Are you organized and detail-oriented? Do you like working with all kinds of people? Do you enjoy travel? Are you calm under pressure? If so, your next career could be as a meeting and event planner.
“Corporate meetings came to a dead stop in 2009 because of the economy, but we’re starting to see them pick back up again,” said Kate Lastinger, founding partner of Metaphrasis Group, a strategic meeting management company.
Because Atlanta is a business meeting hub, she expects the convention industry to recover faster here than in other cities.
“People are starting to hire again, and someone with new skills, social-networking savvy and fresh ideas stands a good chance of getting hired,” said Lastinger, past president of the Georgia chapter of Meeting Planners International.
U.S. News and World Report named meeting planning as one of the 50 best careers in 2010, projecting professional meetings to grow due to the continued globalization of business and the value of face-to-face interaction. The demand for meeting planners is expected to jump 16 percent by 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Meeting and Event Management certificate offered through the College of Continuing and Professional Education at Kennesaw State University can get you started in the field.
“This certificate will give you a full suite of the skills that you need to go out and find a job,” said Lastinger, one of the program’s instructors.
Starting salaries for meeting planners range from the high $20,000s to the mid-$40,000s. Some students take the course and start their own business.
People from various fields can benefit from the program.
“Some of our students are already working as planners. Maybe they’re planning events for their company, nonprofit organization or association, and want to learn how to do it better,” Lastinger said.
Students in the program include some who want to add a new skill set to advance their careers and others looking for a career change.
“Meeting-planning skills are useful for sporting events coordinators, hoteliers, professional association managers, neighborhood association activity directors, festival organizers, fundraisers, nonprofit program managers and administrative assistants,” said Carla Barnes, print and public relations manager for Kennesaw’s College of Continuing and Professional Education.
The nine-week certificate program begins with the fundamentals.
“We want participants to start by assessing the purpose of a particular meeting or event, so that all their choices are a good fit,” Lastinger said. “An airport hotel might be a good site for a training event, but not if the noise levels keep attendees awake at night, so they can’t learn.”
Subsequent classes cover professionalism and ethics, budgets, food and beverage, transportation, audio-visual and technology, site selection and onsite-management, marketing and promotion and legal issues.
“All of our instructors have deep roots in this industry, so students gain the value of our real-life experience and stories,” Lastinger said. “We don’t just talk about site selection. We’ll take a field trip to a hotel, so that they learn what to look for and what questions to ask.”
Instructors encourage students to join industry associations such as Meeting Planners International, which offers student memberships and scholarships.
“By getting involved and networking, they’ll learn more about the types of jobs in the industry and where their strengths and personality fit best,” she said.
Lastinger has enjoyed seeing the world and working with interesting people. She likes the satisfaction that comes with planning a successful event, but says the job isn’t all fun and glamour.
“You work long hours. You’re there before anyone else arrives and after everyone goes home,” she said.
Kennesaw is offering the Meeting and Event Planning Certificate program from Sept. 30 to Nov. 18. Classes meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The tuition is $1,299.
For more information, call 770-423-6765 or go to www.kennesaw.edu/coned.
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