Being a meeting professional is a great way to make a living. You get to meet fascinating people, travel to exotic places, and stay at wonderful resorts and hotels.
At least that’s what your friends and family believe.
Demanding clients and attendees, incompetent hotel employees, and stage diva are just a few of the unfortunate things that stand in the way of you enjoying your job.Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do to make an attendee happy. And unfortunate situations – such as rapidly changing weather, cancelled flights, hotel construction or world events – can also keep you from enjoying the experience.
So what’s a planner to do? Just like you buy insurance to protect yourself against illnesses or accidents before bad things happen, you need to have a crises insurance plan in place BEFORE you set off on your next meeting planner adventure.
Here’s the good news: you can do this without meeting with insurance agents and you don’t have to buy anything to make this plan work for you.
What you have to do is consider the pitfalls that could affect your event and have a plan ready for dealing with these issues.
For example, instead of waiting for a problem to happen at your hotel, why not start a conversation with the hotel manager long before you attend the event? A handwritten note of introduction attached to a small gift box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers is an inexpensive way to get on their radar screens before you need them. That way, when you do call with a problem, you’re already old friends and much more likely to be taken care of quickly and efficiently. And even if you don’t need to call on them, you’ve started a relationship with another professional who will have a high opinion of you and your company.
Of course, you already know to be prepared for medical emergencies but does the preplanning kit you prepare for each event already include the names and phone numbers of nearby qualified medical professionals? The last thing you want to worry about when your event is in full swing and the company CEO complains of chest pain is who you’re going to call for help.
Besides helping you deal with crises situations quickly and easily, having a well thought out crises plan in place will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you are ready for whatever comes your way. And this simple difference will make it much more likely that you’ll enjoy the events you’re working on. So, go ahead and actually listen to one of the great lectures you’ve scheduled or take a dip in the pool. You’ve got everything under control.