Ten Secrets of Super Successful Meeting Planners
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 exhibit marketing 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 an 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 booth visitors and your for their feedback. Find out
what they liked about your booth and general show participation, and what
would they like to see improved. In addition, ask yourself what you thought
went well and what you would do differently if you had to organize this
show 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 exhibit 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.
