Meeting News - August 11, 2008 - (Page 30)

MN Exclusive Research Are There Enough Planners In The Pipeline? By Terri Hardin here do you see yourself in ﬁve years?” It’s the quintessential interview question, and in MeetingNews’ most recent survey, we asked that question, and others, and found that most meeting planners—corporate, association, and independent—are in it for the long haul. Nearly all planners saw themselves in their jobs in a year’s time; and 81 percent saw themselves remaining as planners in ﬁve years’ time. And nearly half (49 percent) saw themselves in their planning role in 10 years’ time. Coupled with the fact that 92 percent of survey respondents reported experiencing good to excellent levels of job satisfaction, it would seem, at ﬁrst, that the meeting industry is one big bed of roses. Looking deeper, however, MN discovered some clouds on the horizon, namely, that while 78 percent of all twentysometing-to-fortysomething planners see themselves in the planning role in ﬁve years’ time, only 59 percent see themselves as planners in 10 years’ time. Among planner categories, independent planners expressed the most disaffection, with 73 envisioning themselves as planners in ﬁve years’ time, and 43 percent making it to the 10-year mark. “W Retention Rates Do you see yourself as a planner…? In Five Years’ Time 81.2% Yes 76.0% 72.5% 18.8% No 0% 20% 24.0% 27.5% 40% 60% 80% 100% In 10 Years’ Time 54.0% Yes 42.5% 46.0% No 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 53.6% Corporate Planners Association Planners Other Planners 46.4% 57.5% 50% 60% Source: MeetingNews survey of 279 meeting planners Between genders, planners were basically on the same page at ﬁve years, but 15 percent more men than women were opting out when it came Do you see yourself as a planner…? to the 10-year mark. In Five Years’ Time Why the falloff? According to Harith Wickrema, adjunct professor of the School of Tourism and Male Female Yes Yes Hospitality at Temple University and President of 67.9% 77.7% Willow Grove, PA-based Harith Productions, “meeting and event planning is a profession that No demands continuous passion to succeed. Those No 32.1% 22.3% who get to do various different meetings tend to continue, but others who do the same ‘meat-andpotatoes’ meetings tend to change careers.”WickIn 10 Years’ Time rema added,“Students in my classes at Temple are Male encouraged to work in a related ﬁeld or in an assisFemale Yes Yes 37.3% tant/administrative assistant capacity at an 52.8% event/meeting planning company prior to becoming a full-ﬂedged planner.” No No 62.7% “At least 25 percent of [our] students (out of 47.2% 2,400) are event management majors,” said Deborah Breiter, chair of the department of tourism, events, and attractions at the Rosen School of Hospitality Management in Orlando. “Some are Source: MeetingNews survey of 279 meeting planners interested in meetings, some in conventions, and a lot are interested in special events. Our market is manager for Charleston, SC-based Force Proteclargely supplier-based, so students work in hotels, tion Inc. “I love stepping back when it’s all over, theme parks, DMCs, GSCs, etc.” assessing it, and then moving on to the next projMaryAnne P. Bobrow, of Bobrow & Associates, ect.” For Vandall, her past 10 years of meetings based in Citrus Heights, CA, thinks there has experience started with cocktail hours and baby been a shift in expectations where planners are showers and advanced to million-dollar internaexpected to move from logistics to strategic. “I tional exhibits. The industry, she noted, is “whatam often amazed to learn that many planners ever we make it. It’s a ﬁne line that we walk. On never see organizational ﬁnancials, nor do they one hand, we have to ﬁght to be taken seriously. understand or appreciate what they (or their On the other hand, we have to be extremely ﬂexdepartment) contribute to the bottom-line profible, always happy, and ready for the next it of the organization. How can they possibly project.” MN become strategic in their approaches when Exclusive Perhaps the new generation of planners Research they do not have the tools necessary to grasp will come from where they’ve always come the organization’s overall plan?” from—out of the blue. “Fortunately,” said Also, only so much about meeting logistics can Karen Brown, of Conferences by Design, in Salischange. (After all, as Joan L. Eisenstodt, principal bury, MD, “we’ve found two very organized peoof Washington, DC-based Eisenstodt Associates ple to take over registration and database manageLLC, who has nearly 40 years of industry experi- ment of our post-conference surveys. We’ve hired ence, pointed out, “We are still meeting in facili- a social butterﬂy who is handling our companion ties with chairs in rows.”) Thus, planners who are and social networking programs (and leaves each goal-oriented and undeterred by the necessary event with a whole new set of best friends), and repetition are best-suited to the vocation.“I love I’ve found a retired school teacher who handles the rush; I love the deadline; I love that the proj- our speakers and session monitors.” r ect has a deﬁnite ﬁnish date,” said Emily Vandall, Contact Terri Hardin at who was most recently marketing and event terri.hardin@nielsen.com Commitment by Gender 30 MeetingNews August 11, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/research/index.jsp http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - August 11, 2008

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