By Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP
TemporarilYours W
hat’s that, you say, you didn’t even know that tempo- rary planners existed? Welcome to the new order of meetings management. This may be news to some of our readers, but there is a whole world of temporary, or to use the more common language, contract meeting planners ‘out there’ just ready and waiting for that next phone call to help some soon-to-be- named client with the pre-planning or onsite management of their upcoming conferences or events. A world, sub culture if you will, of experienced planners who are working part-time - some by choice, and others due to “unfortunate circumstances” such as lay-offs, job release, cut-backs, downsizing, termination and all those other ugly terms out there. Now that we have the attention of both sides - planners that are looking for temporary work and those that need an extra pair of hands (aka: planners frequently heard screaming, “HELP! I need another me!”) - let’s discuss. More than ever, planners who are managing to hang on to their jobs are consistently short staffed and overwhelmed by their work- loads. Many are also being asked by their management to produce more meetings with less money, garner bigger attendance numbers, and “oh, by the way… (drum roll while waiting for the axe to fall), let’s also look at paring your staff down to minimum.” If you’re lucky, you might just be able to convince your boss to at least allow for some temporary contract management to help you meet some of those impossible goals.
But as an employed planner seeking contract labor, where do you turn to get professional help that won’t require you to spend hours and weeks of your precious time on industry training just to fi nd someone qualifi ed to cover your immediate needs? Some of the more obvious options include networking within your local com- munity through area chapters of Meeting Professionals Interna- tional (MPI), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and International Special Events Society (ISES) to fi nd available planners that might consider contract work. Plus there are many local Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB) that al- ready have active lists of convention help used to working temp assignments covering all phases of conference assistance. You can also reach out to industry contacts through online com- munities such as LinkedIn® sources as well.
, but there are plenty of professional
Companies that specialize in providing professional planning staffi ng have been around for a number of years and can partner
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with you to fi nd a good fi t for your specifi c needs whether it be on location wherever your meeting is held or within your own corpo- rate offi ce. Where they can really be invaluable is when you have a multi-city series of programs, thus eliminating the need for re- motely screening, contracting, etc. with multiple planners. According to Rod Abraham, founder and managing director of The Rod Abraham Group (
www.rodabrahamgroup.com) who is considered to be the pioneer of temporary professional planner staffi ng, the need for matching contract meeting planners with cli- ents is great and the customer base continues to grow. “It’s unlikely that we’ll ever return to the days of companies be- ing overstaffed, especially in terms of their meeting departments. It just makes sense for a business seeking outsourcing of their meet- ing services to turn to a company that specializes in matching pre- screened, experienced planners with the unique requirements of an organization’s meetings and events.” On the fl ip side of the discussion, there seems to be no shortage
of qualifi ed planners out there seeking temporary industry work, and to be fair, many planners do contract work by choice. They like the fl exibility it provides as well as the constant variety of people, places and things.
“One week I worked fi ve days straight in four different conven- tion hotels plus the convention center for fi ve completely different clients” says Nancy Reilly-Masino, a temp professional currently based in New Jersey with experience in both the planning and sup- plier sides of the industry. Temp work in this industry isn’t for everyone, so make sure you
understand some basic ground rules before seeking work under con- tract. Most importantly understand that you are normally hired to assist and facilitate the primary planner who is still the decision maker. This is sometimes a hard pill to swallow for industry veter- ans who, many times, see elements of the events they can improve upon. If you do fi nd yourself in that position take Nancy’s advice and “Bite your tongue! Remember you’re there to carry out a game plan that was already solidifi ed back in the client’s offi ce. If they want your advice they’ll ask for it; otherwise, smile and do the job you were hired for to the best of your ability.” Whether you’re an employed planner who needs professional
project assistance or an unemployed planner seeking temporary work, there are resources for both sides. Another compelling reason to remain an active networker within this industry!
MIDWEST MEETINGS SUMMER 2013
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