27 Oct 10 The Value of Meetings at Sea for Participants
When many people start planning meetings at sea they forget to remember that the meetings are as much for the company as they are for the participants. The participants are usually the main focus of the meetings at sea, so they should certainly never be forgotten in the shuffle. Here is how participants might view the value of a meeting at sea:
- It is a chance to get out of the office and away from the normal office routine – This is both good and bad, but it can be turned to the advantage of the host with proper planning. Do not simply hold meetings as normal aboard ship, hold exciting meetings with fresh coffee and fruit. Consider alternative meetings such as the spinning room, or one of the pools onboard the cruise liner. Keep business moving forward but strive to do so in a more relaxed manner.
- Time to see the world – The world is truly an amazing place and cruise ships get to see some of the best views ever. Scheduling a sunrise or sunset meeting while amazing views are available via the windows is a poor idea at best.
Tags: Advantage, Amazing Place, Cruise Liner, Cruise Ships, Focus, Fresh Coffee, Many People, Meeting At Sea, Nbsp, Office Routine, Participants, Pools, Poor Idea, Sea People, Shuffle, Spinning Room, Sunrise, Sunset
25 Jan 10 Adding Unique Additions to Your Meeting Planning Services
Every meeting planner needs a niche. While you are sure to continue getting clients when offering generic meeting planning services, finding a niche or offering something a little different to your clients is the best way to really make a name for yourself and stand out from the masses of meeting planners in the industry.
You may choose to cater to a specific type of corporate clients, to become well-known as a green meeting planner, become famous for your ability to plan exceptional international meetings or become the go-to planner for companies looking for exceptional quality on a budget. Whichever type of niche you choose, specializing is a great way to make your job easier, focus on work that you truly enjoy and increase awareness of your meeting planning services.
When it comes to adding special services to your meeting planning, it could be as simple as offering something inexpensive and easy to organize, such as an opening meditation with a meditation instructor. Meditation instructors are easy to find in just about any meeting destination and can help meeting attendees center themselves before getting down to business.
This is a great way to assist attendees in setting aside outside stresses and refraining from thinking about everything else going on in their lives so that they can focus on the task at hand. This will also improve productivity during the meeting, which will please your client, make the event memorable and make you look even more effective as a planner.
Tags: Additions, Attendees, Budget, Corporate Clients, Focus, Getting Down To Business, International Meetings, Job, Meditation Instructor, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Planning Services, Niche, Opening Meditation, Organize, Productivity, Stresses
20 Jan 10 The Importance of Self-Care
Meeting planners are very good at reading between the lines, determining what their clients really need – as opposed to what they might think they need – and doing whatever it takes to ensure that their clients are well taken care of, satisfied and happy.
All of this takes quite a bit of time and effort and can leave meeting planners with very little time at the end of the day, and next to no personal time after they finish taking care of their clients, their employees and their families. With all of this focus on meeting the needs of others, it is easy for busy meeting planners to put themselves on the backburner and forget that they need to take care of themselves as well.
We all know that this can lead to poor health, burnout, less joy and lower quality of life, but it can be very difficult to force ourselves to take a step back from a busy, thriving career for a personal check-in to see if our needs our being met. For those of us who prefer to, or simply cannot help but, focus primarily on our careers, it sometimes helps to keep in mind that we cannot give our clients and our families are all if we are rundown, tired and quickly burning out from lack of self-care.
Tags: Backburner, Burnout, Focus, Little Time, Meeting Planners, Met, Personal Check, Personal Time, Poor Health, Quality Of Life, Reading Between The Lines, Self Care
14 Oct 09 Gaining and Keeping Your Customers Trust – Part 1
Building customer trust is key in any business undertaking and all the more so for meeting planners. Did you know that approximately 70% of revenue comes from established customers? Established customers trust your business. They are comfortable coming to you because of your shared history and track record.
Attracting new customers can be difficult. For one thing, consumers are more savvy than a decade ago. Increased knowledge combined with increased financial worries makes it difficult for new customers to take a risk on your services. That does not mean it is impossible to win their business, meeting planners just have to be more mindful of establishing customer trust.
Building a rapport with new customers takes time but is well worth the effort. New customers must have a way to contact you whenever a question arises. That may mean sharing your personal cell number and indulging in some hand holding.
Keep your communications clear and to the point. It is vital that both sides understand the demands of the upcoming event and maintain their focus. Too much information can be as big a handicap as too little. Sell the first event before you plan the second.
Part 2 of this blog will explore other factors in gaining and building customer trust.
Tags: Attracting New Customers, Blog, Building Trust, Business Meeting, Business Undertaking, Consumers, Customer Trust, Customers Trust, Decade, Financial Worries, Focus, Handicap, Meeting Planners, Personal Cell, Personal Number, Rapport, Risk
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Corporate Meeting Planner Resources
- Cruise line Expansion in Chinese Market Good News for Meeting PlannersChina is becoming a popular destination for MICE events due to its rich cultural heritage, beautiful natural landscapes and most of all - its high economic growth. Everyone wants to do business in China right now. Naturally, that translates into lots of meetings, trade shows, conferences and other events. According to The China Incentive, Business […]
- Time to step out of the ZoneSo often we find ourselves repeating the same patterns both professionally and personally because it feels “safe”. While that perceived safety may or may not be real, it explains why so many people feel their lives are in a rut. It is that comfort zone that so many long for that ultimately is their worst enemy. In order […]
- Stimulating Your Attendees in a Positive WayAfter reading the article Boost the Brain Computer, Don’t Crash It, I got to thinking about how foods definitely have an effect on mood and concentration. Anyone who has ever seen a child at a birthday party, loaded with candy, snow cones, cake and soda can attest to the fact that while the sugar will […]