Are you considering whether to pursue planner certification?
The decision ultimately depends on your perspective and your professional plans. By perspective, we mean how you value education in a global sense, as well as its potential to advance your career.
Just like any other industry that presents opportunities to gain more skills and hone your knowledge, professional event planning is no different.
There are a variety of certifications that can enhance your process when it comes to planning better, more successful events. Not only do they exist but there are many benefits to securing them on your professional resume.
The real question to ask yourself is: “Are there really any cons?”
That said, when has being “too prepared” or “too qualified” really stood in the way of success? By way of an answer, the late civil rights leader, Malcolm X, said
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
Credentialed and certified professionals are traditionally always highly sought after. It’s fair to argue that investing in planner certification will result in significant ROI. Sure, it’s enough to state this position, but highlighting the benefits of planner certification might be more convincing.
What are the benefits to being a certified meeting planner?
Like it or not, professional and specific certifications inspire trust between you and your clients.
A resume punctuated by consistent professional development and secured certifications signals to your clients that they can trust you – that you will be on your A game for them.
Being on your A game is represented by certification benefits, such as:
Benefit #1 — Keep current and on the cutting-edge of industry innovation.
As time goes on people learn better ways to do old things, or entirely new things about their industry. The same goes for event planning.
In an industry that is constantly evolving — and recently experienced an accelerated evolution, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is always something new to learn. Whether that’s an innovative system or platform or a new best practice to perfect.
By being certified, you demonstrate that you are up to date on all of the latest changes going on in the industry.
At the very least, you’re committed to staying as cutting-edge as possible, regardless of how rapid the industry changes might be.
Knowledge is power, as the saying goes, and knowing everything you can propels your brand further than and ahead of the rest.
Featured in The Meeting Magazines, Michelle Crosby, CMP, DMCP, general manager of Hosts Texas, reflects on the reality of event management and what continuing education offers:
“First, this industry is constantly evolving. Education and certification help maintain a handle on this evolution and provide the tools to keep a person on the forefront and not left in the dust. Next, additional credibility is a plus among peers and with clients and vendor partners. Who doesn’t like that?”
Speaking of peers and vendor partners, another benefit of earning your planner certification comes down to the company you keep. Quite literally.
Benefit #2 — Surround yourself with a reliable network of like-minded professionals.
Have you ever worked on a group project where not everyone is pulling their weight? Of course you have — that’s practically the defining experience of academic group projects.
You’ve also probably already experienced that this can happen in the professional world as well.
Let’s remember that the event planning industry is quite collaborative. Being certified puts you in league with people who are pulling their weight.
There is a trust and a camaraderie between you and colleagues who are also certified.
Even if you’ve only just met at a conference or professional development workshop, you automatically get the sense that they are just as committed to exceptional job performance and exceeding client expectations as you are.
You can learn from these people.
To quote another expression, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
Positioning yourself within a collaborative community with like-minded colleagues will only help you level up your game and realize greater professional ambitions.
Benefit #3 — Stand out from the crowd and gain a visible edge over your competition.
In other words, planner certification sharpens your professional credibility.
Profiled in The Meeting Magazines, Jane Scaletta, DMCP, CIIS, president at Dolfin Destinations captures the value in certification as elevating you above the competition:
“I wanted to have a competitive advantage over my competitors by differentiating myself and my company from other professionals. It was important for me to demonstrate my commitment to the industry that I work in. I also wanted to learn more and stay current with the latest industry information. This advance training allowed me to gain professional credibility with our clients and show them that I have the commitment and dedication to our industry.”
Do corporate meeting planners care about CE?
Simply put, if they don’t — they should!
After all, continuing education is the tool that will propel their careers forward for all the reasons listed above.
This is what is going to propel their careers forward!
Becoming a CMP, certified meeting planner, puts corporate meeting planners in the driver’s seat when it comes to navigating new professional opportunities.
And time is of the essence.
The events industry is a competitive field and establishing yourself as an authority in your specific niche is best done sooner than later.
As Crosby advises:
“My biggest tip if you’re considering certification in the industry is to not hesitate. Do it now. Don’t wait for someone to ask you to do it or wait until it’s necessary to obtain it. Figure out what will help catapult you to the next step in your career and aim for that certification. Go for the gusto! You won’t regret it.”
The moral of the story?
Whether you are planning a corporate meeting or another event, continuing your education and pursuing the benefits of planner certification will prove invaluable.
What does continuing education look like in action?
When you evaluate event management solutions like Attendee Interactive, you’ll quickly see that we empower event organizers to utilize better processes in order to create more manageable, appealing, and usable content.
With more than 20 years of demonstrated experience supported by proven tools, Attendee Interactive continues to be a leader in providing cutting-edge conference management and CME accreditation software to clients worldwide.
Our commitment to continuing education is clear, especially when you explore our website, featuring upcoming events and opportunities to take charge of your CE.
We consistently create engaging and relevant content featuring industry developments and guides to help you manage upcoming events and opportunities, such as our recent whitepaper, Educational Meetings in 2023: A Two-Way Street.
Moreover, our social media presence is consistently bolstered by both industry and brand updates. This is basically an on-demand portal of professional development information and experiences.
On that note, we’ve also created a YouTube channel featuring curated content. This has been carefully crafted and presented to empower your organizations efforts and ambitions.
