Meetings Beat - 2005-08-15

OnVantage Adds Consulting Service
Meetings technology provider OnVantage Inc. this week expects to announce the launch of a new meetings management consulting practice. MeetingView Consulting Services will provide guidance, industry benchmarking data and meetings best practices culled from OnVantage clients, according to company representatives. According to a company release, the consulting services will offer both comprehensive and targeted solutions, including situation assessment and spend discovery, process and policy evaluations and meetings technology integration and optimization. A la carte consulting services also are available, according to the release.

GE Finance Offers Mtg. Payment Tools
GE Consumer Finance's Corporate Payment Services unit on Aug. 4 released a meetings-dedicated payment solution that includes special-purpose credit cards and an electronic settlement tool that uses virtual accounts, according to a company release. The company has offered the new payment options in response to studies that show "budgets for corporate meetings and events to be on the rise," it said in the release. "More than ever, businesses need controllership and transparency when it comes to events and meetings," said Jeffery Dye, president and CEO of Corporate Payment Services. "With good payment controls and accounting processes in place, organizations can keep costs down and within policy."

Meeting buyers have three payment options with the GE system. The Special Purpose Account card is a centrally billed, high-limit MasterCard with a credit limit refreshed monthly, so buyers can use the card for multiple events on an ongoing basis. The credit-based Controlled Value Card caps the amount of funds available on the account. These cards typically are used to manage one event under a specified budget, according to GE, and the account can be set to expire in as little as two months. The third option is VPayment On-Demand, a virtual credit account with single-transaction limits. According to the release, an authorized user accesses the VPayment system via a secure Web site and sets a dollar value allowed and a date range. If a merchant attempts to overcharge the account or charge after the approved date, the transaction is declined.


CIC Releases Standard Template Tool
The Convention Industry Council last month released a set of more than 200 event management and business templates based on their Accepted Practices Exchange initiative. The software, called Apex OfficeReady for Meeting and Event Planning, is designed to interface with Microsoft Office software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint components, according to an association release. Other tools included in the software are the Apex industry glossary, event specification guide, sample templates, PDF creation and automatic profile tool. Apex OfficeReady is priced at $99.95, and the council aims to sell copies to both suppliers and buyers, according to CIC representatives.

Hyatt Offers 'Perks' To Attendees
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts this month announced new incentives for meetings of 25 or more guest rooms at properties in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Hyatt Meeting Perks includes a Starbucks coffee break for the group and Starbucks gift cards of $3.50 for each attendee, according to a company release. The offer is valid until March 31, 2006.

~Corrie Dosh