There’s a really good reason that meeting and event planners don’t have a gi-hugic presence on the internets – they’re busy. I’ve never met a planner who isn’t juggling multiple programs, each accompanied by a massive binder filled with contracts and various assorted important papers. So meeting planners – real women and men of genius – here’s a few finds just for you:
- The Meeting Industry Wiki: Meeting Professionals International has made the oh-so-wise decision to harness the knowledge of their 22,000+ members with this online, member-edited encyclopedia. Check out the collective wisdom on Green Meetings and poutine, an absolutely essential piece of knowledge to have if you’re running a show in Canada.
- Backpack: This is for the planners out there that maintain a team that works from lists. This is an EASY to use web-based tool that lets groups share calendars, to-do lists and other organizational candy.
- Afterburner: A friend of mine saw these fighter pilots at an event recently, speaking on the importance of the debrief. Yes, there are a lot of motivational speakers out there – but when it comes to lessons on leadership and team building, a group of fighter pilots comes with instant credibility – even for the more cynical meeting-goers.
- Google Mapplets: I haven’t had a chance to play around this yet, but it gives you the opportunity to build a very cool map for your attendees with any and all information – Starbucks locations near the venue, gas prices in the city, places for a very good martini…
- The World Clock Meeting Planner: This one isn’t really for the corporate event realm – more for the person scheduling the call with the people in Singapore, London, Dallas and Anchorage. Plug in a time and see who’s going to be the most inconvenienced (I’m betting on Singapore in this example).
Any other suggestions? Anyone? Anyone?
0 Responses to “5 cool tools for meeting & event planners”