A scroll through Facebook can turn up its fair share of cat videos, tasty recipes and news articles. But meeting planners who know where to look can use the dominant social media platform as a tool to network, solve event technology issues, seek venue recommendations and stay abreast of industry trends.
Started by Mark Zuckerberg in a Harvard University dorm back in 2004, Facebook has since grown into a global platform averaging 2.41 billion monthly active users. According to Sprout Social, it is currently the largest social media network in existence and 74 percent of its users access the site on a daily basis. Aside from keeping track of friends and families, Facebook's features include the ability to message others, follow corporate pages, join groups and keep tabs on upcoming events.
Most organizations that meeting planners work for likely already rely on Facebook as a key part of their brand promotion and engagement strategy -- whether to announce session topics and speakers, poll attendees on their thoughts, or share images and videos after the event ends. But industry pros say the platform can also be used as a broader tool for exploring planning advice and getting inspiration year-round.
"It's important not to view Facebook as a single-dimension platform," says Trish Simitakos, owner of Trish Star Events and one of NMG’s top 25 influencers of 2019. "By participating in industry group discussions, keeping an eye on what my ideal clients post about and why, and just generally engaging with others, I have gained valuable insight into hot-button topics, upcoming trends and business best practices that I can incorporate."
Discover Thriving Online Communities
According to the social media management company Hootsuite, more than 200 million people belong to meaningful Facebook groups, where they can make new connections and participate in lively discussions with their peers.
Top groups for planners include Event Technology Help (1,000 members), EventProfs Mastermind (2,400 members), Event Planners Forum (10,300 members), Event Planners Club, (16,700 members) and Delegate Wranglers (17,300 members in its original group for the U.K. and Europe, and 1,400 members in the recently launched U.S. and Canada group).
The groups are often created by meeting professions, for meeting professionals. While the guidelines for joining and participating vary for each, most require a quick application to make sure the prospective member is right for the group.
Delegate Wranglers, for example, was started in 2014 by Neil Thompson, an event manager with more than 20 years of experience. The group aims to serve as a community for meeting planners, suppliers and vendors to connect, crowdsource information and share advice. Users must answer three short questions on their background before they are accepted. Thompson approves each request and moderates shared posts to ensure all content is relevant and beneficial to members.
"I started the group to help me get solutions for difficult projects. When I looked around, there weren't any groups or organizations like this. I invited 20 people who I knew and trusted in the industry to join, so that we could all collaborate together whenever we needed help, with a pay-it-forward mentality," says Thompson. "The group organically grew to 80 members in 2016 and by then, the use of the group had increased significantly. It was at this point that I thought it could develop into something hugely positive and essential for meeting planners."
Since then, similar groups have cropped up on Facebook. Event Planners Club, of which Simitakos is a proud member, was started in 2016. The group is for "planners who want to make more money, grow their businesses to new heights and network." The required application asks users to agree to the community guidelines, provide their email address and describe what area of events they specialize in, as well as what their biggest frustration is at the moment.
Tap into a Wealth of Knowledge
With just a few clicks, meeting planners can join a Facebook group and gain access to active communities filled with thousands of their peers. In Event Technology Help, planners can troubleshoot technology issues or ask for new recommendations. Others, like the Event Planners Forum, are focused on the training, mentoring and education of meeting professionals.
The quickly-growing Delegate Wranglers group encourages members to ask questions, share information and use their combined experience to help one another. In addition, a weekly "Supplier Hour" introduces planners to new meeting suppliers, venues and destinations. A similar "Freelance Hour" aims to help freelance event coordinators gain more business.
"Facebook really can be an educational place as long as you know where to look," says Thompson. “We are the event planner’s secret weapon with this huge wealth of resources and experience, all collaborating to help you."
Monitor Emerging Event Trends
Beyond groups, planners can also follow industry pages to keep up on trends. Simitakos, for example, follows the National Association for Catering and Events and MBCC Women’s Business Council. News pages, such as Meetings and Conventions, Successful Meetings and Incentive Magazine, are additional resources that publish regular news stories and research to keep event coordinators in the loop.
"Social media is the best free resource for up-to-the-minute information. It crowd sources the research for you," says Simitakos. "I believe every event pro (corporate or social) should be fully utilizing social media resources, and it saddens me when I see those that still do not. It's never too late to learn, and you are never too old to play catch up."
To learn more about social media, check out our coverage on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, and WhatsApp.
/How-to-Use-Innovation-Opportunities-to-Survive-Dis.jpg?tr=w-360%2Ch-240%2Cfo-auto "How to Use Innovation Opportunities to Survive Disruption")
/Using-Golf-Strategies-to-Drive-Your-Business.jpg?tr=w-360%2Ch-240%2Cfo-auto "Using Golf Strategies to Drive Your Business")
