Before and during business meetings or conventions, a meeting planner is in charge of all the details. Meeting planners choose meeting locations and make all of the reservations. They arrange not only for the meeting space, but also for speakers and caterers. Planners must ensure that all necessary audiovisual and computer equipment arrives on time and is in good working order at the meeting location. A meeting planner is present to greet attendees, resolve any issues, and distribute and collect attendee feedback cards.
Following up on meeting results is an important part of being a meeting planner, and many planners provide attendees with comment cards. Good planners are constantly looking for ways to improve their abilities. Attendee feedback can assist the meeting planner in identifying any issues that he or she missed, ensuring that the same mistakes aren’t made again in the future.
A planner must keep the meeting’s purpose in mind as he or she makes all of the event’s arrangements. For example, if the purpose of a corporate meeting is to introduce a new company product to senior managers, the planner will seek out speakers who are the most knowledgeable about the topic. He or she may also arrange for the products to be distributed by an assistant at the appropriate time during the meeting, depending on the product. A meeting planner may use a platform or stage to introduce speakers at the event.
Meeting planners must ensure that all event arrangements are made within the allocated budget. A meeting planner must be skilled at allowing enough time to book space and services to avoid cancellation or other fees. He or she must also be familiar with contracts and how to choose the best proposal among several submitted by various firms. Meeting planners are typically expected to have a bachelor’s degree.
A meeting planner carefully manages the registration of attendees. Meeting planners must make sure that attendees are informed about meeting schedules and that accommodations and transportation are arranged for employees attending meetings outside of town. In addition, planners must ensure that informational items such as trade show brochures are printed correctly and delivered on time.
Many meeting planners’ jobs require them to travel extensively. Because corporate seminars are typically held in attractive settings, most planners will stay in nice hotels. Planners must, however, keep an eye on the meeting’s set-up details as well as their planned events during the meeting, which usually necessitates starting work early in the morning. Even the tiniest detail, such as ensuring that name tags arrive on time and are accurate, must be remembered by a meeting planner.