Alphabet Soup

I recently attended an industry event and as I was listening in on a conversation, I giggled to myself as I overheard what sounded like two people speaking in code. They were using so many acronyms and abbreviations that anyone on the outside would be clueless as to what the conversation might be about. Acronyms and abbreviations are like verbal short-hand. Short-hand is a skill which has been around for years. Do you know how much time one can save by being able to write in short-hand? This is a lost art for sure. Abbreviations, on the other hand, are quite profuse.

When looking at event professional credentials alone, there are a myriad of abbreviations used such as: CMP (Certified Meeting Professional), CFMP (Certified Faith-Based Meeting Professional), CMM (Certified Meeting Manager), DES (Digital Event Specialist), CSEP (Certified Special Event Professional), and CEM (Certified Event Manager). Then there are the qualifying organizations of those certifications and supporting industry associations including the EIC (Events Industry Council), PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association), MPI (Meeting Professionals International, RCMA (Religious Conference Meeting Association), IAEE (International Association of Events and Exhibitions), and ILEA (International Live Events Association).

Other industry abbreviations which someone who works in meetings and events must know include:

• RFP – Request For Proposal
• CVB – Convention and Visitors Bureau
• DMO or DMC – Destination Management Organization/Company
• ICW – In Conjunction With (a meeting within a meeting)
• P&D – Pipe and Drape
• F&B – Food and Beverage

A sentence you might overhear in conversation with me might sound like, “I sent an RFP to the Orlando CVB and asked them to farm my ICW to their local DMO.” Or, “The CSM will add P&D around the F&B to separate it from the general session.” I threw in a new one just for kicks. A CSM is the Convention Services Manager who represents a convention center working with a planner on their event.

Since listening to this conversation got me thinking about industry insider lingo and what we must sound like to those around us, I wanted to make sure that not only are we using the acronyms and abbreviations correctly, but if you didn’t know that many of these shortcuts existed, your consciousness would be raised and you might be motivated to do some homework of your own. Who knows when the next FAM is offered at a property you are scouting for a client and you’ll want to ask your CEO if it’s appropriate to take your EA and check it out.

Can you think of a crazy meetings and events sentence you’ve used in conversation lately? Let’s laugh together! Share it here or send me an email.

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