Nine New Year’s Resolutions For The Motivated Conference Professional
As we look at closing the books on 2016 and starting a fresh new chapter in 2017, have you given any thought to making some resolutions for your conference and event business? It’s fun to reminisce about your past successes, but it can be a bit more challenging to identify what needs tweaked or revamped to continue to build onto your success into the future. Here are a few ideas that you might consider adding to your list of business resolutions:
1) Share the Workload by Delegating
There are so many things to do when you’re running a conference office, it’s easy to delude ourselves that we need to do all of them. Then we wonder why we’re so tired and frazzled and have no time to do anything else! Let someone else do some of the tasks for a change. Delegation is the key to a healthy work-life balance. Need some tips on the best way to delegate? Check out this story and learn some simple steps that will help ensure you can delegate successfully.
2) Promote, Promote, Promote
Too often the task of promoting a business slips to the bottom of the to do list in the press of urgent tasks. If you want to attract new customers, you have to make promotion a priority. Make a New Year resolution to hire a marketing expert, or take the time to create a marketing plan on your own and follow through. Check out our friends at Unique Venues for some expert advice and guidance on this topic.
3) Make business planning a weekly event.
Planning is vital if you want a healthy, growing business. Business Planning lets you take stock of what worked and what didn’t work, and helps you set new directions or adjust old goals. So why do it just once a year or once a quarter? Set aside time each week to review, adjust, and look forward – or even better, make business planning a part of each day. Not only will this help you avoid costly mistakes and stay on track, but you’ll feel more focused and relaxed.
4) Join a new business organization or networking group.
There’s nothing like talking to other business people for sparking new ideas, refining old ones, and making contacts. Whether it’s a group specifically designed for networking or an organization dedicated to a particular type of business, in person or over the internet, making the effort to be a part of a group will revitalize you and your business. We recommend the Association of Collegiate and Conference Events Directors International or ACCED-I as a resource to expand your professional circle within the collegiate conference community.
5) Give something back to the community.
There are all kinds of worthy organizations that make a difference in your community. Make a New Year’s resolution to find a cause that matters to you, and give what you can. Make this the year that you serve on a committee, be a mentor, volunteer, or make regular donations to the groups in your community that try to make the place you live a better place. And those that give get.
6) Put time for you on your calendar.
It’s so important to take the time to recharge and refresh yourself; a healthy work-life balance and your business’s success demands time out. All work and no play is a recipe for mental and physical disaster. So if you have trouble freeing up time to do the things you enjoy, write time regularly into your schedule to “meet with yourself” and stick to that commitment. If you won’t invest in yourself, who will?
7) Set realistic goals.
Goal setting is a valuable habit – if the goals lead to success rather than distress. Resolve that the goals you set will be goals that are achievable, rather than unrealistic pipe dreams that are so far out of reach they only lead to frustration.
8) Don’t make do; get a new one.
Is there a piece of equipment or software in your office that’s interfering with your success or something that you lack that’s making your working life harder? Whether it’s an old fax machine that’s a pain to use, or the need for a new software to automate your work load, stop putting off getting what you need. The irritation of making do just isn’t worth it. Event Guru Software can help you keep this resolution, so check out their website to learn about their cloud based solution.
9) Stop Beating a Dead Horse…
All marketing campaigns aren’t going to be perfect, all sales methods aren’t going to work for everyone, and all suppliers aren’t going to be ideally suited to your business. If a technique or a product or a business relationship isn’t working for you, stop using it. Don’t invest a lot of energy into trying to make the unworkable workable. Move on. Something better will turn up.