Elevating the Meeting-Planner Brand

Another challenge for planners is to get recognized on a strategic level when colleagues think of them more as a manager of rooming lists and coffee cups.

“They [attendees and executives] don't look at the planner as someone who set the objectives or made sure the agenda ran smoothly or that the venue met the objectives,” says ETS' Hubbard. “The planner may have planned all that, but someone else is hosting the event — and they get all the kudos.”

The problem is a misconception of meeting planners in general. “It's not that they can't contribute strategically, but that the way people think about them, based on their behaviors, conversations, and other attributes … is tactical,” says Speak. “The impressions that you leave give you the permission in the future.” In other words, if people think of you as a strategic partner, they are more likely to give you strategic tasks going forward.

Repositioning the perception of planners within your company involves every interaction you have. Consider what happens when another department calls and says that it needs to schedule a meeting. Asking how many attendees they have, for example, instead of the objectives immediately solidifies that “tactical” brand impression.

“If you're asking tactical, you're going to get tactical,” Speak says. “That may very well be reinforced every time someone in the meeting department talks to somebody, say, in the marketing department.”

Be Proactive

The best way to change these perceptions is to be proactive. Says Speak, “I would think in terms of getting way ahead of the game — not waiting until the sales manager calls for the next meeting, but instead sending strategy-related articles and other information along during the year — different ideas about the learning process, for example.”

Wynne was proactive in her outreach at ETS, putting together a vendor expo featuring preferred vendors and inviting everyone from the company. Her department also conducted training sessions with each department after identifying their trigger points. For example, when she met with marketing, she emphasized the importance of making sure company meetings were up to the organization's brand standards. When speaking with HR, she mentioned ensuring that the people planning meetings were setting up in a style that maximized adult learning.

All of this outreach got her noticed by upper management — so much so that when Corporate Meetings & Incentives did a cover story about ETS' meeting consolidation program, the company's CFO was happy to appear with her on the cover.

Such efforts can benefit the company, too. “We sent that article to all the people who were not compliant and pointed out that this national publication thinks we're doing a really good job,” Wynne says. “Compliance went way up after that.”

Expertise is Everything

In addition to getting media visibility, another way to elevate your brand is to develop an area of expertise and hit the speaker circuit. Andrea Nierenberg, speaker and author of several books, including Million Dollar Networking, suggests that planners start by writing a brief article on an area of expertise — say 10 Negotiating Tips that Work.

“Don't make it a commercial — make it so people will walk away having learned one or two tips,” Nierenberg says. That article can then be the basis for a speech or something you send to suppliers or the company newsletter.

It's easiest to preach to the choir — such as industry peers at MPI — but instead, Nierenberg suggests speaking at your clients' events or internally or even in the community. “Go to your local vocational school or university or your church, synagogue, or library. Ask your suppliers or speakers if you can speak at their association meeting. … What you're doing is building buzz and building your brand.”

Find the Time

No question, adding a layer of brand management on top of an already full schedule is hard work. Every one of the planners contacted for this article had to reschedule at least once, working to balance the demands of her job with a dedication to enhancing her brand image.

“I see planners who have high exposure levels, and I have to say to myself, ‘When did they have all this energy to put that on their plates?’” Johnson says. “It's a gray area — if you're stressing yourself out to make yourself feel fulfilled, you probably would have been better off keeping a low profile.”

However, she would also be the first to say that the effort she's put in has paid off: Her foundation is in negotiations to outsource some of the day-to-day tactical aspects of her job, enabling her to work more closely with grantees to make sure they get the most from their meetings.

“Take opportunities when they're given to you,” Johnson says, which could be why she squeezed in the time in the middle of her crazy summer schedule to pose for our cover photo. “You can be a great meeting planner, but if you don't seize the opportunities, you won't move forward.”

Your 30-Second Elebator Speech

How would you describe your position to someone in the time that it takes to share an elevator ride?

Most important, don't define yourself functionally, as in, “I am a meeting planner,” says Karl D. Speak, principal at consulting group Beyond Marketing Thought and the author of Be Your Own Brand.

“People already have a preconceived notion of what that means,” he says. “Instead, try something like, ‘I help the organization facilitate its strategies through different events. I use my organizational skills and strategic thinking to help the organization deliver events that make a difference for the business.’ Use words to call to people's attention the impression that you want to leave.”

Pamela Wynne, CMP, CMM, vice president of client relations at EMC Meeting Solutions, Brielle, N.J, agrees that a great elevator speech is a critical part of a self-promotion campaign. She suggests that planners reflect on their own on-the-job experiences when people fail to impress them: “We've all met someone who gave us the 20-second speech: ‘I'm from this property, and we have 20,000 square feet of meeting space and this many guest rooms.’ … Bor-ing!” she jokes.

Back to Corporate Meetings & Incentives August 2007 Issue