plenary Professional Development for the Experts

RESEARCH Planners Doing It for Themselves

We recently turned the tables on meeting planners, and in our latest epanel survey asked Convene readers about their own professional development — and whether they expected to attend industry conferences as a part of their plans. More than 350 meeting professionals responded to the survey, produced in partnership with DMAI’s empowerMINT.com. Here are some of the results.

What meeting-planning skills do you plan to sharpen/acquire in 2013? (Please choose all that apply.)

245+255= 250+250= 250+250= 300+200= 350+150= 375+125= 455+45=

57+17+26 22+48+30

84+16

51.7% Social-media marketing and engagement 50.6% Negotiating/contracts 50.3% Technology 40.1% Budgeting 29.8% Adult education/e-learning 25.7% Sponsorships 8.6% Other

Does your employer pay for your professional development?

56.5% Yes 17.1% No 26.4% Partially

If not, what kept you from doing so? (Please choose all that apply.)

160+340= 225+275= 385+115= 385+115= 430+70= 490+10=

68.6% Lack of time 55.7% Expense 22.9% Availability of training 22.9% Lack of knowledge about training available 14.3% Other 1.4%

Not interested

How many meetings-industry conferences do you plan to attend in 2013?

Do you pay for your training from your own pocket?

22.0% Yes 48.2% No 29.8% Partially

465+35= 375+125= 360+140= 440+60= 475+25= 485+15= 405+95=

Have you participated in professional development in the past 12 months?

84.0% Yes 16.0% No

70+20+10 24 PCMA CONVENE APRIL 2013

6.5% None 26.6% One 28.3% Two 11.9% Three 4.5% Four 3.4% Five or more 18.7% Not sure

Do you plan to prepare for or take the CMP — or another industry certification — exam in 2013?

70.4% No 20.6% Yes, CMP 10.7% Yes, other industry certification

PCMA.ORG