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STRATEGIC MEETING MANAGEMENT
The movement by corporations large and small towards SMMPs has been brisk. But for most, it's an ongoing and evolving initiative.
“Strategic meetings management…is no longer just the latest industry buzz phrase,” began a new white paper issued by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) Groups and Meetings Committee in June. “Today, nearly four years after this committee first introduced the concept and began defining the practice, more and more firms are joining the ranks of those enjoying the benefits of strategically managed meetings.”
The intense and growing interest in SMMP today is driven by companies looking strategically at their spend and trying to reduce it. Many companies do not yet recognize the risks involved if they do not have a strategic meetings management program in place, and also may not realize the savings they could achieve.
Creative Group endeavors to help our clients manage programs that include cost controls, financial objectives and clear definitions of program savings and cost avoidance. According to the NBTA report, SMMPs should also “consider categorizing meetings by purpose, size, audience demographic, geographic region or budget and writing policies to suit each.” Perhaps most important, the report observes that “executive sponsorship is critical at program launch and for ongoing success.”
Basic program components include a formal meetings policy that “sets consequences for non-compliance and sets enterprise-level meeting data requirements to ensure comprehensive consolidated reporting, as well as a meeting management technology platform.
Find out more about the NBTA Report here.
For more on how to build an SMMP, click here.
DO YOUR MEETINGS MEASURE UP?
Are your meetings and events changing behavior and impacting your business? Learn how MeetingMetrics™ can help you precisely quantify your ROI.
MeetingMetrics™ is an online pre- and post-event survey tool that can assist you in gauging the effectiveness of your training programs, new product introductions, sales meetings, incentive programs, or any targeted audience gathering. It can even capture session ratings and speaker evaluations during a meeting or event in real time.
The data this tool captures helps us aid our clients in measuring the strength of the events we collaborate in producing. We have the ability to compare pre- and post-event survey data to ascertain the attendees’ feelings toward participating in the program as well as whether they are properly motivated to achieve future success as a result of it.
We can measure:
• Business Results/Impacts
• Applied Behaviors
• Abilities/Skills
• Attitudes/Intentions/Commitment
• Opinions/Perceptions/Beliefs
• Knowledge/Understanding
MeetingMetrics™ thus enables us to optimize the attendee experience, drive business impact, and prove the value of face-to-face events with a true benefit-cost ratio analysis, delivered to you with easily understood executive reports and summaries.
KEEP YOUR MEETINGS GREEN…
…and save yourself a bundle. Reducing waste is good for the planet and for business. Find out how you can go greener at your next meeting or event.
Newsweek recently ranked the Top 500 largest U.S. companies based on their environmental impact, their green policies and reputation among their peers and environmental experts. Interestingly, 19 of Creative Group's clients made the list and seven of those were in the Top 100.
Newsweek conducted the survey in conjunction with three credible environmental research companies:
TruCost which calculated each company's Environmental Impact Score based on over 700 metrics;
KLD Research & Analytics, which created the Green Policies Score by analyzing corporate policies and initiatives; and
Corporate Register.com, which conducted an extensive reputational survey of CEOs, environmental officers, and academics.
Internally and with our clients, Creative Group strives to produce green meetings that accomplish the event objectives with minimal environmental impact. In many cases, going green also means saving our clients money.
Find out more about how we plan green meetings and events under WHAT WE DO.
latest news
SITE INDEX SURVEY FOCUSES ON ROI & ROO - APRIL 2010
Read the original report from our library
As might be expected, ROI/ROO measurement is gaining focus in today’s environment where every expense is closely examined. Therefore, the need for clear measurement and reporting will only increase.
The Site Index also studied the application of motivational events. Not surprisingly, the most common usage of motivational events is in sales programs, followed by dealer programs. Very few (26.5%) respondents use travel for consumer promotions. Also not surprising is the fact that hard measures (increased sales, profitability, and growth of market share) are considered more important than soft measures such as commitment, loyalty, trust, etc.
Responses tell us that over 80% of respondents understand that the focus on ROI is now increasing. (Nearly 80% say the same for ROO). Seventy-five percent say that the number of programs for which ROI/ROO is measured will increase in the next three to five years. This fact must be considered with data from the earlier Focus on the Economy survey that showed more involvement in motivational event programs by higher management.
Together they send a clear message: spending on motivational events is being watched much more carefully. Providers and users of these programs must clearly communicate to management not only the expected return from motivational expenditures but also how the returns will be measured.
Unfortunately, the majority of respondents report they currently measure less than 50% of their programs. Even though less than half of all programs are being measured, 45% of all respondents believe it is likely that firms who do not track results will cease using motivational events.
The survey also shows that while financial objectives are important and are being tracked, adherence to budget is less important. Another interesting point is that post-program results, while ranked important, are not being extensively watched. A great deal of research shows that the benefits of tangible incentives are stronger over time. With fewer than 50% of participants tracking post-program information we see an area where measurement should occur—and that creates a clear opportunity for providers and users alike.
CGI AWARDED SABRE PEAK OF EXCELLENCE - MARCH 2010
Creative Group, Inc. today announced that is has been selected
to receive the Sabre Travel Network Peak of Excellence Award.
The Peak of Excellence award recognizes distinction among
business leaders, innovators and passionate professionals
within the travel agency community. The limited numbers of
recipients of this year's award are named for their outstanding
contribution, efforts and achievements in 2009.
"We are honored to recognize the talented and driven
professionals of Creative Group for their exemplary business
leadership with a strong commitment and focus on customer
service. We'd also like to extend our gratitude to your
dedicated team whose passion and professionalism continue to
make a lasting mark in the travel industry," said Jay Jones,
SVP, The Americas, for Sabre Travel Network.
CGI NAMED TO CMI TOP 25 FOR FOURTH YEAR - FEBRUARY 2010
Creative Group, Inc. today announced that it has been named to the fourth
annual “CMI 25” list of the industry’s largest and most influential full-service
independent meeting and incentive travel management companies focused on
the corporate market. Compiled by Penton Media’s Corporate Meetings &
Incentives® magazine, the leading information source for the $40 billion
corporate meetings and events industry, the CMI 25 provides an essential
resource for corporate executives and meeting professionals seeking partners
for outsourcing all or parts of their programs. The CMI 25 appears in the
September issue of Corporate Meetings & Incentives and is available on
www.meetingsnet.com.
“Outsourcing of meeting and incentive travel planning has become increasingly
important to Corporate America, and our CMI 25 report is the only place
meeting planning and procurement professionals can turn to for information on
the buying power and capabilities of these important partners,” said Barbara
Scofidio, editor of Corporate Meetings & Incentives. “Based on extensive
research by our staff, the CMI 25 list is a unique snapshot of the leading
companies in the industry.”
According to Brad Langley, President & Chief Operating Officer, “We are
delighted to receive this recognition for the third consecutive year and feel this
acknowledges what our clients have known for years – our people provide
outstanding service to support our client’s improved corporate performance.
That’s why our client’s return to Creative Group and our business has grown.
Today’s economic climate only serves to increase the value we bring to helping
our client’s gain market share, enhance loyalty, and increase brand awareness.
Face-to-face events play a key role in improving our client’s business
performance and it’s important to select a company who specializes in this
area. Our role has become increasingly important to global corporations,
regardless of industry, given today’s tighter economic climate.”
The magazine’s editors selected CMI 25 companies based on several factors,
including the number of meetings and incentive travel programs managed in
2008 and the total number of room nights represented by those meetings and
incentives. They also evaluated the number of full-time employees at each
company, as well as the percentage of the company’s revenues that came from
organizing corporate meetings and incentives, versus association meetings or
other sources.
F2F TRUMPS VIRTUAL - OCTOBER 2009
F2F Trumps Virtual
Oct 1, 2009 12:00 PM, Alison Hall
Meetings & Incentives
For reaching critical goals, executives prefer face-to-face meetings.
When the goals of a meeting include persuasion, leadership, engagement, inspiration, decision-making, accountability, or candor, U.S. business executives overwhelmingly believe that holding a face-to-face gathering is the only way to go.
In a June 2009 survey of 760 executives from businesses of all sizes, Forbes Insights found that 84 percent of them prefer in-person, face-to-face business meetings, citing those as more effective than webconferences, videoconferences, or teleconferences for reaching a dozen goals, including those listed above. (Forbes Insights is a custom research division of Forbes Media, publisher of Forbes magazine.)
However, technology-enabled meetings have their place as well. The respondents deemed virtual meetings best for “information dissemination” and “data presentation.”
The survey findings are confirmed in the real-world experience of David D'Eletto, managing partner at Meeting Alliance, the Robbinsville, N.J.-based meeting and incentive company. “Our clients have told us that while the ‘presentation’ portion of a sales meeting is extremely valuable, the networking and personal interaction among the reps from across the country improves the ROI of the meeting significantly,” he says. “Face-to-face meetings allow them to bounce ideas off each other and thus improve their approach to their customers. They are also opportunities to bring upper management and the field together to develop personal relationships.”
The 16 percent of executives who preferred virtual meetings overall cited a savings of time and money as the top two reasons for their preference, followed closely by “flexibility in location and timing.” Their fourth reason for preferring virtual meetings — “allows me to multitask” — is one of the reasons other executives worry that virtual meetings do not meet business goals as well as face-to-face meetings. (And in fact, more than half the respondents said they surf the Web, check e-mail, or do unrelated work while “attending” virtual meetings.)
Despite the clear preference for getting face to face, economic and other conditions have made this a tough year for business travel. Some 58 percent of respondents said they are traveling less frequently than in January 2008, with just about one-third reporting that they're traveling “much less frequently.”
Meanwhile, a corresponding 57 percent reported their companies' use of technology to conduct meetings has increased compared to January 2008.
D'Eletto has found ways to help clients reduce costs. “For example, using airport properties reduces transportation costs,” he says. “Also, reducing a three-day meeting to a two-day meeting by being aggressive with agenda planning can save significant guest-room and F&B costs while retaining the benefits of being face to face." "As the economic picture darkened during the recent downturn, companies worldwide tightened travel budgets, with many executives turning to the telephone, the web, and video conferencing to conduct business. However, according to a survey of Harvard Business Review subscribers, travel to meet in person with key customers, partners, and employees remains essential for selling new business as well as building long-term relationships.
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW CITES BUSINESS
IMPACT OF FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION - SEPTEMBER 2009
In a global survey of 2,300 Harvard Business Review subscribers conducted by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, 79% said that in-person meetings are the most effective way to meet new clients to sell business. Furthermore, 89% agreed that face-to-face meetings are essential for "sealing the deal."
Virtually all survey participants (95%) said that face-toface meetings are a key factor in successfully building and maintaining long-term relationships, reflecting what many executives call the "high impact" of in-person communication."
Read more from this article in our library.