All About Perspective

I have had the opportunity to be a recurring guest on a podcast lately and it’s been a blast! I am representing the planner’s view for conversations on various topics. There are suppliers (like hotels, convention centers, production providers, etc.), planners (Certified Meeting Professionals [CMPs] and others who plan events), the “expert” depending on the subject matter, and our lovely host, Joanne Dennison, CMP.¹ We have witty banter about the business at hand and share from our experiences. One thing that stood out to me this last time is even though there were five of us recording; one planner, one expert, one supplier, one assistant, and one host and four of us were CMPs with the same professional credentials, we all had very different perspectives on the same subject.

Perspective. It’s not novel to have a different perspective than someone else but because of our expert this conversation was striking to me. We were discussing outdoor events. Our supplier was from a property in Colorado. Her definition of an outdoor event was something that you added to the meeting like a skiing or hiking expedition, it didn’t replace the event. After the afternoon session one day, the attendees could opt to hike or bike or basket weave. She then talked about a variety of tasks related to planning this type of event.

Our expert was incredible. She had such a diverse history and was certified in wilderness rescue. She not only defined an outdoor event as something you added to the meeting like yoga or biking but she also planned events such as all-day mountain hikes (which actually were the main event). Along with planning the usual event things like transportation, food and beverage, registration, and more, she also had to be prepared to provide medical care if something happened. She could potentially be the only person on the trip with knowledge of the mountain trails, how to survive if crazy weather suddenly blew in, what to use from nature if someone fell and twisted their ankle, or how to respond if they were attacked by a squirrel. That is an aspect of event planning that’s above and beyond!

I’m from the flat Midwest outside of Chicago, the need for a certified wilderness rescue person has NEVER crossed my mind. My version of an outdoor event is having a breakout session spill onto the adjacent patio or food trucks out under the porte-cochere. The weather is so fickle here, an outdoor event is 99% NOT the primary plan, it’s the bonus when the sun is shining and it’s not raining, snowing, and there’s no threat of a tornado. And, even if I did venture to add a hike to one of my events, I STILL wouldn’t have considered the need for a wilderness rescue person. There isn’t a mountain within miles of where I live. Mountain dangers aren’t even on my radar. I’d have sent my attendees out to fend for themselves, perhaps with a granola bar and bottle of water.

Here’s what did come to mind from my perspective as a CMP if I were to plan a meeting outdoors or with an outdoor component included; How does this impact the budget? Does the organization absorb the cost of the excursion or do we pass it onto the attendee? What does this add to our liability? Do we need to carry additional insurance? How does this change the event schedule? Do we need to allow time for travel to and from a separate location or for showering and changing when they return? Will the activity require additional space at the venue that needs to be added to the contract? Does everyone need to sign a waiver? Do we need to organize transportation or does it come with the activity package? And on and on. The actual activity itself really wasn’t a big concern.

We had a riveting conversation and I met some great ladies. I also learned that if I am going to veer out of my lane of expertise I need to seek the advice of professionals who do this for a living. There are people who do excursions and plan outdoor activities. They are the ones who know when you need a medical professional or a Sherpa, hiking boots or flip flops, snacks or bear repellent.

Have you coordinated an outdoor event? I’d love to hear about your experience! Please share it here or send me an email.

I’m sure you know someone who plans events, right? Send them this blog and share it on your socials. I’m hoping to help others avoid learning some of these lessons the hard way!

1. “Sit in the Attendee’s Chair” podcast hosted by Joanne Dennison, CMP can be found on you usual podcast platforms.