BTN 4Sight
How have the rise in virtual and hybrid meetings changed the skill sets required for corporate meeting managers to successfully execute events?
Focus on Production
Professional planners have always had a collaborative mindset as they plan in-person events but adding hybrid to the mix has added a new dimension. This new dimension requires an understanding how each audience consumes information, similar to televised sporting events. As part of this skill set, planners have had to be even more collaborative, learning how to produce virtual events when they don’t have a production team or finding partners to help them produce the event, rehearsing often and having a variety of back up plans in the event there are technical issues. Meetings management teams' skill set is more of an executive producer to tie in all the elements of the events as it relates to considering whether an event should be in-person, hybrid or virtual.
Senior Manager of Operations, GE SmartMeetings Brenda Crocker-Pierce
Be Nimble and Adaptive
Technological skills are more important than ever when it comes to the recruitment of event planners. Understanding the basics of the major event platforms can only get you so far. You must be willing to dive deep into the platforms and build your skills to become the expert. No one event has the same technology requirements. Event professionals have always needed to be adaptable, resilient, multi-taskers and quick thinkers. When planning hybrid and virtual events, those traits are more critical than ever as you are often concurrently planning for multiple different event formats, experiences and contingency plans at the same time.
Business Leader, FCM Meetings & Events North America Kate McMahon
Seek Out Innovators
Hybrid meeting is the most difficult meeting to present. You have all the aspects of an in-person meeting but need to figure out how it will translate virtually. You need to have tools to help not only with the conferencing aspect [but the] logistics to put the hybrid event together. It adds a much more complex layer of planning to the meeting planner’s job. Planners have to lean on their partners and innovators in their world.
SVP of Strategic Partnerships, Gant Travel Management Chad Seybold
Rely on Internal Resources
Every department is using hybrid or virtual in one way or another from small staff meetings to larger regional events. I don’t know if the strategic meetings management program objectives have really changed, but meeting managers now need to have a much better working knowledge of technology, and the requirement of working and collaborating across the organizational groups, including IT, human resources, various business units, et cetera. Organizational and project management skills are required like never before. Today a meeting manager has to work with more internal support shareholders and experts as compared with three to five years ago.
President, Strategic Travel and Meetings Group George Odom
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