For meeting professionals who love what they do, much of the thrill lies in the dealmaking – discovering new and creative ways to approach contracts and the back-and-forth negotiations. 

Barry Zidel, owner of Meeting Connections Inc., is one of those people.

With more than 25 years of experience in the meetings industry, he recently launched his own company, spurred on by clients. He specializes in corporate meetings, and most of them are international, ranging from full blown conferences with seminars, general sessions, and exhibits down to smaller events.

He likes the corporate side because he feels there is more flexibility in creating the right environment and excitement for corporate meetings. Zidel adds, "I thoroughly enjoy negotiating with hotel properties and various vendors. In the end any negotiation has to be equitable, but it certainly is fun getting there."

His international work creates a broad and diverse palette on which to work when it comes to negotiating. "For me the most challenging parts of planning a meeting, especially abroad, are the intricacies of cultures, language, currencies and the differences in contractual thought processes, he says. I love thinking outside the box and working with those who do the same. It leads to more success."

Zidel prides himself on his frugal approach to meetings on behalf of his clients. "I am more conscious and frugal of my clients money and budgets than they are, and also more so than with my own finances," he explains. "Money is not a motivator to me. I want to over-achieve as best as I can and rewards tend to follow. I also believe that no matter how well I do something it can always be improved upon."

He is also skilled at knowing the needs of clients – even before they do!

"Recently a client of mine wanted to take its annual meeting to a gateway city in Europe such as London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, or Amsterdam," he recalls. "In our discussion I explained that they did not have the budget for these cities. After putting a spreadsheet together for them I added Lisbon as an alternative. My client asked why I wasted time to include Lisbon and my response was that when we got done with this exercise that’s where we would be going. Lisbon it was, and terrific it was as well!"

In his work, he appreciates resources and services that are geared to his needs. "Over time we have all been inundated with products and services such as ConventionPlanit.com," he observes. "But what intrigued me about ConventionPlanit.com was that above all else they wanted to know about me and my company and what our needs and wants are. All the others wanted to expound their virtues without wanting to know what we need. Beyond that I have a wonderful working chemistry with ConventionPlanit.com staff."

Since he is heavily in the people business, Zidel likes to unwind with reading, movies, puzzles, family, and friends. He also enjoys spoiling his grandchildren, much to the chagrin of his daughter and daughter-in-law. "They may not like how I spoil them, but to that I say, Tough!"

Check out the rest of our Advisory Council Members.