--- title: "A Meeting Expert’s Need-to-Knows" id: "61181" type: "post" slug: "a-meeting-experts-need-to-knows" published_at: "2026-06-12T19:20:46+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T19:25:42+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/a-meeting-experts-need-to-knows/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/a-meeting-experts-need-to-knows.md" excerpt: "Conferences have put increasing demands on planners’ tech savvy. But people and negotiating skills still matter most." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" - "Mid-Level Professional" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » A Meeting Expert’s Need-to-Knows Part of the Deep Dive[Meeting the Moment](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/meeting-the-moment/) An events leader at an association is a lot of things: a technology expert, a membership and marketing pro, a savvy negotiator, and more. As meetings have become more competitive and sophisticated, the people managing them are being charged to be well-informed around AI, logistics, and other skills. (See sidebar.) But experts generally agree that the core skill of a meeting planner is as old as the industry—an awareness of what attendees want and an instinct for seamlessly delivering it. “You still need to have the basics—how to prioritize, how to communicate,” says Lisa Block, executive vice president of conference strategy and design at Velvet Chainsaw, a meetings consultancy. “But today, leadership is looking for a more strategic perspective from planners, so an ability to manage and implement change and innovation is more important.” Tech savvy matters, says Bonnie Stetz, CMP, senior director of event strategy at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). But most important is the capacity to discern among the various available tools. “In the last 12 years, we’ve seen the biggest explosion in event tech,” she says. “And you’ll have to understand, are you picking one platform for all of those things, or are you trying to pick the best ones and figure out how to integrate them? With AI, that’s only compounded.” For instance, one thing IFT is exploring for this year’s annual conference is technology that allows the association to do heat-mapping of their movements without assigning a beacon to attendees—a process that can be time-consuming at the registration desk and feel intrusive. The new technology captures the information more passively, which means less attendee-specific information but less friction at the venue. [Mark Athitakis](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [Meetings Made for Everybody](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/meetings-made-for-everybody/) - [Sustainability as an Attendee Expectation (Not Just an Event Initiative)](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/sustainability-as-an-attendee-expectation-not-just-an-event-initiative/) - [What Happens When Event Teams Help Set the Strategy, Not Just Execute It](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/what-happens-when-event-teams-help-set-the-strategy-not-just-execute-it/) - [Inside a VIP Experience](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/inside-a-vip-experience/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/meeting-the-moment/) ## You Might Like - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2026%2F06%2F12%2Fa-meeting-experts-need-to-knows%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !