HSMAI Announces Day-long Meeting Planners’ “Boot Camp”

Acknowledged for its high quality educational programs, the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® will host a “Meeting Planning Boot Camp” on Tuesday, April 13 in Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill., prior to HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America exhibition and conference, April 14-15.

“The suggestion for this new approach to ‘101’ education came from Affordable Meetings’ Planner and Exhibitor Advisory Boards,” says Fran Brasseux, HSMAI executive vice president. “The senior leaders from both sides of the industry encouraged us to consolidate the education for newer meeting planners in order to give it more cohesion and more of an impact. This allows us to include more programming on the main conference agenda for topics of greater interest to advanced and intermediate planners.”

Vicky A. Betzig, CMP, president and owner of Meetings Industry Consulting, will lead the boot camp. Betzig has more than 25 years of experience and expertise in the meetings industry. A sought-after consultant, speaker and trainer, her diverse range of experience includes event management, meeting planning and marketing. Betzig is an active member in meetings industry organizations, having served on the board of directors for the Greater Midwest Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and for both the Chicago and Wisconsin chapters of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

The boot camp serves to provide professionals with access to training, knowledge and insight into both meeting and event planning. Both industry veterans and new professionals will walk away from the boot camp with the necessary information, skills, and supporting resources needed to effectively plan and produce a meeting.

Boot Camp topics include:

• Establishing meeting goals and objectives
• Designing programs to meet your targeted audience’s needs
• Selecting speakers
• Budgeting and budget monitoring
• Reviewing and negotiating facility contracts
• Planning and managing food and beverage
• Developing comprehensive meeting specifications
• On-site management: pre-planning to customer service, trouble shooting, and more

Registration for the Meeting Planning “Boot Camp” is $99 for the day-long session and lunch. Meeting planners who attend can earn up to 6.0 continuing education contact hours towards CMP certification or recertification. For more information, visit www.affordablemeetings.com.