Put on Your Thick Skin

Event planning is not for the faint of heart. It takes someone with a thick skin to work on the front lines of meetings and conferences. The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is the go-to person for every question that comes up on game-day. You have to be able to field (and answer) several questions at once, type an email on your cell phone, listen to the chatter on your radio earpiece, monitor the event schedule, and watch where you are going all at the same time!

Everyone with a problem wants the meeting professional to solve it. Everyone with a complaint wants the meeting professional to hear it. Everyone with a question wants the meeting professional to answer it. It’s also your responsibility to know the schedule, room setups, menu, what the performers need, who’s who, who’s staying in which hotel, and which person is responsible for what.

The meeting professional will be blamed for things that go wrong whether it’s your fault or not (hence the thick skin). Find the right person to help resolve the issue and move on. Disgruntled attendees feel the need to yell at you; they want their grievances heard. They’re not mad at you, per se, but again, you’re the meeting professional (don your thick skin). You may be called upon to make some of the craziest last minute decisions like what to do as a tornado is barreling down on your event (actually happened) or the building you have 2000 people in has completely run out of water mid-event (also happened).

The thick-skinned meeting professional cannot come unglued. You can’t show on your face how you are really feeling on the inside. You certainly cannot wear your heart on your sleeve. Flying verbal bullets need to plink off your thick-skinned armor and fall to the floor. By you keeping a level head and calm demeanor, most situations can be defused. Quick-thinking problem solving amid the chaos is a skill every planner must have.

If you can’t handle being on the frontlines of event planning, may I recommend something a little less stressful, like being a rodeo clown or a skydiving instructor.

Tell me about some of your thick-skinned moments in event planning!
Email them to me.

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