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<p>Stressed much? Statistically speaking, yes, you are. Meeting and event planning has been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetingsnet.com/global-events-planning/planners-their-breaking-point">ranked as one of the most stressful jobs</a>—and that was true even before COVID-19 threw large gatherings into near-constant flux. The remedy: self-care. Which you’ve heard before.</p>
<p>Foot rubs! Bubble baths! Yoga! Those are great tools, but they don’t speak to the core of the particular stress of what it’s like to be a meeting planner.</p>
<p>“We’re taking stock in what the industry looks like today and how that affects success,” says Marla Everett, CMP, director, consulting solutions at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.traveletm.com/">Event Travel Management</a>. “Maybe that will help us not be so hard on ourselves.” In 2020, meeting planners were hit with utter chaos; 2021 was a sustained dance of will-they-or-won’t-they. Going forward, meeting planners have the opportunity to shine—but shining is next to impossible if you’re depleted.</p>
<p>Here’s a mini guide, just for meeting planners, on how to make self-care an integral part of your work—not an add-on that you never make time for.</p>
<h3><strong>Self-Care Before Events</strong></h3>
<p>Good news, planners: Your superpowers of organization, planning, and anticipating roadblocks are a form of self-care. By developing a road map to a successful event, you’re giving yourself the gift of knowing that you’re on track with your resources.</p>
<p>At least, that’s the theory. In practice, meticulous planners can turn their superpower into their Achilles’ heel, by letting their organization become a form of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.smartmeetings.com/magazine_article/healthy-world-dont-worry-be-happy">worry</a>, and by refusing to delegate.</p>
<p>To avoid the first pitfall, remind yourself that your planning prowess needs to coexist alongside flexibility. “Planners sort of have to be type A personalities, because we have to have thought of every contingency plan,” Everett says. “But there’s always something that goes awry, so we also have to be the most type B of the type As—when something starts to slide sideways, you have to be able to shift your attention.”</p>
<p>As for delegation as a form of self-care, look at the value of each task on your plate. “There are a lot of tasks that are easy to do, and we get caught up in a mindset of, ‘Oh, that’s easy, it’ll take me five minutes so I’ll just get it done,’” Everett says. “Well, if you add up too many of those, no matter how easy the task is, your plate overflows.”</p>
<ul>
  <li><strong>To help you plan: </strong>If you don’t already have a planning template, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mpi.org/docs/default-source/membership/mpi_practicalmeetingplanningguide.pdf">this MPI checklist</a> can get you started.</li>
  <li><strong>To help you delegate: </strong>Learn <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lifehack.org/688325/how-to-delegate-work-the-definitive-guide-for-successful-leaders">when, how, and to whom</a> you can (and should!) hand off tasks.</li>
  <li><strong>Try this: </strong>Planners sometimes have a hard time judging when they need to start delegating or saying “no.” Pick a metric or two and use them as a measuring stick. If you’re an inbox-zero champion, maybe your metric is having more than 10 emails in your inbox at any given time. People who are devoted to their to-do lists might notice when a task keeps moving from day to day. When you see those things happening, it’s time to delegate.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Self-Care During Events</strong></h3>
<p>You’ve prepared for this. You’ve planned for this. Now your job is to be in the moment.</p>
<p>Part of being in the moment is trusting that you’ve fulfilled your job, even before the event starts. You’re a meeting planner, remember?</p>
<p>“The biggest sign of success is that as a planner, you’ve planned it well enough to get all the way up to the day before it operates—and then you could disappear and it still runs well,” Everett says. “There’s self-care in respect to having more people know what’s going on so that if something happens, everything can still go as planned.” (Remember that bit about delegation? Yeah, it applies during the meeting too.) Building in some redundancies and leaving a paper trail can help those around you step in when your attention needs to be drawn elsewhere.</p>
<p>Another part of staying in the moment: mindfulness. This might bring up images of yoga and meditation, and sure, that can be part of it. But even if you’re not able to incorporate a full meditation into your big day, you can always take a deep breath with the intent of remembering where you are and why you’re there. In a culture and industry focused on the future, that can be difficult—but it’s also simple.</p>
<ul>
  <li><strong>To ask for help in the moment: </strong>Say <a target="_blank" href="https://www.supportiv.com/communication/phrases-to-ask-for-what-you-want">these phrases</a> out loud so that you have language at the ready when you need to ask for help.</li>
  <li><strong>To take a deep breath: </strong>Give the one-minute breath a fair shake.</li>
  <li><strong>Try this: </strong>A morning ritual can anchor any day, let alone a big day (or a string of them!). It doesn’t have to be something spiritual or out of the ordinary if you don’t want that. It can be sitting down with a cup of coffee, going for a morning walk, or applying makeup with care—whatever makes you feel the most like the successful planner you are.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Self-Care After Events</strong></h3>
<p>Here’s where you get to—and need to—step away from the event for a bit. When you’re so plugged into an event and have been planning it for months or years, it can be difficult to let it go. But it’s important that you do so, because it’s the only way you can refuel your tank for whatever comes next.</p>
<p>The most obvious route here is to take time off. If you’re in control of your schedule, give yourself a couple of comp days after the event’s end. If someone else controls your paid time off, check in before the event about comp days. Then—and this is trickier than it might seem—rest.</p>
<p>Depending on your lifestyle, resting at the event’s venue might be the way to recharge. (After all, if your event venue is associated with accommodations, you’ve probably spent a good deal of time talking it up to attendees—now it’s time to take advantage of that fitness center!) If you have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/loyalty.mi">reward points</a> racked up with a hospitality group, consider using them to treat yourself.</p>
<p>If you have responsibilities at your home that draw you back, do what you can ahead of time to give yourself a break upon return. Use your delegation skills to ask other household members to do simple meal prep or step up on chores. And consider bowing out of social obligations for a few days post-event, giving yourself space to recuperate.</p>
<p>One thing to watch out for: the “letdown effect,” or a funk that arises after a big event, no matter how successful. Remember that it’s normal to feel a little blue after the rush of an event is over—but if it lasts for more than a couple of weeks, you could be looking at something like depression, and it’s best to seek help. Being gentle with yourself during the days and weeks following a major meeting can help you transition back into what you do best: planning for the next big event.</p>
<ul>
  <li><strong>To give yourself true rest: </strong>Read up on <a target="_blank" href="https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/">the seven types of rest</a>—physical, mental, sens ory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual rest—to make sure you’re giving yourself a well-rounded break. (All the sleep in the world won’t matter if you return to work emotionally depleted.)</li>
  <li><strong>To treat “the letdown effect”: </strong>Learn about a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uwhealth.org/news/crash-landing-coping-with-post-event-blues">full-spectrum protection plan</a>. If you have a history of getting sick after a big meeting, read up on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.anitawangmd.com/post-stress-let-down-effect/">health resilience in the face of the letdown effect</a>.</li>
  <li><strong>Try this:</strong> For 24 hours post-event, do not check your lines of communication. No email, no texts, no exceptions. It might seem difficult, but the more you flex the muscle of letting go, the stronger it becomes.</li>
</ul>

Global

You Have One of the Most Stressful Jobs Out There. Here’s How to Make Sure You’ll Continue to Love It.

Tired of the Same-Old Self-Care Tips? Read This.

<p>Meeting planners since the dawn of time have had their eye on attracting the next generation of eventgoers: the people who, if planners can catch their attention now, will form their clients’ base now and in the future.</p>
<p>Generation Z is no exception. But what might make Gen Z a little different as far as today’s meeting planners go is their unique spot in the landscape of eventgoers.</p>
<p>They’re digital natives who launched their careers during a time of global upheaval. But those same traits—taking technology as a given, a sensitivity to the world around them—are shared by every single person at your events, to a degree. In other words, if you cater to Gen Z, you’re actually catering to all of your attendees.</p>
<p>Consider it a variant of the <a target="_blank" href="https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect">“curb cut effect,”</a> or the idea that &nbsp;supporting one group supports everyone. When disability activists successfully advocated for wheelchair-accessible curb cuts (small ramps) throughout United States built environments, they learned that they had achieved a victory that went beyond their specific needs. Curb cuts allowed wheelchairs access to the streets—along with parents pushing strollers, travelers hauling wheeled luggage, workers pushing heavy carts, and skateboarders making use of the urban landscape. In fact, one study showed that 9 out of 10 “unencumbered pedestrians” use curb cuts.</p>
<p>A win for one specific demographic became a win for the community at large. In the same way, taking stock of the needs of Gen Z can help you create events that are more meaningful for everyone. Here are four ways to do just that.</p>

<h2><strong>Make Sure Your Meeting Has Community Impact</strong></h2>
<p>Generation Z came of age during the era of “cause marketing,” with brands promoting their value and community impact along with their wares. This has played a role in younger attendees’ expectations that events will do more than just benefit them—they want the events they pour resources into to support a mission.</p>
<p>Making your meetings <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/482/how-to-talk-with-vendors-about-your-sustainability-goals">environmentally sustainable</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/410/is-inclusion-part-of-your-organizing-principle">inclusive</a>, and culturally sensitive goes a long way with this group. Consider adding an explicit charitable aspect to your meetings too, whether that’s highlighting the economic impact your event has to the host organization (if it’s a nonprofit), creating opportunities for attendees to volunteer at the destination, or hosting extracurricular activities with a philanthropic bent.</p>

<h2><strong>Support Attendees’ Mental Health and Well-Being</strong></h2>
<p>Younger attendees began their careers during the pandemic—a time of peak attention to mental health and emotional wellness. The stresses they experienced as students and young adults show up in their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/addressing-the-unprecedented-behavioral-health-challenges-facing-generation-z">levels of emotional distress</a>, and it takes flight in the form of their resilience, with self-care becoming a pillar of how young attendees make their way through the world.</p>
<p>To support this mission for all attendees, pay particular attention to how you’re constructing your meetings’ time and space. According to research firm Mintel, 38% of Generation Z reports prioritizing time for themselves, compared with just 27% of adults overall. Incorporating downtime into events can help attendees meet their self-care needs without missing out on programming and networking opportunities. Designating spaces as “quiet zones” or sensory rooms can provide eventgoers with a haven during “on” times as well.</p>

<h2><strong>Demonstrate Your Event’s Value</strong></h2>
<p>Generation Z is less willing to spend money on experiences for experiences’ sake than their predecessors, according to research from Mintel. Yet they’re eager to meet in person: The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.freeman.com/resources/freeman-trends-report-q1-2023/">Q1 2023 events report from Freeman</a> shows that 75% of younger attendees say in-person gatherings provide the most trustworthy information.<br>
 <br>
To keep their trust, let them know what they’ll expect. Focus on the value they’ll get from investing time in your event, not just the “experience.” Knowing specifics about how they’ll be getting hands-on learning and a deeper connection to colleagues will help them—and all attendees—click “Register Now.”</p>

<h2><strong>Artfully Integrate Technology Into Every Part of Your Meeting</strong></h2>
<p>Digital natives value many of the same analog approaches of previous generations; they just see technology as being complementary to those approaches, not separate. It’s easy to see how that comes into play in remote and hybrid meetings. But keeping technology in an active support role in fully in-person meetings can amplify the reasons people gather in the first place.</p>
<p>What this means for meeting planners: Lean into technology for every aspect of your programming, without making it the focus. In-session live polling, interactive displays, tech-enabled accessibility options, LED volumes, <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/422/perfect-the-art-of-the-hashtag">skilled use of hashtags</a>—all of these ladder up to an attendee experience that’s amplified by, not dominated by, technology.</p>

Want to Make Your Meetings More Valuable for All Your Attendees? Pay Attention to the Needs of Generation Z.

Win Over Gen Z, Win Over Everyone

<p>When Hillary Clinton told a group of 4,200 meeting professionals that “You make thousands of decisions every day,” she was being conservative. In fact, we make around <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbsnc.org/blogs/science/how-many-decisions-do-we-make-in-one-day/">35,000 decisions a day</a>, according to some estimates.</p>
<p>But Clinton’s point, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetingsnet.com/meeting-planning-toolbox/hillary-clinton-s-decision-making-lessons-meeting-planners">shared at PCMA’s Convening Leaders conference in January</a>, goes deeper than the number of decisions planners make. “You need your energy to be high when making the conscious decisions,” she told attendees. “You have to know yourself.”</p>
<p>The cost of not knowing one’s own capacity for decisions takes a toll: It can lead you to procrastinate decision-making, to reach for the first solution that comes to mind instead of the best solution, or to stay suspended in analysis paralysis, poring over the same information ad nauseam without arriving at a choice.</p>
<p>But <a target="_blank" href="https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/decision-fatigue">decision fatigue</a>—becoming drained in the face of constant choice—can be managed. And for planners, whose decisions affect every aspect of an event, that’s the only way to proceed. Read on for six ways to manage decision fatigue.</p>

<h3><strong>Decision Fatigue-Buster #1: Identify Peak Performance Times</strong></h3>
<p>As Clinton pointed out, you need all your faculties when making the most important decisions. Strategically schedule decision-making sessions—particularly those involving other people’s opinions, which are more cognitively demanding—for a time of day when you’re most alert. Night owls have an added consideration here: Even if you’re most awake later in the day, you may find that your capacity for making decisions is depleted earlier than your energy reserves. Consider trying to schedule meetings involving big decisions for as early in the day as you comfortably can.</p>

<h3><strong>Decision Fatigue-Buster #2: Eliminate Decisions</strong></h3>
<p>You’ve probably heard about people developing a “work uniform” of similar or identical clothes that work well together without requiring much thought—resulting in one less decision to be made each day. Extend that principle to select parts of your work life. That might mean minimizing the number of personal decisions you have to make (such as having the same lunch every day), and it might also mean developing a streamlined list of suppliers so you can devote, say, your big-ticket RFP energy to where it will make the most impact.</p>

<h3><strong>Decision Fatigue-Buster #3: Develop Standardized Evaluation Frameworks</strong></h3>
<p>The outcome of decisions may be unique, but developing a standardized approach to making those decisions is useful. You’re probably already considering similar factors when reviewing your options—budget, past experience, attendee feedback, diversity and inclusion, etc. Codifying these by developing a rubric where each option is evaluated and weighted according to the same criteria can help you take some hemming and hawing out of the equation. These can be particularly effective when collaborating on a decision, thanks to the quantitative factor that makes decisions more objective.</p>

<h3><strong>Decision Fatigue-Buster #4: Prioritize</strong></h3>
<p>Not all decisions need the same level of analysis. Allocate more time and resources to the decisions that are most important, and limit the time you spend on choices whose outcomes have lower stakes. When time is limited, circle back to rule #1 and aim to make critical decisions earlier in the day, before your cognitive overwhelm kicks in.</p>

<h3><strong>Decision Fatigue-Buster #5: Take Breaks</strong></h3>
<p>You already know the role of rest in <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/430/tired-of-the-same-old-self-care-tips-read-this">self-care</a>. Taking a break helps you make better decisions too. In <a target="_blank" href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-15022-005">a 2019 study of 150 nurses</a> working for a health care helpline, researchers found that the further nurses got from their last break, the more likely they were to make a conservative decision, such as deferring a caller to another practitioner. In fact, proximity to a break was more predictive than overall workload of a person’s likelihood of making an inefficient decision. The takeaway? When you’re faced with making a lot of small decisions, give yourself short, frequent breaks to clear your mind.</p>

<h3><strong>Decision Fatigue-Buster #6: Talk With Other Stakeholders (and Delegate When Appropriate)</strong></h3>
<p>Consider this tip advanced fatigue-busting. The more people you involve in a decision, the more factors you have to consider, ultimately complicating a decision. But as Clinton pointed out about high-stakes decisions like those she faced as United States secretary of state, big decisions require coming together to arrive at the best solution. She stressed the importance of patience even in the face of exhaustion, and pointed out that asking for more information can help inform all parties. And sometimes, depending on the stakeholders involved, you may find that one person is best-equipped to make a decision—and if that’s the case, delegating that choice may be the right path.</p>
<p>If all else fails? Research shows that the coin toss method can help, though not in the way you might think. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103118303950">2019 study</a> showed that people who used a coin toss to make a decision helped them stick to their preliminary choice. Treating the flip of a coin as an aid to making a decision, not as a final verdict, can help you streamline extraneous information and get to the root of what you value in your choices.</p>

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