Meeting planning is second only to executive management as a key function of associations, according to the 2005 Association CEO Survey released by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).

A total of 269 chief staff executives of trade and professional associations and foundations responded to the survey, which was conducted in late 2004, and funded by the PCMA Education Foundation. The survey was conducted by Association Research, Inc.

When asked to identify functions important to the mission and revenue of their organizations, 96.7 percent of CEOs ranked meetings/events as “important” or “very important.

This ranked ahead of numerous other functions, including membership development, education, communications, publications, legislative/regulatory affairs, and others.

The average number of meetings and events held by the associations represented by these CEOs was 15.9.

Conferences, meetings, and trade shows are important revenue producers for associations, generating more than 40 percent of revenue for the associations surveyed.

Nearly 30 cents of every revenue dollar came from conferences and meetings, and trade shows generated nearly 12 cents of every dollar. More than four of five CEOs (84.6 percent) confirmed that conferences, meetings, events, and trade shows produced net revenue.

The skills that association CEOs considered most important in a senior meeting planner were meeting logistics/coordination, budgeting/financial management, contracting/negotiation, and leadership.

The same skills that topped the “importance” evaluations also generated the highest satisfaction ratings from CEOs in evaluating their current senior meeting planners.

Comparing the “very important” and “very satisfied” ratings for the top skills, satisfaction lagged importance by 10-20 percentage points, suggesting that meeting professionals can improve their standing through further education and training.

“Nearly every association relies heavily on meetings and events to support its mission, and we’re pleased to see this reflected in the survey results,” says PCMA Chairman Gregg H. Talley, CAE.  “The results also show that meeting professionals are highly rated and valued for their expertise in a number of critical areas.”

As PCMA and other organizations offer more advanced education programs in leadership and management, meeting professionals are becoming more strategic players in helping to chart the course of their organizations.

The survey showed that just over two-thirds of association CEOs (67.8 percent) identify strategic planning as an important or very important skill. Sixty-six percent of CEOs were satisfied or very satisfied with the skills of senior meeting planners in this area.

“Because of the importance of meetings, it is inevitable that meeting professionals will be called on more and more to become involved in strategic planning,” Talley observes. “Therefore, it’s important that they prepare for this by pursuing education programs that will build their strategic planning and leadership skills.”

PCMA also asked association CEOs to identify the most important characteristics they sought in a meeting planner.

Good organizational skills, negotiating ability, calmness under pressure, attention to detail, and competency in core areas of meeting planning were common responses. Selected verbatim responses included:

• Ability to make the right decision under pressure
• Ability to interact positively with members even in the worst-case scenario
• Ability to drive the exhibit and sponsorship sales process
• Ability to establish and maintain good relationships with vendors
• Ability to work productively with vendors/members
• Personal integrity
• Can-do spirit
• Credentialed in the field and has a personality that can take the stress and demands
• Diplomacy
• Eye for the event from the member attendee’s perspective
• Flexibility and a sense of humor
• Perseverance
• Knowledge of meeting business trends and developments
• Absolute grace under pressure
• Ability to juggle a multitude of projects, details, and priorities at the same time.
• Patience
• Form long-term positive relationships with hotel and hospitality vendors and is a GOOD person who the industry likes
• Skill/experience to manage a complex enterprise
• Ability to plan strategically
• Stickler for detail who is adept at working with a broad range of people and personalities
• Strategic vision of education
• Understanding the goals of the meeting
• Managing the meeting in such a way that the principals can focus on the attendees rather than the details
• Vision and creativity