Meeting Planner Careers

Anyone considering a career as a meeting planner is likely to wonder just how much they can make. This is certainly a fair question for anyone considering a new career to ask, but the answer depends greatly upon a number of different variables. First and foremost is where one chooses to work.

Corporate meeting planners can start off with near-college graduate salary if they are competent regardless of whether they possess a degree or not. There are certainly arguments that suggest that corporate meeting planning might soon be a very large market and thus it is likely that education requirements are going to remain low while wages and responsibilities will increase.

Even more lucrative are the freelance meeting planner positions that allow those with the talent and drive to leverage their skills and connections for the mutual benefit of multiple clients. The results can be very impressive when it comes to raw numbers and the sky really is the limit in terms of earnings. On the downside, benefits are not going to be part of the package 99.9% of the time, but with a six-figure earning potential that may not be a severe downside.

Those working for smaller and medium sized businesses will have to flex their multitasking skills for a more modest salary but there may be benefits and perks down the road. For example, promotions from within are usually the order of the day at smaller and medium sized organizations.

Meeting planners have long since been in charge of arranging events and planning meetings both on and off-site, but cruise meetings might be something new and unexpected. There are some perks to planning cruise meetings that not everyone knows, and some might be best to keep under your hat. For example:

• The concierge service – The concierge service can actually do most of the organization work for you! Don’t tell the boss, but be sure to offer lavish compliments upon the concierge and let their boss know just how much you appreciate them taking the work off your plate.
• Catering options galore – While most meeting planners have to organize catering before the event, most cruise ships have plenty of on the fly catering options. Catering can (and probably should) still be arranged before leaving port, but the concierge service can make everything a snap.
• Travel networks and discounts – One of the best aspects about hosting meetings at sea is that cruise lines tend to have affiliations with airlines. This is not always the case so be sure to ask, but in most cases the product is nothing short of savings!
• Who needs Kinkos? Most business trips and meetings at sea can come with fully prepared documents, binders, and virtually anything else at a price that is hard to compete with. No more runs to Kinkos to get presentations prepared!

Meeting planning is becoming increasingly important and many businesses are starting to realize the value of hosting off-site events. In the past it would have sufficed to simply send out e-mails or brochures, but today companies are left with larger gambles. This often entails deciding whether to host offsite events or just retreat behind financial walls that seem safer. Nobody ever got rich by playing it safe, so most companies with an ounce or more of leadership are hiring meeting planners that want to go places.

Why? Because that’s where the meetings are going to be, but what does that mean for the meeting planners?

On the surface it means that the meeting planners will have to start getting acquainted with planning meetings in other cities, states, and possibly even countries. This could entail a lot of learning including language, cultures, customs, legal issues, advertising, and even more. The role of the meeting planner is certainly evolving for those that can evolve with it. Those that are not prepared to evolve may be left behind, but it would seem that there are plenty of companies willing to hire second tier meeting planners that are not ready for the prime time.

If you are considering a career as a meeting planner and are interested in a career that goes places, you simply need the motivation it takes to start learning about the travel industry as well as languages, cultures, and customs.

Whether you are just starting out or have been in the meeting planning field for awhile now, it can be tempting to want to bill your services as all-encompassing. While you may indeed be an excellent event or meeting planner who can whip up any type of event and have it go off without a hitch, there are distinct benefits to specializing in a particular niche within the field. Some meeting planners select their niche prior to ever planning an event, some fall into a particular niche naturally over time, and some choose not to specialize at all and to plan a wide variety of events throughout their career.

But, whether you already know that your dream is to only plan weddings, you have already established a well-deserved reputation as a corporate event planner or you simply have no idea which type of events you might enjoy planning most, you will likely discover that finding a specialization will make your job easier and will actually help you get more business.

When you specialize in a particular type of event, it is much easier to become known as the go-to planner for that type of event. You will also likely provide better events due to becoming increasingly well-versed in your niche. Additionally, your job will be much easier when you work with the same venues and vendors repeatedly and begin to deliver exceptional events that will take less time and effort on your part.