Editor’s Note: This month,we launch a new series on Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) with anexplorationof what’s required to successfully present the case for an SMMProgram (SMMP) to management.
she wasn’t sure that the other offices and divisions at the medical-device company were organizing meetings and events in an efficient or cost-effective way—or if they delivered on their objectives. Demyanovich decided to take matters into her own hands. First, she conducted an analysis to deter- mine who in the organization planned meetings and events, and to identify internal meeting sponsors. She researched why meetings were conducted, howthey were planned, and reviewed past hotel-contract components
and clauses. “I prepared an overviewon our organization’s meeting activity and spend, alongwith a recap on how business is currently being done in a decentralized environment,” Demyanovich said. “This included a long list of benefits, including streamlined systems and procedures, increased team productivity, increasedmeeting value, cost savings, risk reduction, and financial-reporting capabilities.” Armedwith this background information,Demyanovich
said shemade “a compelling case for approval” to seniorman- agement, outlining the reasonswhy MicroVention should implement a StrategicMeetingsManagement Program (SMMP). Theways inwhich the companywould benefit from a strategic—rather than ad hoc—approach to its meetings became painfully obvious to the company’s executives, and they gave her the green light. Demyanovich is amongmanymeeting-planning, procure-
ment, and travelmanagerswho are implementing SMMPs to change theway their organizations do business. Butwhat exactly is Strategic Meetings Management (SMM), and howdo meeting professionals tailor a program thatmeets their organi- zation’s specific needswith predictable outcomes?
Taking a Disciplined Approach According to the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), SMMis “a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event activities, processes, suppliers, and data in order to achieve measurable business objectives that align with an organization’s strategic goals and vision, and delivers value in the form of quantitative savings, risk mitigation, and service quality.”
Whether their meeting and event responsibilities are enterprise-
wide, focused on headquarters, or confined to a specific division or department, it is important for planning teams to embrace this accountability and value business model. According toNBTA: More than half of CEOs surveyed said they believe that
their organization is not getting maximum ROI fromtheir meetings and events. On the flip side, nearly half of planners surveyed said they feel pressure to enhance meeting results, develop measurable metrics, and deliver greater ROI. More than 40 percent of CFOs are not satisfied with
their company’s travel/meetings spend management. While anSMMPwould seem to be the magic bullet, 43 per-
cent of planners already implementing one report that they do not feel they are getting maximum results and leveraging spend.And that may be because there is no one-size-fits-all, easy-to- implement solution. Every organization must conduct its own needs assessment, create an SMMP action plan, and get buy- in from senior management.