The Importance of Lifelong Learning for Event & Meeting Planners

Ask any event planner, and they’ll likely tell you that the industry is changing quickly. While this is what makes it so exciting to be in the field of events and meetings, it’s also a challenge. How do planners push themselves to adapt to changes in the events sphere? Also, how do event planners ensure best practices, tried and true strategies and key skills don’t get lost with so much focus being placed on the latest trends and technological advancements?

Life-long learning is an essential part of being a successful. The uberly prosperous Warren Buffett dedicates about five hours of his presumably hectic and busy days reading. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg keeps a steady pace of a book every two weeks, and Bill Gates works his way through about 50 books every year. In fact, many forward-thinkers, including Oprah, have been known to set aside a certain number of hours every week to lifelong learning, so why aren’t you?

Yes, event and meeting planners are notoriously busy. Finding the time to devote several hours to your own professional and personal development each week may seem challenging. However, can you afford to not be?

It may sound simple, but when it comes to your knowledge, you only know what you know. If you want to advance your career, close top-notch clients and plan game-changing events, your knowledge level must advance, too. The fact is if you’re not learning and refining your skills, there’s someone out there who is.

By continuing to advance your skills, you can ensure you’re on the cutting-edge of what’s happening in the industry, while also making sure your event planning skills at their core are as developed as possible. However long you’ve been in the industry, whether it’s been several years or several decades, there’s always something new to learn, a concept to revisit, or an idea that could be refreshed.  

The key is choosing an avenue for learning that works within your life. Even simply reviewing event and meeting industry blogs for a couple hours each week can go a long way. If you want a more formalized education, consider enrolling in an online events course that will help you fit studying into your busy life. Or, opt for on-demand style learning, that lets you watch short videos and read snippets content whenever you have the chance.