Event planning organizations are groups that stay on top of the trends in meeting and facility management, event preparation and organization and speaker circuit news. Members of meeting planner associations need to know where they fit in the scheme of things as relates to their own clients’ best welfare. While wedding planner associations remain a top choice for many clients, others prefer the well-rounded talents of those who participate in a national event planners association.

Shop around armed with the most information you can find about event planning professional associations by keeping up with the latest event and conference planning organizations news and trends. Look for event planner organizations by communicating with other business owners with similar needs. Find out about unique and cost-effective event planning organizations through industry publications and business-owner blogs. As you build your network, find numerous ways to keep up with event and conference planning organizations news and trends without having to attend every meeting and volunteer at too many groups.

1. Use trade association publications to keep up with event planners association news

2. Subscribe to event planning association publications

3. Sign on for email alerts from an association of event planners

Action Steps
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Share information with other event planning association members

Blogs and online newsletters are replacing print magazines in droves and they can be a very efficient means of communication. Find an Internet blog or website that provides trust-worthy information and attracts reliable posting participants.

I recommend: Get news from the industry around the world from the newsletters put out by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. Through the International Association of Speakers Bureaus you can find out all the latest news and trends that are driving the speakers who can make or break a big event.

Read up on changes in professional event planning associations

News about event planning professional associations is still available online and in hard copy print versions. Browse the news affecting your industry, or an industry with which you'd like to business. You'll be better served by knowing about any big changes when you go onto client meetings or bid on contracts than if you are in the dark because you were too busy to check the latest news and trends sources you've set up.

I recommend: Easily keep up with trends through the National Association of Catering Executives. Find news reports, larger issues research papers and other forms of reporting at the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.

Receive event planners association email alerts

While most business owners are trying to clear out their in-boxes to save time, you should allow at least one information provider to get into your email with alerts about new event planner association ideas. You shouldn't miss out on vital society of event planners alerts.

I recommend: There are a number of ways you can stay on top of news and trends through the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives, whether you read the quarterly newsletters or subscribe to regular email alerts. Keep up with a popular niche piece of the industry through the email alerts and newsletters put out by the Religious Conference Management Association.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make knowledge a premium in your company by charging each of your employees to read or subscribe to at least one magazine or newsletter and share event and conference planning organizations news and trends they've uncovered at staff meetings.

If you are a fledgling special events planner, it may be time to get some help from event planning organizations. Whether you specialize in corporate meetings, charity fundraisers or perfectly planned weddings, getting involved with your peers will help grow your business.

Not sure if joining an event planning association is necessary to build your small business? Here are the top benefits:

1. Joining a well-known professional organization will give you access to people who've been in the business for years and are ready and willing to help you.

2. You can participate in a trade show to connect with vendors from all over the world. Many trade shows also incorporate educational seminars for event planners to attend.

3. You'll shine when you get professional certification from your organization. You will show passion for your profession, and you will add instant credibility to your event planning business.

Action Steps
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Pick the right event planners association

Research the various event planning organizations. Join a national association of event planners, and then connect with your local group. If there's not one in your city, get involved with your state chapter.

I recommend: The International Special Events Society represents event planners and related industries. It's recognized as an industry leader. The Event Planners Association is an excellent resource for a small event planning business. It offers help with website design and leasing equipment.

Catch some excitement at an event planners association trade show

Attend an industry sponsored trade show. You can pump some fresh blood into your business with all the new ideas you'll get.

I recommend: The Special Event is the largest trade show and conference for professional event planners in the world. Held annually, it offers several hundred vendors, classes and an opportunity to meet other professionals in the field. At BizBash expos, you'll join thousands of other event planners to see what's new in the special events world. Shows are held in several U.S. cities each year.

Get certification from an association of event planners

Professional development is critical if you want to pursue your business seriously. Event planning is a field where change is constant and important. Stay up-to-date with workshops offered by national and local groups.

I recommend: If you're looking for continuing education from wedding planner associations, The Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants offers training and certification. Meeting Professionals International offers conferences all over the world and gives a certificate in meeting management recognized by many universities.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find out which member benefits are free and which will cost you. In addition to annual dues, some event and conference planning organizations charge extra for critiquing publicity materials or for one-on-one consultation to discuss your business needs.
• •  Buying health insurance can be a budget buster for the small business owner. You may be able to purchase reasonably priced insurance through event planning professional associations.

Event planning organizations provide many opportunities to participate in industry workgroups and events that can put your business in a position to make more contacts that will help to increase sales. As a volunteer in an association of event planners, you’ll be able to build relationships with other members of the event planners association who work within the industry in some capacity.

Professional event planning associations are always open to receiving help with various committees that involve various amounts of effort. You can begin working with event planner organizations in a number of capacities, from lobbying on behalf of the association of event planners, to serving on the board, writing for the society of event planners newsletters or helping to put on the group’s meetings and conferences. Make a name for yourself in the industry by working with event and conference planning organizations in a variety of ways.

1. Expand your network through wedding planner associations

2. Support the industry by participating in event planning professional associations

3. Serve on committees in meeting planner associations

Action Steps
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Build lasting relationships in event planner organizations

In event planning organizations you will spend quality time with other members in the regular meetings, seminars and conventions put on by the professional event planning associations. Build on those relationships by working with the planning committees for the events and your company will reap the rewards of greater exposure and positive influence within the event planner association as a whole.

I recommend: Meeting Planners International is one of the largest trade groups for the association of event planners industry and offers many local chapters in which you can get involved. Make valuable connections by working with the Professional Convention Management Association.

Donate time and resources to event planner organizations

In addition to the members of the event and conference planning organizations with whom you'll work, you'll also find opportunities to meet with affiliate members. To gain credibility and favor with all members of the association, you should pay regular membership dues and look for other ways to donate resources whether it's financially through advertising and donations or with your time.

I recommend: Find niche members and exciting opportunities to work with volunteers of the International Association of Fairs & Expos. Work with executives, managers and other event professionals at the International Association of Assembly Managers.

Participate actively in event planning organizations

Events, trade shows and seminars are regular activities for those whose main industry is the production of those events. While most nonprofit associations employ a staff to assist the membership with its various activities, volunteers are an invaluable piece of any association of event planners. In addition to board and committee work, consider providing your professional expertise by teaching at the seminars or offering your services as a speaker during special events.

I recommend: Find a place for your company at the table with the professionals at the Connected International Meeting Professionals Association. The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association will put you in touch with an entirely different group of event planners. Round out your networking by inclusion of this group in your radar.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  In addition to your own participation in an event planning association, encourage your staff, particularly senior management, to find a group in which they too can get involved.

Planning business events or conferences involve many different facets, such as finding the right venue, negotiating the contract, setting a budget, coordinating registrations, hiring speakers, and setting up audiovisual equipment needs. All of this involves special skills and resources. Event and conference planning organizations key terms involve special certifications and terms. Become familiar with the roles and responsibilities of those who plan events, as well as the organizations that certify them.

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Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)

Certified Meeting Professional is a professional designation for an event planner who demonstrates knowledge (through a certification exam) and performance (through professional experience). This designation indicates that the person certified is working to meet industry standards.

I recommend: Convention Industry Council describes the CMP designation in more detail.

Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP)

Another professional designation for event planning professionals, the Certified Special Events Professional, is someone who is certified through a standardized exam and professional experience. This certification demonstrates that the event planner has made a commitment to the highest level of professionalism in the special events industry.

I recommend: For further information, see the International Special Events Society website.

Request for proposal (RFP)

A request for proposal is a formal request for service organizations to bid on a project. It involves detailed information about the requirements for your project. In event and conference planning organizations, you can send an RFP for their proposal for your event or you can hire an event organization to coordinate the RFP process for venues and other vendors needed for your event.

I recommend: Net Dynasty explains the RFP process in more detail.

International Event and Wedding Professional (IWEP)

The International Event and Wedding Professional certification is a distance education program that offers step-by-step training and mentorship in the field of event and wedding planning.

I recommend: The QC School of Event Planning offers this certification.

Certificate in Conference Management and Event Planning

The Certificate in Conference Management and Event Planning is an education program that results in a certificate. It can be taken online or in a classroom. It differs from the certification process in that it is a one-time achieved certificate that verifies that you have taken the course.

I recommend: The International School of Hospitality offers this certificate program.

Certified Professional Catering Executive (CPCE)

The Certified Professional Catering Executive certification is achieved by passing a national exam. It sets a national standard of competence for catering executives and special events planners. The core competencies for this exam are in accounting, beverage management, catering services, contracts and agreements, event management, food production and sales and marketing.

I recommend: The National Association of Catering Executives administers the CPCS exam and certifies the applicants.