If you are a self-employed meeting planner, you already know that quite a bit of planning is required before you can even begin to meet with clients and provide services. Decisions must be made about which niche should be your main focus, which marketing methods will be most effective, how to build successful relationships with venues and vendors, and how you will manage your client contacts. If you work from a home office, there are also the issues of setting up a home office that is quiet and conducive to productivity, establishing a professional feel for your business that does not give away that you run it out of your home, and determining how and where you will meet with clients.

The issue of where to meet with clients is a simple one when working with larger companies that have offices or storefronts. In this case, you can simply go to them and meet with them on their premises. However, when you are working with smaller companies or are meeting with potential clients that are located elsewhere and visiting your city, meeting on their turf may not be an option.

If the client company is also conducted from a home office, then it is appropriate for you to meet in either your home or theirs, as long as you feel comfortable having clients in your home and you have a professional environment in which to conduct meetings. Options for meeting clients outside of your home include meeting at a local coffee shop or looking into office sharing programs that offer meeting space for reasonable rates.