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:
· Where does this meeting fit into our corporate
marketing strategy?
· Why are we meeting?
· What is the purpose of the meeting?
· Who should attend the meeting?
· What is our budget?
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.
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| 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. |
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