Experience Creators You Should Know - Anne Gorman, streamlinevents
Anne Gorman, of streamlinevents, discusses how she honed her skills over the pandemic to now be in the position to overcome the challenges that the new meetings/events landscape brings.
Luke Whalin
Feb 14, 2024
This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip spotlights planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world.
Name: Anne Gorman
Company Name: streamlinevents
Job Title: Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Years of Experience: 23
How did you get your start in the events industry? What made you pursue this role?
I started right out of college as a travel director. It was a great way to see the world and meet amazing people, and I knew right away this was the industry where I would build my career. Over the 23 years, I have held just about every role on the agency side of the business. And I feel like that has given me such great perspective and experience that I bring with me to every conversation I have with my team and our customers.
How would you describe your role or responsibilities as a professional event planner?
Officially, my role is to drive the company's growth. But that's rarely my primary focus as I go about my day. I see my role as a strategist and problem solver. I focus on how we can be the best partner to our clients - what is it they are trying to accomplish; who are their attendees; what information and data do they need to demonstrate the success of their events.
How do you compare planning your first in-person event post-pandemic, to planning meetings/events pre- Covid? What was different and unique? What was similar?
What challenges have you faced in your work as a meeting and event planner, when working with suppliers or sourcing a venue and how did you overcome them?
What was similar was the "who" and the "why". Our clients' business models hadn't changed; why they were having the events hadn't changed, and who was coming to the event hadn't changed. But the "HOW" changed drastically. Keeping everyone safe was a top priority. But we had to balance that with creating an amazing attendee experience. There is a new reality we're faced with when creating that experience - even 3 years later. Attention spans have changed; willingness to travel has changed, and as a result, there is an increased expectation of value because they have chosen to attend your event.
Response times are not what they used to be. In addition, when you do hear back from a venue, and they have availability, you must act quickly. And that's not always possible. We overcome that by going back to our core value of open and honest communication with both our partners and our clients. Service levels are also a major challenge. We understand why this is a challenge for our partners. But it is very difficult to explain to a client why they should pay 5-star prices but not receive 5-star service.
How do you determine which vendors are best suited for your stakeholder's needs while also finding those providing competitive services at affordable rates?
It's all about truly understanding your client's goals and objectives BEFORE you start searching for the right partners. And then, it's about maintaining strong relationships in key markets and doing your research. This is the part that's fun for us!
Are there any key lessons or insights that have shaped your approach to event planning over the years?
You have to know the goals and objectives for an event and who the audience is - that drives everything! And work with people you enjoy - this is hard work so make sure you surround yourself with awesome people and have fun doing it!
It all comes back to understanding the goals and objectives and clear communication with your clients and your partners. Try to be more intentional with your RFPs. If you don't have enough information yet - then hold off. And if you don't know what you are looking for - then hold off.
Are you approaching contracting with hotels differently, post-pandemic?
Absolutely - clauses such as cancellation, force majeure, and rebooking have become so important. We work closely with our clients and hotel partners to find a win-win scenario.
What is the biggest area of improvement that you think hotels can make when either responding to your RFPs or during the contract phase of your event?
Due to the pandemic, our events community had to evolve, adapt, and grow. Many planners started to embrace new technologies as a result of the pandemic. What new tech are you using today in your planning process as a result?
Since education and relationships are two major pillars in the meetings and events industry, any suggestions on how other planners can learn and network with their peers across the industry?
Be honest and transparent. And reach out and talk to us when there are questions and challenges. Ultimately, we need to be partners for our clients.
Over the past three years, so many new tech options emerged. But most have also been acquired or are no longer in business. We always try and keep up with the latest options. But tried, tested, and secure still always win out at the end of the day.
There are SO many opportunities to network and educated yourself. From webinars to local and global events. But you need to put yourself out there and go find it. And know what it is you are looking to accomplish can help you find the right people and resources.