About Us

The idea for The Planning Connection was conceived while Jackie Cassarly, Founder and President, worked for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Florida (UF). In progressively responsible roles during fourteen years at UF, she coordinated medical student rotations, handled domestic and foreign travel for faculty, and planned and managed many events and meetings. In addition, she assisted faculty in planning professional organization conferences.

Jackie started The Planning Connection in 1999 to pursue a career that fits her strengths of organization and attention to detail. In the past, Planning Connection clients were acquired primarily through referrals. Small and large events have been planned throughout the United States and Canada.

After 12 years, she has gained superior expertise in site selection and contract negotiation. This specific knowledge and a gift for negotiating saves clients time and money, and gives them piece of mind. In today’s economy, more associations are finding it economically prudent to outsource these time consuming tasks to us at no cost to them.

The Planning Connection is growing. Our three professional meeting planners plus our partners to do websites, graphic art pieces, photography/videography, and printing allow us to assist clients with all aspects of their meeting.

Our goal is to deliver the highest level of personal attention to each client at the greatest possible value. We believe close personal attention enables us to better understand our clients’ needs. In turn, we enhance our service, deliver a better product and do it all in a timely and efficient manner. Building long-term relationships with our clients is a Planning Connection hallmark.

We look forward to the opportunity of assisting you with your planning needs. No meeting or contract is too small or too large!

Jackie Cassarly, CMP (Certified Meeting Professional), is an active member of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) and SGMP (Society of Government Meeting Professionals). She was a member of Toastmasters from 2001-2007.