What to Look for When Selecting a Third Party Meeting Planner

With everyone being asked to do more with less and many meeting departments shrinking, we believe outsourcing the site selection component of future meetings may be imperative as our industry rebounds. Third-party meeting planners like Site Selection Services are certainly not one-size-fits-all providers. Whether you’ve worked with a third-party before or are looking to outsource future meeting location bookings, finding the right match to meet your needs and represent your company and brand can have a real impact on your event’s success and ROI. Examining these key factors will help you find that perfect fit:

 1.Qualifications & Expertise

It’s not just the designations that follow a meeting planner’s name and title, but their experience that matters. Have they worked on large conventions as well as high-end incentive business? Have they placed meetings internationally and can they provide insights on best practices from country to country? What is their experience with virtual meetings? You want a third-party planner who has a wide range of experience so they can act not only as an extension of your team, saving you time in the sourcing process, but also be a trusted advisor to lean on throughout the planning process. If you have a niche industry, finding a planner that specializes in that niche and is familiar with meeting rules and regulations for your industry could prove to be invaluable.

2. Reputation Management

As Richard Branson wisely says, “Your brand or your name is simply your reputation, you have to fight in life to protect that as it means everything. Nothing is more important.” In The Laws of Power, Robert Greene astutely says, “Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Maintaining a good reputation is hard work, but losing one is all too easy.” You always want a third-party planner with an honorable reputation to represent your company and your brand. Plus, hotels will bend over backwards for agencies that they trust and know.

3. Depth of Relationships

It’s not what you know, but who you know that holds true. You want a third-party with solid, long standing relationships among global partners and hoteliers. Relationships powered by trust, respect and care can’t be overlooked, and that’s particularly paramount at the negotiation table. Relationships are also invaluable when it comes to a third-party’s vetted partners, be it with virtual technology companies, corporate gifting, DMCs or AV vendors. The broader the network of contacts, the more value a third-party can bring to you.

4. The Experience Edge

We might be biased on this one given our entire team comes from a hotel sales executive background. But the fact of the matter is, when a third-party planner has worked on the other side of the negotiating table, they can be an even better asset to you. Our team’s hotel experience enables us to take a balanced, informed approach to getting the best value and level of service for our clients at their preferred event properties. We ensure host hotels go above-and-beyond clients’ specific needs, between the expected meeting and event spaces, food and beverage minimums and favorable contract terms, to the types of added-value perks only industry insiders like us are privy to.  We know what’s negotiable, what’s not, and how to think outside the box to create a win-win for both sides.

5. Negotiation is Everything

With the constant wave of cancellations and rescheduled meetings this past year, our industry had to handle more negotiations than ever before. Under any circumstances, you want to know if your third-party planner is able to successfully navigate the negotiating process. Do they have a proven track record of success? Will your third party stay with you throughout the process, even when things get sticky and the unexpected occurs? How do they mitigate risk? Can they interpret and easily explain the contracting terms in plain English to a junior meeting planner? 

 6. Finger on the Pulse

The broader the network of contacts and breadth of knowledge, the more value a third-party planner brings to clients. We can’t emphasize enough how critical it is to stay connected in the industry and keep abreast of what is happening in all the major markets. You want a planner who knows what’s trending and is dialed into everything from hotel openings and new technology to culinary trends and emerging media and virtual platforms.

7. Partnership Matters

You want a third-party planner who is in it for the long haul, not just a one-off piece of business. Creating a true partnership based upon mutual trust, respect and transparency is critical for a successful ongoing relationship and the quality of that partnership will ultimately shine through in your events.