Biggest Pain Points of In-Person Meeting Planning

Meeting planning has been ranked as one of the most stressful jobs for consecutive years. And it makes sense, as there are a lot of factors that play into this scenario, one of the major reasons being the hassle of multi-tasking.

They need to deal with different tasks at the same time, and can’t lose any detail because a single oversight can spoil the entire meeting or event.

Pain points of in-person meeting planning

There are multiple pain points in the process of meeting planning and management.

1. Budget and overspending

In general, meeting planners work under a budget, so they have to take care of expenses as much as possible.

Coordinating the overall client budget, big or small has always been a major pain point for event professionals. For instance, many times planners do not account for hidden expenses such as room drop-out charges, early check-in charges for hotel, resort fees, etc., and additional costs in venue bookings, accommodation bookings for guests, etc.

To avoid or at least control these expenses there are alternatives. For example, when it comes to organizing travel and accommodation, TROOP offers all the data in a simple-to-use view that allows you to make informed decisions.

2. Lead times, shorter and shorter

Meeting lead times are becoming shorter by the day. But what does this mean? It is the duration of time in between handing over of the planing to a professional to the actual day.

And nowadays this has become shorter and shorter, often even just mere 30 days. Coping with such shorter lead times and getting quality work done for impeccable execution is a major challenge for planners.

To solve this issue, there are many alternatives, but the vast majority involve using the appropriate tools. At the end of the day, these are projects, and using a suitable tool helps in the process. 

3. Venue booking management

For example, according to AMEX’s 2019 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, the expected rise in meeting planning activity is 1.3 % in North America and 1.5 % in Europe. The expected increase by planners in the meetings space, on the other hand, is approximately 0.7%. This leads to a scenario where planners may need to shell out more in order to book a good space, putting more strain on the budget.

This, however, also has a solution. Meeting planners can utilize digital venue booking tools in order to get good deals on available meeting space. Many venues offer discounts or loyalty deals if booked through certain platforms.

4. Attendee management and engagement

Efficient attendee management is always a major concern for meeting planners. Keeping proper track of registrations and ticketing, keeping a note of no-shows, attendee check-ins to attendee feedback at the end of an event, it can all be a major hassle for planners.

Besides, in the age of social media and the increasing importance of experience, it is difficult to engage attendees using traditional formats that include simple sessions and lunch hours.

To handle this, there are meetings management software that can be used for multiple purposes. And you can also leverage the power of technology in order to engage your attendees. You can facilitate an app that can help attendees network during your event and gain valuable business contacts, thus maximizing their ROI.

5. Data collection and analysis

Data holds great importance. It doesn't matter if you’ve organized a big event or meeting if it can't be backed up with data.

A successful in-person meeting

While the pain points of meeting planning may seem daunting, there are solutions available to help streamline the planning process.