As Your Partner – What We Bring to the Table

 Shirley Hamblet, the founder of Planning Plus, offers over 20 years of experience in the hospitality and  meeting planning industries. Starting in the hotel business, she worked her way up from Banquet Manager to General Manager. As an insider, Shirley has a unique insight into what can be done to make your event work – no matter the location. Years and hundreds of events later, as a skilled negotiator, Shirley will ensure that you receive the best possible value for your dollar, achieving your goals, while working with any venue to deliver a smooth program.

Planning Plus brings individualized care to your event. Each will receive meticulous attention to detail and creative ideas to inspire or motivate your participants with a proven success that will leave you no doubt as to your return on investment.

Biography of Shirley Hamblet

Shirley graduated with a B. A. degree in Sociology from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Shirley began a career in the hospitality industry as the Banquet Manager at an oceanfront hotel on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, quickly moving up to Director of Food and Beverage. Then, it was on to Roanoke, Virginia as the Assistant General Manager of the Sheraton Roanoke Airport. Shirley then moved on to two positions as General Manager of 200-room hotels in Louisiana and Florida.  This wide range of positions and responsibilities has given Shirley a unique insight into the operation of hotels and what can be done to help your program succeed.

Shirley moved into meeting and incentive planning when she made a personal decision to relocate to the Tampa, Florida area to be closer to family. For over thirteen years, Shirley organized over 100 group meetings or incentive trips, and went along to ensure that everything was proceeding properly and that all participants were ensured a comfortable and enjoyable stay.

Shirley’s creativity, attention to detail and warm personality have ensured that most customers were repeat customers, and that a great deal of her new business was generated either from those attending trips themselves as guests or referrals by the same.

Shirley has always been a traveler…and is an avid scuba diver. Annual trips to warm weather locations in pursuit of the most beautiful fish or interesting wreck to explore have resulted in a knowledge of many of the spectacular destinations in the Caribbean and Hawaii.  Shirley also spent a four month sabbatical back-packing around Europe and visited eighteen countries. Since that time, travel with groups from 20 to 2000 across this beautiful country of ours as well as abroad have broadened the wealth of information that Shirley brings to the table.

Remember, Planning Plus, with Shirley’s personal attention, brings a solution to your planning needs with a performance to exceed your expectations!