Meeting Planner Careers

Meeting planners are starting to move up in the corporate world, but there are still ceilings placed on many meeting planners without an education. This is just one of the many reasons why all meeting planners should immediately start seeking part time education options, but here are a few more:

• Other opportunities await the organized – Meeting planning takes organization, but so do many other jobs. Whether it is a different career path altogether or a change of position with the same company, an education is a great idea for meeting planners looking to take on new challenges.
• Professional growth – Sometimes we do not know how much we can handle until we are pushed beyond our limits. Adding new tasks to our lives makes us better people and teaches us new time management skills, both of which are valuable assets to any meeting planner.
• Self image – While meeting planning is a growing field right now, it could very well shrink in 10 or 20 years in much the same way that realty is shrinking. Like realtors, a sudden change in the market could put meeting planners on a new career path. Having a positive self image could help make the rebound that much easier and potentially safer.

Some meeting planners spend their entire careers making a similar level of income. This might be fine for people that value stability above all else, but if you are reading this then there is a fairly good chance that you are looking for a little extra earning power. Here’s how to do it:

Start by realizing that not every company has serious meeting/event planning needs. Be willing to look elsewhere for greater challenges and opportunities. It might be a little scary leaving a company that has done a good job looking after you for so long, but you may have hit a glass ceiling. Recognize this fact and move on.

Ask for extra challenges and assignments whenever possible. Some companies need meeting planners that can be flexible and are willing to pay a premium for that flexibility. Be sure to perform these tasks well and look for opportunities to show your added value whenever possible and practical.

Be willing to trumpet your success to the office, but do it with grace. If a meeting went over very well because of something that you are responsible for, such as choosing the right catering company or the perfect cruise company, then be willing to take partial credit. Modesty is a virtue, but it does not pay the bills.

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” – Zig Ziglar

Things are different for meeting planners in 2009 than 2007 or even 2008.  Attendance is down, there are fewer events to handle, and that’s just work. No doubt, everyone’s personal lives have had a few setbacks or downright tragedies as well.

Welcome to life.  Accentuating the positive side of a situation simply means focusing on what you can do now instead of mourning what you could have done a year or two ago.

Clients may come armed with negative thoughts and anxiety levels through the roof. You can feed into that or offer positive solutions to meeting planning. Meeting planners have always had challenges to overcome; the speaker didn’t show, the audio visual system went haywire, it rained every day of the event and no one was able to use the gorgeous golf course close to the convention center. It wasn’t the end of the world then and it isn’t now.

Tough times have valuable lessons to teach. Meeting planners are more creative, inventive, and hard working than ever before. Be proud of every successful meeting you host and give yourself permission to learn from mistakes. You have probably discovered suppliers and host sites that you never heard of before the recession kicked in. You stayed the course and you’re better for it.

One of the first things that happened when the economy crashed and the government issued bailouts was that meetings and events were canceled. The companies on the public dollar are now worried about how they will be viewed if they hold events and meetings.

While this leaves the meeting planner with a vague near-term future, it can also mean opportunity for those willing to face the challenges. Here are some ways you can protect (and enhance) your meeting planner career regardless of the stage it’s in.

Learn to Restructure

This applies to your business as well as meetings. As far as you are concerned, learn to automate as much as possible so you can save time and money. There is no reason for you to be working the way meeting planners were working ten years ago. Automate and survive. Read more…