| 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 completely 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 meetings go wrong is the simple fact that
not enough time is devoted to adequate planning and preparation.
Many meetings 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. 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
this 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, 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.
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.
June 2004, Reproduced
with permission from Workplace.ca Inc. ©2004 All rights
reserved. www.workplace.ca
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