After reading numerous articles in industry magazines, reading posts on professional group discussion boards, and speaking with several people who are in charge of hiring TDs, it appears as though there will be changes in 2010.
From those weighing in on this subject, almost all indicate that the economy IS starting to have a positive influence on the meetings and events industry. We have all been waiting to hear some positive news. However, the positive news comes with some words of caution.
The first words of caution I've heard is to not get your hopes up TOO SOON. While businesses are beginning to look at their needs for meetings in 2010 the time that those meetings will actually be held will not be in the immediate future for many of them. While some meetings are being planned with less time between the planning and the implementing, it is normal in this industry to have meetings planned and hotels booked anywhere from 3 months to 18 months in advance of the actual event. This means that there are planners who are beginning to get contracts to plan meetings, but the meetings they're planning won't be held until Summer or beyond. If you do primarily freelance work for multiple clients instead of having a close alliance with a particular client who uses you regularly, this might mean you will continue to wait until there are sufficient meetings being held that everyone with experience is being called back into service.
Secondly, there is a new emphasis on having many more smaller meetings rather than a few large meetings. From a TDs perspective this means that the quarterly meetings where all district reps and managers would fly in to a location to first have a regional meeting and then have breakouts at the district level have now been changed to having those district meetings within the district. If anyone will be flying, it will most likely be the regional manager flying to address the different district meetings. Even more likely, is that the regional manager of a company will address the district meetings via a webinar, or some other means of technology.
Finally, it appears as though at least for now, that the TDs best chance for work - if you are not being used regularly by a particular client - is to work at the local level for meetings of one day or less in time. There are a number of companies that get contracted by large businesses to do the planning for their nationwide meetings and staff them at the local level. These companies will in turn, hire TDs, for a day, a half day, or simply for the hours needed to hold a breakfast meeting, lunch meeting, or dinner meeting. In this type of work the TD will frequently be the only meeting staff on site and will handle everything from registration, f&b, to travel arrangements for the speaker. Usually the TD gets paid only for the hours worked during the event, yet they will be expected to work in advance of the meeting by holding conference calls with the corporate planner, and work after the meeting is over by packing up leftover materials and shipping them back to the client. Even if you are not working this type of "day" meeting, it appears as though many clients are still requesting that their programs be staffed with TDs who are local who can drive in each day.
As I stated at the start of this blog, the information I've shared comes from multiple sources in the industry - including those who hire TDs. The job for the near future appears to have changes to it as we can expect less travel and more local short-term work. It may be missing the camaraderie we are used to having will fellow TDs; and it may be missing the travel that we all love. We need to ask ourselves if this is what we are willing to work at until business picks up enough to get us back to the types of programs we are used to working - and even then, there may be less of it - in other words, not enough to support the same amount of TDs that have made their living from it in the past. Depending upon your age and circumstances, it may be the time to give some serious thought as to whether or not it is time to look at a change in careers.
From those weighing in on this subject, almost all indicate that the economy IS starting to have a positive influence on the meetings and events industry. We have all been waiting to hear some positive news. However, the positive news comes with some words of caution.
The first words of caution I've heard is to not get your hopes up TOO SOON. While businesses are beginning to look at their needs for meetings in 2010 the time that those meetings will actually be held will not be in the immediate future for many of them. While some meetings are being planned with less time between the planning and the implementing, it is normal in this industry to have meetings planned and hotels booked anywhere from 3 months to 18 months in advance of the actual event. This means that there are planners who are beginning to get contracts to plan meetings, but the meetings they're planning won't be held until Summer or beyond. If you do primarily freelance work for multiple clients instead of having a close alliance with a particular client who uses you regularly, this might mean you will continue to wait until there are sufficient meetings being held that everyone with experience is being called back into service.
Secondly, there is a new emphasis on having many more smaller meetings rather than a few large meetings. From a TDs perspective this means that the quarterly meetings where all district reps and managers would fly in to a location to first have a regional meeting and then have breakouts at the district level have now been changed to having those district meetings within the district. If anyone will be flying, it will most likely be the regional manager flying to address the different district meetings. Even more likely, is that the regional manager of a company will address the district meetings via a webinar, or some other means of technology.
Finally, it appears as though at least for now, that the TDs best chance for work - if you are not being used regularly by a particular client - is to work at the local level for meetings of one day or less in time. There are a number of companies that get contracted by large businesses to do the planning for their nationwide meetings and staff them at the local level. These companies will in turn, hire TDs, for a day, a half day, or simply for the hours needed to hold a breakfast meeting, lunch meeting, or dinner meeting. In this type of work the TD will frequently be the only meeting staff on site and will handle everything from registration, f&b, to travel arrangements for the speaker. Usually the TD gets paid only for the hours worked during the event, yet they will be expected to work in advance of the meeting by holding conference calls with the corporate planner, and work after the meeting is over by packing up leftover materials and shipping them back to the client. Even if you are not working this type of "day" meeting, it appears as though many clients are still requesting that their programs be staffed with TDs who are local who can drive in each day.
As I stated at the start of this blog, the information I've shared comes from multiple sources in the industry - including those who hire TDs. The job for the near future appears to have changes to it as we can expect less travel and more local short-term work. It may be missing the camaraderie we are used to having will fellow TDs; and it may be missing the travel that we all love. We need to ask ourselves if this is what we are willing to work at until business picks up enough to get us back to the types of programs we are used to working - and even then, there may be less of it - in other words, not enough to support the same amount of TDs that have made their living from it in the past. Depending upon your age and circumstances, it may be the time to give some serious thought as to whether or not it is time to look at a change in careers.