Tracey Bockhop
President and CEO, Meet Meetings
Verona, Wisc.
Describe your job.
Meet Meetings is a third-party, full-service meeting planning and sourcing company. Owning your own company involves many day-to-day operational needs and managing clients and partners. There is no set to-do list or job description. I truly strive to make all clients and partners happy and take each day as it comes.
What made you choose the meetings and events industry?
I started my career because I wanted to be Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner and could not be more thrilled to have fallen into it so many years ago. Although wedding planning was not meant for me, I will never regret falling into the concept of planning and working with others to make their vision a reality.
How did you get started, and what got you from there to today?
I started as an administrative assistant at a Marriott property after college. I worked in hotels for eight years before going into association planning and then corporate incentive planning. There, I discovered I would love to do this on my own and have never looked back. This coming year will be 10 years of owning my company, and the rewards have greatly outnumbered the setbacks.
How do you keep up with industry trends, changes, and cutting-edge developments?
I stay active in the industry, attend planning-related gatherings and events, and keep close relationships with others in the industry. It is great to have these cohorts to bounce ideas off and stay in the know of what is new, old, or changing. The industry is a tight community, and I am very grateful to be part of it. Still, it is always changing, and it’s important to stay up on the trends and the latest news to stay relevant. Fortunately, the events themselves do not change too drastically; however, the environment does and has.
Recently, I’ve been focusing on where my clients can meet safely, places with amazing service offering experiences that attendees walk away from in awe. Year after year, that becomes more challenging, and for that, I work hard on new implementations—not necessarily the latest fad, but a more ‘wow’ experience. It’s not a thing, but more of a feeling they can take away.
What essential skills should every industry professional possess?
I cannot understate the need to have strong organizational and communication skills. It is essential to me when working with partners and clients to have a clear vision of the goals we would like to accomplish and to keep on track to accomplish them. One thing that I live by is to overplan and prepare, as there will always be something that needs to be accounted for and you will need the capacity to manage it.
I pride myself on having more details than needed in most cases. This approach has really come through for me when things have gone wrong. My first job in the industry was for a hotel, and with that, I gained knowledge of what is feasible and what is not within a hotel. Recently, I had some issues with a hotel in which we had more people than what we originally planned for and needed to add rooms and meeting space. I was getting a lot of pushback from the hotel, but with clear communication and the goals we were trying to achieve, we were able to work through the challenges and make it work for everyone who wanted to attend. It was a huge success on everyone’s part. The hotel even took photos of the room I had rearranged to show for future programs they were hosting. It was a wonderful feeling to work together and to have that outcome.
What is the philosophy or approach to work that gets you through stressful times?
I have not found the perfect model yet; I still get down on myself when things get tough. I rely heavily on my family and close friends to help me through it. I surround myself with many strong individuals; one of them can always bring me through.
What is the best professional advice you ever received, and what advice do you have for others in the industry?
The biggest piece of advice I have received and put into action was never to take commission before it is earned. My business is run partially on commission-type work, and had I not listened to others at the start of the pandemic, it would have been much more stressful than it was. One piece of advice I try to instill in others is to make it happen. If you want to own your own business, do it. If you want to plan that major event, do it. Do not sit around and wait for it to be the right time, as there is never a right time.
Describe your biggest professional success:
The year 2023 is my biggest professional success. I cannot focus on one event or moment, as they all got me where I am today. This year has been my most challenging as I took on more clients, some of whom were not a good fit, but I continued to push through and make their visions come to life. I also found my most appreciative clients this year who understand the value of my role; we truly made one of the most remarkable events come to life together.
Share an anecdote about a meeting or event that did not go as planned (something funny or odd) and how you handled it:
The stories are endless on things that do not go as planned. However, the best way to handle it is to remember if you did everything you could to make things happen and go right and something came up unplanned, it is not your fault—it may be your problem, but it is not your fault—and to be easy on yourself. I cannot think of one specific thing that could be written well enough that others would find funny; you always have to be there!
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my career is the people I interact with daily. This industry is very special and so are the people involved. It is many long hours, late nights, early flights, and everything in between. To have others around that understand your career is very important, and many of my friendships were made because of this industry.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love spending time with my family. I have five nieces and nephews who mean the world to me, and I try to support them as much as possible. I appreciate the opportunities I have had in this industry, and I share these great experiences with my family whenever possible.
