Conference organizers are people who specialize in planning and putting
on conferences, conventions, meetings, trade shows and other special events.
They coordinate locations, people, flights, events, rooms and more. They
take care of everything. Conference organizers even provide the name tags.
Organizers may also have to plan for the people attending the event. This
may include looking after flight arrangements, hotel accommodations and meals.
They may also plan recreational activities for the delegates. Everything
must be coordinated so that there are no conflicts. Everything must run smoothly.
The organizer also advises the client on how to make the most of the event.
This may include advice on getting good speakers or even picking the best
time for a lunch break. The organizer has to make sure the event stays on
budget.
A conference organizer has to be able to handle all kinds of events. Some
meetings may only involve 25 people. Others, like annual conventions and trade
shows, may have as many as 3,000 delegates!
Usually, conference organizers are self-employed. They may own their own
businesses or co-own businesses with partners.
Other conference organizers are employees of large companies. As "in-house"
organizers, they organize events just for their employers. For instance, IGA,
the Independent Grocers Association, has full-time meeting planners who are
kept busy just organizing IGA events.
Many hotels also employ full-time conference organizers.
For some people, planning is just part of their job. University professors
sometimes must plan conferences. The secretaries of executives often do lots
of meeting planning, too.
Much of a conference organizer's work takes place in an office. But this
is not really an office job. A conference organizer has to attend the event,
making sure everything is running smoothly. That can mean working very odd
hours, weekends included.
It's not all that uncommon to work 18-hour days during events, says organizer
Michael Ardenne.
"For instance, if somebody has [a choir] as breakfast entertainment, we're
doing a sound check at 6 in the morning. If they're having a gala ball that
night, then we're probably on deck with the band and the decorating people
closing that up around 1:30 or 2 a.m.," says Ardenne.
"But we work around it," he continues. "If any of us wanted a 9-to-5 job,
we sure as heck wouldn't be working here!"
Depending on the type of event being organized, a planner may have to travel.
A lot of driving and flying should be expected in this career.
Technology will play an increasingly important role in this career. Multimedia
presentations are now commonplace. Interactive systems enabling the audience
to instantly communicate with presenters are starting to be used.
It is important that future conference organizers are comfortable with
this high-tech movement.