June 2010

SMM = Strategic Meetings Management = Save More Money

On May 20th, I was invited to attend the NYC chapter of BTA for their education program on Strategic Meetings Management Programs (SMMP)

I was pleasantly surprised at the strength of this program, which was presented by Lynda Garvey from American Express. Lynda has been deeply involved in the development of the SMMP program with both NBTA and MPI International and the approach is finally one that truly makes sense to help the C-Level executives understand not only the power of meetings & events but how to leverage money in a manner that spans across every level of an organization.

SMMP is about having more money to spread around intelligently, not taking money away or consolidating departments. If want to make a real mark within your company and be as modern and relevant as possible, integrating SMMP into your company will definitely elevate your status, respect and position!

I "listened" to Lynda's presentation from a planner's perspective. Having worked as an outside planner for numerous Fortune 100 companies and national associations, I've seen first-hand how much money is spent unnecessarily because there's no real strategy in place and meeting and procurement departments are not encouraged to work TOGETHER! (In fact, I think at times animosity exists b/c these departments don't understand one another.)

BTA members are focused on travel; many very high up in the in-house travel departments in large corporations & associations. I was so excited to listen to the BTA members discuss "total meeting spend". The trend is moving to bridge the gap to involve the meeting and conference departments in the decision making process.

The in-house travel departments are working smarter and saving their companies a lot of money without infringing on the integrity or goals of meeting planners. By allowing the travel experts focus on air and hotel contracts to leverage pricing and perks for small to large meetings planned not only by planners but by administrative staff, over a period of years, the company saves a huge amount of money.

And, yes, the concern that meeting planners wouldn't be able to use special-type properties for their meetings cropped up. The response from the travel professionals was very positive: They understand that the meeting environment can make or break the overall success of a meeting or conference. TELL US WHAT YOU WANT but also let us participate in the negotiations; there may be more business for them from other sectors of the company and we know how to leverage that!!

We had the global manager of in-house travel and the senior meeting planner from Estee Lauder Companies attend this meeting and they've been collaborative pioneers in their company, based in NYC. They generously shared how they researched, composed, presented and got approval to integrate SMMP in a manner that has enriched the relationships between, travel, meetings and procurement.

Whether you're a corporate, association or independent planner, I strongly encourage you become knowledgeable about SMMP: