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As a passive or active job seeker, you should always listen to what a recruiter has to say. Something caught their eye about you.
When opportunity comes knocking, this is the time to at least open your mind to new possibilities. Be prepared for some pretty specific questions about exactly what it would take for you to change companies. This includes benefits, salary, job duties and title.
Think of this as a great exercise to brush up on your career goals.
And after they make their pitch, and you are still not interested, be respectful and timely in your responses back to the recruiter.
Why?
Because they have long memories, and that cushy job you’ve been enjoying can evaporate at the click on a supervisor’s keyboard. The adage of “don’t burn bridges” comes to mind—recruiters are a tight-knit community, and they talk. If you are rude, dismissive or otherwise unpleasant, word gets around.
Remember: You might not be interested in opportunities right now. But you might be later.
For those job seekers who are actively on the hunt for a new job, besides silently yelling “YES!” away from the phone, this is a good opportunity for you to remember one thing: You are in the driver’s seat.
The recruiter has contacted you because they have a specific need to fill, and you are a likely candidate. But don’t get too full of yourself.
Ask questions back. This is your opportunity to learn more about the employer than what they will typically tell you. Recruiters are also careful about finding the right culture fit, so you need to ask the right questions about how the potential company treats their workers.
If a candidate that the recruiter puts forward doesn’t work out, the recruiter loses that account and they don’t get paid. So it is in their best interest to share as much as they can with you so there is that magic match.
So when a recruiter picks up the phone and calls you, it is in your best interest to listen and consider. It doesn’t mean you have to act.
And who doesn’t love a call from someone who thinks you would be a valuable asset? It’s extremely flattering.
As a final note, there is a common misperception out there that recruiters work for you, the job seeker.
Reality Check: Recruiters work for their client companies, who have hired them to fill a specific job order. Although it may seem that they are a barrier to you and the target company, they are actually your best advocate for getting you the job. So treat them as such.
In the meeting and event industry, there are a couple of standard practices that need to be re-assessed:
requesting proposals with detailed creative briefs and venue suggestions
asking speakers and trainers to work for free “to gain exposure”
These practices lead to a number of abuses yet they are so common that one dare not challenge them without developing a reputation for being “difficult.”
Let’s look at each of these practices and consider some alternatives.
A broken RFP process
For planners, preparing detailed RFPs requires laboring for many hours and sometimes days—this amounts to giving away one’s work for free. The following video highlights the absurdity of this practice.
Often, the organizations that request detailed RFPs, seem to fall of the face of the earth. It’s called “mining proposals” and the proposals are subsequently handed over to an internal employee or an external planner with lower rates for execution.
Speaking for free
We have previously highlighted concerns about asking professionals to speak for free. Experienced speakers and facilitators are invited to speak for free in order to “gain exposure.” (This is particularly absurd when the speaker has decades of experience.) The premise is that this free engagement will lead to future business—but this rarely happens. Conference and meeting participants don’t pay hefty fees in order to scout talent. They expect to receive value.
People don’t just mosey on down to the Lamborghini dealership and see if they will give you a free car as a method of promotion. One would never think of going to an expensive restaurant and asking for a free meal to determine if you want to eat there in the future. (Some venues do give taste tests for weddings or events but this is either for a fee or as part of the menu-selection process after the venue has been booked with a deposit.)
A better approach is to use requests for information (RFI) process. The RFI addresses some key questions that are crucial for decision-making. The goal is to uncover enough information to determine whether or not the event professional would be a good fit for the assignment.
Outline your requirements including preferred dates, group size, goals and objectives and budget.
Describe the group.
Describe what you have tried in the past including what worked well and what you don’t want to repeat.
Ask for brief examples of work on similar assignments or projects.
Request information about:
the length of time the meeting planner or event company has been in business
experience in serving clients in your industry and your area or country
pricing
travel expenses and accommodations required
payment terms and conditions
If the planner has video or photo examples, it’s a good idea to request them.
Once you have identified your preferred vendor, ask for references as a final check.
If you have narrowed your selection down to a couple of vendors, pay a consulting fee and ask for a more detailed proposal or creative brief. This fee will be deductible from the final invoice for the selected vendor.
Alternatives to free speaking
Sometimes budgets are tight and event planners make an argument for asking speakers and facilitators to waive their fees. Consider the following strategies in addition to the options that we previously discussed.
Reduce the length of your meeting or conference and adjust the scope of the agenda accordingly.
Increase the admission price.
Offer something of tangible value to speakers. (e.g. ads, a complimentary trade show booth, distribution of promotional material before or after the conference or meeting).
These strategies should reduce stress for event planners, speakers and facilitators. Have you ever tried any of these strategies? Please weigh in and give your point of view about current industry RFP and speaker engagement practices.
After 960 presentations at conferences and conventions, I have a fairly good idea of what type of meeting planner is a good client and best to work with.
1. A good client completes my pre-speech survey.
A less-than-good client, even after asking them a couple times, does not get around to completing my pre-speech survey. So I ask if we can cover the Qs during a phone call, and that usually works.
2. A good client has accurately gauged their audience’s needs, but this is something you generally come to realize on site, and afterward.
A less-than-good client offers clues if they have insufficiently gauged audience needs, including not being consistent in what they tell you about the group, or seeking to micro-manage your presentation in the pre-speech stage.
3. A good client does not over-schedule their attendees.
A less-than-good client over-schedules their attendees, which is evident in the pre-conference schedule or flyer that they’ve posted. If you’re presenting early in the conference, fine. Presenting later, in a too-packed conference, could mean that the audience is in extreme over-drive by the time you say word one.
4. A good client allows me free reign with handouts.
A less-than-good client micro-manages the handouts, which might be evident in the weeks leading up to the engagement, but possibly might only be apparent once on site. Please square up the disposition of the handouts long before you step on the plane.
5. A good client, related to No. 3 above, offers a good flyer and good write-up.
A less-than-good client offers a poor flyer and/or poor write-up, which you can discern via this year’s or even last year’s conference announcement and supporting literature. There is not much you can do here, but forewarned is better than nothing.
6. A good client arranges the meeting room as I’ve requested, or tells me in advance why this cannot be done.
A less-than-good client ignores the room arrangement request. So you have two options, 1) strive for a solid two-way understanding in advance of how you need the room to be set up, and confirm this early, or 2) arrive extra early in case a major room re-assembly is needed.
The tents and tables are up, catering is set, all the details have been checked off the list. You have the perfect event planned…and then the storm hits. You realize that there’s really only one thing you can’t control: the weather.
Many times, event planners don’t think about weather when planning their outdoor event. They hope it doesn’t rain and may even consider a backup plan. But what about severe weather, strong winds or lightning? It is important to be proactive and think ahead about the impact of severe weather on your event rather than leaving it to chance. Incorporating a severe-weather plan can ensure you are better prepared and can help avoid chaos if a storm hits. There are necessary steps you can take to ensure that if the weather does turn bad, you’ve got a protocol and plan in place to keep attendees and staff safe.
One of the first steps in severe-weather planning is to consider the venue where the event or meeting is being held. Each venue is different and has different challenges. For example, a large open space such as a golf course can be evacuated much easier and in a shorter time than a large stadium. However, attendees might have arrived by bus. It is critical to consider all of these variables to ensure safety during adverse weather conditions, which can develop rapidly. If a professional weather-monitoring system or plan is not in place, it is necessary for planners to take matters into their own hands and risk making the wrong decisions.
Leaving weather up to chance is risky. Relying on a free weather app may provide you with the basic forecast, but it leaves out critical information, such as the distance of lightning strikes from your event. Each year more than 100,000 thunderstorms occur in the United States, producing 25 million lightning flashes. These can strike as far as 25 miles from the storm that produces them, making it difficult to predict if the event is in danger. Having accurate, real-time lightning information is critical to ensure that you know if and when to evacuate and get people to safety as well as when it’s safe to resume activities.
Event meteorologists
Because keeping people safe is a top priority, meeting and event planners could consider a professional weather monitoring service for all outdoor events.
There are commercial weather services (such as DTN) that offer meteorologists for individual events. These experts are highly trained (degreed and certified) meteorologists who consult on the different factors that could affect an event. They can work with planners to navigate uncertainty pertaining to constantly evolving weather patterns and can provide 24/7 weather counsel and information when unfavorable weather conditions will impact the event, through the use of sophisticated software and precision weather instruments.
Typically, vendors offer three different types of services that can fit any size event or budget. For larger events, they offer on-site help during your event. The next level of service monitors weather for your event remotely from a fully staffed team of meteorologists. Lastly, they can provide you with an online service to create custom alerts that allow you to keep track of the weather while performing other activities. Each level of service provides you with accurate real-time, location-specific forecasts, lightning detection and high-wind warnings, giving you peace of mind and advanced notice.
Evacuation planning
Predicting the expected size of a crowd at an event can be extremely helpful when determining evacuation procedures. The number of attendees will determine the time necessary to safely evacuate the event. For example, if there is a small outdoor sporting event and severe weather or lightning causes an evacuation, the criteria might be set so that the event can continue until lightning is within a closer distance, but still with enough time to make sure everyone gets to safety. However, if there is a higher volume of people at a larger outdoor event, the criteria might be set much earlier because evacuation time will take much longer.
As important as it is to know the venue, it is equally important to survey the shelters around the venue in case of an evacuation. Shelters need to be able to safely accommodate the entire group. If there aren’t enough indoor safe spaces to accommodate all attendees, directing them to fully enclosed vehicles is the next best option.
Destination consideration
Weather patterns are another important factor to consider. The region where the event is being held impacts weather monitoring tactics. For example, if there is an event in Indiana, there are normally weather indications days before severe weather hits, making it easier to predict and prepare. However, in Florida, severe weather can happen extremely fast without much warning at all, making it much harder to plan. As a result, it is essential that such pre-event consultations occur to discuss local weather patterns and what type of weather the event might experience.
Communications tactics
Developing a communications protocol before an event is another key to success in the case of an emergency. The severe weather protocol should include who to contact and when, as well as the steps necessary to make fast and logical decisions. If monitoring weather yourself, you need to identify who is monitoring weather conditions—and this should be the person’s sole responsibility during the event or meeting. If you have on-site help, you need to work with them to determine the best spot to monitor weather conditions and decide who the best contact is in case things take a turn for the worse. Defining the exact weather characteristics to look for and when an expert opinion is needed, can help keep everyone safe and aware if the forecast changes.
Event planners are very good at ensuring all of the details are covered for a successful meeting or event. Weather should never be taken for granted and always incorporated into your event plans to eliminate nasty surprises.
You lead an in-house team of meeting planners and you’ve just been given staggering news: Your company’s CFO has announced they are spinning off the event department in 90 days.
In three months, your event team will be a separate business and will no longer be guaranteed to get the company’s event work, which will now be put out to bid. Your group will have to compete with other event agencies if it wants the business. You will, however, be free to pursue event work from other companies, but you’ll have to compete for that as well.
You’re faced with a potentially frightening thought: Would your in-house clients hire you and/or your team if they didn’t have to?
This scenario forms the basis of an exercise I run when working with in-house event and meeting teams to help make them more innovative and entrepreneurial. And let me tell you, it’s a real eye-opener, because it forces people to take a hard look at the value they currently provide, which is often not nearly as great as it needs to be to protect their jobs.
1. Becoming indispensable to your clients and company
Your ultimate goal is for your team to provide so much strategic value to your clients that they can’t imagine running their business units without your help. That if the company decided to actually disband or significantly cut back your department, those clients would rise up in revolt in your defense.
Picture a product or service you can’t imagine living without—Spotify, Netflix, Wi-Fi, your weekly yoga or spin class, etc. Now think of how crazy you’d go if that were to be taken away from you. That’s the level of value you want to be providing.
To do this, you need to transform client perceptions of your team, from logistics managers to business event strategists.
To be a trusted advisor to your client, you first have to figure out what it is they find the most valuable when it comes to events and event services.
And here’s where the big disconnect often comes: The things planners often think of as important, are simply not that important to clients. This is why so many planners lament that their clients “don’t appreciate what we do.” There are things the clients care about; most planners simply aren’t doing them.
Planners focus on making sure the meeting gets properly planned and executed, a process involving budgets, floor plans, time lines, venue contracts, etc.—these are minor details to clients. For them, the event is a means to an end, a vehicle to achieve a strategic business goal. An event can be flawlessly executed and come in under budget, but if it didn’t move the needle in advancing those business goals, the client’s not happy. What the client will find super valuable, however, is your ability to really understand what they want to accomplish, know the target audience and design an event to achieve those goals with that audience. In other words, customized strategic guidance. The event needs to be properly organized, of course, but the client doesn’t care as much whether your team does the execution, or if you outsource some or all of that to free up enough time to provide that strategic guidance.
Think about your last visit to the doctor. A receptionist checked you in, verified your insurance and handed you some forms to fill out. A nurse took your blood pressure and other vital signs, and perhaps came back later to draw a blood sample. An outside lab analyzed that blood; a third party probably handled the billing. Your doctor didn’t do any of that. She only came in to examine you, discuss your symptoms and recommend treatment.
Do you really care that the lab work was farmed out? Of course not, as long as it was done correctly. You trust that the doctor picked a reputable lab and is analyzing the results for you. What you value most is their expertise.
This customized strategic guidance is the highest value a professional consultant, in any industry, can provide.
What should you be doing to provide services that your clients will find tremendously valuable? For starters, here are some basics to apply to any event.
Understand their business
Understand how the event fits into the business
Help the client articulate clear goals for the event
Determine whether the event is in fact the right vehicle to achieve those goals
Design the event in a way to insure it achieves the goals
Collaborate on ways to measure success
Debrief after the event to evaluate the results
These steps are likely what’s most important to your client, because they position you as a key player in helping them grow their business. They’re also harder to outsource, either to an internal or external resource. The challenge for many planners, however, is that this taps a different part of the brain from managing logistics, which is far more cut and dried. The fact that being a strategic advisor is not cut and dried, though, is what makes it so valuable.
5. Challenging orthodoxy: Hallmarks of a trusted advisor
Being a trusted advisor means challenging some preconceived notions.
“The customer is (NOT) always right.”
To follow that advice, you’d need to do whatever your client asked you, no matter how dumb an idea it might be, which is the basic definition of an order taker. Smart trusted advisors are willing to push back against their clients, if it means safeguarding their best interests from their whims.
Imagine if you went to an attorney for guidance on a legal matter, and told him you wanted to use a defense you saw on Law and Order the other day. An order taker would fulfill your request, even if it might lead to you losing the case. A trusted advisor would say, “Not on my watch. I won’t let you put yourself in that position.”
Whether you call it “tough love” or “telling truth to power” it means having some potentially uncomfortable conversations, but those conversations will earn you the client’s respect.
Talk the client out of an event if it’s not a smart investment.
A trusted advisor treats the client’s business and money as if it’s her own. That means if a client comes to you with an event to produce, and you don’t think it’s likely to accomplish their business goals, you need to say so.
This might involve telling the client they need to spend more money, if that’s what it will take to get the job done. Or you might point out that those goals could be more cost-effectively accomplished through a vehicle other than an event. [The client may insist, advice be damned, that they want to proceed anyway, in which case you’ve at least voiced your professional opinion.]
It may seem counterproductive to turn away an event request, but that’s the kind of advice the client needs from you, and it will carry far more weight the next time you advocate to defend the budget of a different event.
…
Order takers are easy to come by, which is why they tend not to provide enormous value. Trusted advisors are much harder to find, more likely to become indispensable to their clients, and hence more difficult to replace. Focus as much of your time and effort on the strategic elements that are the most valuable to your clients, and delegate or outsource the tasks that can be filled by order takers, and you will be well on your way to becoming a truly trusted advisor.
This is a letter I’ve wanted to write to you, but never have gotten around to doing. Now that I’ve written it, I might not send it. I’m not very visible to you for most of the year; you only see me at the annual meeting and perhaps a couple of quarterly meetings. I’m a meeting professional with your trade association, working year-round to ensure that your time and monetary investment in being a member pays off for you.
I don’t know if you realize it, but preparation for some meetings such as the annual convention actually begins more than a year in advance. I undertake dozens of activities to assure a successful meeting, including visiting potential sites, walking the halls and inspecting the actual facilities, even going up to the rooms—all to ensure your satisfaction when you actually stay there for three or four days. I may also speak with the hotel or convention hall catering division, their audiovisual staff and security division. I work behind the scenes with airlines, shuttle services and so forth.
Making the numbers work
Hand in hand with the site selection is the big job of number crunching. How many registrants will we need and at what price, to hold the meeting at a particular site? What kind of discounts can we offer for early registration? How about spouses, staff, kids, directors, vendors? If all the numbers work, how shall we promote the event? We have to tie it to this year’s theme, and make all the flyers, brochures, registration forms and other supporting materials part of a unified effort. It will take several rounds of mailing to ensure that we have enough early registrations so we don’t have to dip into other funds.
Of course, we can’t just plan a meeting, without having events. In some instances, I contact dozens of speakers just to retain the few that will be right for our intended program. Then I have to consider entertainment, spouses programs, children’s activities, receptions, farewells and a host of coffee breaks, tours, parties and other events that require careful planning—although when you’re attending them, I want them to come off so smoothly that you think hardly any planning went into it.
Then there’s the final banquet. Planning that in itself is a gargantuan effort. Will we go formal or semi-formal? Will there be favors on the table? Will there be a dais? Will we get an outside, renowned speaker? Will there be a band, will there be dancing, will there be cordials, will there be a cash bar, will there be a late-night coffee house? The number of options and challenges are almost endless.
The conference schedule
For each activity, each session, each keynote, I have to calculate how many of the total registrants will be in attendance. Should we have morning sessions at 8:00, 8:30 or 9:00? Should they last 60 minutes, 75 or 90? How about break times? How many sessions will we have each day? How many sessions in the afternoon? Should sessions be repeated so people don’t feel frustrated because they have to choose one over another? What about audio and video recording? How should the recordings be priced? What about copyright issues?
As you can see by now, I’m involved and concerned with several hundred distinct issues—and we haven’t even gotten to mailing out registration kits, let alone receiving them, handling the hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of phone calls or handling the event itself.
I’ve wanted to explain all of this to you in detail for so long, but there never seems to be the time. When you call throughout the year it’s usually with a question—which I’m only too happy to answer if I can—then you and I have other things to get back to. When I see you at the annual meeting or some of the quarterly meetings, our respective agendas are full. We’re all busy people and explaining everything I need to do to make the meeting successful is not of primary importance at those times.
Sometimes I just want to shout, “Please appreciate me,” or “Please write me nice notes when things go well,” in addition to letting me know when things don’t go so well. Please acknowledge me for the hundreds of things I do long before the event ever comes to fruition.
Still more work
And the conference follow-up—it’s as rigorous as anything else! When the convention is over you get back on the plane or in your car and head home. I still have many, many tasks to fulfill. I have requests, and maybe orders, to fulfill. There are items to box up and ship back. There’s dispensing of checks to vendors, service providers, speakers, rental companies and the meeting facility. There are notes to be typed up and reports to be written, updates to be made, membership categories to be modified, next year’s convention plans to be altered—it just doesn’t end. I haven’t imparted all this to you although I’ve wanted to, for oh, so long.
Well, I guess I don’t have the wherewithal to send this letter—I knew that before I started. I’ll just leave it parked here on my desktop and turn back to one of the 200 other important tasks that demand my ever-present attention.
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Last week saw headlines about the destruction and flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and the monsoons in Mumbai. These events are an important reminder for event planners that disaster can strike at anywhere and at any time. After they hit, it can be difficult to recover.
Collect emergency contacts and demographic information.
Before events, particularly those that are away from home base, be sure to collect information about citizenships and emergency contacts for all participants.
Citizenship information will be required if assistance from embassies is required. E-mails, home phone numbers, business numbers, and mobile phones are essential. If one channel goes down, it’s essential to have others as a back-up.
Be sure to obtain written permission to pass this information on to the embassy, local tourist board and emergency service providers.
Remind the members of your party to bring supplies for emergencies.
In the excitement of travel, people often forget to build these basic supplies. Remind your guests to bring flashlights and extra batteries in case the power goes out. It goes without saying that winter clothing is essential in certain destinations. Depending on the time of year, it is advisable to bring rain gear. Mobile phones are important to bring in case landline service goes down. Most carriers provide affordable roaming packages.
When travelling outside the country, it is also a good idea for participants to bring sealed envelopes with medical information and a copy of their passports. If the original gets lost, the copies will make it easier to obtain replacements.
Advise everyone to purchase extra water after clearing security and enough food to tide them over in case of delays.
In Canada, an inquiry is currently underway. On July 31st., passengers onboard flights from Brussels and Rome to Montreal sat on the tarmac for 6 hours without water, food or air conditioning. Their flights had been diverted to Ottawa due to severe weather in Montreal that prevented landing.
File the participant list, venue and emergency contacts with the local embassy.
This information will help authorities provide assistance swiftly. The embassy can also assist groups in getting information to reassure emergency contacts.
Arrange for someone at home base to monitor the situation remotely and stay in contact with the group.
If the power goes out, the group may be unaware of what is happening beyond their immediate location. Often, contact can be maintained through mobile phones.
I’m spending most of this month in Montreal. On Tuesday, August 22 it rained heavily. The power went out a couple of times and then it stayed out for almost two days. With no radio, Internet or TV we had no idea of the extent of the damage. It was not until the next morning when venturing out for breakfast, that the extent of the damage became clear. (Without warning, a microburst had hit the area. It toppled giant trees, totaled cars, damaged roofs, and almost completely destroyed a park.)
Pass the guest information and emergency contacts on to the local tourist board as soon as there is a severe weather warning.
When Hurricane Sandy hit, the Jamaica Tourist Board was extremely helpful in assisting the members of one of my corporate groups who had extended their stay. They even contacted members of the group who had moved to other hotels to verify that they were safe.
Additional tips:
Obtain emergency and medical contact numbers and provide this for all guests with their itinerary.
Ask the hotel to brief the group about emergency procedures during orientation.
When venturing off the beaten track, ensure that you have emergency supplies, first aid kits, and an ample supply of water and food.
As soon as there is a severe weather warning, contact the airline and find out if there is an option for the group to leave ahead of schedules.
While it’s impossible to prepare for all catastrophes, careful pre-planning reduces the impact, minimizes discomfort and ensure that the group receives speedy assistance.
In July, Gabriel Garza took on a new role as president of the MPI Houston Area Chapter. In the August issue of The Meeting Professional, he shared insight into the meeting and event industry offerings of his beloved city—the fourth-largest in the United States. On Aug. 25, Hurricane Harvey began an unrelenting attack on southeast Texas, at first with severe winds and then, even more devastatingly, days of soaking rains the likes of which no one can recall experiencing. The total anticipated rain from the storm is expected to match or exceed the rainfall that Houston sees in an entire year—all in a week.
We checked in with Gabriel Garza, complex account director, group sales for The Westin Galleria Houston and The Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria, to see how he’s doing in this chaotic and dangerous situation. He took some time to share his story with us and his global meeting industry family.
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I certainly appreciate the concern from my MPI family.
My wife and I were talking last night and I told her, I am just mentally drained, and that perfectly states my feelings right now.
Thankfully, we are safe. Our street is flooded and we are stuck but no water has entered our home. This is not the case for many family friends we know. We live in the south side of Houston in the city of Manvel, which is in an area where some of the heaviest rain and flooding occurred (not far from Dickinson and Friendswood, Texas). We know many family friends and individuals who have had to evacuate their homes and/or who have been rescued by boat or helicopter. The worse part of all this is feeling helpless… not being able to lend a hand to friends and community members.
I work at The Westin Galleria Houston & Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria, connected to the Houston Galleria Mall. Our hotel did not suffer any damage or flooding and is open for business to welcome any evacuees and/or disaster relief teams. Mind you, our hotel is operating with limited staff with many of our team members who have been there since Thursday of last week. Appreciation does not describe how thankful we are to have them tending to our in-house guests.
We have had a few group cancellations due to the inability to get to Houston but minimal. Our sales team is working on a number of opportunities as we hope to be home to disaster relief teams in the coming weeks as we begin to rebuild this great city.
I have communicated to Holly Dotson at MPI Global as we are hoping to establish a disaster relief fund on behalf of our chapter in partnership with the other Texas chapters. I am fortunate to have received emails from other MPI presidents around the U.S. who are ready to assist in our efforts.
In the words of JJ Watt [defensive end for the Houston Texans football team], “Houston’s a great city. We’re going to come out of this stronger than ever.”
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I certainly appreciate the concern from my MPI family.
