Buyers Weigh Mtgs. Tech Impact

Technology has taken a firm place in many companies' meeting management solutions, according to a Meetings Monitor survey of 204 corporate meetings buyers, with more options available to planners in data consolidation, payment and online registration. The use of technology has become so widespread that some analysts said it will change the role of meeting planners fundamentally.

With over 1,200 meetings technology products in 29 major categories available, the industry has entered "technology adolescence" as rapid advances have yet to mature and develop, said Corbin Ball, president of Bellingham, Wash.-based consulting firm Corbin Ball Associates.

"This is the hardest time right now, the geeky adolescence. We're between two worlds, clinging onto the old ways and trying to figure out the new ways," Ball said.

According to the Meetings Monitor survey, 20 percent of the buyers said their companies use online meetings consolidation tools. In addition, 11 percent of respondents said they planned to adopt an online system in 2004 and 15 percent of respondents plan to adopt a consolidation tool in 2005.

The push to adopt new technology often comes from a procurement department looking to commoditize meeting planning and save money, Ball said. Some planners find this a threat and fear losing control over their department, said Rich Sheinfeld, principal of A.T. Kearney's operations practice.

Planners often are more concerned about keeping their business owners happy rather than managing their meeting spend, Sheinfeld said. "Planners are afraid of any oversight in their space," Sheinfeld said.

"My encouragement to meeting planners is to think strategically, if you're the one identifying what these changes are and where the opportunities are, then with change there is always opportunity," Ball said.

Ball said there is a "huge amount" of inefficiency in the current meeting planning process, especially in hotel and air logistics.

Many companies still do not offer online air booking for meeting attendees on their registration Web sites, according to the survey. Twenty-one percent of respondents said their tools offer online air booking at the point of registration.

The biggest threat to meeting planners is in their role of handling logistics, Ball said. "Some planners are afraid of losing their jobs, to the extent that planners are doing logistics rather than strategic event management," he said.

Ball said part of the "technology adolescence" is to try new things, even if the attempt to improve the meeting process fails. Sometimes an idea will be ahead of its time, and companies already are rolling back some new tech solutions after experiencing a drop in the quality of their meetings, he said.

Mike Malinchok, vice president of meetings technology for WorldTravel Meetings & Incentives, said customers are seeking tools that facilitate the convergence of transient travel, payment and meetings.

"Online booking and tool integration is pretty critical. The other thing that we're getting a lot of requests for is the handling of various payment methods, and that's reflective of the industry. More and more companies are incorporating time for pre- and post-stays."

For example, a planner can include an online registration option for meeting attendees to input their personal credit card number and extend their stay off the clock, Malinchok said. "That's an industry trend in which people are trying to incorporate business travel and leisure travel together," he said.

Malinchok said that after a decade in the meetings-consolidation business, he has noticed a "dramatic increase" in the past two years in the number of corporations that are discussing their technology options.

Companies may be holding back from adopting a meetings tech system, but the trend is inevitable, Malinchok said. "The process of moving toward consolidation is a long process," he said, "and while everyone at the strategic level understands it's a good solid business practice, it's complicated. It can be pretty in-depth."

Malinchok said the growing involvement of procurement departments has pushed corporations to adopt meetings technology solutions. Newer tech solutions are better able to capture and track the meeting spend for companies, naturally leading to cost savings and stronger purchasing power.

"You've got two dynamics at play from a procurement and strategic standpoint. There's tremendous cost savings in technology, but from a planning standpoint, access to that data really does streamline the process," he said.

As with any new technology, Malinchok said he has had to address some concerns among meeting planners that their jobs may become obsolete. Although meeting planners will not "by any stretch of the imagination" be replaced by technology, Malinchok said the nature of the job will change. Planners will become more focused on content and return on investment and hold a more strategic role within their companies, he said.

"We really encourage our customers to address the issue head on. We'll say to companies: 'What is your vision long-term? Is it cost reduction in terms of head count or to use people in those roles and adjust what they do?' " Malinchok said.

Ball is in favor of new technology standards in the meetings management industry, which will make the role of meeting planner more interesting. However, he acknowledged the fear of technology taking over the role of planners is not unfounded.

"The downside to greater efficiency is either you do more meetings, or the same number of meetings with fewer people," Ball said.