The meeting and event planning industry is getting bigger and bigger. With this steady and upward increase, job opportunities are also high. If you are an event planner, you can opt for a CMP certification.

It will help uplift your career and create new job opportunities in 55 countries worldwide. Doesn’t that sound interesting? However, finding the correct directions and information on specific job titles is difficult. But do not worry; if you want to be a certified meeting planner, we can help you with the process. 

Go through this article to find out how to apply for the CMP certification exam and how to clear it. We have also listed the necessary soft skills you should have to become successful in this field. 

What Is The CMP Certification?

As much as it is true that the meeting industry is crucial, the need for Certified Meeting Planners is also immense. That is why the 1985 CMP program came into place: to set a standard and uplift the credibility and importance of the meeting profession. It also outlined an advanced standard of practice that is uniform and globally accepted. 

If someone wants to enter an organization’s industry, then a CMP certification is a must. It proves one’s efficiency and quality as a professional meeting planner. The process of gaining the CMP certification is as high in difficulty as it is high in standard. An aspirant needs to gather professional and educational experience; on top of that, they have to pass the exam corresponding to the certification. 

A nonprofit organization called the Events Industry Council (EIC) administers the CMP certification programs. According to the data of EIC, more than 11000 people from 55 countries hold the CMP certification.

How Does CMP Certification Help Your Career?

If you have been operating in managerial functions and want to amp up your career, then this is indeed a great certificate to get. But boosting the numbers on your paycheck is not the only thing a CMP certification does. It is more than that. A CMP certification is globally accepted. 

So, if you plan to migrate, these skills and the certificate are not losing their credibility. You can organize an event better and increase the number of attendees in meetings and events. 

It seems even more plausible once you look at the numbers. For instance, direct meeting spending has increased by 23% since 2009. In 2016, the US had 1.9 million meetings in the US and those meetings generated an economic impact worth $845 billion. 

Also, in a recent PCMA study, professionals with a CMP certification earned a higher annual income ($10,756 more) than event planners without a certification. If you want to boost your career and be open to more opportunities, then the CMP certification is a good way forward. So, how does the CMP certification change you as a professional? 

Here are some examples –

• It helps you identify and locate comprehensive information and knowledge related to the meeting industry.
• It promotes industry standards, ethics, and practices relevant to the meeting industry. 
• It stimulates the advancement of the technical crafts and the aesthetics of the meeting industry. 
• The value received from the products provided by the CMPs is also maximized. 

How To Become A Certified Meeting Planner?

If you want to get the CMP certification and become a certified planner, then I suggest you go through the different steps mentioned below –

Gain Experience

If you want to appear in the CMP certification exam and get your certificates, you first need to gather field experience. If you are a professional in this industry, you need to gather at least the experience of 36 months. However, if you already have an event management degree, having 34 months of experience will be enough for you. 

According to the EIC, the candidates also need to pursue 25 hours of education within the last five years of their careers. However, their education needs to be related to the events industry. 

CMP Certification Online Application

So, you do meet the program requirements, right? If yes, it is time for you to apply for the exam. The application process can be done online. You can apply online through the CMP portal of the EIC. Next, you have to provide the CMP certification requirements. 

Those mainly involve your work experience and information regarding your continued education. The review process for your application happens within three to five weeks. When your application is approved, you receive an email regarding the payment and exam scheduling procedure. 

Schedule Your Exam 

Now, for the scheduling process, you have to select a date for the exam and complete the exam within a year. The EIC allows candidates to take four times every year (in January, May, August & November), so if you miss the deadline for completing the exam once, you can reapply and take the exam. 

Study For The Exam

The next process for getting that CMP certification is preparing yourself for the exam. You can go through the nine domains of the CMP International. You can also go through the EIC manuals and the PCMA manual, along with the EIC industry glossary. Aside from that, it would help if you carried out industry-specific studies. 

Pass The Exam

There will be 15 pre-test questions and 150 operational questions in the exam. You will have three and a half hours to complete the answers to those questions. The questions are multiple-choice, and you will have to find the right answer from the four options.

If you want to pass the exam, you at least need to score 55 or a higher number. Do not worry; if you fail, you can take the test again and pass it on your next attempt. 

Skills Necessary For Getting A CMP Certification

If you want to be a certified meeting planner, you need to have certain soft skills aside from the different hard skills and industry. Here are the different soft skills needed to get the CMP certification –

Communication: When coordinating events, you will have to communicate with different sets of people. So, having good communication skills will benefit you in the long run. 

Negotiation: As a meeting planner, you must work with different vendors. So, a certified meeting planner needs good negotiation skills to ensure they find the best options for meeting the client’s budgets and needs. 

Problem Solving: As a certified event planner, you have to be able to spot and fix a problem at the earliest stage. So, with great problem-detecting and solving skills, you will advance far ahead in your career. 

Time Management: Managing a meeting or an event is difficult because everything needs to be done within a certain time bracket. A good time management skill will solve lots of your problems. 

Leadership: A certified meeting planner might need to delegate their work among their assistants and make the best use of their time. Their leadership skills also help them go through the operations and the logistic management of the event they are planning. So, good leadership skills are also part and parcel of being a certified meeting planner.

Bottom Line

Now that you know the different requirements and the process for becoming a certified event planner, applying for the CMP certification should not be difficult. But, if you have any confusion or hesitations, let us know through the comment section. We will try to solve your problems as much as possible. 

Did you find this article helpful? Please let us know your thoughts on the same. Thank you for reading.

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