Meeting Planner Careers

One of the most important aspects of an incentive cruise is choosing the right ship. There are several types of ships from which a business may choose when planning meetings at sea. The type of sailing vessel chosen for this type of corporate travel will depend in large part upon the number participants. There are 4 basic ship types from which a business may choose: mega ships, mid-size ships, small ships, and yacht-like ships. Each of these ship types can offer many advantages to those embarking on incentive travel and gives businesses the opportunity to customize the cruise event for their participants.

Mega ships typically offer 3-day, 4-day, and 7-day cruises. These ships can accommodate up to 4300 passengers comfortably. They offer many entertainment venues, dining options, and are equipped with the latest in audio visual equipment. Mid-size ships can accommodate up to 1600 passengers. Incentive cruises on ships of this size can be customized and personalized to meet participants needs and desires. Small ships can accommodate up to 1000 passengers. Participants will enjoy a high level of services, and these ships often visit more exotic destinations. Yacht-like ships can accommodate up to 400 passengers. These ships are ideal when luxury accommodations and services are desired.

In the past, the only type of participation available to meeting attendees was live participation. If individuals were unable to make it to the meeting in person, they simply missed out on the information being presented as well as the opportunity to network. Today, live participation is not required for individuals to be 100 percent involved in a meeting or event. Individuals can be a part of the event or meeting through virtual participation. Events in which both live and virtual participation are offered are called hybrid meetings. Virtual participants can use social media to interact with other meeting participants, both live and virtual.

Hybrid events are ideal in some situations for a variety of reasons. Businesses that have restricted budgets may not have the luxury of traveling in a tight economy. A hybrid meeting would allow these businesses to participate without the added expense of travel, accommodations, and food. Hybrid events can open meetings up to a more diverse audience and provide more exposure within the marketplace. By opening meetings up to a larger audience, businesses have the opportunity to expand their networking capabilities and make new connections. There are many reasons why hybrid meetings are valuable and should be considered when planning an important event.

Most meeting planners are offered not only a generous salary, but other incentives to keep them interested and working hard. This is true in almost any industry that uses meeting planners, but what might vary from one industry to the next is the type of incentives offered to meeting planners. Some industries have special individual and/or group incentives, depending upon how their meeting planners operate. These incentives are typically goal-based, such as reaching a certain level of performance.

Most corporate and business-level meeting planners receive health benefits, and many receive a combination of retirement and/or educational benefits as well. These might seem like great perks for some, but freelance meeting planners have their own incentives: the opportunity for as much work as they can handle.

Extra work means extra pay, and it is entirely possible for highly skilled freelance meeting planners to make well over twice the salary of their office-bound counterparts. This does come with a price in terms of establishing connections and hard work, but nothing is free.

Whether one decides to work as a freelance meeting planner or get a job in the corporate towers downtown, one of the biggest perks of the job is always the relationships that are built. Meeting planners get to rub shoulders with important people on a daily basis, and that alone is enough excitement for some to consider becoming a meeting planner.

The benefits of volunteering and community involvement are vast, including the opportunity to do something positive for your local community, give back and help others. Getting involved in the community also provides plenty of networking opportunities and will assist you in increasing awareness of and good will towards your brand.

Almost every non-profit organization is in need of volunteers, making this a great place to start if you are just beginning to look for ways to get involved in your community. From phone banks, mailings and administrative tasks to hands-on volunteer opportunities organizing fundraisers, working with children, feeding the homeless or knitting scarves to support the local women’s shelter, there are volunteer opportunities to fit anyone’s schedule and preferences.

If hands-on opportunities do not sound appealing to you, or you are not sure how you could fit them into your schedule, you can also donate much needed funds to support local organizations or donate your services to be sold as an auction item at a gala or given as a raffle item at a fundraising event. Making donations of your services or money that have your name attached to them offers the additional benefit of increasing awareness of your services and assisting you in becoming locally known as a professional that gives back to the community.