Feature: Meetings Management Sheraton Hotels
“All the technology is sitting in pockets around their businesses but no one has built any connections to bring them all together”
➔ He sees companies who have the space and
the technology but don’t know how to make them work together within their businesses on a day-to-day basis. “All the technology is sitting in separate isolated pockets around their businesses but no one has built any connections to bring them all together,” he explains. Harvey says this is where agents can step in and help with the process because they are already involved with the demand and authorisation of business travel and that booking meeting rooms is not that different to booking hotel rooms. Inevitably though, even with internal meeting space well coordinated and fully optimised, companies still find themselves with a need for external venues. “No client ever has enough internal space,“ Morag Alabaster of MWB Meeting Venues told The Business Travel Magazine. The company operates over 40 venues with over 300 meeting rooms in the UK, many of which have been overhauled in response to new meeting trends. “We're moving away from a classroom feel
and introducing a high-design influence. It's the right time to make the move to non-residential space. We're making sure that we've got the right product in the market,“ says Alabaster. The meetings management sector is still in
its infancy and there is room for development in many different directions. According to StarCite’s Iwamoto almost every client is asking for meeting management to be integrated into an end-to-end technology solution that covers everything from booking travel to expense management and reconciliation. He also sees further integration driven by the demand from corporates to be able to access all their technology from one portal and via a single log-in process. Iwamoto says this area is being worked on
but will also require input and resource from the expense management specialists. Faster change could be in the development of
mobile applications to help travellers manage meetings while on the go. CWT’s Smith says there is an expectation
from travellers to be able to at least register for their meetings via mobile devices and says the travel management company is considering the area of dynamic itineraries on mobile devices. “The idea that you have all the details on an email and then print it off is becoming antiquated because things are changing all the time,” she says. Meeting and event management is also
likely to grow in complexity with companies engaging a number of different suppliers to take responsibility for the various different elements of an event. “We have seen an increase in businesses employing an organising company and then different suppliers and everyone working together as a virtual team,” says Smith. “Sometimes they will also get an external company to monitor compliance. It works as long as it has been thought through, nobody is working in competition and all suppliers are aware of exactly what their role is,” she adds. A further area for development could also
come in the potential tie-ups with social media, with some companies already looking at ways to use LinkedIn and other networks to organise and promote their events. However, experts advise caution in this area because of the lack of control and potential risks and damage to brand reputation often associated with social networks.
Crown Plaza
Holiday Inn
60 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 18 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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