Congratulations, you got the budget approved to bring on a new meeting planner (or replace one who just left). So, what’s the next step?
Finding the right person to fit in with your event-planning team is a challenge. And as most everyone knows, it’s often harder to hire a new staffer than it is to get rid of an old one. It's best to slow down, take a deep breath, and prepare a thoughtful interview process.
Start with this article from Forbes magazine, “Five Tips for Conducting a Great Job Interview,” which has some excellent suggestions for open-ended and hypothetical questions that will give you a better idea of the kind of person (and planner) you’re meeting. The author’s first piece of advice: “Don’t wing it.” Going into an interview unprepared lowers the chances that you’ll make a smart hire, and raises the chances that you’ll ask questions that violate fair-hiring regulations.