Our Company
Custom Meeting Planners was established in 2005. The company was created to provide its clients a team of meeting professionals with the expertise to orchestrate your meeting from start to finish. The staff brings years of extensive experience with them. The founding partners at one time worked together in the hospitality and meeting industry. After continuing down their career paths, but continuing to work in the arena of planning and servicing meetings, the founders, Jamie Schieber and Tammy Bagley came together again to create Custom Meeting Planners.
As effective meeting professionals, they strive to understand the meeting participants’ needs and expectations, negotiate the most appropriate contracts with suppliers, be familiar with currently accepted practices in meeting management and prepare contingencies for important meeting elements. The conference coordinators have worked on both the hotel facility and meeting planning side of the industry, and they are both Certified Meeting Professionals (CMP) through the Convention Industry Council. With their experience and certification, it assures you that your primary contact with the company will be with an individual that has a wealth of experience and understands the importance of a successful meeting or event.
Custom Meeting Planners continues to see the trend that clients are being asked to handle more tasks with fewer resources, thus the need for a customized meeting planning service. They want to help those that need just a little help or those needing a lot of help. Their ability to establish relationships with their clients and provide exceptional service is the reason they are in a thriving business today.
Based in Columbia, Missouri, Custom Meeting Planners is available to go anywhere meetings take place. With the use of travel and technology, we can perform meeting services for any group - anytime…anywhere.
Custom Meeting Planners takes a hands-on approach in assisting their clients. The clients’ comments speak volumes of their confidence in the company and their ability to provide services customized to meet their needs.
Our Values
As your planning partner, Custom Meeting Planners wants the success of your meeting as much as you do. Your goals become our goals. Custom Meeting Planners will provide service options for all groups and organizations that want and need affordable help when it comes to planning your next meeting or event.
The team you will work with has extensive experience in the event and meeting planning industry.
It comes down to providing exceptional customer service to each and every one of our clients. Our business is built and will continue to grow based upon happy, loyal clients and it is the building of those relationships that drives us to do what we do.
Our Staff
Jamie Schieber, CMP
Jamie is the Chief Executive Officer of Custom Meeting Planners. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Jamie has spent the last 14 years in the hotel and meeting planning industry. Her expertise lies within the event details and she is able to handle your conferences from start to finish.
Tammy Bagley, CMP
Tammy is the Chief Operating Officer for Custom Meeting Planners. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting and Management from Columbia College. Tammy’s experience encompasses over 12 years in the hotel and destination management industry. Her expertise includes contract negotiations, site selection, public relations and marketing, as well as trade show and exhibition management with database development and maintenance.
Bailey Asher
Bailey is the Executive Conference Assistant for Custom Meeting Planners. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Northwest Missouri State University. Bailey brings a strong background in written and verbal communication to the company. Her expertise in the public relations field is utilized in registration management and the duties of day-to-day financial management.
Our Bios
Jamie
I guess you can say I am a little bit of a country girl, and a little bit of a city girl. Originally born and raised on a farm in Illinois, I crossed the Mississippi in my early teens and settled in Kansas City, Missouri. As the oldest of six children, I appreciated growing up in the relaxed atmosphere of a country setting but found myself thriving in the fast-paced city environment filled with ever-changing sights and sounds. Settling in Columbia in 1998, I found big city flare with a small town feel.
My role model and my best friend is my mother. She has inspired and instilled in me that hard work will always pay off. Although the hospitality industry has always tugged at my résumé, I’ve applied a strong work ethic from my very first “real” job as a front desk clerk to my current role as CEO in our company. I truly enjoy bringing knowledgeable people together, giving them an environment that fosters learning and great networking opportunities, as well as spurring growth and discovery which comes from these face-to-face interactions.
I am the first to stand-up and fight for what I believe while keeping an open mind to consider what and how others feel. The competitive side of me wants to make sure that all conferences we assist with are the best they can be, and my personal and professional satisfaction is defined when our clients experience a truly memorable and successful event.
I enjoy spending time with my husband, daughters and friends outside of work. Our family enjoys being outdoors whether it’s camping, boating, or just hanging out together in the backyard.
Three things you will always find in my suitcase are Nike tennis shoes, a white
t-shirt and several bottled waters.
Tammy
Born a farm girl in northeast Missouri, I am the oldest of two daughters and second in command in a clan of six children.
Raised in a small rural community, my parents provided a solid foundation in a strong work ethic and pride in a job well done. You were expected to treat people fairly and with respect and to be thankful for what you have as opposed to what you didn’t have.
These values and expectations have brought me to where I am today. I’ve always been a “people-person or a people-pleasing person”. The hospitality industry has consumed most of my days as a wage earner, some more profitably than others! Whether it be waiting on tables for tips during my college years or flying the friendly skies from Oakland to Seoul, my people skills have been tested and enhanced over the years. My feet landed on the ground 10 years ago at the largest convention hotel in Columbia before strolling over to the tourism side of meetings and events.
The crazy hours and stressful schedule that a conference or meeting generates fuels my fire. I love making a difference in the lives and passions that play a huge role in other people’s lives when their event approaches and comes to pass. I adopt their passion and commit myself to excellence.
Outside of work, friends and family take up much of my time. I enjoy a great workout at the gym or a jog on the Katy Trail. I am an avid fan of many sports including Mizzou football and basketball and find a great deal of pleasure finding a good buy while shopping.
Three things you will always find in my suitcase are Q-tips, a lint brush and my feather pillow.
Bailey
I grew up in the small town of Brookfield, Missouri with my parents and younger brother. My creative tendencies started there as I searched for things to keep me entertained. Whether it was being part of the cheering section at high school football games or “dragging Main Street”, I was always in the social realm.
Family life in my rural community set the standards of how I live my life today. We all sat around the dinner table for each meal, and weekends were filled with get-togethers, many of which I organized, in the company of the families of my mom and her four sisters. They established just how important family is and instilled that love in me.
My obsession with being organized also started when I was younger. As class president in high school, I was able to take our future into my hands, and it has allowed me to keep ties with the school and old classmates through planning class reunions. As the president of a public relations group in college, I had the opportunity to organize trips and speakers that enhanced our classroom learning experience.
I went to college in a small town as well, so by the time I graduated, I was ready to move to a bigger area. However, Kansas City intimidated me, so I chose Columbia. I love the atmosphere it offers, and it feels like home to me.
Working in the public relations office while in college gave me a great introduction to the customer service aspect of business and also to the day-to-day operations that are prevalent when working for a small company. Also, my experience working for a summer college baseball league allowed me to use my creative side to plan between-inning activities and promotional events. Conference planning sparks my interest because it involves both organization and creativity.
I am still constantly surrounded by family and friends on the weekends and in my free time. I enjoy planning social events like parties and weddings as well. Shopping and football are two of my main interests, and I am addicted to reality television. The sign language classes that I took in college have stayed with me, as I am still fascinated by the subject. I am also attempting to teach myself how to be a fantastic cook.
Three things you will always find in my suitcase are Burt’s Bees lip balm, a Chi straightening iron and a Columbia fleece jacket.
