We are living through economic turmoil, the likes of which none of us have ever lived through! There is almost an Alice in Wonderland, up is down, and down is up mentality to what is going on in the world around us.  If negotiating, reviewing, writing or anything else to do with contracts is part of your daily routine; either on or off the job you need to attend:

Negotiating in Tough Times, Things That You, Whether Supplier or Planner, Need to Consider

Jonathan Howe Esq.
Wednesday October 14, 2009
1:00 PM Eastern Time

As you’ve heard numerous times at MPI or other industry events dealing with contract issues, when asking for something before a contract is signed it’s called Negotiating.  When you ask for something after a contract is signed it is called Begging. Well, with the current economic situation, as it is there are many contracts that were written in good faith that are no longer apt or meaningful.  What should you do? How should attrition be addressed, or cancellations? What is fair in light of changing economic conditions?

Let Jonathan Howe ESQ provide you with approaches that can work both from the supplier as well as a planner point of view to make sense of contracts that were written in a different time and place.

Join industry veteran Jonathan T. Howe, Legal Counsel for Meeting Professionals International and the International Special Events Society in this rapid-fire interactive program.  Go to www.meetingjobs.com to register today.

Can’t attend?
All programs are available to be reviewed up to two weeks following the program.  Simply register for the program and the link will be sent to you following the program.

CEU”s are being offered!

Also coming up in the next couple of weeks is a great webinars by some of the best known speakers in our industry. You won’t find this much talent for these prices anywhere else!

The days are getting shorter and the nights are cooling.  If you haven’t taken the kids back to school yet, you are probably less than a week away from doing so.  If you have not gone back to school yourself yet in some form or fashion what  are you waiting for?? In the same way that elementary school is the stepping-stone for middle school, and middle school for high school, continuing education and advanced training are the stepping-stones for maintaining or improving your career opportunities.

Now more than ever it is imperative that you attain and hone the skills and skill sets necessary to perform in today’s economy.  The “Old Boy”, network is still important. But believe me, getting the job done on time and on budget is more important than ever before.  In the same way that rookie football players have a better chance of making an NFL team if they can play both a position as well as playing on special teams. Versatility and the ability to work across various disciplines is critical.  The more you know, the more you can do. The more you can do and do well, the greater your value will be to your organization.

I recently changed from a PC to a Mac.  Both are good machines, but from what I have heard and read the Mac is a better machine for my needs.  I don’t know the first thing about a Mac. I don’t know the short-cuts, or the cool things that it can do.  Since time is short and I hate to be frustrated I am taking a class at a community college on Basic Mac Applications.  It costs $50.00 and as it is tax deductable my net cost will be around $35.00.  If you can find first-rate information and training for only $35.00 you owe it to yourself to make the small investment in time and money to increase your value to your employer.

Community colleges, public libraries and organizations such as the YMCA or others have classes on Power Point presentations, Excel, Database Management, Public Speaking. Budgets, Business Plans, and many more. You know better than anyone else where you are strong and where you could learn more or better ways to become more efficient.  In today’s world the only person you can really rely on to ensure that you advance when possible or stay employed where feasible is YOU. Library books are free. On line tutorials may be free or very low cost. Your professional associations offer education locally, at conferences and online.

Meetingjobs (www.meetingjobs.com) now is offering over 20 webinars with industry educators (Corbin Ball, Jonathan Howe, Vicky Betzig, Jim Spellos, Rona Naples to name a few) at a very affordable price.  Sign up today and realize that walking away with one bit of information that you didn’t know before puts you one step ahead of where you were before!

Make today the day that you get your books and GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

Have a nice weekend.

As Janice Joplin sang in Me and Bobby McGee, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. As you celebrated Independence Day last weekend what thoughts were running through your head? If you were truly independent what would you do? Oddly enough, as the economy tanks and the traditional and prudent ways of doing things show themselves to be neither safe nor sustaining now may be the time to make a grab for independence in ways you might not have considered before. It’s revolutionary, but if the old ways no longer work, try something else. The old adage of “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” was never truer than it is today. Although these ideas may not work for everyone, here are a couple of true stories. The son of a very good friend of mine graduated from the University of Tennessee last December. He graduated magna cum laude and was offered several jobs upon graduation. Rather than accepting any jobs he was not really interested in just to have a job he applied for a position at a school in China to teach English. The young man had never taught before and he knew no Chinese but he is very smart and has a curiosity for life. He got the job. He is making $700 per month and living in an apartment provided by the school in the city of Qingdao. He teaches students of all ages several hours per day and takes 2 hours of Chinese language instruction per day himself. Needless to say, he is having the time of his life. When he returns in a year or so he will have memories and real life experience that will benefit him greatly. The job market will improve and he will be better suited to take advantage of his opportunities. Another friend has always been interested in massage therapy. He is going back to school to become a licensed massage therapist. He was a hotelier for over 20 years and worked as an independent planner for several years. He believes it is time for a change once again. By scrimping and saving and working odd jobs during school he believes that he will survive and be happier than he has been. Reinvention is critical when the tried and true no longer work. We at Meetingjobs face the same stresses and strains you face. As jobs dried up in the meetings industry the number of jobs on our board decreased from what had traditionally been posted. We decided to take from our strengths and inaugurated Meetingjobs E.S.P. (Educational Stimulus Program). Since April we have conducted 11 webinars for between 15 and 35 persons per session. The topics and presenters have been timely and except for one session, very well received. The meeting planning community is eager for education and for ways to work more effectively and efficiently. The E.S.P. program provides training and education that many employers no longer provide. It also has broadened the revenue stream for Meetingjobs. Sometimes a little tweak is all that is needed to improve your situation. As the summer heats up and the days begin their slow march toward Labor Day do what you need to do to tweak your situation and future? If jobs are being lost in your industry education will be key. Focusing on your strengths and knowing how to maximize your assets will be key. And finally knowing when to reinvent yourself to take advantage of the opportunities that are sure to present themselves as you watch for them is key. Good luck.

Having the proper credentials is vitally important! Between otherwise equal candidates, having a CMP may be the difference between getting a job, and receiving a rejection letter. If you’ve thought about getting your CMP but do not know how to get started join Meetingjobs E.S.P. on either June 11, 2009 at 1:00 pm ET or June 18, 2009 at 7:00 pm ET as Jill A. Adler, CMP, President of Meeting Matters and an Associate of Meetingjobs presents:

Navigating the CMP: What is it? How do I prepare? And much more…

For over 10 years Jill has helped hundreds of meeting industry professionals prepare for the CMP exam.  Whether you are a planner, a hospitality executive or supplier of other necessary products you will benefit from this webinar.  Jill will discuss:

• The Convention Industry Council and the role they play in our industry.
• The history of the CMP designation and what it means.
• The goals of the CMP program and the benefits you can derive from obtaining the CMP.
• The CMP process.
• The CMP application.
• The CMP examination.
• Fees
• Study tips, study options and available materials.

Questions and answers

The CMP process is a costly venture.  If you are considering sitting for the exam this webinar is a must. For just 45 minutes of your time and for only $35.00 you can save yourself hours and anguish as you learn how to streamline the entire CMP exam preparation or re-certification process.  Go to www.meetingjobs.com today to register for this great webinar.

If you want to be ahead of the curve and not behind the eight-ball you need to carve a little time out of your schedule to participate in the Meetingjobs E.S.P webinar on Thursday April 30, 2009 at 1:00 pm ET. Bruce Steinberg is one of the masters in actually analyzing the economic data flooding our way and knowing what has happened, but more importantly, he understands what may be coming our way! Just a few of the takeaways you can expect are: • Learn which sectors of the economy will drive the meetings industry in the foreseeable future. • How are those sectors performing now and how may they recover? • Are those meeting planning-centric sectors geographically bound and/or could benefit from the administration’s stimulus spending? If knowledge is power you are in for a real treat. Bruce Steinberg will help you be the one they listen to around the water cooler, at the lunch table, while tweeting or when you are LinkedIn, not to mention on Facebook

Visit www.meetingjobs.com to register.

Let’s face it, the job market isn’t booming.  I know many of you are  not only trying to figure out how to cover your expenses but also where to go to network and understand what is happening in our industry.

We are doing what we can do to find new opportunities and at the same time, keeping you aware of networking and learning opportunities.

Within weeks, we will be launching our  webinar series, offering low-cost webinars on topics that may interest you and keep you informed of industry practices.  They will also offer the newest in technology information as well as information that may improve a work/home environment.  We are recruiting top industry leaders and educators to join our faculty.  Look for details in your inbox soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to offer a “heads-up” on a conference being held in May (we will be exhibiting there) for Financial and Insurance Meeting Professionals.  Below is the description with a discount code for this conference.  I hope to see you there!

2nd Annual Financial and Insurance Meeting Planners Conference
May 6-7, 2009
NY, NY

Join your peers this year at the most strategic conference for the Senior Meeting Planner to get the most up to date information regarding the TARP Guidelines and what they mean for the future of the meetings industry. The role of meetings and events has come under scrutiny in this challenging economy, especially now more than ever, and Senior Meeting Planners must demonstrate their value to their organizations.
If you are a Senior Meeting Planner, come join us at the 2nd Annual Financial and Insurance Meeting Planning Conference and find out why this is the must attend program of the year. We promise!

Take a peak at some of the keys sessions providing solutions, information and resources and you’ll see what we are talking about:
* Keynote address Gregory Reid, a Fortune 500 Chief Marketing Officer, brings you inside the C-suite to understand the top concerns, how decisions are made and how planners can align meetings with the objectives of upper management to generate revenue for your firm.
* Sallyan Zenko of UBS Investment Bank shares strategies from past economic downturns to cut costs and identify new opportunities for growth. Also joining Sallyan, Jennifer Squeglia, Chair of the Northeast Chapter of FICP shares how to identify where meetings are lending value as a driver of sales and new business.
* Ron Naples, Adjunct Assistant Professor, New York University on how to evaluate today’s meetings in this tough economy.
 Register today and receive $100 off the current rate if you mention promo code “CDP554″  . You’re eligible for a full refund until April 22 in the event a conflict arises. Again, please reference promo code “CDP554” when registering online or by calling Customer Service at (800) 647-7600.

Take a moment to review the complete agenda, the 2009 Out-of-the box session, and networking opportunities at www.worldrg.com/FIMP

 
Remember, the economy will change…keep the faith.

With the demise of lucrative pension plans and the longer spans of time to “enjoy”, retirement we now have the potential for 4 generations of Americans to be working side-by-side.  The generations are all related by a common heritage, but have very different visions of work ethic, entitlement, response to incentives, training methods, appreciation of feedback and so on.  This analysis does not even take into account the influx of talent from overseas, but as this article is long enough already we’ll deal with the internationalizing of the employment landscape at a later date.

To take them from the top:

1.      The Greatest Generation (So named by themselves) 1922-1945

This group won the 2^nd World War and fought in Korea.  They lived through or were directly touched by the Great Depression.  This group values duty, dedication, loyalty and conformity.  They honor a job well done on its own merits.  They believe in hard work, respect for authority and deferred compensation and satisfaction.  They welcome feedback, but also believe that “No news is good news”.   Every day there are less and less in this group, but as many people do not feel economically able to retire or do not desire the inactivity of retirement there are still many in the workplace.

2,        The Baby Boomers (Me) 1946-1964

           Currently Baby Boomers make up the largest population in the work force.  This situation will change shortly as younger workers enter the work force and Baby Boomers either completely retire or move into a retirement work mode.  (I am already practicing saying “Welcome to Walmart” in front of a mirror).   The Baby Boomers were the first generation to have a large percentage of females in the work force.  This transition began during the 2^nd World War while millions of men were over seas fighting.   When the guys came back women were in the work force and they have never left.  The Baby Boomer generation is also the first one to have a large percentage of females and minorities obtaining a college education.

           The hallmark of the Baby Boomer generation as it pertains to the job market is that they value efficiency and quality.  Many Baby Boomers are workaholics.  They crusade for both fulfillment and social causes.  The Boomers came of age during the turmoil of Viet Nam, the Civil Rights struggles and the Feminist movements.  This generation questions authority.   Cash and titles are highly prized.  Feedback is welcome.

3.        Generation X   1965-1985

           The GenX’ers are totally unimpressed with authority.  They want structure and direction, but are skeptical of those providing the structure or direction.  This was the first generation to experience the explosion of communication technology and devices.  The Baby Boomers saw communication devices on the original Star Trek TV show and thought they were so cool.  The GenX’ers have a phone for 3 months and think it is so dated.

           GenX’ers like to have clear goals and objectives outlined for them, but they then want and expect to determine the most effective way for them to achieve these goals.  They are not workaholics in the traditional sense.  Face time at work is not perceived as a value.  They appreciate immediate feedback on how they are doing and want to have the “freedom” to achieve results in their own ways and methods.  They need to have something proven to them as opposed to accepting a premise at face value.

4.        Generation Y 1986-2005

           This group is also called Millennial generation.  If there is a group, that as a group, has been tagged with a sense of entitlement this is the group.  Until recently this group has never witnessed economic or international upheaval.  GenY’ers have grown up in a fully integrated environment.  They tend to be intellectually curious, but are less eager to do the research to satisfy their curiosity.  The television, computer or PDA are the major sources of information.  Books, newspapers or magazines may not be used at all.  This generation, even more than the GenX’ers grew up involved in multiple simultaneous activities so multi-tasking is second nature for them.  This generation requires steady feedback.  No news is probably bad news.

           This group is the most tolerant of the 4 generations.  They are goal oriented and eager to do well.  They are very comfortable with e-mail, text mail and all forms of electronic communication.  Due to texting prowess, traditional letter writing and other written communication may suffer.  They want meaningful work but also expect almost immediate satisfaction.

So what do we do now?

To bridge the gaps between the generations it is important to realize that each generation faced different challenges and pressures.  To build an effective team or organization, using individuals from the various generations you must:

·         Hold all employees to the same standards and expectations.

·         Do not stereotype.

·         Know what motivates each of the groups to manage each group effectively.

·         Appreciate the different strengths of each group and selectively pull from each group that which will best enable you to accomplish your team goals.

·         Make certain that the different groups you have working with you respect and appreciate each other.  Encourage interaction between the groups as all will benefit from the contact.

Before we dive into the topic of Recession Proofing your Career we have a couple of items to touch upon.  We learned during the recent (Was November really only 2 months ago?) election that even appearing biased toward one party or the other ruffles feathers.  We further learned from our last e-blast that what we thought humorous was not universally humorous for our audience.  To your credit, and as no one yet has sent money to us, we can only assume that no one took us seriously, which is a good thing because that’s how we planned it. 

Meetingjobs is a great resource to find employment and learn methods to be happier and more productive in positions of employment.   We’ll stick to what we do best.  With that being said, here is our inaugural “real” message of the New Year.

Much of this is taken from an article found on Yahoo careers written by Bob Rosner and Sherrie Campbell.

There is no question that the economy has cratered in many industries.  As you read the daily financial pages you realize that the bottom has not been reached yet and that more bumps are ahead of us as the economy finds it’s new equilibrium.  It is very important to determine as accurately as possible where you stand with your company, and where your company stands in its competitive environment.  You are not being disloyal if you do not accept the company line that all is well and that the solvency of your company has never been better.  Thousands of Enron employees did not find out until they read it in the paper that their company was bankrupt.  Don’t make the same mistake they did. You can go online to find information on your company.  Call a broker to find out what the “word on the street” is about your company.  Call some of your vendors.  Are they being paid on time?  You can learn a lot with a little effort.  Knowledge is power and can help you to better situate yourself.

Even booming companies have departments that are either passé or on the chopping block.  For those old enough to remember, Sony’s entrant in the video battle was the Beta cassette.  Sony boomed, Beta bombed.  VHS won the video battle.  Even though the VHS technology ruled supreme for years they have since been almost completely replaced by DVD’s.  Know what the stronger product lines are with your company and see if you can use that to your advantage.

Be prepared to relocate if necessary.  The recession will be deep and take a heavy toll, but there are some parts of the country that will weather the storm much better than other regions.  The Internet allows you to read newspapers all across the nation.   Check out the classified ads in different cities to see what may be available elsewhere.  At the same time you can check out the cost of living in different areas to help determine what you will require to sustain the type of life style you wish.  Salary.com is available on Meetingjobs.com and can be very helpful for you.  If your company allows telecommuting you may be able to work many miles, or even states away from your corporate home to take advantage of cost of living differences.

Finally what about you?  If you dread going to work and only get out of bed and dressed in order to get to work, your days may be numbered regardless of the economy.  If you hate what you are doing it will be very difficult to do a great job or be passionate about your employer.  The handwriting will be on the wall for you regardless of the economy.  Talk to people to learn what they do.  What appeals to you?  What are you actually interested in doing or becoming?  Most employers offer some sort of training or career enhancement opportunities.  Take advantage of these opportunities to improve your current standing, or to prepare yourself better for what may be available within your company or with a competitor.  Life is too short to be in a situation that you hate so make 2009 the year that you either turn things around for yourself, or finally realize that things aren’t so bad where you are and making the best of the situation is well worth doing.

In either event watch for the first Webinar coming to you from Meetingjobs titled Acing the Interview.   In these tough times it’s critical to impress the interviewer as much as possible to tilt the odds of landing a job in your favor. 

It’s a New Year; so let’s make sure to start off right.  As breakfast is the most important meal of the day, at least according to the marketing people at Kellogg’s, January is the best month to make certain 2009 will be a better year for you than 2008.   If you don’t even try to make 2009 a good year until March or early April, guess what, a good chunk of the year will be toast already.  There are some things you have no control over.  Do not spend even a minute fretting about something you cannot impact or influence.  It’s a waste of time and the bags you get under your eyes from not sleeping well don’t look very good.  There are, however, lots of things that you can do something about, Here are 10 that will hopefully get 2009 off to a good start.  If you act very quickly on one of the suggestions I can guarantee that it will be a great year for at least one person reading this, even if it’s only me.

1.                  Clean up your desk.  Or tidy up your top kitchen drawer.  Or your sweater closet.  It really doesn’t matter what you clean or tidy up, just make certain that at least one part of your office, home or car looks better by Friday than it does today.   Throw away stuff that you have not used for months.  Better yet, if the stuff you don’t want or need is still utile, take it to Good Will or the Salvation Army or other useful place.  As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  You get a tax deduction, you get more space in your life and you will probably be more productive, at least until the slob within moves back and reclutters up all your stuff.  If you have a digital camera see if you can sell some of your stuff on E-Bay.  You might make a little money and get rid of some stuff at the same time.

2.                  Write things down.  Start a journal or a diary.  It will allow you to really think about the things that are important to you and help to crystallize ideas on ways to make things better.  Here’s an example of what I mean:

Things at work are getting really squirrelly.  The rumor mill says that more lay-offs are coming and I’m scared out of my gourd.  I’m glad that I read some of the stuff coming to me from Meetingjobs over the last couple of months as my resume looks pretty good and I’ve done a pretty good job of working hard and keeping my ears open to what the heck is going on, but I’m still pretty nervous…

Writing things down helps you to remember what is important and also helps to keep you focused on goals you set out for yourself.  There is more of a commitment to following through on things if you write them down.

3.             Set some goals for yourself.  Make certain that they are reasonable.            

If goal number one is to promote world peace or win the lottery, set    another couple of goals.  The first one above isn’t going to happen and the second one almost certainly won’t and in either event there is very little you can do to influence the outcome of either.  What you can do are things like.  Make certain that you save at least a little from every paycheck, birthday gift, and sale of crack or other illegal exchange.  Start a rainy day fund because you never know when it might start pouring and the more cushion you can give yourself the better.  Another goal may be take a class on something you want to learn, or will make you more employable.  Read books to make you smarter or just happier that you read them.  The library has lots and doesn’t charge you a penny to borrow them.  Learn to type, or use Excel or create Power Point presentations.  None of these things are hard to do, but if you don’t know how they are impossible.

4.                   Send Dawn Penfold a check for $32.41.  As there are about 24,000 truly caring, generous individuals in the Meetingjobs database we are hopeful that roughly $777,840 can be deposited in our bank account by the end of the month.  If you do this we can be absolutely certain that at least one of us will have a really good year. 

5.                  Now is a good time to explore doing something completely new with your life.  Take classes to learn new technologies or industries.  Bio fuels, medical technologies, almost anything to do with geriatrics are areas where there will be growth in the near future.  What skill set do you have that may be adapted fairly easily to the areas of the economy that are due to grow?  If you can afford to make a piddily salary for a year or so consider teaching English over seas for a year.   It is almost like an educational Peace Corps.  There are several organizations that offer positions overseas for teachers and many of the groups do not require you to be a teacher or have teaching accreditation.   You won’t make much, but you get great experience in life and may be able to use the time to wait out the crappy economy over here and give a boost to your resume at the same time.   Here is one web site to visit if interested: 

www.teachabroad.com/search.cfm

6.                  Keep a sense of humor.  A good chuckle probably won’t take the place of Chemo Therapy, but it will certainly help to make the chemo easier to handle.   A good belly laugh is good aerobic exercise and a wonderful thing.  Make certain to make time to do things you actual enjoy doing.  Regardless of the strains and pressures facing you there are things you can do that will help take the sting out.  Identify these things and enjoy them.

7.                  Actually #4 is looking better to me all the time.  Our address can be found on the Meetingjobs web site and if we call the $32.41 a gift rather than a payment of some kind I won’t have to pay any taxes.

8.                  Look for information on the webinar series we are rolling out in the next couple of weeks.  If there are any of you that are concerned about the status of your resume, or would like to polish up your interviewing skills, or want to learn more about how to use Facebook, or YouTube or the other social networking sites we can help you quickly and easily.  Stay tuned.

9.                  Identify the person in your company or your circle who can become your mentor.  Identify the shakers and movers are in your “up line” and find out what is important to them.  What do they need to make their lives easier?  What are their goals or aspirations?  How can you help them to be successful?  As the saying goes, “If Mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy”, the same applies for organizations.   It’s not a practice life.  Find the person necessary for your life to be made better or more secure and do the things necessary to become indispensible to them.

10.              Actually forget about #4 and have a great year anyway, although if even half of you send just $26.87 (a 17% savings from the figure suggested in #4), it’ll be my best year ever financially so what’s not to like?  Make it a great year for at least one of us.