What Goes Into a Meeting -- Vision and Goals

Welcome to Planners Pointers!

Meetings, conventions, weddings, fund raisers and birthday parties all have one thing in common.  They all share the same planning process.  This planning process has several pieces and over the next several weeks I am going to write about the many aspects of the planning process. 

This week aspect is Goal.   Goal as defined by Merrian Webster is "the end toward which effort is directed."  I believe that determining what your goal will be for any event must be the first thing you accomplish in any planning.  Without a goal or goals, the everything will flounder.  Goals determine budget, dates, location, marketing and all of the rest of the processes. 

Let's try a word similar to goal -- vision. Defined as a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination.   Vision is often a word people when describing what they want their event to be.  What people see in their mind's eye.  What their dream is.  Most of the time vision is what happens before goals are set. 

What does this all mean for the event and meeting planner?  I believe that it is the planner's job to take the vision and turn it into a goal.  How you do that will be discussed next time on Planners Pointers.