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Business Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies
Author:
Published:
July 25, 2003
Overview
Hold productive meetings and events with help from Dummies
It’s a whole new world out there. With so many companies, big and small, electing to move to virtual or hybrid operating models, meetings have arguably become more important than ever as the primary way teams communicate day-to-day. But how do you maximize engagement when a screen sits between you and your coworkers? In Business Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies, expert author Susan Friedmann shares her tips and insider tricks for navigating virtual and hybrid gatherings without missing a beat. Armed with top-notch guidance
and insider tips from Dummies, you’ll be able to streamline meetings to maximize efficiency and save money – on or offline.
- Create effective and exciting business events and presentations
- Keep on time and on budget, maintain group engagement, and use social media to your advantage
- Discover best practices, proven tips, and technical advice
If you’re a professional who wants to make the most of business meetings, this is the Dummies guide for you. It’s also a valuable resource for anyone who needs to plan a large-scale event (seminar, convention, etc.).
Planning business meetings and events requires multitasking skills and ingenuity. To succeed, you need to know the basics of meeting or event planning and how to plan effectively. Then, you must hone your skills so that you can negotiate for the best venues, vendors, and speakers for your attendees.And, if you can do all this and keep costs down — and you can!
About The Author
Susan Friedmann is President of The Tradeshow Coach, which works with national and international exhibitors planning trade shows and special events.
Articles From The Book
3 results
Events
Articles
Successfully organizing meetings is an under-appreciated business skill. With the umpteen details meeting and event planners need to handle, mistakes are bound to be made, and sometimes heads will roll as a result. To make certain that yours isn't one of them, here are some common meeting blunders to rise above.
Events
Articles
What does the job of planning a business meeting or event entail? Entire books are dedicated to answering that question, but the following list includes the fundamentals a planner must expect to coordinate:
Site selection
Hotel accommodations
Travel arrangements
Food
Speakers and entertainment
Events
Articles
Planning business meetings and events requires multitasking skills and ingenuity. To succeed, you need to know the basics of meeting or event planning and how to plan effectively. Then, you must hone your skills so that you can negotiate for the best venues, vendors, and speakers for your attendees.And, if you can do all this and keep costs down — and you can!
Events
Articles
Planning a business meeting involves more than just chairs and microphones. You'll want to create the right ambiance for your meeting, from the seating to the heating. Most of these items are ones that attendees don't notice unless something goes wrong. You know you've done your job well if you hear no mention of any of them.
Events
Articles
As you organize various business meetings and events, you're likely to come across many different presentation situations. Each requires a unique approach and attention to detail. Here are some of the more common scenarios.
Team presentations
Flip to almost any popular television morning show, and you likely find that it features an assemblage of co-hosts working as a team.
Events
Articles
Make your boss happy by knowing your budget before you start planning your business meeting or event, and then stick to it. Follow these tips to help you control costs:
Avoid surprises when renting a facility or working with vendors by getting all agreements in writing.
Build a 10 percent contingency into your budget to accommodate unexpected expenses.
Events
Articles
The most memorable aspect of the meeting or event you plan (aside from the food) is likely to be the program. Hiring the right speaker(s) to address participants is crucial. Following are the basics to keep in mind:
Know the program objectives.
Understand audience needs.
Ask for references.
View a demo video.
Events
Articles
Your success as a business meeting or event planner depends upon your ability to hire the right people to help you shine. No one can pull off even a small gathering without a host of helpers. How to find good aides is the question that the tips in this list help answer:
Keep an eye out for good vendors when you attend parties and business events.
Events
Articles
One of the most important skills any meeting and event planner must have is the ability to negotiate. Few things are set in stone, so unless you're planning an event around the Ten Commandments, you can negotiate price, perks, contract language. The basic rules of negotiating include the following:
Start with a plan.
Events
Articles
Organization and preparation are key when planning a business meeting or event. You have to cover all the basics from reviewing the content of the meeting to accommodating the attendees. Use the tips in the following list for successful meeting and event planning:
Make sure meeting objectives are clear and concise.
Events
Articles
When you're planning a business meeting or event, you'll most likely need audiovisual equipment — such as microphones, projectors, screens, and lighting. ©Wellphoto / Adobe StockSome facilities, such as conference centers, offer the luxury of built-in audiovisual (AV) capabilities that often contain highly sophisticated equipment.
Events
Articles
If you're a meeting and event planner, you need to know both the advantages and disadvantages of using online communication technology so you can make good decisions about when to use it and which format to choose. ©.Shock / Adobe StockMeeting online is no longer reserved for high-level executive pow-wows. Since 2020, nearly everyone from grade school kids to grandparents has experienced online conferencing.
Events
Articles
Choosing the right site for a business event is critical — it's the framework for your whole effort. When seeking a venue for a meeting or event, you have several options. Depending on the number of people attending and the type of event, you can go the traditional conference center route or try a road — or a cruise ship — less traveled.
Events
Articles
Before you can organize a function with food for a big meeting or event, you need to meet with the catering manager (CM) at the facility you've rented or your outside caterer or party planner if you hold your event at a venue without in-house facilities. Be prepared to build a good working relationship with this person.