Corporate meetings management executives must be comfortable in a "culture of collaboration" and abandon silo mentalities in favor of cross-departmental initiatives, according to a position paper issued in June by Meeting Professionals International. The optimal way to compel synergies is to develop a strategic meetings management program, according to the paper.
The position paper is second in a series produced by the association's Global Corporate Circle of Excellence.
In the paper, GCCOE members identified eight steps for creating a strategic corporate meetings management program: analyzing the current process, identifying core competencies, drafting a proposal, collaborating with external partners, identifying appropriate technology tools, defining success, preparing a final proposal and finalizing the program for implementation.
The paper, entitled "Demonstrating Professional Value Through the Development of a Strategic Meetings Management Program," follows a position paper focused on working with procurement departments for meetings management strategy
(Meetings Today, Jan. 17).Through a strategic management program, meeting planning will be integrated into the company's larger strategic and business goals and make meeting planners an "indispensable stakeholder and partner," according to the paper. The paper identifies some potential key players in meetings management initiatives as procurement, legal, marketing, travel, human resources, corporate planning and compliance.
The first step in a strategic meetings management program is creating an initial business plan, according to the Global Corporate Circle of Excellence. The initial plan acts as a "road map" with multiple routes to a final goal. Meeting planners should then analyze the company's strategic plan, goals and objectives to understand the corporate environment, the committee said.
The second step is to identify the meeting department's core competencies and begin to leverage those skills to establish partnerships with internal stakeholders, according to the paper. During this step, the option of outsourcing parts of the program may be considered, but the committee said the internal meetings team often more effectively implements the overall strategy than would an outside management team.
The third step is to draft a "simple and brief" preliminary departmental business proposal. The proposal should include a summary of key points, the potential value of the program, the short and long-term financial impact, a communication plan and an evaluation plan, according to the committee.
Fourth, meeting management executives should develop partnerships with external vendors and stakeholders. This is the step of creating preferred vendor lists and consultants, according to the Global Corporate Circle of Excellence.
The next step is to choose appropriate technology tools for the new meetings management program, said the committee. Tools and services may include online requests for proposals, registration, surveys and evaluations, budgeting and cost-tracking tools and a scheduling system.
"Data collection, reporting and analysis are especially critical components in a strategic meetings management program," according to the position paper.
In step six, benchmarking goals must be set for both individual meetings and events and the overall strategic program. The committee recommended building metrics around both cost savings and attendee satisfaction.
In step seven a final proposal is drafted, including the predicted cost of implementation and long-term savings. "A successful proposal will not be all things to all people; rather, it should be delivered in a variety of formats and with different areas of emphasis depending on the target audience," stated the paper.
The final step for implementing a strategic meetings management program is to evaluate user feedback on the new system and refine and adjust the process, said the committee.