Further Your Education: When, How & Why


M


eeting planners must be life-long learners ready to reinvest and reinvent to keep meetings on the leading edge of technology and social and organizational change. If you are feeling a disconnect between your current planning skills and skills needed, it might be time to consider investing in further education.


Sue Tinnish, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Kendall College School of Hospitality Management (www.kendall.edu) in Chicago, Illinois, knows that sometimes the fear and reality of juggling school, work and personal commitments can be daunting. However, she believes the right education can assist planners in overcoming the challenges of increasing expecta- tions of the profession. “Fear should not overwhelm anyone; meeting professionals are the agent that can cause change in our industry and we need them to be current with skills and trends.” When considering further education, the ideal solution is to select a college that offers flexible schedules such as evening, weekend and online classes to allow working meeting professionals to advance their careers while still balancing their work and home life. The increasing pace of change in the industry and the importance of meetings as a critical organizational communication vehicle are two compelling reasons to invest in your future. The skills learned early in your career are still important but they may not be suf- ficient to propel a planner’s career forward.


“Meeting planning is not a matter of simply executing a meeting anymore,” Dr. Tinnish says. “The expectations on meeting planners today include skills that extend beyond the meeting management discipline. Here are five areas that will influence the professional future of meeting planners.”


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MIDWEST MEETINGS FALL 2012


by Linda Leier Thomason


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