Meeting Planner Careers

There are many jobs that are disappearing every day, and many of them will not return in the immediate future. In fact, some economists think that some entire industries may be undergoing serious transitions in who they employ and how they handle those employees to the point where some jobs will probably not return in our lifetime. Thankfully, that does not seem to be the case for meeting planners. In fact, meeting planners are probably safe for a few reasons:

• There have been freelance meeting planners for decades now, so even if corporate or SMB meeting planners start to be downsized, there are plenty of opportunities for moonlighting. It is even likely that mixing and matching a day job as a meeting planner and a side job as a freelance meeting planner would work out.
• Companies are striving more than ever to create effective meetings and presentations, and thus meeting planners that are willing to work hard are going to be in more demand than ever. In fact, there are probably more meeting planners moving up the corporate ladders now than ever before.
• Even smaller companies are starting to understand that they are their image, at least to a point. That means that they need meeting planners just as much as they need PR people.

Meeting planners wear many hats, and they have many responsibilities to which they must attend. The success or failure of the event is on the meeting planner's shoulders; therefore, they must work diligently to ensure the meeting goes as planned. While there are many aspects of the event that must be taken into consideration and given high priority, one of the most important elements of a meeting or event is the site location. Meeting planners should be sure that the site location is ideal for the type of event as well as the number of attendees.

There are a few things that meeting planners should keep in mind when considering prospective site locations. Meeting planners need to consider who the prospective attendees are. The location should be chosen based on the groups needs and expectations. Meeting planners also need to consider how the attendees will get to the meeting. For this reason, many meeting planners reserve site locations that are near a major airport. Meeting planners need to ensure the site location is attractive. The value of aesthetic appeal should not be minimized. Finally, meeting planners need to consider the number of attendees. It will be important for the site location to be spacious enough for meeting 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.

Social media is the wave of the future, and businesses and organizations should be prepared to include social media in their business travel plans. Many meeting planners believe that social media will be an important aspect of conferences and other types of organizational meetings. There are several types of social media that many employees utilize on a daily basis for things such as networking and planning. Because social media is important, it will be essential for businesses to ensure that their meeting venue has all of the capabilities necessary to employ social media in their meetings and presentations.

Not only will hotels and resorts have the technological capabilities necessary for social media interaction, but a ship charter will also have these capabilities as well. An incentive cruise is just another option that organizations have when planning things such as business travel. Even while on the seas employees will have the ability to remain connected to their social media accounts. As a meeting planner, it will be imperative that organizations are aware of the types of technology available to them regardless of the type of incentive travel they choose. Reassuring them that they will have access to various types of social media will be crucial.

As any meeting planner can attest, scheduling a meeting for a business or organization is no easy task. Many factors have to be taken into consideration, and one of the greatest hindrances to meeting planning is often scheduling conflicts. For this reason, many meeting planners might shy away from planning an incentive cruise because they feel it would be too difficult to schedule. On the contrary, group cruise planning can sometimes be much easier than planning land venue meetings. If a business or organization is in need of meeting planning assistance, meeting planners may want to consider a cruise event as an ideal travel incentive.

Group cruise planning is quite simple because everything is included. Accommodations, meeting spaces, dining, entertainment, and leisure activities are all available in one place. Furthermore, a ship charter can be scheduled for anywhere from 3 to 14 days. Cruise events can be scheduled to take place during the week, which means that no work days are lost. Corporations can choose how many days they wish to reserve their ship charter, and make the necessary scheduling arrangements around these days. Cruise ships are equipped with the latest technologies; therefore, participants will not have to worry about missing important emails or phone calls.

Some meeting planners spend their entire careers making a similar level of income. This might be fine for people that value stability above all else, but if you are reading this then there is a fairly good chance that you are looking for a little extra earning power. Here’s how to do it:

Start by realizing that not every company has serious meeting/event planning needs. Be willing to look elsewhere for greater challenges and opportunities. It might be a little scary leaving a company that has done a good job looking after you for so long, but you may have hit a glass ceiling. Recognize this fact and move on.

Ask for extra challenges and assignments whenever possible. Some companies need meeting planners that can be flexible and are willing to pay a premium for that flexibility. Be sure to perform these tasks well and look for opportunities to show your added value whenever possible and practical.

Be willing to trumpet your success to the office, but do it with grace. If a meeting went over very well because of something that you are responsible for, such as choosing the right catering company or the perfect cruise company, then be willing to take partial credit. Modesty is a virtue, but it does not pay the bills.

Businesses that are successful almost always find themselves at a point where they need to start organizing events. These events could be company gatherings, sales promotions, seminars to inform certain members of the press and/or industry-insiders about new products/services, or something else entirely. It does not necessarily matter why a company eventually needs to have meeting/events planners, but it is almost a certainty that such a position will need to be filled at some point in time. Here is how to hire a meeting planner:

Meeting planners should be outgoing, honest, and self-motivated – After all, the business needs to get on with whatever it is doing and be able to trust that meetings and events are being scheduled.

A meeting planner will need tools – A meeting planner will need access to a phone (preferably a cellular/mobile smartphone), a computer with access to the Internet. A desk to work from is also helpful, and a laptop or netbook should also be considered.

A budget – Meeting planners need realistic budgets to work with.  While a good meeting or event planner can usually pay for herself, you need to have funds available for those events.  Be sure to track your ROI on meetings and events to justify the plan, but do not hire a meeting planner without the ability to give them a budget.

Trial basis – It might be a good idea to start a meeting planner on a temporary or part-time basis just to see how things work out.

Success comes to those that know how to attain it, and sadly many meeting planners do not really know how to do this. The problem is not the fact that they are not good at their jobs, but rather that they are allowing themselves to be pigeon-holed into a single role.

Here’s how to break out:

Ask to take part in meetings – If this raises objections, offer to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and/or suggest that learning about what happens in a meeting can make you more effective at planning future meetings.

Do not ask questions about venues until you have researched options – Many bosses prefer to have options presented to them, not half-researched problems. Always take a few minutes each day to look at the pricing and options at different venues, catering companies, and so-on.

Be valuable because you are connected – Cultivate contacts that can get things done when nobody else can or at prices that nobody else gets. Be sure to let the powers that be about these connections so they see the value in your work.

Always ask for feedback – Change the meeting format or venue in some way every so often to test things out. Be sure to ask for feedback, as it makes you seem interested and connected as well as progressive.

There are several types of ships from which a meeting planner can choose when group cruise planning for a company or organization. While all types of cruise ships offers great accommodations, dining, and entertainment, some ships are better equipped to handle meetings as sea. Companies that are considering a ship charter may want to choose a premium ship for their incentive cruise. There are numerous benefits to cruising on a premium ship. When event planning, a meeting planner should highly recommend that organizations choose a premium ship for their incentive cruise.

A premium ship charter will have dedicated spaces in which the organization can hold their meetings and presentations. These room are spacious, inviting, and equipped with the latest conference technology. Best of all, these rooms are always complimentary. Not only do the meeting rooms offer attendees plenty of space, but the staterooms are also larger on premium ships. A premium ship's stateroom are comparable to fine hotel accommodations. In the stateroom and throughout the ship, attendees can stay connected with Wi-Fi hot spots. Cell phones may also be used while attending meetings at sea when using a premium ship. Furthermore, premium ships also have unique on board venues, exceptional entertainment, and the best in award-winning dining.

For those considering meeting planner careers, some may wonder exactly what is the point and purpose of a meeting planner. A meeting planner can be priceless to organizations and individuals because bringing people together for a common purpose can be complicated. If one has ever attempted to get 2 or 3 people to commit to a meeting, it is easy to understand how overwhelming it would be for an organization or individual to get a number of people with various schedules together in the same place at the same time.

Event planning is an area of specialization, and it takes time to learn how and when to get the best deals. Determining the information requires time and energy that most businesses and individuals do not have to devote to meeting planning. There are many aspects of event planning that must be taken into consideration such as speakers, venue, equipment, printed materials, meeting purpose, message, and the impression the individual or organization wishes to communicate. These are all essential tasks to be undertaken by the meeting planner. For those that think the meeting planning business is a cakewalk, they may want to think again. Meeting planners are an integral and crucial part of seamless event planning.