Meeting Planners’ Little Helpers
One of the old clichéd images of meeting planners at an event was frazzled people covered in clipboards with pencils behind their ears and their pockets stuffed with everything from enormous amounts of pay phone change to walkie talkies. Although those days are long gone, it’s amazing just how many tools a meeting planner really uses. Here is a short list for you to enjoy; some of them may spark an idea for your own organization.
Cell Phones. Any planner who does not have a cell phone in this day and age is asking to lose her job–her kids probably have them, so she should as well. But what kind will depend largely on the kinds of meetings you do.
BlackBerry. This phone and others like it help planners with almost all aspects of staying organized during an event. This special cell phone is much more than a communication device, and not something a planner’s kids are likely to have. A planned can not only stay in touch efficiently, but send and receive email, keep track of schedules, and store other important information.
USB. This compact drives are critical for storage of large amounts of information. For instance, where presentation materials are crucial to the success of a meeting, several backups on USB drives could mean the difference between a star-studded event and a crashing blunder.
Laptop. A good companion to the USB, the laptop can hold more information and serve as a device replacement in case of equipment failure. With the proper software, your laptop can do everything from sending materials to a printer to running an entire slide show.
Although you can probably add a great deal to this list, these are the stars of the show and should be standard equipment for an event planner, especially if a lot of presentation materials are used. Don’t be caught without them.
