Meeting Planner Careers

Meeting planning for businesses and corporations includes more than simply purchasing airline tickets, ensuring accommodations are booked, and securing a meeting venue with all necessary equipment. If this were the case, businesses would really have no need for the services of a meeting planner.

To plan successful meetings and events, meeting planners have to tap into their creative abilities. They have to make each event meaningful and unique with their own special style of creativity. By doing so, they can make meetings and events unforgettable. However, when corporations are facing budget cuts, meeting planners may feel pressured to cut creative elements from their planning. One way that meeting planners can guarantee that creativity is not sacrificed for economy is by booking an incentive cruise for their client.

Cruise ships are well-known for their creative elements. From ice sculptures that grace dining tables to first-class entertainment in well-appointed theaters, cruise ships are bursting with amusing, unforgettable moments. By booking a ship charter, a meeting planner can ensure that incentive travel participants will be properly rewarded for their hard work. Furthermore, the corporation can save money by agreeing to an all inclusive cruise. A ship charter is truly a win-win situation for everyone, and creativity does not have to be sacrificed.

The economy has certainly closed many doors of opportunities, but it has opened plenty of windows too for the right people. Meeting planners are one career choice that may actually experience far more new opportunities being open to them than opportunities denied, and this leaves the door open for a little moonlighting. There are a few things to be aware of before moonlighting as a meeting planner:

• Your day job may not be too happy about you moonlighting, even if you do it on your own time. Discretion is the key word here, and learning how to exercise it could be the difference between getting along and putting a few thousand extra dollars in the bank each month.
• Some of the most successful moonlighters have discovered that they can make the time zones work for them. If they live in a region on PST then they try to find work from home meeting planning opportunities for clients as far east as possible and arrange to come in a little late and leave a little late at their day job. The opposite is obviously true of those living clear across the county.
• Leveraging your existing connections and knowledge is ultimately what will make you more attractive. It might be difficult for caterers or concierges to keep things straight when they don’t know that you have two sets of clients, so be sure to let them know that you are semi-freelance and that discretion on their part is rewarded with more business.

While incentive travel is about motivating top employees, it is also about taking the business to another level. Incentive travel is a way to inspire employees to be innovative in their thinking and move the company forward with fresh ideas. In today's economy, it is more important than ever to remain relevant. Those companies that fail to keep up with the times may find themselves stagnate and extraneous. In order to retain their legitimacy, companies have to be creative with their products and services. By providing employees with a reward such as incentive travel, companies can ensure their employees are productive and committed to the vision of the organization.

When organizations choose an incentive cruise, they will have the space they need to conduct meetings at sea. A select portion of the day can be reserve for business meetings and brainstorming sessions. These times can be very productive for the organization's employees. After business activities have been conducted, cruise event participants can choose from a variety of entertainment and leisure activities. Not only are there many activities and programs in which to participate, but the setting itself is serene and inviting. Tropical and exotic destinations may provide just the atmosphere employees need to get their creative juices flowing.

Lots of people have offered advice on how to handle the recent turmoil during the world economic crisis. Some are saying, though, that there are signs it is letting up. Although it’s easy to jump back on the profitability bandwagon, some businesses may be holding back just a little. What will you do when things start looking better? Here are some ideas to get you started thinking about it.

Pricing

So your clients are making more money and you should, too. However, would your clients appreciate a bit longer reprieve from escalating costs? You can help them by continuing your pricing structure from the recession months.

Ask for Favors

Once you have determined that you are going to keep prices down even though clients are making more, you are in a position to ask a small favor–that they let others know what you did for them. At the risk of sounding like you have Ayn Rand managing your business, you can be straight with them on this. “I’d be happy to keep my rates where they were during the recession if you wouldn’t mind offering some word-of-mouth advertising for me.” You might also ask them to link to your website–backlinks are a great way to add respectability to your website.

Value

If you find that you cannot keep recession era pricing, offer a little more value whevever possible. If you can book a hotel with a spa available instead of a hotel without one, get it for them. If you have a choice between a beachfront property and one a little father away, choose the one near the beach. If all things are equal, go the extra mile to get little extras for your clients.

So you like planning events, and want to make a career of it. Congratulations! Most people have no idea what they would like to be doing a year from now, so you are a step ahead of the crowd. However, if you don’t like working with corporations there may be another avenue for you, even in the ruined economy: weddings.

Sure, we’ve all heard in the news that people are cutting way back on weddings, and even cutting out the planner if they can. Many have gone to a DIY format, even down to the cake. However, this is likely very stressful, and can put a big dent in a couple’s big day. If you are thinking of becoming a wedding planner, go ahead. Just try these simple ideas to get started as a wedding planner in a bad economy. Read more…

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…

Now that people are losing their jobs coast to coast in the United States, it is difficult to know where to start when looking for a job. But have you considered hiring yourself? Today more people are turning to self-employment instead of crying in their soup about the economy. If you are one of those adventurous people who refuses to be held down, read on.

Starting a Business

Although this can be a daunting process, if you take it slow and steady you will end up with the best base for your operations. First, check with local and state governments to see what sort of regulations may be required for your particular business. Apply for licenses and permits as necessary.

Then decide where you want to conduct your operations. If you want to work out of your home, check local zoning regulations before having your stationery printed–you might be surprised to find out that you have too many restrictions to run a business there. If you have to find space, make sure you have all the paperwork necessary as well as any possible loan approvals before you shop. Read more…