Many years ago, I learned the hard way. I was a newbie planner, learning the ropes from seasoned veterans (or so I thought), reading trade magazines and textbooks, and observing the events of my colleagues.

I quickly learned that my counterpart in the hotel was called the CsM (convention services manager). This role was designed to make my life and job easier. This person was going to be my best friend and teach me a lot of new ideas. I was about to learn shocking, insider-type information. The CsM was as green as I was!  Fast-forward 20 years, and the trends haven’t changed much. My experience tells me that most entry-level hotel and convention center sales and service positions get assigned to the religious market. While that’s not always a bad place to be, when paired with a faith-based planner who’s also the new kid on the block, it can lead to disaster.

The nature of many faith-based organizations is to cycle through planners on a regular basis. This can occur for various reasons, including volunteers, local committees, budget, new leadership, etc. Whatever the reason, the organization ends up with a planner who (through no fault of his or her own) is inexperienced and perhaps unequipped with the proper tools to accomplish the job.

This may help provide an explanation for the poor reputation that the faith-based planner must overcome.  In the eyes of many hotels and cities, the faith-based planner is someone who no one wants to deal with. They are perceived as needy, ill prepared, and unorganized. at the risk of being misunderstood and sounding unfair, I must state that some planners do live up to the poor reputation, but more often than not, the other side of the equation contributes to the problem.

As planners, our reputation is perhaps one of the most important things we have going for us. In order to maintain our standing and success, it’s imperative to approach our role with professionalism, training, and ethical behavior. There’s no reason why a faith-based planner shouldn’t be equated in professionalism with a corporate or association planner.

Many years ago, I learned the hard way. I was a newbie planner, learning the ropes from seasoned veterans (or so I thought), reading trade magazines and textbooks, and observing the events of my colleagues.

I quickly learned that my counterpart in the hotel was called the CsM (convention services manager). This role was designed to make my life and job easier. This person was going to be my best friend and teach me a lot of new ideas. I was about to learn shocking, insider-type information. The CsM was as green as I was!  Fast-forward 20 years, and the trends haven’t changed much. My experience tells me that most entry-level hotel and convention center sales and service positions get assigned to the religious market. While that’s not always a bad place to be, when paired with a faith-based planner who’s also the new kid on the block, it can lead to disaster.

The nature of many faith-based organizations is to cycle through planners on a regular basis. This can occur for various reasons, including volunteers, local committees, budget, new leadership, etc. Whatever the reason, the organization ends up with a planner who (through no fault of his or her own) is inexperienced and perhaps unequipped with the proper tools to accomplish the job.

This may help provide an explanation for the poor reputation that the faith-based planner must overcome.  In the eyes of many hotels and cities, the faith-based planner is someone who no one wants to deal with. They are perceived as needy, ill prepared, and unorganized. at the risk of being misunderstood and sounding unfair, I must state that some planners do live up to the poor reputation, but more often than not, the other side of the equation contributes to the problem.

As planners, our reputation is perhaps one of the most important things we have going for us. In order to maintain our standing and success, it’s imperative to approach our role with professionalism, training, and ethical behavior. There’s no reason why a faith-based planner shouldn’t be equated in professionalism with a corporate or association planner.