Industry knowledge vital to event planners’ personal development in 2019

Research carried out by The Meetings Show has found that learning about the meetings and events industry is one of the most important personal development focuses for event planners over the coming year.

The survey of almost 200 meetings and events organisers planners found that 18% would be prioritising learning about the industry over the next 12 months, while the same percentage would be focusing on development specific to their own organisations.

Of those who planned to prioritise learning about the meetings and events industry, more than half specifically highlighted gaining more contacts and product knowledge among venues and destinations, as well as sourcing venues within specific geographic regions.

Other key areas mentioned by respondents for gaining more industry knowledge were learning about new technology trends relevant to the industry, expanding supplier contacts, and learning about the latest innovations in events.

Learning (learning repeated 3 times in quick succession – can we tweak?) new skills also emerged as an important area for development, with 16% of respondents citing this as their priority. (can we mention that this is across all levels of seniority – even buyers who’ve been doing the job for 10 years are looking to develop new skills – think that’s key)

Marketing and social media was one of the most frequently mentioned areas that respondents felt they needed to learn more about or upskill in, with almost 10% of all participants in the survey including this in their answers.

Among the other skills event planners feel they need to improve upon were project management, networking, budget management, creativity, negotiation, and leadership and management.

David Chapple, group event director for The Meetings Show, said: “Meetings and events professionals have an incredible thirst for knowledge, so it’s no surprise that so many are keen to further their knowledge of the industry. Event attendees are always looking for something new and exciting, which is why being on top of the latest trends and knowing all about the hottest venues and destinations is vital.

“The results of this research will play an important role in our development of the education programme for The Meetings Show 2019, ensuring we cover the topics that are most important to our audience. When it comes to networking and gaining contacts within the industry, as well as learning about venues and destinations around the world, there’s no better place to find everything you need all under one roof, making The Meetings Show an invaluable resource for meetings and events planners.”

For more information about The Meetings Show, visit www.themeetingsshow.com.

ENDS

Taking place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June 2019, The Meetings Show is the premier event for the UK inbound and outbound meetings industry, organised by Centaur Live (a division of Centaur Media Plc). Organised by meeting professionals for meeting professionals, it is focused around a large exhibition, networking opportunities and professional education. The hosted buyer programme – the largest in the UK – attracts buyers from the corporate, association, agency and public sectors. The show features destinations from over 50 countries across 6 continents, venues, hotels and key providers of meetings products and services.

The Show includes:

• The Exhibition: Featuring destinations, venues, hotels and suppliers, the exhibition sits at the heart of The Meetings Show.  
• Education Programme: Planned by education experts from across the industry, the conference sessions work in harmony with the exhibition and more than 10,000 meetings taking place on the floor.
• Networking: The Meetings Show offers an unrivalled networking opportunity for event venues, event buyers and suppliers.  For those looking to see more before and after the show, there will also be fam trips visiting key destinations around the UK and internationally.

The Meetings Show has an Advisory Board that meets several times a year both in person and virtually, bringing together their wealth of experience, ideas and strategic understanding of the meetings industry.

www.themeetingsshow.com  
@MeetingsShow

For further press information please contact:

Custard Communications

Lesley Whyte
lesley@custardcommunications.com

Natalie Blachford
natalie@custardcommunications.com
01483 740747