are some ideas on creating a place for yourself in the business world.
B-2-B Contacts. Many business are wondering about new ways to build business in a bad economy–help them by designing their networking events.
Non-Profits. You could spend a lifetime specializing in events for nonprofits. Remember, “nonprofit” does not mean “no money.” Many of these organizations would benefit greatly from the services of an event planner.
Sales Rep. Yes, you could take your education in event planning and get a lucrative position as a sales rep. Companies that sell beverages, catering services, travel and accommodations, and other services love people who understand the industry–they already know what they’re doing!
As you can see, there are lots of opportunities for you to help businesses with the right education and personality traits.
Three common mistakes made by beginner meeting planners:
If problems do occur, act proactively and creatively. It seems as if nothing ever goes according to plan. Just stay calm and work through each problem with your staff and the venue staff.
Here are some great resources for those of you seeking employment as a meeting or event planner.
MeetingJobs.com offers a job search website for the meeting planning industry. In addition, you'll find resources and tools, such as webinars, resume writing help, salary planning tools and more.
Whether you are a job seeking candidate or an employer looking to hire, you can connect with one another at MeetingJobs.com. Their website offers numerous ways to effectively and efficiently put hiring officials and job candidates together.
Another good job search site for meeting planners is located on the Professional Convention Management Association website. PCMA offers a job search at their Career Center. Whether you are looking for meeting planner jobs, hotel or convention sales jobs or other hospitality jobs, it's important to grow your knowledge and network in today's market to succeed in a leadership position. The PCMA Career Center has high-level meetings industry job opportunities and resources available for you to hone your leadership skills and continue to advance your planner career.
When a company calls you to plan a meeting or event for them, they are thinking, “I don't have much money to spend!” They know the expense of a meeting is more than the checks they will write for the event–it may also include the employee-hours lost at their company and a host of other charges that can nickel and dime them.
However, far from putting pennies on the eyes of their meetings, you can help them save by doing what you do best–finding the right way for the company to gather the number of people necessary for the best results.
One way you can help them is to streamline your own business. Make sure you are automated, and that you have online access to everything you need to save time and money. Find all the real-time booking sites you can, and open accounts on meeting planner websites. Find all the online instruments you can to make your own operation run smoothly and efficiently.
Next, you may be able to serve your client best by suggesting a virtual meeting. This is especially true if some of the participants have to travel long distances. See if VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can help you. There are lots of high-bandwidth sites out there with very high quality VoIP service. Find them and make them your friends. Also don’t rule out the idea of web conferencing–if your clients need to be able to share files, this is your answer for high tech virtual meetings.
For face-to-face meetings, make sure your automated Internet contacts give you the best prices and service for your clients. If you need to plan meals, try the ideas behind Banquetology, which is a way of a greater variety of food at smaller portions. This has the added benefit of appealing to those of us who are watching our girths as well as our bottom lines.
Do yourself and your clients a favor, and trim your own cost of planning as you help them trim their meeting costs. You will both benefit in the long run.
