Anonymous · No judgment
Confessions of a Planner
Every planner has a story they don’t usually tell. Here’s your chance to share yours, anonymously.
No names. No judgment. Just real stories from meeting and event planners.
Your turn. Spill it.
Anonymous submissions only.
Submissions are anonymous and may be featured on this website, Prevue Meetings + Incentives’ social media or in editorial content. All submissions are reviewed before publication.
The Confessions
when a board has you change your RFP half way through the selection cycle... or takes too long to decide and you have properties that were number 1 pull out because they are getting other business.
I choose who I am hosted with based on where their room block is because my standards are high.
I love going to the great parties at night and meeting new people. I really wanted to see New Kids on the Block tonight but going to bag to go to parties.
Find the restrooms along the way as you drink a lot of beverages and you will need to use them a lot.
I arrive a day early to get my barrings and discover experiences or options available while I'm in town - before my brain is on overload. I have found having this time gives me a fresh start for a long, exciting week!
I accidentally missed my dinner invitation last night and got Del Taco for dinner. Horrible idea.
sometimes I use my parents email to sign up for giveaways I do not want to share my personal information with
When a hotel says they do not have availability, but they have rooms available online
When the client books us because they have heard about us, know we can deliver, and they know we're the best...AND then they start to tell us what we're going to do. Here we go again with a client that knows nothing and thinks they know...thank you for hiring us :)
Received a slide from a competitor deck and was asked to bid on it and also modify our bid...so we knew that the competitor also saw our deck. Then was asked to modify the floorplan before being awarded the job. We declined, advising that floorplans can be finalized following DMC selection.
When a city announces that they will be the host city for a major sporting event, and the hotel jacks up the rates to a rate that actually drives the travelers away... and then two weeks prior to the event we see the same hotels lowering their rates by 70%. This is the global trend we are seeing. Guess what sports travelers are becoming more savvy, and why so many of them wait to the last minute to secure their hotels. If we want sport travelers to book their hotels in advance, we must incentivize them to book early by providing early bird pricing and not the other way around.
Planning for months and finalize table settings and seating's and then day of, client tells you, "I liked it better the first way." Nope, too late to change it, people are arriving in an hour, no time. Should've changed it during our walk through the night before.
No budget, no agenda and need to secure space in 3 months for 350 people
When a salesperson says how amazing their property or location is. When a site visit happens after sending an RFP and the property or location turns out to be horrible!!
Meeting Planner Confession: POV… Here We Go Again! You know that sinking feeling when the red flags start flying? We create a detailed Master Program Specifications outlining meeting spaces, AV needs, program flow, and—most importantly—the budget. Then, a week later, the hotel’s in-house AV partner sends a proposal with incorrect meeting rooms, mismatched specifications, and a price tag more than three times our budget! That’s frustrating, and suggests our specifications weren’t fully reviewed before the proposal was prepared. Meeting planners don’t create detailed specifications for fun. We do it to eliminate guesswork, streamline collaboration, manage costs, and set everyone up for success. Dear AV partners, please understand we want thoughtful, creative solutions and genuine partnerships. If something isn’t feasible, let’s collaborate and explore alternatives and avoid rework. The best partnerships begin with listening, clarifying, and collaborating, not simply quoting!
Every year, I anxiously await the opening of IMEX appointment scheduling… not just to fill my calendar, but to strategically secure my Tuesday 3:30 and 4:00 PM meetings at the **ARUBA booth!** Why? Because this meeting planner knows how to work smarter, not harder, and who wouldn’t want to wrap up a busy day of business with a little **One Happy Island** hospitality, a glass of wine, and fabulous industry friends? I like to think of it as strategic scheduling!
I block an hour session with a special vendor and every year we head to the Crystal Mall and buy ourselfs a pair of red soles shoes!