Meeting Planner Careers

Whether you are looking for an affordable option for incentive travel packages or are in search of the ideal venue for a wedding or corporate event, group cruises are an option that should not be overlooked. Cruises offer a variety of benefits to both the event planner and the cruise participants and usually provide significant cost savings over land-based events.

Because cruises offer a contained environment with meeting and event facilities, meals, beverages and entertainment, planning group cruise events is generally much simpler and more convenient than planning events that take place on land and require separate planning for each event component. Further, because most meals, drinks and onboard entertainment are included in a single, all-inclusive price, participants and the event host both benefit from predetermined costs without the concern of incurring significant additional expenses during the event.

Cruises travel to exotic locations and provide a relaxing, stress-free break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. While exploring port cities or spending time on the ship between stops, there are abundant entertainment and activity options, or participants can simply choose to lounge by the pool, receive luxury spa treatments, shop or relax in their rooms, which allows for travelers with a variety of travel styles or preferences to all enjoy their cruise experience.

To make planning group cruises even more convenient, planners should try out the group cruise planning tool available on Seasite.com and will find an abundance of other helpful information on the site as well.

So you are an organized person who has a lot of contacts in the travel world as well as in businesses of all sizes. You have at least a two-year degree in business. You have decided, based on all this, to be an even planner. Whoa, Nellie! Don’t hang out your “open for business” sign just yet–take a look at this list of questions to see if it’s a good career choice for you.

Are you social and sociable as well?

If you love spending time with people–often in large groups–and enjoy talking with them, give yourself a point in favor of becoming an event planner. However, enjoying talking with people and being a good conversationalist are two different things–you have to be able to think on your feet, talk on your feet, solve problems on your feet, and sometimes sleep on your feet when you’re an event planner, all while staying personable.

Can you change one person’s concepts into an experience?

If you can listen to a client’s idea of what she wants in a meeting or conference and be able to form a whole event in your head, you may be right for the job. However, no matter how organized you are, if you can’t conceptualize an event without constant detailing from your client, all you’re going to do is make her mad. Turning words into pictures is key.

Are you organized?

If the answer is no, don’t even try to plan an event until you have good structure and habits in place. An offshoot of being organized is immediacy–if you are a procrastinator, work on that first.

Do you have good budgeting skills?

A business degree does not make a good planner. Make sure you can set up and execute a budget efficiently.

Can you read a contract?

Much of your job is going to involve contracts. Even if you can read a contract well, you may get one that leaves your head spinning around. In addition to having the basics down yourself, always make sure you have access to a good contract attorney–he will be worth his fees if it keeps you from making mistakes.

While these skills are not the be-all and end-all of even planning, they are deal breakers if you have continued and/or insurmountable difficulty with them. Make sure you can handle all the pressures of any career you choose and the result will be success.