Debbie Ricciardelli

"I receive an average of 60 e-mails a day and I only have a 200-car fleet," said Debbie Ricciardelli, associate director, sales operations for Esprit Pharma.

DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI: It's not as easy to "grade" a meeting planner's performance as other employees.
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RICCIARDELLI: If a planner works weekends or long days, I try to be lenient with the punctuality and time off rules.
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DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI, CMP, MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS, ESPRIT PHARMA INC., East Brunswick, N.J. â€" Although she recently moved to Esprit and now is the sole planner, in her previous positions with Odyssey Pharmaceuticals and Watson Pharmaceuticals, she ran 15 to 25 meetings per year, ranging from five-person meetings to semi-annual meetings for 300 people, usually handled by herself, an additional full-time planner, and two or three ad hoc planners.
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DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI: You can tell by the person's demeanor in the office as well: One person who didn't work out used to slam her fists on the desk and get totally frustrated when things weren't going her way.
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RICCIARDELLI: Two important things, I think: their ethics (how they handle amenities and offers); and when logistics are not coordinated well (i.e., when someone's flight is changed and the planner never notifies the ground transportation company, things like that).
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RICCIARDELLI: Part of the review is also subliminal: how their personality traits match with the job.
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DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI, CMP, MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS, ESPRIT PHARMA INC., East Brunswick, N.J. â€" Although she recently moved to Esprit and now is the sole planner, in her previous positions with Odyssey Pharmaceuticals and Watson Pharmaceuticals, she ran 15 to 25 meetings per year, ranging from five-person meetings to semi-annual meetings for 300 people, usually handled by herself, an additional full-time planner, and two or three ad hoc planners.

CMI: What's different about managing a meeting planning department versus other departments you have managed?
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RICCIARDELLI: It's not easy to "grade" a meeting planner's performance.Other jobs can be measured more objectively, with facts and figures.

Debbie Ricciardelli, CMP
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Debbie Ricciardelli, CMP

DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI: It's not as easy to "grade" a meeting planner's performance as other employees.
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RICCIARDELLI: If a planner works weekends or long days, I try to be lenient with the punctuality and time off rules.
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RICCIARDELLI: It's challenging because a successful meeting depends a lot on team effort, and when you single someone out who has done an outstanding job, you might alienate someone else in the process.
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RICCIARDELLI: I have only had one situation, thankfully.The planner was a habitual liar, and every time I questioned something, she would have a quick reply, but we soon found out that the answers were all fabricated; she had not contacted the hotel [for] a contract, she did not reserve a restaurant for the VIPs, things like that.I was in the process of having her work evaluated with the human resources department and documenting my findings when she resigned.

MM: There's lots of pharma bashing going on in the press and public.
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DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI, CMP, is manager, sales operations, Esprit Pharma Inc., East Brunswick, N.J. Although she is currently the sole planner, handling about 20 meetings a year including the large, annual incentive trip, in her previous positions with Odyssey Pharmaceuticals and Watson Pharmaceuticals, she managed a small staff and ran 15 to 25 meetings per year, ranging from two-day, five-person meetings to five-day meetings for 300 people.

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