Additional Information
Conference organizers are skilled negotiators with a professional approach.
They are also experts at scheduling, program design and agenda planning. A
wide range of experience is the main prerequisite for this job.
Jean-Paul de Lavison is the president of a conference organizing company.
He has hired people with a wide variety of backgrounds, from nursing to law
to dentistry.
Regardless of their histories, they all have one thing in common: professionalism.
"It's not as if these people went to a school where they were taught professionalism.
They were pros, period," he says.
If you're interested in pursuing this career, find some kind of work in
the area, even if it means volunteering. Volunteering is one of the best ways
to get experience in organization and management.
Approach your local chamber of commerce or convention and visitors bureau.
These organizations may be able to give you information on internships in
meeting planning, as well.
Or get involved in a volunteer organization, or join a club and take over.
Take up an opportunity to organize something. Practice your networking skills.
They're necessities in the planning business.
It takes time to become a successful conference organizer. Most organizers
are in their 40s and come from various backgrounds in business, public relations,
hospitality and tourism.
Vanessa Burns-Trevitt, for instance, has a degree in public relations.
She has a strong background in volunteer work. She got a lot of experience
organizing for nonprofit organizations.
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) suggests you go into a hospitality
management, meeting management or hotel-restaurant-travel administration program.
Check out the colleges and universities near you for programs in these areas.
MPI says most professionals in this industry have degrees or experience
in management and business.
As a conference organizer, you may want to get certified. A council called
the Convention Liaison Council oversees the certified meeting professional
program. Getting this certification requires you to work in the field, take
courses, and pass exams before you are allowed to put "CMP" after your name.
MPI has developed a certificate program in meeting management. People who
complete it receive the certified meeting managers (CMM) designation. It is
designed to complement the Convention Liaison Council's certified meeting
planner (CMP) designation.