Meeting Planner Careers

Spring opens the door to the busiest time of the year for wedding planners. The following 3 qualities can make you a sought after wedding planner: be a good listener, be organized, and be kind.

The best wedding planner is a skilled listener. Sit quietly; take notes, allow the couple to express their dream wedding in detail. You may have to pull one or both of them back to earth, but for the moment, be willing to listen to plans for a clown themed wedding, a Bride of Chuckie theme wedding, or a Star Trek wedding event.

Organizational skills are essential for any event planning. Organization is literally the life’s blood of a wedding planner. Every detail is put down on paper, including a back-up plan for the inevitable glitches. If the people around you are losing their minds, but you are calm and organized, chances are you are a wedding planner.

A little kindness goes a long way toward smoothing out difficulties. Accidents happen, delivery trucks break down, things just happen. Even if or especially if someone is in the wrong, be kind. She will be more willing to help make things right if she doesn’t feel cornered. Kindness is the mark of a professional.

One of the best things to happen during the first decade of the 21st century is the prevailing idea that we need to be better stewards of the earth. As an event or meeting planner, you can contribute to the betterment of our planet by following these five simple steps.

1. Recycling – Check with the garbage company that services your event venue and find out whether or not they recycle. If they do, decide on which materials should be separated. If they do not, determine a way to collect the recyclables and find transportation to a recycling facility.

2. Packaging – Speak with vendors and ask for their cooperation in this matter. See if they are willing to sell items with less packaging or recyclable packaging. Another step to take is to recycle palettes and boxes that are used for the event supplies.

3. Easy Access – Communicate with the event staff to ensure that trash receptacles and recycling bins are placed in easy-to-find places and in plain view.

4. Promote – Be sure to place “green” messages within all of the promotional materials. This will ensure that the attendees know the event is a “green” event.

5. Volunteers – Roughly 10 to 20 volunteers are needed per 1,000 event attendees. Be sure to recruit enough volunteers to help with the event and if the event takes place over several days, determine how many volunteers will be needed per shift.

Going green can be as easy as you want it to be and in the end, you’ll know you’ve had a positive impact on helping the planet.

Your client has come to you asking for an event that is fun, relaxing, and socially responsible. One of their top priorities, along with a successful presentation, is reducing their carbon footprint.

Can you sell your client on the idea of a green hotel? Of course you can! Green hotels save on energy consumption, reduce waste, and save water. A simple notation on a menu such as “drinking water served by request only” can save thousands of gallons of water a year.

Green hotels reduce water and product consumption in a number of ways that do not inconvenience their guest. Do you really need to take home all those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo? Shampoo and skin care dispensers work just as well and do not contribute nearly as much to solid waste.

Clients who work to reduce their solid waste and recycle at home will be very responsive to green hotels. Some hotels offer stainless steel water bottles that can be refilled rather than plastic bottles that will end up in a landfill.

Going green does not mean the hotel is less luxurious than before, it simply means that the management team is being more creative and caring for the earth as well as their guests.