Personal Branding

First, you need to brand yourself. An often-misunderstood buzzword, “personal brand” means having a clear vision of who you are, and it makes the difference between a wildly successful planner and a mediocre one, says career and branding coach Amanda Guralski, president of bizMe Consulting. Begin this year with one big career goal, Guralski advises; smaller goals will follow in time.

Next, ditch the suit. “Clients should view you as partner, not a vendor,” says Richard O’Malley, a 15-year veteran of special events planning and president of The O’Malley Project, a production and trade show services company. “When you go on the site visits, dress appropriately. Don’t wear the $3,000 suit to the lighting warehouse.”

It’s also important to remain calm. Clients need to see your enthusiasm, even on tough days. “The planners that get called back time and time again are the ones who don’t let anyone see them sweat,” says Guralski. In a bad mood because of a speeding ticket acquired on the way to a meeting? If possible, reschedule.

New planners have to cut their teeth in the industry somewhere, and many faith-based planners start in volunteer roles at churches or with nonprofits. Those are good places to start. “It teaches you how to talk to people and how to negotiate, because you have to get everything for free,” says O’Malley, who got his start as a wedding DJ in college, then transferred that experience to fundraising events.

As you continue to brand yourself, understand that there are times where you’ll be uncomfortable. You need to be uncomfortable to challenge yourself and advance your career. Too many mid-level planners become burned out or lulled into a comfort zone, no longer giving their all. A client’s big day becomes “just another job” to them. “It’s not just the bottom line on this one job,” says O’Malley. Create wonderful memories, add value to events, and clients will return.

Certification

Planners often seek professional certification, but O’Malley cautions against pursuing every certification opportunity presented. Thoroughly investigate the instructor’s credentials before signing up. “There are a lot of charlatans out there who hold seminars to hold seminars.”

While Guralski is an advocate of continual learning and personal growth, she says work experience often outweighs certification. “Anyone can memorize a book,” she says. “Business savvy and maturity come from applying skills and knowledge.”

Social Media 

“If you’re not on social media, you don’t exist,” says Guralski, who encourages the business owners she coaches to be very clear in their 140-word bios on Twitter. Make it easy for potential clients and peers to understand what you do, what you specialize in, what your mission is and, eventually, to recognize you as an industry guru. Host Twitter chats on topics relevant to your expertise or form a content-driven group on LinkedIn. And content is still king. When sharing links via Twitter or LinkedIn, give your audience ideas of substance—articles on how to be inspirational or incorporate giveback programs into events, for example.

Marketing

As an individual, marketing yourself can be difficult. It’s important to include money for event sponsorships in your marketing budget, then select opportunities that optimize exposure. “Your stuff should be highlighted, not just thrown in a goodie bag…that’s wasted marketing money,” says O’Malley. “Make sure it’s something that’s seen and experienced by the crowd as important so they’ll take away the memory of it.” Faith-based planners have a real opportunity to showcase their skills at events, which could ultimately lead to more business.

Maria Carter is an Atlanta-based writer focusing on business, travel and other lifestyle topics. Her work has appeared in dozens of consumer magazines and trade publications. You can reach her at maria@marcarter.com.

Travel organizations, hotel companies and destination marketing organizations lauded the president for the speech. In a statement Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said, “The President’s timing couldn’t be better. U.S. Travel will immediately engage the administration on policies that can benefit our country and all aspects of the travel community. Among our objectives will be for our government to pursue concrete actions to increase international travel, business travel, participation in meetings and conventions, and leisure travel throughout America,” he added.

The president also called for visa reform, which would make it easier for international travelers to enter the country. By executive order, he’s tasked the Departments of State and Homeland Security to interview at least 80 percent of non-immigrant visa applications in three weeks and expand the Visa Waiver Program.

Hotel companies and convention and visitors bureaus also rallied in support of the president’s move. “We’re thrilled with the President’s announcement to augment efforts to reform our visa and entry systems to allow more people to experience the United States,” said Bill Marriott, Marriott International chairman and CEO, in a statement. A study last year by Oxford Economics revealed that visa restrictions kept 116,000 international travelers from attending events in the United States. NYC and Company, the city of New York’s official tourism marketing agency, also issued a statement regarding President Obama’s reforms. It said: “We believe visa reform measures have the ability to create over one million new jobs nationwide and generate billions more in revenue, and applaud the President’s call to accelerate and expand visa issuing and processing in emerging global markets to achieve these goals.” New York City was the nation’s No. 1 tourist destination in 2011 with more than 50 million visitors.

Like New York’s, Las Vegas’ tourism leaders want faster visa processing. “In some instances, there are business people who want to attend important trade shows but the process has made it quite prohibitive,” MGM spokesman Gordon Absher told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The announcement today is going to help that.”

Hawaii’s largest hotel, the 2,860-room Hilton Hawaiian Village, spent $45 million to restore its guest rooms and common areas in the Rainbow Tower. The tower’s 800 guest rooms were transformed with new furnishings, carpet, bathrooms, fixtures and artwork. The corridors and elevators also received updates. The hotel has 150,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 27,000-sq.-ft. Coral Ballroom, where former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivered a video message at an APEC luncheon.

The host hotel for the APEC CEO Summit, the 1,637-room Sheraton Waikiki, underwent a $200 million makeover. The majority of the renovations were on the hotel’s 45,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 26,000-sq.-ft. Hawaii Ballroom, which received a $5 million update. A $13 million renovation at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa included two new restaurants, one of which went through 11 menu changes to ensure it would appeal to all 21 APEC cultures. The exterior of the 1,229-room property includes a new poolside bar, upgraded pool deck and oceanfront lounge.

Many delegates kicked off the weeklong meeting with an APEC CEO welcome reception at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. To prepare for the conference, it spent $70 million updating restaurants, common areas and all of the resort’s 529 rooms.

Maybe it was the 6-month-old strapped to my chest in the baby carrier, but the service I encountered while traveling was unexpectedly above par. It was so good, in fact, that my husband, who’s not a comment card kind of guy, actually filled out a feedback form when the airline sent the request to his email. We even had a slight delay, and it still didn’t matter, because the desk agents, flight attendants and other people we encountered on our trip left us feeling very positive.

Customer service is the practice of treating people as individuals with different needs. As meeting planners, you are providers and your attendees are your customers. By focusing on them as individuals, you may be able to plan better events. In our first issue of 2012, we’re focusing on trends in meetings in the coming year, and one of them is focusing on your customers, not yourself. It’s time to make it about them.

We want to know what changes you’re making to your meetings and events in 2012. Comment here, or email your ideas to me at lhoppe@collinsonmedia.com.

1. Engage the whole family.

Planners can engage families of attendees by providing suggested daily activities and scavenger hunts in the host city.

2. Bring eco into the daily dialog.

Incorporate the organization’s green policies into every aspect of the event—from recycled water cups to encouraging attendees to carpool from off-site hotels.

3. Be social.

Engage attendees online by promoting a Twitter hashtag for an event and by providing immediate answers to questions posted on social media outlets.

4. Influence the social masses.

Organizations should be transparent in securing key influencers to endorse events via social media.

5. Offer more language options.

Providing bilingual staff members, websites and directions helps bilingual attendees feel more welcomed.

6. Offer opt-out options.

While interaction with attendees using geolocation-based discounts and coupons is increasing in popularity, it remains important to offer opt-out options for attendees concerned with privacy or who aren’t as tech-savvy.

7. Focus on check-in.

The staff present at the check-in or registration desk remains as important as ever—a greeting from a smiling face puts attendees’ worries at ease before the event even begins.

We want to know what changes you’re making to your meetings and events in 2012. Comment here, or email your ideas to me at lhoppe@collinsonmedia.com.

Photo credit: Hilton Hotels

The Santa Fe (N.M.) CVB is targeting big meetings with its Experience Santa Fe…On Us promotion. When 500 rooms are booked for three or more nights, the CVB provides a welcome reception with Native American dancers; transportation between hotels and the Santa Fe Convention Center; meeting space at the Santa Fe Convention Center; and a refund of the cost of a site visit after a qualified meeting’s booking confirmation.

The Platinum Hotel and Spa in Las Vegas is waiving all room rental fees for meeting planners who book before March 30. In addition, all meeting planners who book a meeting prior to June 30 also qualify for a rebooking incentive, which allows a planner to secure their rate for three years if they rebook immediately following their event.

Charlotte’s Ritz-Carlton is rewarding meeting planners who book new events that take place between January and May. The hotel offers a selection of event upgrades and enhancements to groups who book at least 10 room nights. The number of benefits available is based upon the number of rooms booked. Meetings without room nights will receive a smaller selection of incentives. Incentives include free Internet access in guest and meeting rooms, discounts on food and suite upgrades.

Florida Signature Hotels and Resorts Collection has extended a special offer for meetings and events booked at its nine resorts by June 30 and held before Dec. 31, 2013.  The special offer includes an iPad2, a 2 percent rebate, one complimentary room for every 25 rooms booked, and free Wi-Fi access in meeting rooms.