Tips on Professionalism in Event and Meeting Planning

Many times, an administrative assistant is asked to head up the planning of an event or meeting with little or no experience in doing so. Planning an event or a meeting can be stressful for even a seasoned professional, let alone someone who is new to the game. In starting in on the quest to execute a well planned event, there are some preliminary tips you should consider in order to ensure a professional relationship with venues, carters and attendees so that they don't cringe at the thought of future events hosted by your company. There are typically two types of events or meetings that you could be responsible for planning: one that is attended by employees of your company and one that is attended by those who are there to learn more about your company.

When Planning an Office Event or Meeting:

We all know that meetings can range from a few minutes in the break room to an all day annual staff meeting. If this is your first (or nearly first) time planning a meeting or event for members of your own team, there are some things you should keep in mind:

1. Don't Play Jr. Boss - Just because you are planning the meeting doesn't mean you are the one in charge. You do not want your role as meeting planner to turn into you delegating to your colleagues. Your boss wants a right hand man, not someone who is trying to take over his position. Even if you are the one presenting at the meeting, it's unprofessional for you to appear as if you have a certain amount of power over the attendees simply because you had a hand in outlining the meeting.

2. Keep the Tone of the Meeting Professional - This one can be difficult, especially if it's the first time you have planned a meeting for your company that your colleagues will be attending. Refrain from casual conversation with colleagues. Regardless of the fact that they are your friends, I am guessing that your boss will most likely request that you plan a second, third, or fourth meeting and keeping it professional from the get go will benefit your planning and presenting efforts immensely in the future.

When Planning an "Outside" Event or Meeting:

1. Keep Good Contact With Vendors - It can be very intimidating to juggle all of the various responsibilities that come along with planning an event or meeting for your company, especially when you are dealing with the pressure of representing your company in the best way possible. While your attendees are number 1 on your list of important things to consider, keep in mind that you might be responsible for planning future events. Strong relationships with representatives from rental companies, hotels, caterers, etc... are going to be your key to success.

2. Don't Keep Anyone in the Dark - So, you know that the venue you are casing is way out of budget and you are leading the representative to believe otherwise? No harm, no foul, right? Avoid putting yourself in these types of scenarios. Time is money to many vendors and if, for whatever reason, you know you are not going to do business with them, be up front and tell them. Trust me, feelings are irrelevant and while they would have liked to make the sale, they would like it a lot less if you kept them in the dark until the week before the event and they were stuck with an empty space.

Tips that Apply to Both:

1. Give a Proper Intro - This is a step that is often left out in "first-time" scenarios. Even if most of your colleagues know you, they need a proper introduction as to why they are there and what the agenda is. If this is an outside event where your attendees are unfamiliar with you, it is appropriate to give a short bio about your history with the company and maybe a little of your personal history (i.e. where you are from, your family, etc...). Just remember to keep it short, sweet and to the point but leaving it out is a big no-no.

2. Provide Name Tags - Some companies are smaller and in them, it seems most everyone knows each other. But you have to consider the fact that companies have different departments and maybe they don't see one another very often. You don't want to put an attendee in the uncomfortable position of struggling to recall a colleague's name. Name tags are also crucial for the sake of guest speakers. If your speaker would like to call on an audience member, I am guessing he would prefer the luxury of a name tag over, "uh, that guy in the tan shirt." Name tags provide a much more professional atmosphere - and don't forget to give yourself one too.