DOING HER HOMEWORK: Cathy Demyanovich made a “compelling case” for MicroVention’s senior management to agree to implement a Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP). She outlined how business was currently being done in a decentralized environment and the ways in which the company would benefit from a strategic approach to planning meetings.

Getting a Lay of the Land It is critical to understand your own internal organizational structure and to identify the key drivers of meetings and events, enterprise-wide. What key departments are responsible for meetings and events? Do you have a procurement manager or department? Perhaps a travel manager has already consoli- dated airline, hotel, and car-rental spend for business travelers and has a hand in meetings? Has the legal department crafted specific liability language for hotel contracts? In order to put together an action plan—and, ultimately, a business plan—that will benefit your organization, it is

Four Cornerstones to SMMP Success

1. Develop an Organization Analysis Action Plan Generally, this would be the classic “who, what, when, where, and why” kind of meetings and events analysis. Gather meeting history and feedback from all meeting stakeholders, including how meetings are approved and planned, and specific meeting budgets and spend. If you find it difficult to mine this information, reach out to your accounting and finance departments. They can help track employees who have requested deposits and pay- ments to hotels and industry suppliers.

2. Get Senior Management’s Approval Before presenting your SMMP plan to senior manage- ment, do your homework. Make sure you have an under- standing of the organizational structure and how it works. Build your business acumen by scouring your company’s website, annual report, mission and vision statements, and any recently announced strategic initia- tives. Build a strong business case with compelling rea- sons to implement an SMMP plan. Create realistic implementation timelines and specific metrics to define and measure success.

3. Make It a Joint Effort SMMP requires not only top-down but bottom-up buy-in. Getting everyone on board who has their hand in meet- ings and events activity is essential for success. But that can be difficult in a decentralized environment. Some people on staff don’t want to lose control and others don’t want to lose their perks. It’s important to identify full- and part-time planners and get their feedback on their role in the meeting- and event-planning process, as well as to create an environment that encourages their ongoing recommendations to improve processes, proce- dures, and outcomes. Securing cooperation early on can minimize turf wars and accelerate your SMMP success.

4.SMMPTechnology Quick access to quality data is essential in driving an effective SMMP. Robust technology will improve processes and team productivity, streamline sourcing, provide data for hotel and supplier evaluation, deliver meeting consolidation and leveraged spend, and provide information on preferred suppliers as well as a multitude of budgeting and financial reports, including cost savings and risk reduction by meeting, and breakdown of total spend. SMMP technology can also integrate many other meeting functions, including registration and housing. It is important to understand what technology tools are currently being utilized and what is needed to deliver strategic outcomes.

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