Event managers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure sponsors and to keep them engaged in providing much-needed financial and in-kind supports. Something needs to change. It is time to bury the old idea of developing one-size-fits-all programs that beautifully outline our event’s Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsorship levels.

A well-delivered and effective meetings program will enhance the success of your organization. It will move you forward through connection, the exchange of ideas, the dissemination of information, and educational opportunities. Meetings help to build your business and the relationships you have with your customers.

Amid today’s challenging climate of economic uncertainty, more and more discussion about meetings and events is taking place in the corporate boardroom, where senior management teams are assessing the value those meetings bring to their business. For a professional meeting planner, knowing how to prove the value of tangible and intangible returns on a stakeholder’s investment is an enviable skill.

As meeting planners, we are on a continual quest to advance the quality of the conferences we deliver. This is necessary to ensure growth in attendance and program effectiveness. We want our conferences to reach more people and to see new learnings applied in their workplaces.

For almost two decades I have been working in the meetings and events industry. I can not imagine dedicating my career to anything else.  What a thrill to be doing work I am very passionate about in a rewarding industry that is developing at a rapid pace.

The meetings and events industry has seen a lot of changes over the past decade. As an event organizer, you will have witnessed an increased complexity in the hotel contracts you negotiate.