Cvent has launched a meetings program benchmarking tool for event organizers and a DIY website builder for venue marketers. It's also put out the first of what will be a quarterly group booking trends report meant to aid hoteliers but that offers some insight to meeting and hotel procurement professionals, as well.
The Event Evolution Model tool allows meeting organizers to benchmark their meetings programs on event strategy, event execution, attendee experience, and measurement and optimization. Users answer questions about aspects of their programs like key performance indicators, visibility into spend, control over spend, event approval processes and event execution tools. They then receive a maturity score and recommendations to improve practices and increase their programs' impact.
The meetings technology provider also has launched an app that helps hotels and destinations create websites to showcase their venues on the Cvent Supplier Network."A hotel brand, chain or destination can launch its own customizable site to highlight its unique brand, content and meetings and events offering, and this site lives in the network where thousands of planners are researching and selecting the venue for their next event, " said Cvent Hospitality Cloud marketing VP Chris McAndrews.
What Cvent's Book of Business Says About Group Business
Meeting RFPs awarded to U.S. hotels via Cvent grew 14.7 percent year over year in the third quarter and 11.4 percent over the past 12 months, according to Cvent's inaugural quarterly Group Business Outlook. The room block per RFP stabilized during the third quarter at 223.5 rooms after declining the past 12 months. Events lasted 3.5 days on average, and the average lead time that planners booked venues was 184.3 days.