(noun) 1. an advanced student or graduate, usually in a professional field, gaining supervised practical experience.

Office Not Needed

You don't need space for an intern at your office. Many are interested in just working a meeting or event. For the cost of meals and a hotel room, and sometimes an airline ticket or a stipend, you can bring in extra staffing power during your peak period.

What Can They Do?

Just about anything. Interns can stuff welcome bags, draft letters or promotional copy, liaison with presenters, answer the phone, collect evaluation forms and compile results, check room setups, input data on the computer, mail conference information, or whatever duties match your needs and their skills.

More Than an Intern

If you need extra hands at your meeting but aren't willing to do the training and supervision that an intern requires, meeting-planning temp agencies can provide experienced planners for short-term projects. You'll pay more than you would for an intern, but not nearly what you would for a new staffer. PMPN in Durham, N.C., (www.pmpn.com) and The Meetingtemp Job Network, a division of The Meeting Candidate Network, New York, (www.meetingjobs.com) are among the companies that place skilled meeting temps.

School Spirit

College and graduate school students in meeting and convention programs typically must fulfill internship requirements. If you could use an intern, find out if universities in your area or schools within your denomination offer meeting certificate programs. Also, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., have respected meeting-management programs with many students eager to fulfill their practicum hours.

Grunt Work, Plus

Interns expect a certain amount of filing, typing, and other administrative duties, but be sure that at least some of the work exposes the student to “real-life” meeting planning. If an intern is especially interested in AV production, for example, allow her to spend some time with your tech team.

No Free Lunch

Your responsibility as an employer is to provide orientation and training for the tasks that the intern will perform, as well as supervision. You also will be expected to provide feedback to the intern as well as to the school that is offering the internship. Depending on the intern's commitment and skills, a stipend can build loyalty.

Sources: Merriam-Webster Online, www.m-w.com; www.nightcats.com