Bonnie Wallsh speaks about anything and everything meetings

Bonnie Wallsh never intended to be a meeting planner, but that hasn’t kept her from having a busy 32-year career in the industry. As owner and chief strategist of Bonnie Wallsh Associates, she’s planned meetings of all sizes, and shares a few of her best planning tips about selection, marketing, room design, food and beverage, and legal issues below.

1. When speaking, identify people whose communication and presentation style you like and become a student of their success. This can be famous people on TV or videos, or simply others in your office or industry. Listen carefully to these speakers and critique them to learn what techniques they use to engage the audience.

2. With food and beverage, sit down with the chef beforehand to discuss the menu and sample the food.

3. Remember to ask about special dietary needs (i.e. allergies, religious convictions, vegan, etc.) ahead of time, and get the post-conference report on food and beverage before paying the final bill.

4. A positive attitude is key. When something comes up, a good planner will view it as a challenge, not a problem. And you have to be able to laugh at yourself and any absurd situation that arises.

5. You need to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. In the areas where you’re weak, you can delegate to others, take courses to bolster your skills, or surround yourself with those who balance out your weaknesses.

6. A good planner should be a Renaissance woman, or someone who knows at least a little bit about everything.

7. After an event, follow up with your attendees immediately, one month, three months and six months out to evaluate whether your objectives were fulfilled.

8. Create the right physical environment with ergonomic chairs, comfortable room sets and opportunities to move around, and schedule breaks during programming every 90 minutes.

9. Create a risk assessment plan. Besides emergency contact lists, ask all attendees to indicate special needs on their registration forms, including health, medications, hearing limitations, etc.