Technology Tools for Meeting Planners and Partners

September 4, 2018
Meetings and Business Events Industry, Productivity Pantry, Sales and Service, Social Media

The meetings industry is a fast-paced, stressful, incredibly rewarding industry! I’ve been kicking around the industry for almost 20 years now (yes I started when I was just 14 years old). Over the years technology has come a long way to help planners and partners stay organized and productive. Its interesting to think back on when we had to do everything in paper copy. Meeting planners loved their paper calendars and planners, however most of us have replaced those planners with a variety of apps. With the plethora of options out there, I’ve narrowed the list to some of the best tools for meeting planners and partners alike.

Below is a list of some of the most popular go-to tools for meeting planners and partners everywhere. How many of these do you use? Which ones would you like to try??

Technology Tools for Meeting Planners and Partners:

Asana, Trello or TaskWorld Project Management Tools – These tools help you manage your projects and collaborate with team members on tasks associated with organizing your events. I absolutely LOVE Asana for keeping my blog life organized. Asana organizes your t0-dos either by list form (my favourite) or with virtual boards that can be rearranged easily. Trello has a great board function as well. My colleagues use TaskWorld – they love the collaborative nature on that tool.
Google Calendar – Google has a ton of great products, but for managing my business and family, its Google Calendar to the RESCUE. Every family member has a “calendar”, and you can view or hide as many calendars as you want. Its the only way we function. If Google Calendar ever went down, you’d likely find me in a dark room sucking my thumb and drinking a magnum of red wine.
Doodle – before throwing that team meeting in your Google Calendar, use Doodle to help survey your meeting attendees on the best times to meet. This app helps keep your inbox clean as all the “back and forth” about a meeting time is kept in the app.
Hootsuite – the social media app. Hootsuite helps you manage all your social media platforms. Planners that help manage their client’s marketing and social media use Hootsuite or facsimile to manage all the tweets and posts related to their events. If you have reservations about being active on social media because its overwhelming to keep track of it all, Hootsuite to the rescue! You can schedule posts in advance, view your post calendar and keep multiple platforms organized, all in one place!
Evernote – this app can serve so many purposes – Its your note taker, your journal, your shopping list, your business card scanner and your inspiration board.
Headspace meditation app – before your stressful day begins, start it off right with a quick 10 minute meditation courtesy of Headspace.
PicMonkey – photoshop for the rest of us…. An easy to use photo-shop app for your social media posts and pictures. Did you really think my skin was that perfect????
Canva – whether a planner or partner, you can use Canva to help make your publications/posts/brochures/flyers etc look professional and polished! No graphic design degree needed here!