You Will Be a Strategic Thought Leader

Leslie Thornton President Courtesy Associates › courtesy associates.com

Time is of the essence It really comes down to competing for time, so figure out how to maximize that time. In our industry you hear, “Oh, face- to-face meetings will never be replaced, because the networking that occurs and the ideas that are exchanged can’t be done other ways.” Then we bet- ter make sure we’re doing it the right way. It comes down to how you utilize the time to provide the most value at the end of the day for your attendees. Does it take technology? If it enhances, it might; if not, then it might not.

Tracks attendee data, ROI, and other indicators before, during, and after the meeting.

Keep your toolkit stocked I see meeting planners as being general contractors. What I always tell my team is, “Find out everything out there that’s available.” You have to understand the bigger picture, and understand how the event plays into the larger role of the mission and the goals of the organization. You come in, you hear what our clients want to do and where they want to go, and then you have this toolkit of resources you slap down: “You want to do this? Here’s what you need in order to do this.”

Cultivates a border- less mindset.

Not for everyone Don’t force things down clients’ pipes just because it’s out there and it’s the newest, prettiest, fastest thing. You really have to think about the demographic and how it will translate. We often have clients who want all the bells and whistles, and they may not have the money for it or it may not be the right direction to achieve what they’re trying to achieve. I will go to my grave say- ing, “If we cannot be strategic thought leaders and strategic managers on behalf of our clients, then we shouldn’t be in this business.”

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How to develop new skills Peer-to-peer sharing is key. A lot of people refer to outside classes through our industry organizations. Vendors and partners are important. Just as we love it when we have a client who allows us to be a meeting planner, we like to allow our vendors to bring their expertise. Reading the newspaper, just knowing what’s going on in the world and then finding places where it might be effective, I think, is a huge help as well. This should not be about how many chairs you need to put around that table, this should be about what do you want to achieve at the end of the day. — Sarah Beauchamp

Test Time Once you finish reading this CMP Series

article, read the following material:

› Future Work Skills 2020, a report prepared by the Institute for the Future that “analyzes key drivers that will reshape the landscape of work and identifies key work skills needed in the next 10 years,” available at convn.org/iftf-work.

To earn one hour of CEU credit, visit pcma. org/convenecmp to answer questions about the information contained in the CMP Series article and the additional material.

‘It comes down to how you utilize the time to provide the most value at the end of the day for your attendees.’

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a registered trademark of the Convention Industry Council.

JUNE 2013 PCMA CONVENE

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