29 Sep 10 Will Meeting Planner Salaries Continue to Rise? Probably…
Meeting planners are in extremely high demand by companies that are just starting to learn that there is a lot more to planning events and meetings than they thought. The fact that so many companies are in a position where they need to step up to the plate or pack their bags and shut the doors has proven to be extremely beneficial to meeting planners. The demand for meeting planners continues to increase and salary is climbing as a result of the skewed demand and the relatively slow uptake in supply.
For this reason alone it would seem very likely that meeting planner salaries will continue to increase over the next few years. This does not mean that the job will be getting easier. In fact, it could very well signal an increase in non-planning related tasks and possibly a fusion with other job descriptions such as office manager and/or secretary. Larger companies are likely to have more need for dedicated and excellent meeting planners and thus it would seem likely that the competition in the high end will continue to drive salaries up.
This also means that the disparity between the highest and lowest pair meeting planners will probably grow over the next decade, with corporate meeting planners in big cities seeing the largest increases while meeting planners in smaller businesses will probably experience the smallest increase in overall salary.
Tags: Corporate Meeting Planners, Disparity, Doors, Fusion, Job Descriptions, Larger Companies, Lot, Lowest Pair, Meeting Planner, Next Decade, Salaries, Salary
08 Jan 10 The Importance of Knowing a Little About a Lot
Knowing at least a little about a lot of different topics is important to your success as a meeting planner. You never know when your next client might need food planned around a Hindu diet, may insist on a LEED-certified meeting location, will ask if you can arrange to feng shui the meeting space before their arrival, or will need a space that will accommodate attendees with various disabilities.
If you have taken the time to familiarize yourself with these particulars before you ever have a client in need of them, it will make the planning process much simpler and will allow you come across as knowledgeable and sensitive to their needs.
If you also acquire a basic understanding of the ins and outs of various industries, cultures, diets and more, it will help you communicate better with your diverse clientele and will certainly increase your referrals as folks who have a difficult time finding meeting planners sensitive to their needs will be happy to tell their friends and colleagues how wonderful you are.
While it may seem like it will take a lot of time and effort to increase your knowledge base on multiple fronts, it is well worth the effort. It will make your job easier in the long run and will open the door to an ever-expanding potential client base.
Tags: Attendees, Clientele, Colleagues, Cultures, Diets, Disabilities, Feng Shui, Food Diet, Hindu, Ins And Outs, Job, Knowledge Base, Lot, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Space, Particulars, Planning Process, Referrals, Success
08 Sep 09 Is Design Really Important?
Event design is one of those things that may seem dispensable in these days of bad economies and bailouts. Many are afraid the public will scrutinize everything from the front door sign to how many post-it notes the company goes through a month; consequently they may question the need for good event design.
Your answer is simple but may be difficult to present. A company shows its colors with an event. While it may not need an appearance by the full performing lineup of the Cirque du Soleil, proper and aesthetic design of events will tell the world what it truly is.
As a planner, you have choices to help the client make. Is she going to go so cheap that the schedules will be hand written and photocopied, then left in a stack at each door? How about the reception? Will it be a cash bar with two kinds of drinks available, or will the client spring for something nicer?
Okay, so there is not a lot of money to play with here, so perhaps you can axe the reception in favor of an informal networking session. Instead of booze offer a small dessert cart with shot-glass samples of to-die-for confections. It may be a lot cheaper than the disastrous reception and will serve a better purpose. Observers would rather see a networking session than a bunch of drunks at a reception anyway.
That is just one example of how important design can be. Your job is to take it out of the handwritten schedule realm and make it look important, relevant, and productive.
Tags: Aesthetic Design, Appearance, Axe, Booze, Bunch Of Drunks, Choices, Cirque Du, Cirque Du Soleil, Cirque Soleil, Colors, Dessert Cart, Glass Samples, Important Event, Informal Networking, Job, Kinds Of Drinks, Lot, Networking Session, Observers, Shot Glass, Stack, Two Kinds
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