Hey, meeting planners! Yes, you, you know who you are. Are you obsessed with conferences?

Well…hopefully not to the same extent as George Meyer.

Speedboats have been a lifelong diversion. Scotch, a serious problem. Yet no vice bedevils me like my one desperate fixation, my shameful ravening itch: I simply must attend conferences.
—George Meyer, My Undoing: Obsessed with conferences, The New Yorker, May 28, 2007

Of course, every good meeting planner is fixated on the details of the events we plan. We consider the minutest aspects of the logistics and every minute of the run of show. We strive to ensure flawless execution, which involves anticipating and planning for everything that might throw a wrench into the proceedings. But we do this because we want the best for our clients, culminating in a successful event. Ultimately, this is a form of love, not obsession.

Back to Meyer, who was clearly ahead of his time, writing in 2007:

“There are times when a man’s soul is so battered, so hopelessly trampled, that the only balm is a teleconference … or two, or three. Where is the shame in this? The French do it.”

For more laughs, check out the entire article for Meyer’s additional confessions about his fixations on seminars, panel discussions, powwows, roundtables, off-sites, and symposia.

So, are meeting planners obsessed with conferences? Yes, but in a good way, out of love for what we do bringing people together to experience something important and, perhaps, wonderful.