The first step in tapping into the SMERF market would – of course – be understanding exactly what the SMERF market is. This particular travel, meeting and event market consists of social, military, education, religious and fraternal organizations, hence the SMERF acronym. This growing market of potential clients is the bread and butter of some event planners who have chosen to specialize in organizing events and meetings for these particular groups, and with good reason.

Most corporate meeting and event planners who do not have experience with the SMERF market do not realize that their needs and wants vary greatly from corporate clients, which makes many planners ill-equipped to meet the unique challenges associated with SMERF event planning. This has opened the way for savvy planners who are well-versed in working with SMERF clients to tap into this lucrative market and make a name for themselves as an expert in this niche.

At first glance, it may appear that there is less money to be made when working with SMERF clients. It is true that these groups may not have the per person spending power of profitable corporations, and it is also true that events for these groups can be absolutely huge, including such challenges as booking 1,000 rooms for a single event. However, SMERF groups also tend to have a higher level of loyalty than corporate clients, which means that putting together a single successful event for a SMERF client could result in repeat business from a loyal client for life.

As a business meeting and event planner, you are continually seeking for ideas to add value to your services. Recently the federal government set forth guidelines to the corporations receiving bailout cash. These guidelines can essentially assist you to be a more valuable planner.

The boards of directors of firms acquiring unusual aid from the government have got to adopt a company-wide policy on any disbursements connected to air transportation services, entertainment and holiday parties, and conferences and events. This policy is not designed to include conservative expenses for sales conferences, team development, acceptable performance incentives and other standards attached to a corporation’s usual business operations. What does this mean? Here are some of the provisions and ways you can utilize them to cause your client’s corporations appear golden even if they are planning incentive travel. Read the rest of this entry »

Every business changes with the times, and the event planning industry is no exception. It could be a technological or educational change, and it is not a slow changing process either. Businesses are growing rapidly and so are the demands of customers and clients.

The meeting and event planning industry is increasingly adapting to new trends and resources to keep up with the growing demands of clients. Technological tools and resources are constantly getting upgraded and event planners need to keep their eyes and ears open.

If you are a meeting planner set out to make your mark in this profitable industry, make sure that you stay in touch with every small development. A great idea to stay updated with the changing trends is to read newspapers, magazines, and trade journals that review the event management industry. These media sources that deal with the developments in the meeting planning industry are available in plenty and it would do you good to go through them regularly. Read the rest of this entry »