Ten Secrets of Super Successful Meeting Planners

by: Nandang S Nugraha | Total views: 41 | Word Count: 1072 | View PDF | Print View

 by: Susan Friedmann

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 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. 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 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
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 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.

About the Author

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.

Rating: Not yet rated

Comments

Add Comment

Copy and Paste Article Code.

Remember: The article body, title, author bio and links may not be changed or removed. By publishing this article, you agree to all the terms in our Terms of Service.

More articles in this Category

1: ClickBank Guide - How to Make Money With ClickBank Affiliate Programs
2: How to choose an SEO Consultant
3: Outsourcing your SEO Work
4: How Does Niche Marketing Benefit You?
5: Generating Traffic with a Newsletter