Planning successful meetings
As administrative staff it is imperative to be intimately acquainted with the policies and standards of your company. It is equally important to “know your role in the process.” The ability to stay abreast of the nuances of policy sets us apart from other staff members. The assistant should be a valued partner, not an obstacle.
On a recent Sunday afternoon I sat down to catch up my reading. As a successful executive assistant I learned early in my career the importance of being well read.
The article that caused me to pause was discussing how event planners can defend their position in corporate America during these turbulent economic times. I applauded the writer for sharing perspective with these people in an impacted industry. My enthusiasm was quickly lost as I continued the article.
Of the four planners interviewed three were from major firms and kept their identity confidential. These three planners shared one common theme, “administrative assistants are not qualified to plan meetings and are a hindrance to the planning process.” These planners are employed by large firms where policies and procurement standards exist to ensure each contract negotiated is consistently vetted through the appropriate channels. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that last sentence to be true.
The number one complaint was the assistants’ lack of adherence to the respective company’s policy with regards to negotiation and procurement of the event facility. When asked by their manager to plan a meeting, the assistants consistently bypassed the event planner assuming their role was to plan, rather than be a liaison between manager and EP.
There must be clear definition of the role of the assistant. In this case each of these companies employs an EP. The role of the assistant is to gather as much preliminary information from the manager as possible. Develop and utilize a standard meeting planning sheet to gather the specifications. Schedule a time to meet with the planner. Be a good partner and keep the lines of communication open. Ultimately you share the common goal of planning a successful meeting.
