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FAQs
What
is Meeting Horizons?
Meeting Horizons is a
consulting firm that specializes in personalized meeting management and
training for corporate and non-profit clients, with an emphasis on technology
companies. We approach each project in close partnership with our clients. We
can help you design programs that work within your budget to accomplish your
goals and deliver a measurable return on your investment.
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Why
should I hire a consultant to help with my meetings?
There are many good
reasons to hire a meetings consultant. Perhaps you have a very qualified
staff, but they are overburdened right now. Or maybe you need to bring in skills and resources that
may not already exist on your staff or in your department.
Or, maybe you want some temporary but specialized attention from an
expert in the field to improve the strategic communications value of your
meetings.
Whatever the reason, be
sure that the consultant has a good reputation and works effectively in
partnership with the key staff assigned to the project internally.
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Why
should I choose Meeting Horizons as my consultant?
The
staff at Meeting Horizons are experts with a proven track record in their
field. Your project will benefit from our decades of collective experience in
managing meetings and events. We can help you maximize the success of your
message and keep your meeting on track. We are known for our impeccable professionalism, continuing industry
education, and high ethical standards.
Meeting
Horizons is prepared to prove that our services will add value to your event.
We will provide detailed historical documentation of the services rendered
and industry benchmarking data.
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How
big is Meeting Horizons?
In many ways, we are big
company. We think big, we act
big, and we have big resources. We
solve big problems and create big opportunities for our clients. But in terms
of actual size, we're a small company, with all the benefits and flexibility
that brings.
How do we do it? We
maintain a network of seasoned professionals who have worked on a broad array
of brand name accounts in a diversity of product and service areas. We
evaluate your needs and pull together the best possible team for your
project, without the downside of extravagant overhead.
Less bureaucracy means more personalized service, and our energy
remains focused on you and the success of your project.
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 What
services does Meeting Horizons provide?
Meeting
Horizons provides a full suite of meeting and event management services. We
believe that every client has unique needs. Maybe you want to outsource a
4-day, 1,000 person customer meeting. Or you might just need help with a
half-day strategy session. We are flexible enough to fill any role.
For a full description of
all of our services, please click
here.
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How
much does it cost to outsource my meeting management projects?
Costs vary by the size and
scope of the project. Please contact us directly—we would be happy to meet
with you and develop a bid on your project; or to simply provide some initial
estimates if possible. To contact us, click
here.
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Why
doesn’t Meeting Horizons accept commissions?
Another meeting management company explained to me that because of
commissions, their services would be free.
A quick note on the
industry standards for compensation: typically, meetings management companies
are compensated by one of two ways. The vendors supplying your event can pay
the management company a commission based on the revenue your event generates
for them. Or the client pays the
management firm a fee for their services rendered. Such fees may be based on hourly or daily activities, or
based on the project in its entirety.
Meeting Horizons puts our
client’s needs first. Therefore, we do not accept commissions. We believe
that establishing financial ties to vendors that are hired on behalf of a
client compromises the objectivity of our vendor selections. (Please click
here for more detail on our corporate philosophy.)
The old adage holds true
here—if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you are
offered "free" services by another meeting management company, you
still may not be getting the best deal. Maybe a meeting management firm has
told you that due to their business volume and their superior negotiating
ability, you do not have to pay for their services. They will charge your
vendors a commission based on the size of the contract, and the net cost to
you will still be less than if you had made the deal yourself.
But ask yourself these
questions:
-
Did the consultant consider
all vendors equally, even those who may not pay the best commissions?
-
What’s the incentive for
the consultant to get the lowest price possible if his or her commission is
bigger when you pay more?
-
How will you know for
certain that you have gotten a fair deal?
In cases where the meeting
management firm has provided full disclosure of all financial interests,
commissions are sometimes a valid method of managing a client’s liquid
assets and cash flow. But the relationships are so ripe for potential abuse
that Meeting Horizons has decided not enter into this arena. We pride
ourselves on our integrity and never want to give our clients reason to
question our ethics.
If you prefer to
compensate your meeting management firm through commissions, we will be happy
to refer you to another reputable company that accepts them.
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If
I hire Meeting Horizons, will I lose control of my program?
Because we customize our
services based on your needs, you decide how much responsibility you wish to
hand over. You will always
remain in the driver’s seat, and retain as much control as you choose. And
you will never be in the dark about your project. We will keep you informed
every step of the way.
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 I
want to be a meeting planner myself. How
do I get started?
There are no
hard-and-fast rules about becoming a meeting planner—the path is different
for everyone. However, most professionals in the industry have degrees and/or
experience in business and management. Some of the helpful skill sets include
excellent communications, customer service and organizational management
skills. The ability to position a meeting as a strategic communications
vehicle is crucial to success. It helps to be both a creative and analytical
individual, because you will be responsible for both the big picture and the
details.
For more information,
contact Meeting Professionals International at http://www.mpiweb.org
and request their "Meeting Professionals Career Guide".
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What’s
a CMP?
The
Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a designation that recognizes a
standard of experience and expertise as defined by the Convention Industry
Council, an umbrella organization of more than 25 national and international
associations with the common interest of promoting professionalism and
education in the meetings industry. See
http://www.conventionindustry.org/CMP_About.htm.
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What’s
a CMM?
The
Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) program is the first
university-endorsed global professional designation for meeting and event
professionals. It is administered by Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
through a partnership with Michigan State University’s School of
Hospitality Business. The CMM is
an elite certification held by only 117 professionals worldwide.
See http://www.mpiweb.org/cmmbro.htm.
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