Want to be an event planner? There are growing career opportunities in the meeting and event industry. Here's how to get in the door

Black Enterprise, Nov, 2005 by Lee Anna Jackson

WHERE TO FIND WORK

Classifieds: Look under public relations or advertising. But know that corporate planners can be found working in corporate sales/marketing, human resources, marketing communications, or training.

Industry Websites: Check out Meetingjobs.com and The Meeting Connection (www.meetingconnection.com).

INDUSTRY TRENDS:

Engagement: "If you pull together a talking head meeting in this day and time, you're losing the battle," explains Hill. "The experience has to be quick and positive. It needs to be entertaining and high-tech, because people are looking, listening, and learning." Creatively structured gatherings are much more conducive for achieving performance goals.

Cost reduction: Budgets continue to have the greatest effect on the industry, with 53% of planners citing organizational budget changes as the most impactful operational trend. A FutureWatch report found that meeting and event planners are required to do more with less, which means reducing costs and being more efficient while maintaining the integrity of their meetings.

Return on Investment: "Airlines, hotels, transportation, speakers, all the logistics--that's a huge financial investment. So I want the best return on my investment," says Hill.

A planner is required to demonstrate exactly how meetings are driving value into the organization. "It's not enough to say the attendees had a good time. You have to ask 'Did we increase productivity in some way?' You can have a brilliantly planned meeting, but when you can evolve past logistics and focus on strategies, that's when you have a win-win," Schulz explains. An MPI Foundation/George P. Johnson survey revealed that 51% of companies perceiving past ROI success expect to increase their event marketing budgets.

Security and risk management: "Prior to 9-11, security was one of the check-offs, but it wasn't such a big deal. Now when we do meetings, we have to have a risk-management strategy prepared to discuss with our attendees before they travel. Everything from how long it would take you to get in and out of the airport is now a huge part of planning a meeting," says Hill.

Multicultural meetings: There's an anticipated 20% growth in the number of multicultural meetings held worldwide. MPI Foundation created the MPI Multicultural Initiative to increase multicultural business-to-business opportunities in the event industry. Hill, who is the founding chairperson, hopes to provide more leadership opportunities and professional development for African American, Hispanic, and Asian constituents (www.multicultural.mpiweb.org).

INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS:

* Convention Industry Council (www.conventionindustry.org) represents more than 98,000 individuals and 15,000 firms involved in the meeting, convention, and exhibition industry. It offers a certified meeting professional designation for full-time professionals with a minimum of three years of meeting management experience. A written exam is administered to those who qualify. A CMP must recertify every five years.