Common Character Traits of a Professional Meeting Planner

A meeting planner by MY definition is the go-to person and would/should be a key member of the Design/Planning Team within an organization – be it corporate, association or otherwise – charged with the responsibility of planning and executing a meeting or special event.

Planners utilize their project management expertise, planning skills and attention to detail to help create and deliver events that meet or exceed expectations. They add value to an organization by drawing upon their knowledge of the hospitality industry to manage expenses and minimize risk by negotiating the best all-around rates and paying special attention to contract terms.

A meeting planner has the keen ability to bring the right people and resources together to create and deliver programs that best meet the strategic goals, objectives and key messages to a defined audience.

A meeting planner is there to partner with team members to take responsibility for the things they do best which gives others more time to concentrate on the things they do best, whether it’s the day-to-day operation of a business unit or the company’s overall bottom line. The planner is there to help ensure the success of a program. Their goal is to make the meeting host and their organization SHINE.

Meeting planners are project managers in that they are managers of the meeting projects they oversee and as such possess character traits that I believe are quite transferable to other career fields as well. It's their knowledge and understanding of the hospitality industry as a whole -- and especially when it comes to things like contracts -- that gives a full-time professional meeting planner an edge over those who are called upon to plan meetings only occasionally. This is not to take anything away from anyone planning meetings outside this "professional meeting planner" sphere, it 's just something due proper consideration and may be worth adding to one's future career development/education tract. I came into this industry from the administrative side, so I know this to be true. There's definitely a learning curve involved but it's certainly attainable.

The site, search and selection of venues for meetings and events was always something I especially enjoyed. The research process was challenging but in a good way. I utilized similar skills as a prospect researcher prior to becoming a meeting planner and then again after my job was eliminated where I did prospect donor research for a non-profit organization I volunteered with. The skills I brought to the process were similar but transferable; it was only the subject matter that was different. We all come with many skills. We just have to find our niche and then find a way to make them work for us.

Here are just a few of the more common character traits I've found to be inherent in succcessful professional meeting planners.

1. Cool. Calm. Collected.

2. Confident. (Comes with practice.)

3. Detail-oriented

4. Focused

5. Strategic

6. Analytical

7. Solution-oriented

8. Disciplined

9. Diplomatic

10. Logical

11. Creative

Other commonly used descriptive words or phrases often used when describing professional meeting planners include:

1. Flexible. Ability to adapt or adjust to new situations without compromising core values or principles; open to new ideas and perspectives.

2. Resilient. Recovers quickly from setbacks, challenges, and/or difficult conditions all the while maintaining a positive attitude.

3. Adaptable. Ability to adjust to new or changing circumstances; to have the capacity to modify one’s behavior, thinking or approach to meet the demands of a new situation.

4. Leads and directs with grace under pressure.

5. Innate ability to see the big picture.

6. Strong interpersonal skills. Easily understood, clear, concise, persuasive.

7. Telescopic Mindset. The ability to zoom in and out from high level to minute quickly and seamlessly.

8. Works well both independently and as a member of a team.

9. Ability to prioritize tasks.

10. Does whatever needs to be done with a SMILE!

11. Lifelong learner; student of experiential learning.

Can you add to this list? I’d like to hear from you.

To learn more about the meeting planning profession and the meeting planning process, I hope you will consider checking out my book, The Meeting Planning Process: A Guide to Planning Successful Meetings. It’s based on my career as a corporate meeting professional and offers a comprehensive, commonsense approach to the entire meeting planning process that will help keep you focused on time and on task.

Take care. Be well. And never stop LEARNING.

Mary Jo Wiseman, CMP | Author, The Meeting Planning Process: A Guide to Planning Successful Meetings