30 Aug 10 When Do You Need to Hold a Cruise Event?
Cruise events have been a popular choice for meetings and events of all kinds for years now, but not every meeting/event planner knows all that they need to know about planning cruise events. In fact, the lack of knowledge might turn some away from cruise ships. Here’s what a cruise ship has to offer:
- Low prices – Cruises are actually less expensive than hotels plus catering services plus entertainment expenses plus renting a conference room or meeting venue in almost all cases. Why? Because cruise companies build in the cost of all these services and distribute them across all of their customers all year long
- All inclusive options – All inclusive pricing makes cruises a cinch to plan. One price, one call, and the event can be planned. This saves time and money!
- Amazing catering – Want custom catering? You’ll have a hard time finding a better catering troop than those found on cruise ships. Shipboard caterers do catering day in and day out, every day and night. Nobody knows catering like these people!
- Custom meetings and entertainment – Want to have meetings in amazing locations instead of just a closed in room at the convention center? Try finding a better alternative than a cruise ship for even twice the price and you’ll be stumped!
- Some of the best restaurants and clubs anywhere in the world – It is important to play hard when you work hard, and that is why cruise ships pack some of the best restaurants, bars, night clubs, and even shopping centers around.
Tags: Best Restaurants, Caterers, Catering Services, Cinch, Cruise Companies, Cruise Events, Cruise Prices, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruises, Entertainment, Event Planner, Hard Time, Lack Of Knowledge, Meeting Venue, Meetings And Events, Night Clubs, Rsquo, Shopping Centers, Time And Money
05 Aug 10 A Media Player an Investment in Your Career as a Meeting/Event Planner? Maybe…
It was not long ago that meeting and event planners were taking notes with pen and paper, but those days might just be over thanks to some of the modern media players on the market. Most modern media players have the capacity to record conversations or voice memos, and that could save a lot of time. Just image:
- Never having to ask the boss to slow down – Some bosses or participants talk so fast that details often get lost. Your brain is processing Detail A and they are already discussing Detail Z! Nothing escapes the attention of a voice recorder.
- Never forgetting a detail – Juggling hundreds of details is difficult, and sometimes notepads get lost or sloppy writing done in a hurry foils later attempts to remember what was covered. Media players with voice memo features ensure that nothing is left out of a critical planning session.
- The ability to have instant and total recall of conversations – This is exactly what media players offer. You can recall and review a memo on the subway, bus, or even while driving home.
- Looking impressive using technology efficiently – Humans are innately tool-using creatures, and digital tools are the future. Demonstrating proficiency with those tools is a great way to earn your keep.
All you need to do is look for a media player with a voice recording features to guarantee that your look impressive while being an impressive meeting/event planner.
Tags: Boss, Creatures, Digital Tools, Event Planner, Event Planners, Foils, Hurry, Media Players, Meeting Planners, Participants, Pen And Paper, Proficiency, Record Conversations, Subway, Total Recall, Using Technology, Voice Memo, Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, Voice Recording
21 Jul 10 Meeting Planner Self-Assessment
If you are a meeting/event planner that needs to have a way to perform a self-evaluation, consider the following points:
• Don’t look at success – The success of a meeting can, and probably will, be claimed by other parties. When an event or meeting does not go as planned, the onus of responsibility tends to land on the shoulders of meeting planner. This is certainly unfair, so look at the matter analytically and discover why some things and other things do not.
• Don’t look only for failures – It is easy to think that it is easier to learn from failures than success, but this is not necessarily true. Learn from everything you can.
• Create checklists – Create checklists and try to quantify the steps to what your organization considers to be a great meeting. Isolate those factors that you can control, and focus on those. Keep records in case the blame starts to roll downhill in an unfair manner, but be wary of pointing fingers uphill.
• Compare notes – Ask others for honest feedback and ideas for improvement. Remember that doing a good job is less important than finding subtle ways to remind others that you do a good job. Show your professionalism by looking for ways to improve your performance and add to your job-related skills.
Knowing how you stack up in these ways can help you negotiate raises and bonuses more effectively.
Tags: Event Planner, Good Job, Honest Feedback, Meeting Planner, Onus, Pointing Fingers, Professionalism, Rsquo, Self Assessment, Self Evaluation, Shoulders, Subtle Ways, Success
01 Jun 10 Top 3 Reasons Why Businesses Need Meeting Planners
Anyone who has ever heard of meeting planners may have questioned the value of having dedicated personnel handling some or all of the aspects of planning a cruise meeting. After all, could these same plans not simply be conducted by other personnel? The answer is both yes and no, and here are the top three reasons why:
1. It is possible for other employees to handle even planning, but they will probably be far less efficient than an event planner. Their own tasks and chores will suffer as a result of having to multitask more than normal.
2. Anyone who is dedicated to a certain task is likely to perform it better than someone who is only doing that task because nobody else can. This holds true for event planning and coordinating meetings as well.
3. Contacts and associations are valuable tools that can be leveraged. Those workers who do not spend time coordinating meetings are unlikely to build these relationships or develop to the point where they can be leveraged effectively.
In short, it is easy to see why businesses need meeting planners, even if they are not full-time employees. For those businesses with modest planning needs, consider a part-time or freelance meeting planner.
Tags: Chores, Contacts, Cruise, Event Planner, Freelance, Full Time, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Part Time, Relationships, Time Employees, Valuable Tools
28 May 10 Four Tools Every Meeting Planner Must Have
Four basic tools every meeting and event planner must have
While meeting planners and event planners both need to be organized and accurate, it sometimes helps to have a little help. Here is a list of the four best investments a meeting and/or event planner can make to help their career along:
A book on Feng Shui – Feng Shui offers many ideas on how to organize everything from seating to room arrangement, and many of the ideas behind Feng Shui have stood the test of time very well.
A smartphone – There are many smartphones to choose from, but a smartphone that can handle a professional calendar capable of synchronizing with a laptop and/or desktop is essential. E-mail and SMS features are also vital, especially to a meeting planner on the go.
A netbook or small laptop – Working on the road or in various offices is important, as is the ability to take notes virtually anywhere. A smartphone can only perform this task so well, and it simply will not do to be using anything but a full-fledged word processor for taking detailed notes for meeting schedules, participant contact info, or even ideas.
A good online backup solution – with so much reliance on electronics, be prepared for the inevitable crash, data loss, or theft. An online backup solution is essential for keeping meeting/event/conference records safe.
Tags: Backup Solution, Basic Tools, Crash Data, E Mail, Event Planner, Event Planners, Feng Shui, Four Tools, Inevitable Crash, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Schedules, Participant, Professional Calendar, Room Arrangement, Smartphones, Sms Features, Synchronizing, Test Of Time, Word Processor
26 May 10 Two Critical Skills of a Cruise Meeting Planner
Two critical skills of a cruise meeting or event planner, and how to build them at your current job
Planning cruise meetings and cruise events can be a rewarding carrier, but it takes a certain kind of personality to be successful. Luckily, most of the skills involved in planning cruise meetings and events can be cultivated. Here are the two most basic skills required, and ways to cultivate them at your current job:
Planning backwards – events are often scheduled at specific dates and times, regardless of the planning necessary. This means that time management skills and thinking in a reverse-linear fashion are required. Starting with the event itself, what would have to be prepared? Booking of rooms, suites, conference centers, equipment, and travel arrangements. Starting with the most critical things first, a smart travel planner will plan his or her way back to today. For example, one could start by booking the rooms and conference center on a cruise liner before booking speakers and their flights and communicating dietary needs. Try project planning whenever possible to build this skill.
Planning around complaints – It is not possible to make everyone happy, but a successful cruise planner will ensure that they have prepared plenty of alternatives and options to overcome objections of participants. Speakers and performers are notoriously difficult to deal with, so be prepared to offer cabin upgrades and alternative meals before calling their representatives. To build this particular skill, try practicing dealing with difficult customers if possible.
Tags: Booking Speakers, Critical Skills, Cruise Events, Cruise Liner, Cruise Planner, Current, Dealing With Difficult Customers, Event Planner, Flights, Linear Fashion, Meeting Planner, Meetings And Events, Objections, Participants, Personality, Project Planning, Smart Travel, Time Management Skills, Travel Arrangements, Travel Planner
19 May 10 How to Build Customer Trust
As a meeting planner, it is essential for your customers to know that your services can be trusted. Many customers are wary of placing important details and information into the hands of a meeting planner. This is especially true if the customer is accustomed to taking charge of situations and being in control.
However, circumstances often arise in which planning a meeting becomes something beyond their control. That is when a customer will turn to a meeting planner for assistance. There are a few ways you can ensure your client has complete trust in you, and this trust will build repeat business.
Open communication is an important aspect of meeting planning. Customers should feel that they have a rapport with their meeting planner and should feel free to check the status of the upcoming event within reason. Communications with customers should be clear, focused, and concise.
Transparency will help put the customer at ease and provide them with a sense of much needed security. Meeting planners should remember that customers not only entrust their event to the meeting planner, but their financial resources as well. Once trust has been established between a meeting planner and customer, the customer is more likely to use their services again in the future.
Tags: Circumstances, Complete Trust, Customer Trust, Event Planner, Financial Resources, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Planning, Open Communication, Repeat Business, Transparency
07 May 10 Simplify Incentive Travel with Group Cruise Deals and Convenient Planning Tools
No matter if you are a corporate conference and event planner, a wedding planner or a corporate travel planner, a detailed knowledge of group cruise packages and how they can help you and your clients is essential to successfully incorporating cruise ship venues and destinations into your planning services. It is one thing to have experience with sourcing cruises for executive retreats or incentive travel packages, but understanding the convenience and cost savings of taking full advantage of group cruise packages opens the door to noteworthy budgetary benefits, as well as developing alternatives for the types of events you may think about hosting on a cruise ship. From weddings with fewer than 10 guests to meetings at sea with a entire ship charter, meeting, event and incentive travel planners will find that cruise ships can be a cost-effective option that offers noteworthy advantages and enhancements when compared to land-based events.
Opting for a group cruise event can result in up to 40 percent cost savings over selecting a land-based venue and provides the added advantage of being perceived as a luxury option, even while costing far less than a typical luxury resort on land. Beyond the noteworthy cost savings to be enjoyed with group cruise deals, planners will also find that organizing meetings at sea can be far easier than making arrangements for their land-based counterparts. While events on land require planners to organize most components independently, including venue, catering, decor, entertainment and equipment, planning events on cruise ships is much simpler and more convenient. Cruise lines are well-versed in hosting events on-board and are well-equipped to provide everything you need for a successful event. From themed decor to audio-visual equipment, cruise ships already have all of the components you want, as well as built-in dining and entertainment options at no additional charge.
After you have determined that group cruise packages are well-suited for your event and travel planning needs, the next step is determining the tools you need to make group cruise sourcing easy and convenient. It is essential that you are able to simply get your hands on the information you need, such as which cruise lines are a good fit for groups, the meeting facilities, accommodations and other pertinent ship data for particular cruise ships, and which cruise lines have options for the dates and destinations you require. It is also extremely advantageous to be able to compare cruise lines and ships side by side and to have the ability to create a single RFP that can be sent to each potential provider. These tools will make your group cruise planning even easier and will assist you in finding the best group cruise deals available.
Taking advantage of group cruise deals for your incentive travel or corporate event needs is an excellent way to stay within your travel budget, while providing participants with a rewarding, luxury travel experience and a topnotch meeting or event.
Seasite.com offers the first online group cruise planner that allows event planners to source cruise events conveniently with a single RFP.
Tags: Added Advantage, Audio Visual Equipment, Corporate Travel, Cruise Deals, Cruise Lines, Cruise Packages, Cruise Planners, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruise Weddings, Entertainment Options, Event Planner, Executive Retreats, Group Cruise, Incentive Travel Packages, Luxury Option, Luxury Resort, Ship Charter, Travel Planner, Travel Planners
26 Mar 10 Do You Tweet? Part 2
Promoting an upcoming event is a critical skill for a meeting and event planner. Social networking applications, such as Twitter, can make the promotion process faster and more exciting. Most people agree that once you catch on the joy of the tweet, there is no going back.
Twitter users can send a tweet to an individual, a group, or make a public tweet that is available to anyone. Confidential information must be kept private, so tweet thoughtfully and with care. Once you’ve opened your Twitter account and sent out a few experimental tweets, the next step is keeping track of incoming responses. Many people find Tweetdeck a useful tool.
Tweetdeck is an application compatible with PCs and iPhones that allows users to sign in, check their tweets, and organize followers into groups. Twitter doesn’t allow sorting followers into groups, one of the main advantages of a Tweetdeck account. It allows users to separate messages to business clients from those sent to friends or family members.
Become a follower. More and more people are joining Twitter; your clients, vendors, and professional organizations may be among them. Stay professional and use complete words at least when texting clients. Your sister might understand “How r u?” but texting abbreviations could leave your clients unimpressed.
Tags: Abbreviations, Business Clients, Confidential Information, Critical Skill, Event Planner, Family Members, Follower, Followers, Friends, Iphones, Meeting Planner, Networking Applications, Professional Organizations, Rsquo, Social Networking, That Allows Users, Tweet, Tweets
23 Nov 09 Planning Government Meetings
Even though the trend has been to back down on meetings due to recession guidelines set down by the government, there is still a critical niche for meeting planners in the government itself. Although you will have to understand more rules and regulations, planning events for public organizations can be very rewarding and lucrative.
A specialty in government meetings is perfect for those interested in politics. If you’re not, this will be tedious and boring work for you. However, some of us love the daily bustle of the government. Also, truly creative people know that the best outcomes often happen with more restrictions–more constraints means less time thinking about how to go about something. That way time can be spent on real creativity.
Government meetings are a challenge, but this is a good thing for creative types like us. There are often very limited funds available for a government meeting, but rather than cut corners on quality a good event planner will understand how to use the funds wisely. Cutting corners is simply creating waste.
Your career as a government meeting planner can start locally, but expand into international meetings and events. People interested in other cultures will find planning international ceremonies of particular interest. There is a niche in government planning for almost anyone interested in politics and culture.
Tags: Boring Work, Bustle, Career, Constraints, Creative Types, Creativity, Cultures, Cutting Corners, Event Planner, Government Meetings, International Meetings, Limited Funds, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meetings And Events, Niche, People, Public Organizations, Recession
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