Are you a meeting and event planner or a meeting and event strategist? If it’s the former, you’re likely to be left behind. We spoke with Kristi Casey, CMM, CMP, chief innovation officer for Truly Kristi and instructor for the MPI Meeting & Event Strategist Certificate program at WEC Vegas on June 14, about moving beyond order-takers and how to communicate with executives.

As the meeting industry recovers from the pandemic, is it more important than ever to be a strategist and not simply a meeting planner?

Planners are order-takers. Organizations need people who know how to use data to create value and track return on investment. That’s what strategists do. Order-takers are replaceable. Strategists are hard to find.

Can you tell us about a particular skill many meeting professionals often fail to develop or undervalue?

Tailoring the message for the C-suite. You’re fighting the perception that all you do is handle the menus. You’re not changing that perception if you make their eyes glaze over recounting logistic details. Understand what key performance indicators are important to your organization and focus on communicating those wins. The only other thing the executives need to know is reassurance that you’re ahead of schedule and under budget—and if you need them to unblock you in any way.

Why do so many meeting professionals struggle to either understand the value of events or convey that value to key decision makers?

We make the mistake that a great job speaks for itself, so we don’t talk about the work we do. When we do speak, we’re not emphasizing the strategic value of meetings and events so leaders can see them as something other than a cost-center. Another thing that would help is if associations spent less time preaching to the choir and more time educating the public and corporate and government leaders about the value of meetings and events.

What can participants expect from the Meeting & Event Strategist Certificate program?

Learners will understand how to position themselves as a strategist within their organization, manage change, gain stakeholder buy-in, increase financial literacy, develop a meaningful system of measurements, analyze findings and communicate success.

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