Meeting Planner Careers

A client may already be trying to figure out how to save money on their reception before they have even identified the event's business goals or objectives. Even though clients try cut food and beverage costs, this is an area that should be given a high priority by both meeting planners and their clients. One of the factors by which meeting participants judge the overall success and enjoyment of an event is by the food and drinks offered to them. Therefore, if clients choose to be frugal with reception foods and beverages, meeting participants may rate the event as less than stellar.

A way in which clients can save money while still providing participants with excellent food options is by having a dessert reception. There are many confections that a pastry chef can create that will be satisfactory to almost every palate. These sweet treats can also be easy on the client's wallet as well. A dessert reception can bring a luscious ending to long, hard day of meetings and presentations. Instead of splurging on expensive hors d'oeuvres that may or not be well-received by guests, meeting planners and clients may wish to consider dessert foods instead. These little treats will be a tasty and welcome surprise to weary participants.

Meeting planners can offer a variety of services to business and organizations desiring to implement incentive travel programs. Many times, businesses and organizations do not know where to begin in regard to making travel arrangements for large groups. Meeting planners will have the skills and resources necessary to make travel planning easy and simple for corporate entities. Based on the organization's budget, a meeting planner can then begin making all of the required travel arrangements. Meeting planners essentially offer total travel management from the beginning of the trip until the end.

Whether planning an incentive cruise or a conference at a resort, meeting planners can be of invaluable assistance. They can assist the company in designing a travel program as well as rules and tracking. They can help the company select a location, and book hotel and air accommodations. A meeting planner will be responsible for arranging food and beverage, on-site transportation, registration, team building events, and figts and awards. If companies desire theme events, a meeting planner can help with this as well. The number of services a meeting planner can provide are substantial, and businesses will find that incentive travel is planned and executed more smoothly with the assistance of a meeting planner.

Food and beverage trends pertaining to meetings and events are constantly changing, with some tried and true standbys staying in the mix, as well as many new ideas coming into play. Some changes in F&B trends are influenced by the economy and the increasing need to lower costs and find innovative ways to accommodate shrinking budgets, some are influenced by the growing green movement, and some have resulted from an increasingly health-conscious audience that demands healthier fare. Staying up with meeting and event planning trends is important to your success as a planner and to ensuring that your attendees enjoy your events.

To assist you in keeping up with the current trends in F&B, here is a quick rundown of four of the most prominent trends taking hold:

1. Smaller portion sizes and lighter food options – Smaller portions and lighter foods are becoming popular in response to both shrinking budgets and attendees that prefer healthy eating.
2. Green, organic, seasonal, local foods – This trend comes from the expanding green movement and is taking the meeting planning world by storm.
3. Food doubling as decoration – Using colorful food trays as centerpieces is a great cost-saving option that allows you to forgo expensive centerpieces and table decorations.
4. Comfort foods – This is one of those tried and true options that will always serve you well. It is hard to go wrong when serving comfort foods, particularly if you remember to include one or two options that are healthier or suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

If you have never planned a trade show, the first experience can be a little daunting. Not only do you have to make the usual plans, but you have to arrange (and sometimes market) displays, sometimes provide food, beverages, snacks, and other small items. You may also have to figure out the business logistics of the trade show floor layout. For instance, if you are arranging a sport fishing equipment trade show you might not want to have two people who make lures have booths next to each other.

However, a trade show can teach you a great deal about thinking ahead, planning, organization, and bringing many people together for a common goal. Here are some things that you will need to consider if you are worried about planning a trade show in the future.

How is Your Event Like an Ordinary Meeting?

First determine how this is like any other job you have planned, then set that list aside–you will have no trouble approaching those duties. Then make a list of things that you will need to give extra focus to, such as possible foreign travelers, special diets if you are providing food and beverage, green considerations, etc. One of the most difficult of those concerns will be the trade show booth floor. Read more…

The overall success of an event or meeting can be dictated by the size and layout of a room. This may seem like a very obvious statement to many meeting and event planners, however, it’s a detail that can be easily overlooked when addressing the multitude of other items associated with event planning. If a space isn’t large enough or set up appropriately, it can cause problems with everything from the cost of the food and beverage to the comfort of the attendees. When selecting a room, ask yourself this simple question: What purpose does the meeting or event serve?

Movement is Critical
Corporate meetings can be set up in many different ways. If a meeting is presentation-based, a classroom or theater style set up should be utilized. However, if the meeting’s focus is interactive, small clusters or a U-shape might be incorporated. The most important aspect of setting these types of meetings up, though, is making sure that there is enough space for the attendees to move around comfortably. One rule-of-thumb is that a standard 20 by 20 inch chair should be placed two- to three-feet apart in order to allow attendees enough room to scoot back. Additionally, there should be about 48-inches between rows of chairs to allow people enough room to walk down an aisle.

Dining in the Round
If dinner is being served at your event, using round tables allows participants to talk with each other and creates a comfortable atmosphere. Standard banquets should be set up in rounds of 10, however, if you need more seats, 12 is acceptable. If you’re looking to fill up space, rounds of eight are suitable.

Bottoms Up, Where’s the Bar?
Avoiding bottlenecks at your event is key. Two of the prime areas for bottlenecks to occur are near the main entrance and the bathrooms. With this in mind, consider setting the bar up in the back of the room as far away from these two areas as possible. Another benefit of a bar in the back of the room is that it brings people further into the room, thus avoiding the tendency of people gathering near the main entrance.