Meeting Planner Careers

The life of a meeting planner is fast-paced and hectic, and there always seem to be a million things to order, reserve, follow up on, confirm or plan on a daily basis. With a full schedule and a mile-long to-do list, planners can easily find that their mind is constantly racing ahead to the next task – and the one after that – making it difficult to remain focused on the task at hand. When they are meeting with one client, they suddenly find themselves thinking about the caterer they need to call that afternoon or coming up with venue ideas for a coming event, while the client sitting in front of them is trying to explain the type of event they need them to plan.

While it can be difficult to train yourself to focus on the present, it is incredibly important that you do. When you allow your mind to wander while completing tasks, you can easily miss something or have to go back and double-check your list to make sure you did not forget something while your mind was wandering. At best, this wastes time. At worst, it results in missing things that will later cost you money or, possibly, your reputation. The same goes for client meetings: When you do not stay focused when meeting with a client, you are bound to miss important details, and the last thing you want to do is have to call your client to ask them about information they already gave you face-to-face.

To help you focus on the task at hand, keep a to-do list nearby where you can jot down a quick note or reminder. This will allow you to comfortably continue with your current task without worrying about remembering what you need to do next.

As a meeting planner, considering today's economy and government intervention into business, you may be inclined to put up your photon shields sooner than answer questions about your job. Inasmuch as photon shields do not exist yet, you might have to identify a fresh approach of responding to this question so that you do not get the evil eye for proclaiming you are a conference planner.  Here are various ideas to establish to associates what you organize without getting their hackles up and yourself down.

The synopsis Pitch

You can inform people what you do in just a few seconds, and tell them alsot that you are not the enemy. A few people seem to imagine that meeting planners are currently an additional expense that companies must not be paying for. Attempt a few of these replies by saying them to yourself in a mirror, and modify whatever you need to so that they work exceptionally well for you and does not sound rehearsed.

• I help businesses stay within government meeting regulations by planning their events.

• I help the government and businesses work together to save money on meetings so they don't have to sacrifice value and their bottom lines.

• I motivate a company's employees by providing training, technology sharing sessions, and programs.

• I help companies improve their bottom lines by providing motivational and training sessions that are well within government guidelines.

Depending on the type of planning you perform, you can modify these sentences and adjust them particularly for your requirements. Although you may well feel as if you should not have to do this, it is in reality excellent practice in support of your elevator promo speeches and sales pitch. In actuality, the stress the federal government has placed on your chosen work is like a nugget in the tide–it is a bit rough at times, but you will come out sparkling.

When preparing for a different career, one of the most crucial aspects you must consider is the salary. Meeting planner income varies broadly depending on the specialty, but there are a few common guidelines to check when deciding on a career.

National Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.Bls.Gov) reports that in May of 2006 a convention planner's median annual wages were $42,180, with the bottom end of the income scale at under $26,000 and the upper ten percent making more than $70,000. The agency further separated the specialties, stating business, professional, and political event planners made the highest amount, around $45,000, and the lowest wages were earned by persons in the travel industry at $38,270. Salary.Com reports current salaries at $53,532, with variations allowed for location and category.

Salary by Type

The type of planning you would like to do will determine a lot vis-а-vis your income and benefits. Corporate Meeting planners can get paid around $45,000 as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, but there are diverse types of corporate event planners. For example, meeting and convention planners could make a bigger salary than those who put together department and team building meetings.

Outside the corporate world, employees of nonprofits often have somewhat lesser salaries than corporate planners, but freelancers experience a more tough time — they are self employed and many times labor extra hours as well. College and university event planner incomes may be more in the middle to low end of the event planner income range.

Salary by Location

If you are interested in a definite location for your event planner career, you must look for statistics by state and city. For example, if you presently reside in a little town in Iowa but plan to relocate to the East coast, do a study not only on average salaries, but also on cost of living, commute times, job availability, etc., before you reach your final decision. You may uncover that a city that offers extraordinary salaries also has a high cost of living and it would benefit you to look for an alternative place.

Nonetheless how you make your career decisions, investigation and education are important.

According to a US News & World Report on December 28, 2009:
“A Meeting Planner is one of the 50 best careers of 2010, and should have a strong growth over the next decade.”

According to the weekly news magazine's report, the employment of meeting and convention planners "is expected to grow faster than the average for all professions over the next decade or so" thanks to the "growing importance of meetings to increasingly global companies."

Because the recession caused a contraction of the meetings industry in 2009, U.S. News said today's meeting planners have to be "tougher," "willing to negotiate for lower costs and better perks," and "willing to face tough questions on budgets and return on investment."

Despite companies' reduced meeting budgets, however — and in spite of the AIG effect, which caused an unfortunate association of off-site meetings with corporate excess in 2009 — U.S. News concluded that "most organizations recognize the value of the face-to-face meeting — as not just a perk but an imperative for companies that have greater global reaches."

Anticipate this future need for meeting planners and establish yourself by enrolling in a Meeting and Event Planning Certificate Program. This type of certificate program will give you the knowledge to position yourself for the future with a new career or enhance your current job or validate skills you are already using in your personal or professional life.

Whether you are just starting out or have been in the meeting planning field for awhile now, it can be tempting to want to bill your services as all-encompassing. While you may indeed be an excellent event or meeting planner who can whip up any type of event and have it go off without a hitch, there are distinct benefits to specializing in a particular niche within the field. Some meeting planners select their niche prior to ever planning an event, some fall into a particular niche naturally over time, and some choose not to specialize at all and to plan a wide variety of events throughout their career.

But, whether you already know that your dream is to only plan weddings, you have already established a well-deserved reputation as a corporate event planner or you simply have no idea which type of events you might enjoy planning most, you will likely discover that finding a specialization will make your job easier and will actually help you get more business.

When you specialize in a particular type of event, it is much easier to become known as the go-to planner for that type of event. You will also likely provide better events due to becoming increasingly well-versed in your niche. Additionally, your job will be much easier when you work with the same venues and vendors repeatedly and begin to deliver exceptional events that will take less time and effort on your part.

InterContinental Hotels Group is an event or meeting planner’s dream. They provide first-class service and specialized meetings that are spiced with the authentic flavors of Argentina.

The historic Montserrat neighborhood provides the perfect backdrop for the InterContinental Buenos Aires. This area provides a 1930s atmosphere set to a tango-laced soundtrack. Coffee shops, a futbol stadium and several theaters are scattered within walking distance of the hotel. With 309 guest rooms, 10 suites and 11 meeting rooms that occupy 13,181 square feet of space, the Intercontinental Buenos Aires provides ample space for any event or meeting.

The Crowne Plaza Cordoba San Miguel is a bit smaller, but provides guests with 74 rooms and 4 suites. The hotel features 6,080 square feet of meeting space and is within 37 miles of the airport. The Crowne Plaza sits snugly among the Sierras Chicas mountain range and offers a full-service spa and fitness center. It also features a beautiful 18-hole golf course.

These are just two of the InterContinental Hotels Group properties. The group also owns the Holiday Inn Cordoba and is opening two new properties in 2010: The InterContinental Mendoza is scheduled to open in early 2010 and the InterContinental Nordelta Buenos Aires is scheduled to open in late 2010.

Contact:
Intercontinental Buenos Aires – Sebastian Roces, sebastian.roces@ihg.com

Crowne Plaza Cordoba San Miguel – Natalia Di Giovambattista, commercial@cplazacordoba.com

Holiday Inn Cordoba – Jimena Nattero, jnattero@holidayinncba.com

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.

Whether you’re in Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles, CA, government entities can be a different breed of client to work with when planning meetings. It’s never an easy task when dealing with multiple entities with different rules. Your goal is to understand the differences between state run agencies and federal agencies and their rules and work your plan around those differences. Following are a few tips to help get you through the quagmire.

State Guidelines vs. Federal Guidelines
One of the most important things to understand is that there are differences between the guidelines that state agencies must follow and the guidelines that federal agencies must follow. In a nutshell, the state is only required to do the minimum federal guidelines, however, states like Texas have their own additional rules that must be followed. The easiest way to ensure that you have the proper guidelines is to utilize the U.S. General Services Administration and check which rules you must follow and what the agencies are required to do. Another option is to take the new designation course offered by the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) and become a certified government meeting planner.

Accepted Practices
Most government agencies aren’t allowed to cover the cost of food and drink. However, a savvy meeting planner who understands this can bundle meeting rental and break service rather than itemizing everything separately. Another avenue to explore is a joint project between SGMP, the Convention Industry Council and Meeting Professionals International called the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX). This group offers standardized contracts, RFPs and other tools that will help you with government meeting planning.

Working as a government planner can be very rewarding. The sealed bids can be worth thousands, but understanding the rules of the game is an incredibly important step on the road to success in this segment of the industry.

As an event or meeting planner, you’re always faced with the difficult prospect of what to plan during off hours. Do you plan for complete freedom or offer alternatives for attendees to choose from. In general, a good event planner will put together options for participants outside of the meetings that will engage and entertain them. Following are some educational alternatives to the standard drinks and hors d’oeuvres receptions.

Tacoma’s Museum of Glass
Tours of the museum and a stop in the “Hot Shop” allow guests to learn about the history and art of blowing glass.

Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry
This museum is one of the world’s leading science and industry museums. It houses over 35,000 artifacts and hosts almost 14-acres of interactive displays.

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
A 10,000-square-foot Energy Gallery is one of the premier displays at this museum. Another area, Innovation Studios, features five interactive science and history areas for guests.

Science Museum of Virginia
The Science Museum of Virginia is one of the most noted museums of its kind. Not only does it feature amazing hands-on displays, it also has a number of areas for events.

San Francisco’s Exploratorium
Everyone enjoys interactive displays and the Exploratorium houses some of the best. Over 400 exhibits entice the mind and there are many areas for receptions and presentations.

To negotiate more effectively, work on your communication skills.  You'll learn to overcome the communication barriers that block undertanding, and work toward  mutually beneficial agreements.  Here are some tips:

• Organize your thoughts to avoid conveying the wrong message
• Think through the process from start to finish.  What are your opponent's possible reactions to your requests?  How will you respond?
• Be concise, don't oversell your points
• Listen carefully to what the other party has to say, and search for solutions

Improve your listening skills and you'll increase your negotiating effectiveness.  

Negotiation skills are one of the most important skills that a meeting and event planner needs to be successful.