By: Lauren Asbell, CMP
One of my favorite parts of magazines is when they ask people “What’s in your bag?”. You can gain great tips on beauty products, books, how to pack, etc.
We have a few meeting planners in our office and I always like to take a peek at what they have in their toolbox. I’ve picked up some great tips from them. Below are my essentials.
First, let’s talk about the toolbox itself. The photo above shows examples of some of the toolboxes we use in the office. I prefer the multi-layer box (right) for a number of reasons:
- The adjustable layers. For small meetings I use one layer, for large conferences I use three to four layers.
- It’s see-through. This makes it easy to see if anything is missing or if I am low on any items.
- The cost. You can pick up these two-layer boxes at Target for under $10.00.
Now let’s talk about what goes in the toolbox.
- Tape dispensers: desktop, disposable, shipping (not shown)
- Stapler, staples, staple remover
- Scissors: I recommend having more than one.
- Box cutter
- Binder and paper clips
- Rubber bands
- Push pins
- Sticky notes: I like to have multiple sizes
- Glue stick
- Calculator
- Pens, pencils, highlighters and markers (both permanent and dry-erase)
- Receipt book and bank bag (not shown)
- Ruler
- Raffle tickets
- Extra receipt paper for credit card machines
- Jump drives: I like to have a least two backup jump drives which contain all the meeting files and databases
- Printer paper
- Labels: Multiple sizes
- Envelopes: Letter and manila (multiple sizes)
- Notepads (not shown)
- Hand sanitizer: Pump and spray
- Gum and mints
- Chapstick
- Nail file and clippers
- Bandages
- Aspirin and Ibuprofen
- Screen cleaner
- Phone chargers: Apple and Android
So there you have it, that’s what’s in my toolbox. What items do you consider essential? Have I left anything out?
