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CAREERS IN

MEETING AND
EVENTS
MANAGEMENT
HOSPITALITY MARKETING
Institute Research Number 378
ISBN 1-58511-378-6

CAREERS IN

MEETING AND EVENTS


MANAGEMENT
HOSPITALITY MARKETING
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT BUSINESS FUNCTION

PLANNING EVERYTHING FROM SALES MEETINGS TO


MAJOR CONVENTIONS
EVERY TIME A LARGE INDUSTRY HOLDS A NATIONAL CONVENTION OR A COMPANY
calls its sales force together to discuss sales goals, someone must
coordinate the meeting, making the schedule run efficiently, the rooms
comfortable and effective, and the food satisfactory. Meeting and events
managers oversee these types of arrangements.
Think about some of the events you’ve attended or seen on television.
Major political conventions and debates require careful and specialized
planning, involving a large staff of planners and workers. Business trade
takes place at important meetings, conventions and events. For example,
the food and publishing industries hold conventions and trade shows to
display their new products and offer samples.
The reasons that companies and organizations hold meetings:
Education
Training
Information exchange
Decision making
Research
Sales
Strategic planning
Team building

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New product introduction
Reorganization and problem solving
Training and education appear to be the most common reasons for
meetings. Virtually every type of business holds meetings of some sort.
It is estimated that typical executives spend anywhere from 25% to as
much as 75% of their day in meetings. As an industry, more than $8 billion
were spent in one year on meetings just within the continental United
States. Executives believe that many of their meetings turn out to be a
waste of time, and it’s up to meeting planners to ensure that meetings
add to a company’s efficiency and profits, rather than just cost money and
provide a pleasant diversion for those who attend.
In addition to corporate meetings, people need events planners for
entertainment and cultural activities too. If your city offers special summer
arts events, planners set up the activities, entertainment and food. What’s
more, events are held to celebrate special occasions in people’s lives.
Weddings, retirement parties and other family events require the help of
an events planner to make them successful.
You might consider moving to a major city anywhere in the world and
working as a meeting planner within a large corporation. Your job might
involve travel to various corporate locations or to sites of future meetings
for employees to shareholders and boards of directors.
When researching meeting and events management careers, no one
place offers complete career information. That’s partly because types of
meeting and events planner jobs vary so much. Information on positions
may be grouped in with hospitality industry jobs. In fact, this career is
often placed within that category, since duties almost always involve a
hotel, convention center, restaurant or similar facility to host the meeting.
And many meeting planners work right in hotels or transfer from the
lodging industry into meeting planning. If you have a special interest, you
might be able to work it into your events planning career. For example, if
you love meetings and concerts, you might be able to work in the
entertainment industry or even help set up concerts in your local
community.
Meeting and events management offers many interesting choices and
benefits – like travel, meeting interesting people and seeing your work
come together in an actual, often exciting, event. It’s a little known career
that crosses many industries. With a little management experience, you
can be well on your way to a fast-paced, important, and rewarding career,
planning and facilitating great experiences for others!

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CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS
WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THESE JOBS IS THAT MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPANIES
have such positions. You might have to look a little to find them.
Sometimes a meeting or events planner works out of a company’s human
resources department, or maybe sales and marketing. Often, meeting
planners are connected to training departments too. Or you might find an
entire department of meeting planners that stands on its own.
Unlike many well-defined careers – like accountant or lawyer – you’ll
find that a number of different training and career paths lead to meeting
and events management. You’ll need to look around to figure out the best
path for you.
When you research this career, be sure to look at it from a variety of
angles. You’ll find some information under hotel and motel lodging
careers. And any information on the hospitality industry can give you a feel
for the type of culture you would work in, as well as trends in business and
job opportunities. But you’ll also want to study business, travel,
technology, and lots of other areas that might affect job opportunities or
the way meeting planners accomplish their work.
You’ll see that there are many different approaches to take in your
decision to enter the field.

HISTORY OF MEETING AND EVENTS MANAGEMENT


THE AMERICAN HOTEL AND MOTEL ASSOCIATION REPORTS THAT IN 1900, THERE WERE
fewer than 10,000 hotels in the United States. A typical first-class hotel
room cost about $2.00. In the 1920s, new highway construction led to
the opening of the first “roadside” hotel in California. Hotel construction
reached an all-time peak and then, about 10 years later, the depression
nearly put a halt to the booming industry, as hotels posted the lowest
average occupancy rate on record, 51 percent.
In 1946, the first casino hotel, the Flamingo, debuted in Las Vegas
and one year later, a New York City hotel installed televisions in every guest
room. In 1954, Conrad Hilton’s purchase of the Statler Hotel Company for
$111 million became the largest real estate deal in history to date. J.W.
Marriott built his first hotel in 1957.

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By 1960, the average room rate cost about $10.00 a night. In 1970,
Hilton became the first billion-dollar lodging and food service company
and the first to enter the Las Vegas market. In 1989, Hampton Inns
introduced a business stay option with special amenities to encourage
business travelers. By 1990, the average room rate had jumped to nearly
$60.00 per night. In 2000, Hilton unveiled plans for the first luxury hotel in
space.
The hospitality industry today is as diverse as ever. Hotels, motels,
campgrounds, and special meeting facilities exist in nearly every city and
even small resort areas. Many of these facilities depend on meetings and
special events to fill their lodging and meeting rooms year round.
In one recent year, the lodging industry took in over $22 billion
dollars. The industry directly supports more than eight million jobs.
Tourism is the third largest retail industry in the United States and one of
America’s largest employers.
The meeting and events industry has expanded to include major
events in large destination cities, casinos, cruise ships, and private resorts.
Association meeting expenditures collectively equal almost $14 billion
annually. Corporate expenditures have reached almost $9 billion.
Today, the meeting and events planning industry depends heavily on
advancing technology. Meeting planners inspect possible sites via the
Internet, make online travel arrangements, and use wireless
communication in their planning. They also set up wireless communication
for meeting attendees. These advances are expected to give meeting
professionals more options in meeting formats, more latitude in
presentation techniques and more ways to communicate and connect with
clients and meeting attendees.
Meeting professionals have become more important to companies’
organizational structures. They work hand-in-hand with company or
association leadership to help them accomplish communication and
education goals. From top management, to new employees and frontline
staff, the meeting planner probably impacts their job. According to one
professional, the meeting professional is being transformed “from
logistical planner to experience maker and business partner.”

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WHERE MEETING AND EVENTS PLANNERS WORK
THE MAJORITY OF MEETING AND EVENTS MANAGERS WORK IN OR AROUND HOTELS.
Even daytime or luncheon meetings often take place in hotel banquet
rooms. Convention centers in medium and large cities also hold meetings,
and they’re often the largest capacity meeting areas. Meeting planners
may work for the hotel or convention center, heading up their catering
and meeting services, or work in the convention sales department.
Meeting planners often work for large corporations and most likely
have an office in the company headquarters. For this reason, most meeting
and events managers probably work in larger cities.
Your office may be in a large corporate complex so you can be near
other managers and employees with whom you interact daily. You may be
located in the human resources department, marketing department,
executive offices, or in a space dedicated to training, meetings and events.
Some meeting and events managers may work for an association or
nonprofit organization that is based in a medium or large city.

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Cities with a large tourist business probably offer more meeting and
events planner employment opportunities. For instance, Las Vegas, Nevada
depends on tourism and casino visitors. Many companies and associations
host meetings there because people like to visit the city and so many
choices in meeting locations exist. Plus, a city like Las Vegas hosts major
events – entertainment shows, rodeos and other sporting events.
Destination resorts also may be located in smaller towns or even in
remote areas. People like to travel to quiet and scenic locations for
meetings or special events like family reunions. In these areas, a meeting
planner may work with local hotels, campgrounds, and town halls to
coordinate an event. Remote areas are very popular for certain types of
meetings. For example, corporate shareholders or executives may meet in a
yearly “retreat” to plan their business strategies for the coming year. The
resort or meeting place, which may even be a rustic facility on an exotic
island, likely has a person on staff to coordinate events for groups. And
the corporation or association holding the meeting may have its own
meeting planner who coordinates the event for them.
Hospitality jobs are everywhere. Every state, region and type of
community has some sort of lodging, meeting space, or events area. Many
events managers start their careers working for town and city
governments, coordinating events like festivals and parades. Most
convention centers are owned and operated by city governments. So you
could not only choose where to work, but you might be able to choose
whether or not you want private or public sector employment.
A growing number of meeting and events managers today work from
home. Once you establish a client base, you can successfully manage
events for others in your own business. You may choose a “niche” market.
Maybe you specialize in weddings and social events. Or you might become
expert at organizing government and political meetings. You may become
the meeting planner for several smaller companies who can’t afford their
own in-house staff. But chances are you will need some solid experience
before setting out on your own.
When you choose meeting and events management as a career, you
might want to think ahead to the type of work you want to do and the
type of place where you want to work, as well as your preferred location in
the country. Then you can gear your entry-level experience and education
to your final goal. And remember that in many meeting and events jobs,
some travel is involved.

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THE WORK YOU WILL DO
JOB DUTIES DIFFER SOMEWHAT FOR MEETING AND EVENTS PLANNERS, DEPENDING
on the type of company, level of position, and location. Since this field
covers a variety of industries and job duties, it can be broken down into a
few main categories for a more complete picture.
If you work for a hotel, your title might be:
Meeting Manager
Convention Services Manager
Group Sales Manager
Catering Director

Convention Services Managers for Hotels Convention services


managers coordinate the activities of various departments in large hotels
for meetings, conventions and special events. While the meeting takes
place, convention managers make sure that any problems are resolved and
that all operations – audio/visual presentations, food service, room setup –
conform to the outside meeting planner’s or group’s expectations.
Convention managers assist groups in planning their events. They help
determine how many and what size rooms are needed, banquet service
needs, and how many lodging rooms to block off for the group. In the
advance planning of the meeting or event, convention managers work
much like salespeople, and many may work in a sales capacity, with a
quota for booking rooms and events at the facility. In addition to sales,
they, like all lodging employees, constantly perform guest service
(customer service) activities.
Meeting planners and meeting managers represent a diverse group.
Specific duties vary, but basically, they are responsible for total project
management of any assigned meeting or special event. Every detail of the
meeting – from initial site selection to the color of a tablecloth – is their
responsibility.
Specific duties performed by meeting and event managers who work
within a corporation or organization include:
Development and writing of project plans
Producing work schedules and budgets
Meeting site inspections and selection
Negotiating of site cost and setup
Review of contracts with sites and vendors

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Meal planning
Travel arrangements for attendees
Recruiting faculty or speakers
Contracting with speakers and meeting their needs
Writing, editing, oversight of meeting promotional materials and
programs
Coordinating and organizing a program syllabus (the handouts,
educational materials)
Communicating with managers to meet the goals of the meeting
Providing onsite support the day of the meeting
Working with vendors and site staff to ensure they follow through
as needed
Overall conference management and planning

Corporate Meeting Planners Often, the corporate meeting


planner holds responsibility for a variety of projects. There may be one
large meeting per year, with a few smaller meetings throughout the year.
Or the company might hold quarterly meetings that are scheduled way in
advance. Associations, like physician groups, usually host one or more
large conferences a year, with as many as 30,000 people attending. The
average meeting planner works on as many as 60 meetings per year!
The corporate meeting planner must remain flexible, since last-minute
requests for meetings can complicate the schedule. A company may
introduce a new product and want to call together its sales force.
Management issues may call for a special meeting to solve a problem in
the company. The corporate meeting planner and the staff must be ready
to accommodate the needs of the company, especially its upper
management, in crisis situations.
An example of a typical meeting planning project is an annual
corporate leadership retreat. Each year, the company holds this meeting to
review the previous year’s successes, announce plans for the next year, and
most of all, to train and motivate its managers. The meeting planner works
with senior management to schedule the appropriate time for the
meeting, and may have to conduct several identical meetings to
accommodate schedules of different executives, sometimes located
throughout the world.
Once a date is determined, the meeting manager begins the site
selection process. A few potential sites in the area are identified and their
availability and facilities checked. Next comes a trip to each favored site,

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inspecting it for suitability, and asking questions of the site convention
manager or other representative. The meeting planner then weighs the
positive and negative aspects of each site and maybe discusses those
findings with a manager or team within the company. Once a site is
selected, the meeting manager locks in the dates, negotiates the price,
arranges payment of a deposit to the facility to hold it for those dates, and
begins the rest of the planning process.
Promotion of the meeting, or at least notification if managers have to
attend, usually occurs as soon as a date and location are secured. The
meeting planner communicates the basics of the meeting and begins to
plan the details. The manager may contact possible speakers, arrange their
audiovisual needs, and negotiate fees and terms. If the speakers are
internal staff, the meeting planner still must work to set a schedule and to
coordinate presentation needs.
Until the time of the meeting, the planner works to coordinate the
event, setting up meals and snacks, as well as possible social activities. The
meeting may include giveaways for all attendees, or maybe a drawing for
prizes to encourage attendance at meetings. More informational materials
with schedules and speaker details may have to be written, produced and
distributed. Attendees may need directions to the site and instructions on
making lodging arrangements. The planner’s staff will receive registrations
or RSVPs for the event and track the number attending.
The closer to the time of the meeting, the busier the planner will get.
There will be innumerable last-minute details and changes. Speakers can
cancel and the number attending can change. Usually, sites require an
accurate count for meals within about 48 hours before an event, and the
planner must have a good idea of the count. During the actual event, the
pace picks up to almost frantic level. The meeting manager is the onsite
coordinator, making sure the site follows through on meeting speakers’
and attendees’ needs.
The more complicated the meeting schedule, the more details there
are that can go wrong. The meeting planner must act fast to correct any
problems and make sure the meeting goes on schedule and as planned.

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Special Events Planners
Special events planners perform many of the same functions as meeting
planners, and some people may perform duties from both jobs. For
example, a meeting may involve special events as part of the schedule.
Maybe a dinner/dance or entertainment are planned. The meeting planner
may coordinate these details, or may enlist the help of an events
planner/manager to handle the special event.
Planning special events requires not only organizational skills, but a
sense of creativity, even artistry. Professionals in this job may work for a
company or facility, even a special events center, or may work as a
contractor to other companies and organizations, assisting them with
special events. Large corporations may also have a special events planner
position on their meeting planning staff.
Special events coordinating involves many of the same responsibilities
as meeting planning. Site selection may get complicated, since the event
could involve activities requiring a stage with lighting and other
presentation effects. The special events coordinator often works with
several outside vendors or entertainers. Contracts and negotiating the
terms and price of each participant’s role are one important duty.
Often, special events revolve around a specific purpose for the
company or client, such as introduction of a new product or celebration of
reaching a company goal. They might be held to thank, recognize, and sell
to the company’s clients or customers. For example, a pharmaceutical
company might hold a special event in the city where a group of
physicians is meeting for an educational conference. The company’s goal is
to promote awareness and use of their drugs for the doctors’ patients.
The special events manager (working for the pharmaceutical company
or hired as an outside coordinator) will find a location near the
convention, and work with the company sales force to plan the event. The
planner organizes food, entertainment, décor, and all of the details, like
making sure the hotel or other site offers enough parking or provides valet
parking the night of the event. This type of special event can be difficult to
plan, because the organizer may know how many people were invited but
not know how many will actually attend.
Some special events managers work onsite to plan, coordinate and
oversee all events that occur at the facility where they work. Their job may
involve booking – securing top entertainment acts or other events to be
held in their venue. Then, the facility makes money on ticket sales from the
event itself, and if they also have lodging or other facilities and activities,
the event generates revenue from those parts of the company by serving

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as the attraction that brings people there. For example, casinos and theme
parks present entertainers, selling rooms to those who come from out of
town for the event, and bringing people into the casino to gamble or the
park to play.
Many cities hold special events to attract people to their community or
to the downtown area. A city/convention bureau employee will often
organize the event, sometimes working with an outside special events
manager or promoter.
Several related jobs may fall under meeting and events management.
First, special events planners may work to organize smaller events related
more to personal activities than for large corporations and associations.
Many special events planners work from small offices or from home and
assist people, usually in their local area, with organizing parties, weddings,
and other special events and celebrations. Although the event may be
smaller and the budget less, many of the same details remain and the
planning must be meticulous. The event planner will coordinate local
vendors, sites, and work closely with the event host.

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MEETING AND EVENTS MANAGERS TELL
ABOUT THEIR WORK

This Weekend, I Will Be Hanging


Out With Drew Carey and His
Entourage, as They’re Performing
Here “I’ve paid my dues for 10 years to get to
where I am. My title is Assistant Vice President, Entertainment and
Booking for MGM MIRAGE Sports and Entertainment in Las Vegas,
Nevada. We own several venues, and I manage the calendars for
all of the venues we own and operate.
Between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I
accepted an internship with Walt Disney World. That’s when I
realized that the hospitality industry was for me. I saw how
diverse and interesting it could be and transferred to the
University of Las Vegas (UNLV,) one of the top schools in the
industry. Next, I took an internship at the school’s Thomas and
Mack Center and started in the business.
I’ve worked for several hospitality employers in Las Vegas and
have gradually worked my way up into my current job. I don’t
really have a formal job description, but my responsibilities are
fairly standard. Primarily, I manage venue calendars, run pro
formas for potential shows that we’re considering hosting or
promoting. This helps us predict if the shows would be profitable.
One of my duties is to look for new and unique events to
host. I listen to many tapes and CDs, and watch videos of artists
who want to play at one of our venues. I have lots of meetings too
– weekly marketing meetings, production meetings and staff
meetings. I manage the budget for several venues – that includes
approving invoices, writing requests for proposal and variance
reports. These reports explain any major differences between
budgeted and actual money spent.
I also talk to lots of different agents within the music industry
to keep up with concert tours and available dates. When we book
an artist or event, I review the contract too.

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What I love best about my job, aside from the excitement of
pulling together a great event, is that it’s different every day. The
people I deal with are always different and each event is unique.
Of course, the celebrities I get to meet and the all-star events I’m
involved with are big perks.
The biggest drawback to my job is the hours I have to put in.
It takes a lot of work to pull off a great special event. I put in
between 50 and 80 hours per week. I have to admit though, that I
love what I do. So that makes it easier to work more. People I
meet ask me if my life is ‘glamorous,’ and I guess it is. I meet
famous people, sometimes ride in limousines and stay at beautiful
hotels. But for all of the glamorous details, there are a hundred
more times when I’m attending to routine behind-the-scenes
details that are anything but glamorous. I move chairs and
barricades, and am often the first person in the arena before an
event and the last to leave. I also spend lots of time reviewing
150-page contracts in legal jargon, and working up dozens of pro
formas to make an event work.
Eventually, you realize that the famous people and artists you
work with are just people too. It’s exciting to meet them, but
many have big egos and can be very demanding. Their success is
partly because of those traits and I guess partly responsible for
them too. Many also are quite eccentric, but I just look at them as
coworkers who happen to get paid a lot more than I do!
UNLV was an excellent education for this job, with extensive
programs in Event Management. Any chance you can get to intern
in or around the entertainment and events environment is a big
plus in landing an events management job.
This is a great and exciting industry. It’s easy to get caught up
in the excitement, but I still enjoy my family and hanging out with
my buddies. It’s more than a job; it’s a part of who you are. And I
tell people that if you’re in it for the glamour, don’t plan on doing
it for long. It’s a job that takes a lot out of you, and you must
really love it.”

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In Simplest Terms, I’m a Project
Manager “I’m the meeting manager for a large
high-tech manufacturing firm. And the work I do managing
meetings for them is really like managing a lot of big projects. It’s
important to come into a job like this with an understanding of
project planning and marketing plans too. I spend a lot of time
not only planning the meetings, but documenting these plans. I
assign timelines, costs and responsibilities to various parts of the
meeting. When I’m in charge of a project, I have to ask all of the
tough questions – planning ahead to avert anything going wrong.

On the other hand, there’s a really creative side to what I do.


Not all meeting planners get to use their creativity, but I do. I like
the balance of creative and business duties. So it’s important to be
an organized, detail person who can maintain some flexibility and
creativity too.
Mostly, I’m responsible for straight business meetings and
some special events for the company. I have to understand how to
build a project or meeting from start to finish. That involves both
marketing and business aspects of the plan. I have to make sure
the meeting accomplishes a particular purpose or goal. And I have
to make sure that people come to the meeting too.
I started out as an administrative assistant with an
association. At the time, I didn’t plan on meeting management as
a career. And I think that’s true of a lot of my colleagues. We
started out planning meetings as part of an administrative-type
job and found that we liked that part of our job best. We also
discovered we were good at it.
Starting out the way I did is a good way to break into the
field. You can get experience working with a nonprofit association
or planning meetings and events as a part of your regular job.
That way, you’ll get experience and find out if you like this kind of
work. You’ll also meet people in the convention field.
Many of the meetings I plan are scheduled way in advance.
For example, we have regular meetings that occur at the same
time every year. So I can set up and plan those well in advance.
But sometimes, I have to set up a meeting at the last minute just

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because something happens in the company to bring it about.
Recently, I had to wait for approval on a meeting until just a few
weeks before its scheduled date, so I had to work fast. I don’t
mind it too much; it’s just important to remain flexible.
We launched a new product, and I only had a few months to
pull together a block of meeting room space, sign the contract,
and pull the meeting together. It really helps to maintain flexibility
and to be a multitask person. You might be planning three or four
projects at once, or have to interrupt what you’re doing to jump
to another project while you’re close to deadline on one meeting.
Along with planning skills, people skills really help me do my
job well. I have to keep everyone happy and sometimes walk a fine
line. I try to maintain a good relationship with hotel convention
staffs because I will need them again. I also have to meet the
needs of my company’s leadership – the ones who have the most
interest in a successful meeting. And I have to meet the budget
we’ve set for the meeting or event as well.
Today, most meeting planners have to show a return on
investment for their meetings. In other words, we have to prove
that the benefits of the meeting justify the expense involved in
conducting the event. This can be tough, but I know that if I
conduct a good meeting, I can show lots of benefits, and the
company will understand and support the value of the meeting. I
have to look for good methods to measure that value and to
document it in reports.
I really encourage people interested in the field to get into the
hospitality/convention industry by working in an entry-level job.
That way, you can gain experience and find out if you’re right for
this kind of work. You have to be customer oriented and really
enjoy working with people, even the demanding ones.
You have lots of education options in this field too. Since
business skills are important, a two-year degree program that
revolves around business and project planning is a good start.
Then go to work for a company in planning events or projects to
gain some good experience.
I can’t emphasize enough the value of the professional
associations in this field. They’re a big help in learning about
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related careers, finding posted jobs around the country, and in
keeping you informed and trained to advance once you enter the
field. So contact the associations and get involved.”

I Plan Special Events for Companies


and My Goal is Always to Be Sure
the Attendees Have Fun “I’m a third-party special
events planner. That means companies and associations contract
with me to plan and run their special events. My job is very
different from that of corporate or association meeting planners.
They may plan a
meeting where I
conduct a side event,
one that’s really
separate from the
meeting, but taking
place at the same time.
My event aims to draw
from the same
attendees.
For example, a
pharmaceutical
company may hold a
special reception for
physicians in the same
city (even the same
hotel or convention
center) where a
physician specialty
group is holding an
educational conference.
I work with
representatives of the
pharmaceutical
company, organizing a
fun, and sometimes
elegant, social event.
We coordinate food and

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beverages, all of the décor and room setup, and then we bring in
entertainment.
Lots of our events take place at special events venues. We
might plan a reception or other activity at a city’s aquarium, the
zoo, or a big theme park like Disney World. Each event involves
lots of details and logistics, since one change or problem affects
another part of the event. We might work with up to 200 different
vendors to pull together everything we need to conduct just one
large party.
I came into this field from the multimedia and entertainment
side. I added some catering and transportation experience, and
then some special schooling. All of these combined to give me the
skills I need to conduct successful events. Most of the events I
supervise now are for Fortune 500 and pharmaceutical companies.
I might arrange a casino party, a helicopter tour, or multimedia
and catering for a large party.
Most people sort of fall into this career field. After all, almost
every type of company has some sort of meeting and special
event. Lawyers, accountants, physicians, sales and manufacturing
employees, all host meetings and events. Many people in the field
started out working in one of those industries and then became
good at what they do. Soon, word of mouth brought them more
recognition. I depend on word of mouth and my Web site for new
business.
No matter what type of event I plan, my goal is to make sure
everyone who attends has a good time. I can’t go wrong – it
means the clients have accomplished their goal and I’ve made my
clients happy. Unfortunately, 90% of my work is spent getting
ready for my favorite part of the job – and only 10% of my time
actually is spent at the event itself.”

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WHAT’S IT TAKE TO SUCCEED?
PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS IN A FIELD LIKE MEETING AND EVENTS MANAGEMENT ARE
about as important as any formal training and experience. It takes the
right person to do this job well and to enjoy it. In the hospitality industry,
you must be able to get along with people in all positions and from all
walks of life. Guests at meetings and events may not be easy to please.
You’ll also deal with coworkers, from secretarial staff to senior executives.
Meeting and events planners realize that the people who work at the
locations and venues, as well as vendors and service suppliers, are crucial
to successful follow-through of their carefully made plans. If you can’t get
along with them, and motivate them to do a good job for you and your
client or boss, your job will be a lot tougher.
You’ll need to be able to manage your own responses in stressful
situations with anyone involved. You might come across a very upset
guest, speaker, or entertainer. You’ll need to diffuse the situation and take
care of it to the best of your ability. This also requires quick thinking and a
calm manner in stressful times.
Sales abilities will help too. Many of the same skills that make
successful salespeople come in handy when dealing with the public. Plus,
the ability to negotiate, and even to persuade, can be useful in
coordinating meeting sites and services. Finally, many meeting and events
management-related jobs involve actual sales, falling within a hotel or
company’s sales department. After all, any large facility depends on using
its space to capacity in order to make a profit. In those cases, you’ll need
the ability not only to sell, but to think strategically and to remain
motivated in order to meet sales quotas.
The ability to juggle many tasks at once, and to quickly change
attention to an unrelated detail, will serve you well in meeting and events
management. Even if you work on only a few meetings per year, you’ll
have to handle so many different aspects of each one that the ability to
handle interruptions and a mind for detail will help.
Independent decision-making is a skill demanded by managers in this
field. You must also be articulate and be able to present ideas clearly and
forcefully, since you will be interpreting the needs of one group (your
clients) to another group (your suppliers) who can meet them. You might
also have to do presentations to groups to describe a plan or budget for
an event. So you should be comfortable speaking persuasively in front of
people.

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Initiative, or being a self-starter, is an attractive quality for meeting
and events managers. Attention to detail and quality of work are
important traits too. Good communication skills, including written
communications, will be needed in almost any meeting and events
management position. You’ll have to write reports, plans, promotional
materials, and communicate constantly. You should easily meet deadlines,
have good time management skills, and follow schedules carefully.
Many meeting and events planning positions require travel. Although
it’s possible to work in the industry without a lot of travel, chances are
you’ll have some. So you must be willing to travel and should enjoy it too.

ATTRACTIVE FEATURES
TRAVEL IS A VERY ATTRACTIVE FEATURE OF THIS JOB FOR THOSE WHO LOVE IT. OFTEN,
meeting and events planners will have to travel to a site or venue well in
advance of the activity to make sure it fits their needs. They’ll also travel to
the event itself. The amount of travel depends on the specific job, and
once you break into the industry, you should be able eventually to find a
job that offers the amount of travel you want.
Many meeting and events managers get a lot of satisfaction from
their jobs because they get to experience the result of their efforts. They
say there’s a certain rush from being there when it all comes together,
seeing people have fun, or reading positive evaluations about a meeting.
It’s one job where you can be right in the middle of the action, making it
better as you go and then participating in your own success.
Unlike jobs with duties that repeat themselves daily, each unique event
or meeting has a distinct beginning and end. You should be able to sit
back and take a deep breath at the end of each successful effort.
Excitement, fast pace, and even some glamour, appeal to many
people who enter this field. Your job is important to a company or
association or other client. You help facilitate its communication and
accomplish its goals. You might get satisfaction from knowing you
participated in efforts to teach, train and motivate people. If you plan
special events, you can possibly find a niche in a particular speciality that
matches your interests – like sporting events or weddings. You may
organize the kinds of events where you will meet famous people whom
you admire.
Variety is an attractive feature for many in this industry. You can enter
the field from a number of industries and angles. Once you’re in a

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position, you might want to change or advance to another aspect of
meeting and events management. For example, the number of meetings
being held on cruise ships has grown. You might be the person in charge
of coordinating such meetings. Or maybe you decide to use your event
planning experience to work for a theme park or seasonal resort, enjoying
many of the amenities or outdoor activities that attract tourists there in the
first place.
Within any job, you will probably have a variety of duties and
experiences – and meet a variety of people. In any given day, you’ll interact
with people from all sorts of backgrounds and careers, and you’ll begin to
develop relationships with those you come in contact with regularly.

UNATTRACTIVE FEATURES
THE HECTIC PACE MAY NOT BE TO YOUR LIKING. MANY MEETING AND EVENTS
managers put in long hours, and event schedules dictate the planner’s
work schedules and vacations. The closer you get to an event, the busier
you’ll become. It’s not unusual to put in very long hours just before and
during a meeting. At the event itself, the pace can be frantic. Since you’ll
often be the only expert on all of the details, people will be pulling you in
lots of different directions.
You’ll have some control over your time, but not a lot. Meetings are
set based on the needs of clients or company leadership and availability of
sites. With so many different details, a few minor problems can affect your
schedule. Along with long hours, travel might not be a plus for you. If you
prefer to travel some, but not a great deal, you can probably find the ideal
job once you gain some experience.
If you don’t like working with many different people and dealing with
their demands and complaints, you may not enjoy this type of work. If you
can’t take criticism, or take it personally, you’ll need to toughen up.
Meeting and event planners quickly recognize that although their job is to
make everyone happy, it’s not always possible to please every one of
dozens of clients and vendors, and hundreds or thousands of attendees. If
you like working alone, rather than as part of a team, you might find some
challenges, since you’ll need to work with lots of different teams of people
to pull off a successful event or meeting.

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Along with the excitement of planning meetings and events comes
innumerable mundane details. You’ll have to pay close attention to the
detailed wording of proposals, contracts and agreements. You’ll also have
to be organized enough to keep track of all details as planning and
conducting an event continues.
Although meeting planning and special events jobs may be located in
many industries and cities, they aren’t abundant in typical small and
medium-sized towns. You might be able to find entry-level hospitality jobs
or meeting planning experience in your own hometown. But chances are,
you’ll need to move to land the perfect job. And periodic relocation may
continue as you move up in the field.
If you want to jump into the better-paying and more exciting or
glamorous jobs in this industry right away, you’ll find you need to be
patient. Most meeting and event planners had to work hard to get the top
jobs. They’ve been through internships, entry-level jobs with little appeal,
and education or special training. You too will have to pay your dues, or
be very fortunate, to land the better jobs in the field.
Demand for meeting and events planner jobs is steady and
employment opportunities can vary. Experts in the field say technology
may eliminate some jobs, although others disagree, saying the personal
approach will always be required. At any rate, there is no question that
technology will have some impact and those managing meetings and
events will need to embrace technological changes and use them for
maximum benefit.

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EDUCATION AND TRAINING
SOME POSITIONS IN MEETING AND EVENTS MANAGEMENT REQUIRE A BACHELOR’S
degree. The specific degree and coursework vary, depending on the type
and level of job, and the particular industry. A bachelor’s degree in
business, marketing, management or hotel management may be required.
In most cases, the employer is looking for completion of any bachelor’s
degree but prefers to see one in a related area.
Since so many people enter the field of meeting and events
management through various related avenues, educational requirements
vary considerably. They also differ because of the large variety in types of
jobs and responsibilities within the industry.
Many job openings require only an associate’s, or two-year degree.
Usually, they require some coursework in business or administration. In
some cases, the job may require less education, but the employer prefers
additional coursework or a higher degree. In this case, experience can
offset a lack of formal training. You can show any sort of education or
training that might relate to the position. Maybe you’ve had a course in
leadership, training in a previous job on various software programs, etc.
How to Find the Right College Many colleges and universities
around the country offer associates and bachelor’s degrees in hospitality.
The American Hotel and Motel Association publishes a guide to these
institutions so you can see which colleges (by state) offer
hospitality-related coursework. You should be able to find a program near
your home or desired location. By majoring in hospitality or hotel
management, you can get a well-rounded education in many aspects of
the hotel and hospitality industry.
Likewise, a business degree helps you obtain a number of useful skills.
It also provides the basic degree needed to break into a job at many
corporations and in an industry you prefer. Those academic skills, along
with your first business job, can combine to set you up nicely for a
meeting or events manager position.
If you aren’t sure what direction your hospitality career will take, but
are pretty certain you want to work toward meeting management, a
degree in hospitality or hotel management opens up the door to related
jobs – front desk manager, food and beverage director, or even hotel
manager. You’ll have the flexibility to take several directions and you’ll have
valuable hotel and management experience to help you get many meeting
and events management positions.

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The American Hotel and Motel Association also provides courses
through its Educational Institute. The institute offers videos, books,
CD-Roms and seminars that lead to certification in specific hospitality
areas. Certifications offered are Hospitality Marketing Executive (CHME)
and Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS).
Once you enter the field, several options exist to advance your training
and career. Associations support the professional development of
members. So you can look to hospitality and meeting membership
associations for seminars and training programs. Meeting Professionals
International (MPI) offers several training programs for meeting planners.
Professional Certification The Certified Meeting Professional
(CMP) designation is required or preferred by some employers hiring
meeting and events managers for positions like meeting and convention
manager, event planning and operations specialist, and corporate meeting
manager. The program has existed for more than 15 years and nearly
6,000 professionals have received the CMP designation. The program
evaluates an applicant’s competence based on the recommendations of a
diverse group of members who determine the level of knowledge and skills
expected in the profession and activities that meeting managers must
perform.
The CMP competencies are updated every five years and the questions
are revised each year. Applicants take a written exam consisting of 150
multiple-choice questions.
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) recently added a new level
of certification called Certified Meeting Manager (CMM). Modeled on a
program from its Europe chapter, the new global designation elevates the
profession by offering a more senior designation. This certification requires
some strategic and analytical thinking. Examiners first qualify applicants for
the CMM designation by evaluating their self-assessed experience and
skills.
Documented training in any related coursework such as business,
planning, marketing, communication, sales or hospitality can be a plus for
applicants. Many positions also require or prefer skills in certain computer
and software programs like word processing and spreadsheet
management.
Experience can often be substituted for education when applying for
meeting and events management jobs, at least at beginning levels.

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EARNINGS
THE AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY OF MEETING PLANNERS IS MORE THAN $50,000.
Actual salary depends heavily on the size and scope of the facility or
company, required experience and education, and actual job
responsibilities. Sometimes, companies base salary on size of a manager’s
budgetary responsibility.
Within the hotel and lodging industry, median annual earnings of
hotel managers and assistants are about $30,000. The median earnings
are based on similar positions in every city and size hotel, so comparing
the amount to a particular position may not prove useful.
When looking for a particular meeting or events management
position, note that the salary may be presented in a range of several
thousand, or tens of thousands, of dollars. Often, companies place
management salaries within a range and then pay the person hired based
on experience, education and negotiation. Once you’ve got experience,
you might be able to negotiate a higher salary, particularly if you are
already employed.
Although most companies pay salary only, some pay commission for
sales-related meeting planner jobs. In this case, you receive your base
salary each month, plus a percentage of your sales. Normally, the base pay
is lower than that of a similar job with no commission. So you’ll need to
ask lots of questions to determine the typical commission paid within the
company. Working on commission gives employees incentive to produce
results, but it also means that your income is not as regular each month as
someone who works on straight salary.
Usually, meeting and events managers working for nonprofit
associations are paid less than those in the corporate world. But if it gains
you needed experience and contacts in the industry, it’s worth it to start at
the lower salary. If you decide to work on your own, starting an events
planning business from home for example, expect to have some money
saved up to carry you through the first few years. And once you are
established, remember that income can still come in cycles and will not be
the same each month. You’ll have to do some research of competitors to
determine typical fees and write a business plan based on your findings
and goals for your company.

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Once you’ve put some time in, you can earn a comfortable salary as a
meeting and events manager. MPI conducts a salary survey and runs a job
bank with posted positions. You can use that information to compare your
salary and to get an idea of how salaries follow different levels of positions
and education. You might see a difference in salaries among industries as
well. Location also plays a role. Salaries in some cities will match the local
market for similar positions.

OPPORTUNITIES
THIS IS A GLOBAL INDUSTRY, AND YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF WORKING IN SOME
pretty exciting cities. Famous destinations hire the most meeting and
events planners, but the competition for those jobs is likely to be stiff.
Overall, most of these positions can be found in larger metropolitan areas.
Even third-party meeting and events planners are more likely to be located
in larger cities, since many of their potential clients and venues are likely
located in those cities.
If you want to focus on a particular niche within meeting and events
management, your geographic location might be more limited. If you’d
like to organize political events, you’ll probably be located near
Washington, DC. If your interests lie with large Fortune 500 companies,
you should be prepared to work out of one of the larger cities, like New
York or Chicago. If the entertainment industry is your goal, be prepared to
live around Los Angeles, New York, or a destination like Las Vegas or
Orlando.
Employment is expected to rise almost 30% in service industries in the
United States within the next decade. That’s a good sign for events and
meeting management demand. Employment in hotels, motels and other
lodging places is expected to increase almost 20% in the same period.
Growth in management and public relations services is projected to grow
by nearly 50%. That’s because today’s business environment has become
increasingly complex.
The average age of the typical association planner is only about 45
years. Most have about 10 years of on-the-job planning experience.
Although turnover is high in the hotel-motel industry as a whole, that’s
not necessarily the case for meeting and events managers.
The American Hotel and Motel Association publishes a typical career
ladder for hospitality jobs in lodging and food service. An employee can
advance through the ladder to middle management jobs like catering sales

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manager to upper management jobs. It’s not unusual for a meeting and
events planner to have moved up the career ladder of a hotel/motel or a
corporation. If you demonstrate proven skills in organization, project
management and working with people, you might be able to advance
more quickly. Additional education or certification will help you with
advancement too.
The typical meeting planning department has about 10 employees.
You might start out as an assistant in the department and then advance to
a position as manager with increasing responsibilities. Or you might
specialize in a certain area, like special events, or educational seminars and
conferences. Or your speciality may be contract negotiation or food and
catering.
Within the hotel and convention industries, many facilities and
companies offer opportunities for training. You can break into the field
with less formal education and experience as a manager trainee. The
industry wants to decrease turnover (employees leaving and employers
having to hire to fill their positions) and to do so, they will place more
emphasis on helping younger workers find mentors who can help interest
them in leadership and help them begin to build leadership skills.
Employers may make other efforts to keep good employees, such as paid
training and tuition reimbursement.

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GETTING STARTED
THIS CAREER FIELD REQUIRES SOME RESEARCH TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE BEST WAY
for you to launch your own career. Spend some time on the Internet
looking at associations, schools and other training programs, and job
postings. Then search for some events planners’ Web sites. Study their
sites to see if what they do interests you. Check out job postings or
directories at some large companies to see if they have meeting planning
departments.
Your local newspaper classifieds may include listings for meeting and
events planners, most likely under administrative, marketing, or hospitality
headings. And if you attend a meeting or event, keep a keen eye, noticing
all of the details that went into planning and conducting the event.
If you live in a large community, you should look for a mentor, or at
least someone to interview, who performs meeting or events management
for the local convention center, a large hotel, or a special events site. You
might be surprised at the number of jobs that exist in your own
community.
Study the educational opportunities. Unlike many careers, events and
meeting management jobs take many diverse paths. You might start out in
one direction and then take a turn. But if you know you want to enter the
field, you can approach it from several different angles.
You might start working for a local hotel or convention center to gain
hospitality experience and begin to meet the people who plan and
manage the location’s meetings. Or maybe you can work – even as a
volunteer – helping to put on a meeting or event for a local nonprofit
organization. Many hold events aimed at fundraising or education.
If you want to pursue a formal education in hospitality, check out
some of the resources available. Many organizations offer scholarships to
encourage young people to enter the field. If you decide to start with an
entry-level job instead of education, check out your employer’s tuition
reimbursement policies. Your employer might pay a portion, or all, of the
costs if the course relates to your work.
Finally, take a look at the positive aspects of a career in meeting and
events management, as well as the drawbacks. Imagine yourself running a
large meeting or high-profile event. If you see yourself getting that rush,
enjoying the pace, and loving the excitement, this may be just the career
for you.

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ASSOCIATIONS

n American Hotel and Motel Association


www.ahma.com

n Meeting Professionals International


www.mpiweb.org

n Convention Industry Council


www.cmponilne.org

n Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education


www.chrie.org

n Hospitality Business Alliance


www.h-b-a.org

n Hospitality Sales and Marketing International


www.hsmai.org

n Network of Executive Women in Hospitality


www.newh.org

PERIODICALS

n Meetings and Conventions Magazine


www.meetings-conventions.com/

n The Meeting Professional


www.mpiweb.org

n Hosteur, for Future Hospitality and Tourism Professionals


www.chrie.org

COPYRIGHT 2005 Institute For Career Reserach CHICAGO

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