Whoever said that being a meeting planner was easy, lied! Rather, it should be classified under the tough and demanding job category. But, along with being tough, it's also fun, exciting, exhilarating, stimulating, and never, never boring. You have the opportunity to go to exotic places, stay in luxurious hotels, and experience life from a totally different angle. Who could ask for anything more? For those of you ready to shoot me at this point, know that I fully understand your pain!
The purpose of this article is to look at ten skills that help make a super successful meeting planner, and how you can take this expertise and use it to enhance the great job you're already doing.
1. Planning and organizing
The most common reason shows go wrong lies in the simple fact that not enough time is devoted to adequate planning and preparation. And, many of those shows that are believed to have been successful, are often more by chance than through actual organization. Super successful meeting planners have both a strategic and tactical plan of action. They then use the following five basic questions as their foundation before making any arrangements:
2. Taking care of details
So much of putting a meeting together means taking care of the details, and there are usually more of these than you care to think about. Being detail-oriented is a definite plus. The key to so much of a meeting planner's success is having a system that works. Creating checklists is one of the best I know. With the hundreds of pieces that make up the meeting puzzle, the only way to put them together and keep tabs on all the details, is with a checklist. Become a checklist fanatic and consider having a checklist for each checklist. I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it.
3. Practicing savvy marketing
A significant part of a successful meeting planner's role involves developing a pre-, at- and post-event plan. Most meeting planners fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas. Budget is naturally going to play a major role in deciding what and how much promotional activity is possible. Super successful meeting planners know the importance of developing a meaningful theme or message that ties into their strategic marketing plan, and that will guide their promotional decisions. They know and understand their target audience and plan different promotional programs aimed at the different groups they are interested in attracting.
4. Being a team player
Super successful meeting planners know exactly how to work together as a team, helping each other out whenever and wherever necessary. They help everyone get acquainted, develop a level of trust, and familiarize and understand each other's strengths. They know what it takes to create an environment of camaraderie where the staff, as a whole pulls out all the stops to succeed and set themselves apart from the competition.
5. Knowing how to manage time
Super successful meeting planners have mastered the art of managing their time. They are well organized and have essential information at their fingertips, which means that their work environment is orderly and efficient. They know their priorities, don't over commit themselves, and can differentiate between important and urgent tasks. They are superb delegators and are not afraid to ask for help whenever they need it. And, finally, they don't procrastinate; on the contrary, they practice the "do it now" habit.
6. Negotiating skillfully
Skillful and savvy negotiators know exactly what they want. They spend time doing their research so that they know as much as possible about their opponent. They are prepared with strategies and tactics, questions and possible concessions. They are masters at finding alternative ways of talking about, reacting to and solving problems. They use their talents of intuition, flexibility and concern for others to reach an agreement where both sides win. They look to create a feeling of cooperation to build a mutually beneficial working environment.
7. Applying a positive attitude
Research successful people and you'll find that having a positive, "can do" attitude ranks high on their list of characteristics. Not only are they positive and upbeat, they surround themselves with naturally positive and successful people. Give it a try and see it their attitude rubs off on you. When you focus on what you can do versus what you can't do, expect to find solutions to your various challenges. Try changing your vocabulary to reflect your optimistic thoughts and feelings, and see what happens. People find you more attractive and want to be around you, especially when you focus and direct your conversation onto the outcomes they want.
8. Evaluating results
Any master continuously looks to improve on their performance, and a super successful meeting planner is no different. Create a system to evaluate your results. Ask your participants for their feedback. Find out what they liked about your event, and what they would like to see improved in the future. In addition, ask yourself what you thought went well and what you would do differently if you had to organize this event again. Chronicle all your data and keep accurate records so that you can refer to them the next time around.
9. Being a perpetual learner
We live in an information age and are surrounded by more stuff than we can possibly cope with. However, successful people love it, as they are perpetual learners. They know the pitfalls of relying on what worked in the past as a guide to what will work in the future. That's why they constantly look for new and improved ways of doing things, learning from the masters and staying open and willing to try different approaches.
10. Keeping a sense of humor
If you don't laugh you cry and in the meeting industry there's no lack of situations where it's easy to shed a tear. Keeping a sense of humor will definitely help prevent you getting mad, angry and frustrated with those incompetent and disorganized suppliers. Learn to laugh at their mistakes as well as your own to keep a saner perspective on life. If nothing else, remember that laughing is good for your health and will help reduce your stress and blood pressure levels.
About The Author
Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: "Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies," working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Charles Petrie, from Stanford, released a short article entitled "The... Read More
Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More
An individual's ability to forge effective relationships across cultures is... Read More
What do people really find challenging about leading meetings? Here... Read More
By sharing how well you are doing and how well... Read More
In today's era of Professional and IT Services competition and... Read More
The need to get people in an organization to pull... Read More
Insightful leaders and organizations recognize that training is a valuable... Read More
Do you want to measure your workers' level of satisfaction?... Read More
Once upon a time there lived an innocent, hardworking manager.... Read More
Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving... Read More
This article relates to the organizational structure competency, commonly evaluated... Read More
Most people treat meetings as a free resource that can... Read More
Surveys of executives reveal that many companies fall short of... Read More
IntroductionThe aim of this document is to provide advice and... Read More
In today's competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid... Read More
Hiring good employees is not only important to business, it's... Read More
A recent report entitled "How Google Grows?and Grows?and Grows" stated... Read More
Hiring employees is a huge responsibility. Before hiring anyone, be... Read More
People in leading positions are often in a dilemma: on... Read More
In most industrialized nations, the average age a student graduates... Read More
Cost cutting has become a necessary and important reality in... Read More
Go into any bookstore and you will find a big... Read More
Do you have piles of paper on your desk. Many... Read More
Training managers use many of the same interpersonal and analytical... Read More
You may remember being told as a child, "Keep quiet!"... Read More
I recently surveyed CEOs and Business Leaders of large companies... Read More
You do your best to make sure your organization is... Read More
Tommy Sherman daily monitors a helpdesk-provisioning queue for a large... Read More
Inventory management may seem complicated to some, but if one... Read More
Too many managers waste both time and energy performing tasks... Read More
Q: Why is a great business like a great marching... Read More
Nothing has changed. Your ancestors lived by faith. Some planted... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan... Read More
The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in... Read More
Do you ever wonder why people do not simply do... Read More
Old style management doesn't encourage personal mind control, employees aren't... Read More
GROUP DECISION MAKING -- IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM: Tell specifically what... Read More
If you are a department, division or subsidiary manager, your... Read More
Training managers use many of the same interpersonal and analytical... Read More
It is clear that good Corporate Governance is in the... Read More
I sit on the board of an organization and at... Read More
It seems incongruous that good idea generation can be a... Read More
Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It... Read More
In management seminars I often compare debt to an infection.... Read More
The Best Workplaces report (Financial Times, April 28, 2005) notes... Read More
Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role... Read More
The objective is to beat the competition and make money.... Read More
Understanding where you can spend time most effectively requires concentration... Read More
The knee-jerk response to prioritizing requirements is to mark everything... Read More
Leadership is only sustainable when leaders consistently come up with... Read More
Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the... Read More
Human Resource Communications and Corporate Communications ? are they one... Read More
What is Six Sigma?Six Sigma is a quality management program... Read More
MEETING DISRUPTERS: If two participants are carrying on a personal... Read More
The need for constant reinvention is a given in today's... Read More
Insanity in the Sign & Graphics IndustryEinstein's DefinitionAlbert Einstein once... Read More
The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Really? Let... Read More
One of the most important of all motivators at work... Read More
Meetings can be the life-blood of an organisation or the... Read More
In Part One, I described the Leadership Talk and how... Read More
A lone ranger is someone who prefers working in solitude... Read More
You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More
Some time ago we had the privilege of working with... Read More
Here's an easy quiz to check the health of your... Read More
Business Management |