November 02, 2016 // 3 min read
Are you Negotiating for the Right Things for F&B?
I have found that when I ask colleagues why they are attending a meeting, I get answers like, networking, education, etc. But when they return and I ask how...
October 17, 2016 // 1 min read
How to Collaborate with Marketing and Meetings Management
For the last decade, the meetings management conversation has revolved around risk management, compliance, and cost savings. However, travel managers still struggle with how to fully wrap their arms around meetings and events, with technology being a key solution. On the flip side, marketing events, such as road shows and user conferences, are measured by
October 03, 2016 // 2 min read
How to Implement a Meetings Technology Tool
The final piece of the meetings management puzzle is choosing and implementing technology. People often wonder why we put this step last, but it’s because you need to know your goals with technology (and meetings) in order to get the most out of it. The best technique for implementation is to do it in phases.
September 26, 2016 // 1 min read
How to Use Resources to Help in Meetings Manangement
Hopefully, this blog series has helped lay the foundation to guide you through the process of selling meetings management internally and gaining internal adoption. That said, enlisting help from other resources can support you through the process. When Estée Lauder first implemented its meetings program, they received a lot of support from their hotelier partners.
September 19, 2016 // 2 min read
How to Communicate Meetings Management Plan Internally
By now we are nearing the end of the processes of selling meetings management. After following the above steps, the initial sale should be complete and you should focus your attention on getting the company to use the program and gain adoption. If executive buy-in is the most difficult piece of implementing a meetings management
September 12, 2016 // 2 min read
How to Develop and Present your Business Case
While your company may not have a culture of writing a formal business case, putting your thoughts in writing can help you to consolidate your thoughts, data, and ideas into a single location. When putting together business cases, some areas to think about are: Current Situation/Business Need Objectives Risks Proposed Strategy Justifications and Impacts Expected
August 29, 2016 // 2 min read
How to Estimate Your Meetings Cost Savings
While I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that for many companies, cost savings is not enough of a driver to secure complete buy-in or get the go-ahead for implementing a meetings management program, the question of financial implications will inevitably arise. Before undergoing any business case conversation with your executive team, it is important
August 22, 2016 // 2 min read
How to Develop a Meetings Policy
Last week I talked through some of the reasons your company might be looking at implementing a meetings management program. The next step is to outline your meetings policy. I’m still surprised by how many organizations still do not have a meetings policy in place, even something informal. The true value of a meetings policy is to
August 15, 2016 // 2 min read
Understand the Reason for Strategic Meetings Management
As discussed in last week’s post, meetings management programs have developed a reputation for being difficult and incredibly time-consuming to implement. This blog series will help you simplify the process and achieve executive buy-in and company adoption. Historically, meetings program managers embraced this initiative for the potential cost savings. Strategic meetings management research proved that
August 08, 2016 // 2 min read
How to Successfully Sell Meetings Management in 7 Easy Steps
At the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention in Denver, I had the opportunity to lead a discussion on selling meetings management to executives by securing internal buy-in. During the discussion, I was joined by Cvent clients Kiewit and Estée Lauder, who both won Plannie Awards at Cvent CONNECT 2016 for exemplifying success in their event