According to Prudential’s Pulse of the American Worker Survey, 43% of workers believe their long-term financial security will be in jeopardy if they fail to retrain or learn new skills. Nearly half (46%) of respondents said they will have to learn new skills within the next year to perform their job, and 74% of managers said their staff would be more productive with an expanded skill set.
A focus on new and evolving skills is increasingly obvious in the meetings and events industry, which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Many meeting professionals weren’t prepared for a plethora of virtual or hybrid meetings when 2020 began, much less ready to ensure their contracts covered the outbreak of a contagious disease that could rise to the level of a global pandemic.
“We should be seeking feedback on a regular basis from our superiors, clients and even family to understand what we do well and where we can improve,” says Deanna Nwosu, CMP, DES, a speaker, event emcee and moderator who also offers event strategy and consulting. “We can get great insight from those who are on the outside looking in. And I think if we’re curious about the industry or the world around us, new ideas pop up all the time. When those ideas come, find ways to implement them, even if you can’t at your full-time job. You acquire new skills by doing.”
[Related: Hospitality School Professors Share What Skills Future Planners Will Need]
Dawn Rasmussen, CMP, chief resume designer for Pathfinder Writing and Career Services, says that by reading voraciously, one can stay abreast of the meetings industry’s changing skill set requirements.
“Learning what types of emerging technologies or trends could impact you is a good way to identify what types of skills you might need—if not now, then probably in the future,” she says. “Another thing to do is monitor job postings. You might not actually be ‘looking,’ but it is good to see what employers are actually desiring. If skill sets you don’t have are suddenly appearing in multiple job postings, it’s a good indicator that it is time to go take a class.”
Rasmussen says staying informed by attending MPI chapter meetings and conferences, as well as the World Education Congress, is also critical for those being mindful of requisite meeting industry skills.
“MPI and its chapters are always working hard to deliver heavy-hitting content that covers a lot of these trends,” she says.
A Virtual/Hybrid World
When it comes to skills and hybrid meetings, Rasmussen says we are “truly in a new era.”
“There are so many skills that are needed,” she says. “Crisis management (i.e., we have to cancel due to pandemic surge) is important, and technology skills are important for understanding what types of tools and platforms can help us conduct our meetings. Then there are even hygienic skills (pandemic cleaning protocols). Communications skills are also critical, especially when we are trying to communicate important details about onsite logistics or online operations.”
Nwosu says the most important skill set for a virtual or hybrid environment is not technical in nature.
“Being calm under pressure is necessary, because it’s not a matter of if anything will go wrong, but when,” she says. “Harness some Zen before you log in and work on your stress responses, because you have to accept it’s a high-stress situation—more so than in-person conferences for an experienced event professional.”
But, alas, technology is unavoidable. So, when you’re choosing a platform for your virtual event, Nwosu says you must ensure that it’s user-friendly, especially if you don’t have the budget for production partners.
[Related: The Path to a Successful Tomorrow]
“Everyone wants a flashy, seamless event until they realize all the tools required to pull it off,” she says. “Even Zoom seems straightforward until you want to add customization. It’s okay to opt out from knowing the intricacies or details of the technology, because you shouldn’t expect to be an expert in everything.”
Rasmussen says “analysis paralysis” is common when one is faced with too many options, so she advises asking your colleagues what works best when it comes to choosing event tech.
“Find out if they have recommended classes, experts or companies that can offer those solutions or training so you can get up to speed with the tools that would work best for your situation,” she says. “There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Going into MPI online forums and asking questions of your peers is a great way to get real-time feedback on what works and what doesn’t.”
The Importance of Networking
So how important is maintaining a strong professional network? Well, Rasmussen says networking is nothing short of your career lifeline.
“A Career Xroads survey found that if you are only applying for jobs online, you have a 2% chance of getting an interview; if you are networking, that number goes up to 50%” she says. “People hire who they know.
“The point is to start networking before you need a job," Rasmussen continued. "Referrals are the gold standard, and your goal is to become a referral for opportunities. Leverage your MPI membership into getting involved on committees or boards, or even just volunteering. These are great ways to kick-start your networking. LinkedIn is also vital. Think of connecting to someone on LinkedIn as the beginning of a conversation that can pay off years in the future—if you nurture that relationship correctly.”
Nwosu says you aren’t aware of how much your professional network is often working for you behind the scenes.
“The strength of your professional network is the difference between you being headhunted for jobs versus endlessly filling out job applications that lead nowhere,” she says. “As a solopreneur, my personal network has brought in more than 50% of my revenue—it’s the difference between being profitable or going out of business.”
[Related: Is the Hospitality Industry Talent Pipeline Drying Up? Leaders Chime In.]
Are you bad about networking? You’re not alone. Nwosu advises starting small.
“Reach out to someone you know for a virtual coffee chat and ask them to introduce you to one person in their network,” she says. “If you rinse and repeat, you’ll get more confident with meeting strangers and making connections, and before long you may get invited into larger groups via social media or industry organizations.”
Industry Experts Share Their Skill Secrets
What skill or skills should meeting profs focus on to ensure success going forward as our industry recovers from the pandemic?
“One of the most important skills for a meeting prof to possess is the ability to plainly articulate the purpose of conducting a meeting (clear objectives), how and where that meeting will be most effective (live, virtual, hybrid) to achieve the objectives, and how success of the meeting will be measured.
"At a time when many will look at the cost savings in conducting a virtual event, if a face-to-face meeting will be more effective, the planner needs to be able to explain why the additional cost will be worth it. And the explanation must be more compelling than ‘people really want to get together.’”
— Terri Breining, CMP, CMM, CED, Principal, Breining Group Inc.
“As the hospitality, travel and tourism industry recovers from the pandemic, flexibility and adaptability will be key skills needed for meeting professionals. The ability to be nimble, adapt quickly to changing scenarios and a positive, can-do attitude will be vital in a post-pandemic environment. Additionally, the willingness to cross job responsibilities will be vital as roles are blended across disciplines as organizations are considering future growth.”
— Nicole Newman, Vice President, SearchWide Global
“The pandemic united our industry like never before, leading to amazing innovations on several levels. It has put a spotlight on strategic partnerships, strengthened the value of collaboration and increased available market intelligence across the board.
"To ensure our industry remains successful and sustainable, we need to continue this mindset beyond the recovery stage and embrace the fact that we are stronger together.”
— Mark Zanetti, Destination marketing professional, MPI Canadian Advisory Council member
“Consider global competence and inclusion and their roles in designing events and experiences that are meaningful and matter for individuals across cultures, abilities and backgrounds.
"As meeting professionals lead their businesses in implementing experiences that solve organization-wide challenges, problem sensitivity and solving will enable critical conversations that rethink outcomes with a meetings-first mindset.
"And then consider the skill of persuasion, enabling meeting professionals to convince key leaders to consider new outcomes and markets. All of these competencies are actual skills that can be studied, honed and practiced regularly. Consider starting with MPI’s Eventwise micro-certificate series.”
— Jessie States, CMP, CMM, Vice President, MPI Academy
This article was created in conjunction with MPI as part of a collaboraton with Meetings Today to produce the Future Skills eHandbook.
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