2012 Outlook for Conference Planning Jobs

Are you wondering how 2012 is looking as far as conference planning jobs are concerned? Well, from the research that I’ve been doing, the outlook doesn’t look too bad. That’s not to say that we are out of the woods yet as far as the economy is concerned. Rather, it’s just that there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Finally.

Some Good News regarding Conference and Event Planning Job Openings

According to an American Express survey of meeting planners, half or more state that they are seeing signs of increased meetings from their clients. Additionally 6 out of 10 meeting planner suppliers stated that they too expect the number of meetings in 2012 to increase. This is certainly a sigh of relief for anyone currently searching for careers in event planning. The bit of good news is that if you been experiencing negative results in your search for jobs in event planning, you should start to see that trend turnaround.

Some additional information from the American Express report relative to event careers:

• Shorter Meetings – many of the meeting planners surveyed indicated that they will most likely decrease the number of days that their meetings have traditionally been held over.
• Travel Distances – the feedback from suppliers is that many meeting planners want to hold their meetings closer to home in 2012.
• Fuller Agendas – this one is very good news as far as job growth. Many planners indicate that their meetings will include a combination of traditional business meetings along with attendee incentives.
• Green – the planets going to love this. Meeting planners are stating that roughly 73% of their clients are supporting hotel properties that have taken green initiatives.
• Venues – in North America planners are shifting away from the luxury properties whereas in Asia-Pacific and Latin America the demand for luxury properties is on the increase.

As we start to see increased meeting planning business in 2012 will also see an increased demand for conference planning jobs. However those in search of event planning careers know all too well how tough the competition can be. And that’s expected to remain tough as employers will have an abundance of candidates to choose from. While experience does rank very high in what employers are looking for, they are also looking for an individual that demonstrates the right characteristics for their organization. So as you begin your event planning career search it’s vital that you have an understanding of what it is your potential employer does and make sure that your research comes across properly in any interviews you’re lucky enough to find yourself in.