Wouldn’t it be great if we had a crystal ball that would give us an accurate picture of what companies and organizations expect to do as far as hiring meeting and event planners in 2010?

Unfortunately, such a gem has not surfaced yet, so one of the best ways to gain insight on this topic is to communicate directly with hiring managers—and that’s exactly what I did. I surveyed a group of 100 meeting managers and solicited input from additional hiring managers on a number of social media sites.

Status Quo is the Way to Go
Without a doubt, meetings and events departments faced numerous difficulties in 2009. Fortunately, 71 percent of the meeting managers surveyed avoided any reductions in headcount last year. Only 17 percent had to eliminate up to two full-time meeting planning positions, while 6 percent eliminated up to four positions and another 6 percent eliminated more then five positions.

When asked whether they anticipate adding any full-time meeting planners in 2010, almost 65 percent will maintain the same size department.

"No plans to hire anyone new, and hopefully none to reduce headcount either," says Karen Brown, CMP, CTC, a meetings/events professional with Hewitt Associates in Chicago. "We plan to stay flat in 2010."

On a positive note, 29 percent of the respondents anticipate filling new full-time positions in 2010. That’s what may happen at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) in Chicago.

"We are remaining flat in terms of the number of meetings in 2010, but we may hire another person in the summer, which of course is good news!" says Kristin Olson, CMP, senior meeting manager at AAPD. "We have needed another person for quite a few years and we may get our wish."

The big question is when rehiring will start happening again. Seventeen percent of those surveyed anticipate hiring in the second quarter of 2010, 6 percent in the first quarter and another 6 percent in the third quarter of the year. The remaining 41 percent of the survey respondents don’t have a specific time determined yet or are waiting for approval to hire again.

Filling in the Gaps
To supplement their staffing needs, about 41 percent of meetings departments surveyed used temporary meeting planners in 2009. Of that, 29 percent confirmed that they plan to use temporary meeting planners again in 2010 while almost 12 percent said they make this determination based on specific needs.

The good news is that 53.5 percent anticipate using temporary meeting planners this year; 23.5 percent of those surveyed plan to add temporary staff on a project-by-project basis.

"We plan on hiring event and meeting planners as independent contractors on a project basis," says the customer events consultant for a catering company in the Greater Atlanta area.

The remaining 30 percent of respondents plan to use anywhere from one to five more temporary meeting planners throughout the year.

The decision to use an independent may be part of an association’s solution to reducing costs.

"We’re looking at possibly outsourcing to a company for our meeting planning needs. We have significant cuts that have to be made and this is one area that I can currently try to cut back on," says Nicole Emard, CAE, CMP, executive director, American Association of Attorney-CPAs, in Washington, D.C. "I’m not sure if we’ll go with a company versus an independent contractor at this time."

Sources for Contractors
It appears that hiring managers utilize a variety of sources to locate temporary meeting planners. Almost 27 percent contract with former employees, 20 percent use recommendations from existing staff, another 20 percent contract staff from third-party meeting management companies they work with, and another 20 percent post on job boards. Only 13 percent noted that they advertise on social networking sites.

As the economy continues to rebound, the prospects for the job market will improve as well.

The survey reflects what we’ve seen happen after past recessions, which is a tendency for hiring to remain flat until the volume of business increases on a consistent basis. In the meantime, companies and organizations will use contractors to help supplement their staff during this uptick in business.

For those seeking full-time employment, it’s important to keep in mind that hiring managers frequently look at these same temporary meeting planners when it comes time to fill a full-time position because these individuals have proven their value through the work they’ve done in the department. That’s a lot easier process then relying on your resume to sell your value in response to a job posting.