We all like something for free... and I have yet to meet someone that doesn't like some sort of pie... so read on and see if you might like a slice of this $20 Billion dollar pie.

It won't cost you a thing to look into this business and find out if it might be the right career choice for you. In fact, we're happy to help you get started. All you need is a sincere desire to succeed, some applicable skills; including people skills, excellent organizational skills, follow-through and an uncanny attention to detail. Beyond this; some basic communication tools like a computer and a cell phone will be all you need. Once you have these checked off your list there is no shortage of opportunities.  If you'd like to learn more, keep reading or contact us and we'll help point you in the right direction.

According to the US Bureau of Labor; meeting and convention planners have a lot to look forward to. The growth for planners in the next 8 years is expected to explode with a 16 percent increase through 2018, faster than the average for all other occupations.

The pie gets even better when you consider the top 10 percent of meeting and convention planners earned more than $74,610.00 and the average planner made $44,260 in 2008. The skills that meeting planners develop can be applied in virtually any industry they want to work. Planners often are not required to have industry-specific knowledge, which allows them to change industries relatively easily. There are also huge opportunities for freelance meeting planners to contract with organizations that do not maintain meeting planners on staff and even organizations with full time staff typically require teams of experienced planners collaborating on different aspects of an event months in advance.

Planners have the flexibility to choose to specialize in one aspect of event production like audio visual production or choose to be responsible for coordinating every detail of an event on which they are working, from arranging all support services to negotiating contracts with facilities and suppliers; they can even help with venue selection.

While the proportion of meeting and convention planners with a formal education is increasing, many others are entering the profession by gaining planning experience while working in complimentary positions, such as administrative assistants or marketing assistants.

In 2008 planners held about 56,600 jobs. It is estimated that nearly 3,400 of them are self-employed. And if you're concerned about the proliferation of alternative forms of communication, like e-mail, videoconferencing, and the internet reducing the need for face-to-face meetings – well don't be. Remember when the introduction of the personal computer was going to turn us into a paperless society? Today we use eight times more paper than we did before the computer. Face-to-face interaction is still irreplaceable. In fact, these new forms of communication have actually increased the demand for meetings and introduced new groups and individuals to the mix.

The future for planners is bright and the pie is big enough for all of us with plenty to go around.