How the Meetings Department Serves You
The Meetings Department serves members and staff by creating opportunities to network, learn, and collaborate.
The three-member team is currently coordinating logistics for 28 association meetings, from onsite staff meetings to the annual Shaping Texas Conference.
“There’s never a time when we aren’t planning something,” says Christy Coward, Director of Meetings. “We are basically project managers working with firm final deadlines who must work backwards to be sure all the other goals are met along the way to have a successful meeting.”
The department plans 360 meetings, various combined committee meetings, and the Texas REALTOR® Party and Leadership Summit. Meetings also serves as a liaison to various institutes, societies, and councils, as well as the Conference Committee.
“For members, we serve as the meeting registrar, housing bureau, and the team that will try to track down any answer to any question you may have about Texas REALTORS® events,” says Coward.
In the days before a big event, the team is hard at work answering last-minute questions and any remaining logistics.
“Many people don’t realize that customer service is a big part of our jobs,” says Meeting Planner Sabrina Phelps. “We’re member-facing and interact with them on a daily basis. I find it rewarding to put faces to names and foster relationships.”
“Members know they can call us for help,” Meeting Planner Connor Payne adds. “It feels good to know they know they can count on us.” He says that he also enjoys the collaboration with other departments.
The Meetings Department strives to create a seamless experience for meeting attendees. The department’s responsibilities include registration, room sets, food and beverage services, signage, printed materials, badges, session attendance, transportation, and audio-visual equipment.
Meetings also handles pre-planning and contracting for future events as well as post-meeting analysis and follow-up for past events.
Daily life in the Meetings Department is filled with coordination and communication. The team uses Microsoft Planner to stay organized but also connects with other departments’ systems during collaborations.
If your department needs to host a meeting, start communicating with Meetings as early as possible. The team is busy but approachable. “The way to our hearts is by thinking ahead and keeping us in the loop,” Coward says.
Learn more about this organized, forward-thinking team:
Christy Coward, Director of Meetings, says her last name means “ward of cattle,” which is exactly what her family did until her father’s generation.
Connor Payne, Meeting Planner, started taking acting, singing, and dancing lessons at age 5 and was in 45 plays and musicals by age 18.
Sabrina Phelps, Meeting Planner, is a native Austinite and has been called a unicorn.
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