Meeting Planner Careers

Freelance meeting planners can make an incredible amount of money if they are self-motivated and have an ample amount of people skills. The problem is that many larger companies have meeting planners on staff, and thus one has to find a way to attract attention if they want to be a successful freelance meeting or event planner. Here are some tips on how to build up a reputations as a freelance meeting planner and perhaps generate business:

• Start by making contacts within the service industry, especially at hotels and other venues where people want to visit and/or hold their events or gatherings. These contacts can be useful when it comes to negotiating lower prices.
• Start a blog and try to guest post on other blogs as well. Some businesses might know that they need help, but do not know where to turn. Be there for them and they will come to you.
• Consider advertising, even in Craigslist or other online arenas that are cost effective. Newspapers might be worth advertising in as well, but print is certainly on its last leg.
• Be willing to knock on doors and network. This will mean having a business card ready, and spending money to attend conferences and meetings in order to network.
• Consider specializing in a certain type of meeting planning such as educational conferences or meetings-at-sea.  Developing a reputation as a niche expert.
• Remember that honesty and fair prices are important, especially at the beginning. Do not look to recoup all initial startup losses on the first few clients are nobody will recommend you.

Mindfulness, meditation, paying attention, “being here now” is a self-discipline that people develop over a life time. You already ’practice mindfulness’ when you remind yourself to stop worrying and enjoy the play, ball game, movie, book, t.v. program, birthday celebration, or hobby in which you’re currently engaged. (A useful definition of “to worry” is to project yourself into the future and anticipate a negative outcome.) When you remind yourself to stay in the present, you’re practicing a rudimentary form of mindfulness.

But, there are reasons to get better at it. The fact is, you can also risk staying in the present for negative events. Part of ‘practicing mindfulness’ is internalizing the knowledge that everything changes. If you can stay with the present, even the most awful experiences will pass and you can regain an emotional equilibrium that returns you a present filled with innumerable small gifts of grace. You will know that you do not have to project yourself into a future of negative consequences from a current depressing event. But this takes practice.

Why suggest yet another tool a la “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” or Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” to meeting planners? Simply because mindful meditation is at least 2,500 years old and remains as beneficial to the present as when it was first conceived.

You might begin your new practice with exercises at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center .

Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business?  Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release.  Now I can almost see half of you leaving now, dreading the thought of having to write one of these.  But wait!!  I’m going to show you easy methods to make your press release work for you and get the attention it deserves.  Ready?  Let’s go.

We’ll briefly go over the basics because of their importance. Editors want to see things done the RIGHT way.  I would bet that a lot of good releases simply get tossed out just because they aren’t set up properly.  To a busy editor, that all too familiar “10 second glance” says a lot for you and your business; it let’s them know if you’ve done your research enough to warrant that release to be placed in their newspaper or magazine.

Here are your essentials:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" on the top left of the page.

Your contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and website follows.

Headline is next, normally in bold and centered on the page.  Summarize what the release is about and capture their attention.  Spend almost as much time on your headline as you do writing the release.  It’s that important.

The press release body starts with the location of the release and the date (Margate, Florida, May 5, 2005.)

Most press releases are between 200-500 words, and no more than a page. The first paragraph has the most important information.  Don’t save the best for last, it won’t get read.  In this paragraph answer the questions, who, what, when, where and why?

It is recommended that you write press releases in the 3rd person and use short sentences and paragraphs. Do not go over board, trying to dazzle the editor, it won’t work.

Target your release.  You will be sending your release to a specific audience so make sure that in your release you keep to what would appeal to that audience.  What don’t they know that you can add?  Nothing works better than getting an “AAH HAA” when an editor is reviewing your release.
  
Provide statistics.  Do some research and find some relevant information that applies.  You can easily do this through Google.  Once you find your quote, do a Google search or Yahoo quote on that particular topic.   However, don’t stop on the first Google link and take that for gospel.  Research it a bit further.  Have it come from a respectable company or magazine.
 
Include relevant quotes from experts in your field that will reinforce what you are saying.   Approach authors, leaders in your Industry, and other experts that back up the facts you are stating in your release.  They will normally appreciate the added publicity and you get the quote you’re looking for.  For example, as an author I’ll often get asked to provide a quote for an article on home-based businesses or the virtual assistant industry.  I welcome the opportunity as it provides me more publicity.
 
Also, if you have a satisfied client that you feel will add credibility to your Release, add a quote from them as well.  The first time you mention the expert, write out their full name.  Then list them by last name or Mr. and Mrs. Smith only.  I normally prefer the last name.
 
The last paragraph should be your call to action.  You’ve talked the whole release about your business or product, now tell them what to do with the knowledge they just acquired.

At the bottom of the release include ### to indicate you are done, followed by a short bio. Make sure if you include your website that you include http:// in front of it for search engine recognition.
Your bio should include your information, any books authored, etc.   Double check this for accuracy.  At this point, you’re tired and done with the Release.  But if it goes out to the world with the wrong web address, the valuable time spent even writing the Release has been wasted.

That’s it!  The basics for writing a press release.  Now one other thing I’d like to add in, they work!  They truly work.

The benefits of volunteering and community involvement are vast, including the opportunity to do something positive for your local community, give back and help others. Getting involved in the community also provides plenty of networking opportunities and will assist you in increasing awareness of and good will towards your brand.

Almost every non-profit organization is in need of volunteers, making this a great place to start if you are just beginning to look for ways to get involved in your community. From phone banks, mailings and administrative tasks to hands-on volunteer opportunities organizing fundraisers, working with children, feeding the homeless or knitting scarves to support the local women’s shelter, there are volunteer opportunities to fit anyone’s schedule and preferences.

If hands-on opportunities do not sound appealing to you, or you are not sure how you could fit them into your schedule, you can also donate much needed funds to support local organizations or donate your services to be sold as an auction item at a gala or given as a raffle item at a fundraising event. Making donations of your services or money that have your name attached to them offers the additional benefit of increasing awareness of your services and assisting you in becoming locally known as a professional that gives back to the community.

As a meeting planner, considering today's economy and government intervention into business, you may be inclined to put up your photon shields sooner than answer questions about your job. Inasmuch as photon shields do not exist yet, you might have to identify a fresh approach of responding to this question so that you do not get the evil eye for proclaiming you are a conference planner.  Here are various ideas to establish to associates what you organize without getting their hackles up and yourself down.

The synopsis Pitch

You can inform people what you do in just a few seconds, and tell them alsot that you are not the enemy. A few people seem to imagine that meeting planners are currently an additional expense that companies must not be paying for. Attempt a few of these replies by saying them to yourself in a mirror, and modify whatever you need to so that they work exceptionally well for you and does not sound rehearsed.

• I help businesses stay within government meeting regulations by planning their events.

• I help the government and businesses work together to save money on meetings so they don't have to sacrifice value and their bottom lines.

• I motivate a company's employees by providing training, technology sharing sessions, and programs.

• I help companies improve their bottom lines by providing motivational and training sessions that are well within government guidelines.

Depending on the type of planning you perform, you can modify these sentences and adjust them particularly for your requirements. Although you may well feel as if you should not have to do this, it is in reality excellent practice in support of your elevator promo speeches and sales pitch. In actuality, the stress the federal government has placed on your chosen work is like a nugget in the tide–it is a bit rough at times, but you will come out sparkling.

Whether you are just starting out in the field of event and meeting planning, or are a seasoned professional constantly on the lookout for ways to improve and grow your business, there are certain must-have items that you should quickly acquire, if you do not have them already. These items will assist you in increasing awareness of your services, in coming across as professional and reliable, in ensuring that people you meet will remember you, and in bringing in new clients. While each of the three must-have items listed below may seem simple, once you begin to use them you will quickly see their value as part of building a solid foundation on which to expand your client base and grow your list of contacts.
 

1. A professional website – If you do not already have a website, you need one immediately. Even if you only have basic information on a home page, it is absolutely essential to establish an online presence and have a convenient place for potential clients to obtain information about your services.
2. Business cards – Whether they are simple or sophisticated, business cards are an absolute must. Order them now and carry them with you everywhere you go. You never know when you might meet someone who will be important to your business.
3. Thank you cards – You can opt for stylishly imprinted cards with elaborate designs or simple blank cards from your local stationary store, but you should always have thank you cards on hand. Thank everyone for everything. People like to feel appreciated and it will help them remember you.

You already know that attending networking functions and connecting with local businesspeople are an important part of increasing awareness of your meeting or event planning services. You also know that networking events are a great way to meet both potential clients and vendors that you might like to work with in the future. But, there is more to making the most of networking functions than simply showing up and shaking a few hands. To get the most out of social networking events, you need to plan ahead, be prepared and have a plan in place for following up with the folks you meet at the function.

Planning ahead and being prepared includes making sure you have enough business cards and written materials to distribute to everyone you meet, practicing your elevator speech and making sure that your appearance and demeanor will appropriately display your professionalism and personable nature. You want attendees to feel comfortable in your presence, to want to know more about you and your services, and to quickly become confident in your ability to provide professional, reliable meeting or event planning services.

Aside from planning ahead for the event, you should also plan tasks for the days following the event. These tasks should include following up with everyone you spoke to with an email or handwritten card expressing how pleased you were to meet them, scheduling lunches with people who might be particularly helpful to you and visiting the websites of attendees to learn more about them.

Joining local business organizations and attending networking meetings or socials are essential tasks for meeting planners trying to break into the business or expand their current client base. Networking functions are an excellent way to meet potential clients, connect with local vendors, find new staff members as your business grows and get your name out there as a meeting or event planner who is accepting new clients. Networking socials and meetings are also a great way for shy or reserved folks to practice speaking about their business to strangers and to work on their people skills, which are particularly important to meeting planners.

Of course, it is not enough to simply attend networking functions and introduce yourself around. Following up with the folks you meet is just as important as making that initial contact. While you may have handed out your business cards and spoke about your meeting or event planning services, you must keep in mind that each attendee met plenty of other people as well; therefore, you must take extra steps to ensure that they remember you and that you will be in the back of their minds when they are need of planning services or when one of their friends or colleagues asks if they happen to know a good event planner.

You probably have a Facebook or MySpace account, your company may have a blog and Web site, and there’s a good chance that you’ve probably “tweeted”. However, if you’re behind the curve on technology and haven’t begun to use the different social media outlets to help build your event planning business, you’re probably missing out. Following are some reasons why you should be taking advantage of the power of social media.

Facebook – Facebook is the Grand Central Station of the Internet for contacting, finding and grouping people. This amazing social tool also allows you to measure different metrics within groups that you establish. Consider setting up a Facebook fan page for people interested in the events that you’re planning for your area. Post information about the events that is relevant and current and watch your group grow. If you want to measure the different metrics of your group, Facebook provides an online application called “Insights”, which allows you to measure interactions, likes, comments, wall posts and gender among other things.

Twitter – Why “tweet”? Why not? Twitter is the perfect texting platform. When you consider that you have 140 characters to produce a micro-blog post, you realize that millions of people on their Blackberries and iPhones will really appreciate the updates.

These two social media venues are just a taste of what is available (for free!) on the Internet. Dedicate some time each day to utilizing these tools and you’ll see the benefits firsthand.

In the meeting and events industry, innovative ideas are the key to success. However, it’s imperative to protect your ideas if it becomes necessary to showcase them to a client prior to signing a contract. A nondisclosure agreement is an excellent way to do just that.

Nondisclosure, the Nuts and Bolts
Nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) generally include elements that prohibit the disclosure of specific information and a description of the information that the agreement covers. NDAs also contain a requirement that the party receiving the information must take every available step in order to prevent unauthorized disclosure of the information. They also generally provide limitations on who the information may be shared with and limitations on the use of that information. NDAs also include measures that may be taken if the agreement is broken.

When to Sign an NDA
If you have confidential information or materials that need to be protected, an NDA should be used very early within the RFP process. It’s even a good practice to have your recipient sign a nondisclosure prior to any conversations or disclosure of any information. You should also consider creating nondisclosure for specific documents or sections of documents, even if an NDA has been previously signed.

As with any document, you should exercise due diligence and work with an attorney that specializes in nondisclosure agreements.

Disclaimer: The author of this article is not an attorney and the views stated within the article are not legal advice. When entering into any agreement, parties to the agreement should exercise due diligence and consult with their own attorneys.