A convention planner specializes in organizing conventions, including securing a venue, accommodations, transportation, meals, and security. They also handle printed materials, marketing, and organizing the convention space. This job requires excellent organization and people skills, and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
A convention planner is someone who specializes in planning and organizing conventions, from doctors’ meetings to comic book conventions. Convention planners can work on popular convention websites, offering assistance to people who book them with a view to holding conventions. They may also work for private companies, and some convention planners specialize in specific types of conventions, making them the go-to person for people who want conventions to run smoothly and attract attendees.
Organizing a convention takes a lot of effort. In addition to securing a convention site, the convention planner is also responsible for securing liability insurance, a convention workforce, and any special supplies and support needed by convention attendees. Convention planners can also book suites of rooms at local hotels, coordinate transportation to and from major airports, and arrange accommodations for convention speakers and honorees. Planning services also include organizing meals, obtaining permits if necessary for the convention, organizing security, and providing special services such as child care for convention attendees.
In addition to handling the physical nuts and bolts of the convention, the convention planner also handles printed material for the convention, from signs to direct people around the facility to convention programs distributed to people attending the convention. The convention planner organizes and publishes a schedule, books speakers and panel guests, and accepts reservations from people planning to attend the convention. Reservation systems, including payment tracking systems and systems to generate badges. The convention planner also assembles goody bags and other supplies for people attending the convention.
Convention organization also usually includes marketing and other communications, which include mailings, websites, email lists, and organizing bulletin boards for attendees who want to connect prior to the convention. The convention planner also coordinates the receipt of objects sent to the convention, such as booths and stalls for a sales area, books by authors speaking at the convention, and so on. Organizing the convention space is also a critical part of the job, with convention planners designating space for display, determining which panels and events should go where, and ensuring that attendees go where they need to go.
A convention planner is usually assisted by a team to which various tasks can be delegated, and staff are present at all times during the convention to deal with issues as they arise. This type of work requires excellent organization and people skills, and the ability to juggle many different tasks at the same time. On any given day, a convention planner might deal with a speaker who is offended by hotel accommodations, local police concerned about parking issues, vendors wanting to switch seats on the convention floor, and a myriad of other issues.
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