Meeting Planner Careers

Conferences, conventions, trade shows and expositions bring the equivalent of a small town together to work behind the scenes. Somewhat like the traveling productions of Broadway shows, these events are limited in duration, the act can’t be repeated, and lighting, the orchestra, and the ticket-takers must know their business! Similarly, there are a host of professionals working behind your event.

For conferences providing space for exhibitors, there are decorators to set up displays and labor to tear them down, electricians. utilities like A/V, telecommunications and plumbing, florists, photographers, bartenders, and entertainment.

Most associations who put on a trade show use a show management company http://www.conventions.net who have vetted the services included in the show packet for their event planners and/or exhibitors. In a venue like McCormick Place in Chicago, for example, utilities like electrical, telecommunications, and plumbing are provided exclusively by the center, but a separate show management firm will select outside contractors to provide room set up, flowers, photography, entertainment, and an array of other services.

Any way you slice it, literally hundreds of people are employed behind the scenes at these events. Consider that the Official Star Trek Convention attracts over 15,000 attendees annually. That’s a lot of support services!

Next, we will place you, the meeting planner in the center of a big “village.”

One of the most important aspects of any meeting is ensuring that the team arrives on site. No one wants the guest speaker or the corporation president stranded at the airport and meeting planners often go to great length to make sure that doesn’t happen. Every member of the team is important; every individual is entitled to a smooth transition from the train station, airport, or hotel to the meeting site.

Ground transportation is the face of the convention. People remember how they are treated when a limousine, town car, or shuttle arrives to whisk them to their destination. Does the driver collect them as if they are part of the baggage? Does he greet the team and help them load the baggage into the trunk of the vehicle? Eye contact and a pleasant manner create a good first impression.

Is the driver on time? It is much better to be half an hour early than ten minutes late. Conventions often convey a heightened sense of energy and anticipation. Everyone wants to be on time for the events that are the most important to them. Ground transportation can be as creative as a horse drawn carriage or as conventional as a minibus, the important thing is to get the team to the event.