In your role as a facilitator and meeting manager, what do you see are the most common challenges facing meeting professionals today?
There are two categories of challenges: jobs and performance. In-house planner jobs are being eliminated in favor of using ‘third parties,’ and senior planners are being let go in favor of less experienced (and less costly) new hires. Organizations and corporations seem to have forgotten the value of an in-house planner who knows the culture, members or customers, and the history and brings to the mix a world of knowledge.

Performance issues are difficult because the market has changed so dramatically. Many senior managers believe that “booking and cooking” a meeting is the same as it was years ago. It is not. We are faced with a market that requires flexibility to book and execute meetings. Audiences are weary of the same old stuff when it comes to content and design of a meeting. Planners have to have more knowledge about meeting design and about how facilities make money to move nimbly around the market and create meetings that bring a high ROI to all stakeholders.

What advice would you have for someone who is just starting out in the meeting planning industry?
Learn and learn more. Be curious and ask a multitude of questions. Never assume you know something or that you have enough experience in anything to go it on your own. Join and become active in one of the industry associations. Develop your network of colleagues with whom you can learn. Read industry trades and outside publications so you can begin to see patterns and learn how they impact your work.

What is the biggest single event planning challenge you have faced in your career?
I am good about blocking out bad stuff! That said – there have been many: the defection at an international meeting, a gun and death threat against a high level member of the judiciary at another, a tornado roaring through the town in which a meeting was held, spoiled food pulled at the last minute from a bus trip, and so it goes. EACH meeting and each event are different, posing new and different challenges so each one, at the time, is the “greatest.” It is the learning I do from every meeting I’ve done and from learning from others about what they’ve done that allows me to grow in the work I do.

Do you have any advice for your colleagues when it comes to working with speakers or using speakers bureaus?
First know your audience. Then help your organizations develop goals and objectives for the meeting that align with the overall mission of the company and/or strategic plan of the organization. Then communicate all that to a speakers bureau and require that it is communicated to a speaker. Require that speakers customize their presentations to an audience as a result of your communicating the audience profile and goals and objectives. Ensure the contracts are solid and you understand all the obligations of the parties. Leave nothing to chance when it comes to the deliverables for the programs.

I’m sure you’ve seen more than your share of speakers in your career. Are there any speaker in particular that stand out or have had a major influence on you?
There have been many who have had both a positive and negative influence on me. A note quickly about the “negative” influence: what I’ve learned from the speakers who did not truly address the audience or customize the presentation is how to better help a speaker understand the audience and the goals and objectives. Guy Kawasaki is one who had a major positive influence. It is his knowledge, style, wit, and customization of what he says to particular audiences that impacted me. Another is Sarah Weddington who brings humor and experience when she talks about leadership – her experiences in the White House, as a teacher, and as a successful woman are inspiring. One more is Marcus Buckingham who has energy and brings his research to his programs, offering tips that we all can use to develop our strengths.

JOAN EISENSTODT: With over thirty years of experience in professional meeting planning, Joan Eisenstodt is a powerful force in the industry. Eisendstodt is fluent in the language of hospitality and customer service, and has earned respect and recognition from her peers in the industry. Most recently, she has been named the 2006 Professional Meeting Partner of the Year by the National Speakers Association. She has been named “One of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Meeting News magazine and is a Successful Meetings magazine “Power Player.”