What is a Day in the Life of a Meeting and Event Planner?

By Terri Taylor

There is nothing typical about the typical day of a meeting and event planner! One of the many things that make this job so rewarding is the intrigue of truly not knowing what the day will hold. The thing you can always count on is that it will be filled with interesting people, unique conversations and lots and lots of steps.

Plan of Attack

Daily routines are different if you’re in the planning phase or the day of the event itself. When in planning mode, a lot of time is spent reviewing menus and event orders and ensuring that details are correct when compared to what you’ve requested. Attention to detail is tantamount to a successful event. While reviewing event orders can feel tedious, going over event start time, the length of a pre-dinner reception, the specifics of the bar, when dessert will be dropped, and other key details is the start to many a day.

Pavilion Lounge, courtesy Embassy Suites by Hilton Boulder.

Grabbing a cup of coffee and delving into the stack of event orders with a fine-tooth comb is well worth it. Ensuring that what you sign off on is an accurate reflection of what you want to actually happen at the event is best done with fresh eyes and lots of caffeine!

Outta Site

Although it doesn’t happen every day, one of my favorite regular opportunities is a site visit. Whether it is a new hotel, event venue or art gallery, touring space for a potential event is always a great experience. Viewing photos on an event website or marketing packets never lives up to walking through the actual space. When you can actually see where the buffet will go, how far the nearest restrooms are, what the bar line will look like and countless other details, you can plan accordingly for a successful event.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Jerome, Aspen.

Plus, it is a fun way to keep up with new spaces and places in Denver and across Colorado. Venues are always amenable to having an event planner come for a site tour, even without a specific event in mind, and a day with a site visit is always one I look forward to.

Riverwalk Center, courtesy of Breckenridge Tourism Office.

Step it Up

For Event and meeting planners, event day itself is always filled with last-minute changes and updates that require patience and flexibility. These often involve guests who didn’t RSVP or who were unable to attend before but now want to come, name tags that didn’t get stuffed, reactions to weather-related changes or required modifications based on food allergies just being brought to your attention today.

Almost any venue will be able to roll with these types of changes and be gracious about it. Once on-site, checking of the bar setup, testing AV and assembling the registration table all commence and before you know it, a throng of eager attendees is milling about enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Destination Colorado’s Front Range Trade Show underway at The Hangar at Stanley in Aurora. Photo by Josh Gold Photography.

When the event ends and you look at your Fitbit, you’ll have no idea how you got so many steps in what felt like a short amount of time, but you’ll be eager to start it all over again!

The Music Suite is a perfect place for planners or VIPs to retreat after a day of meetings. Courtesy The Elizabeth Hotel, Fort Collins.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Terri Taylor is Regional Event Manager for Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, a global law firm.