BCD Meetings & Incentives has created the position of vice president of marketing and business, in part to work closely with clients to determine the best internal configuration to maximize the return on their meetings management efforts.
"Clients are looking for consolidation solutions, but that's not the solution for every client," said Mary MacGregor, who joined BCD M&I this month from marketing company MotivAction, where she was vice president of the travel division.
"Return on objective or return on event—ensuring there is a measurable component in the meeting—is certainly an important aspect and something we're going to look to offer our clients to ensure they have the ability, after the meeting takes place, to go back and point to specific metrics on how they achieved those objectives," she said.
MacGregor said she will work with customers who have BCD M&I—the meetings management subsidiary of BCD Travel—as a preferred supplier to tailor a program specific to their needs.
"My initial start is going to be to understand what those customers are doing with us and what their needs are, and look for ways to strengthen that relationship," MacGregor said. "I'll really get to know these customers and why they do business with BCD M&I, and look for their particular business issues and how we can provide additional assistance."
MacGregor, who currently serves as vice president of finance for the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives, said, "Meetings clients all have specific requirements, whether it's logistics or technology or expertise. That's what I'll look to understand as I try to assess what our clients' current situations and future needs might be."
"We're looking to grow the brand recognition as an organization. We're not a significantly recognized brand today in the meeting and incentive space," said Bruce Morgan, senior vice president of marketing and business development for BCD M&I, to whom MacGregor will report.
MacGregor also will work on "marketing efforts as it refers to MICE in North America" and to enter the European market with more presence in strategic meetings management.
"We will look to develop BCD as a thought leader in the MICE space," according to MacGregor, "and be involved with end-to-end prominent events and organizations and associations."
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