Successful Meetings - October 2008 - (Page 25) Leveraging Travel Pre-Event > Planner’s Workshop for the upcoming event, you must also identify the value of your location. Consider your audience. For example, should yours be a “green meeting” that minimizes the impact on the environment by choosing an eco-friendly property and carbon footprint? Some hotel companies offer properties and packages that will meet those needs. When “going green” the commitment should be carried out by the host organization through goals and using eco-friendly and organic brands and procedures. Consider the following questions: Will the event reach the established objectives and support our brand? Have we determined where to spend more and where to spend less? Will attendees feel they are getting value and maximizing return on investment? Will you be able to measure this for future events? Did you showcase savings attendees are realizing due to the organization’s buying power? In a recent MeetingNews survey of 337 planners, when asked whether they must use or even consider using the suppliers with volume agreements, almost 50 perNKY_4.5 x 4.75_SM_Ad1.ai 6/26/08 cent of planners said they had no restrictions. True consolidation means not only capturing and leveraging what you spend on meetings, but also bringing all travel 1:33:33 PM SUMMARY It’s clear that there is a correlation between corporate travel management and cost containment. It’s also clear that this is a complex process that should be defined in a company policy or standard operating procedure. It’s clear that there are tools, best practices, and suppliers that can ensure the best investment on these very costly items. It’s also important to realize that left unmanaged these costs will increase, productivity will be reduced, support and advocacy could be diminished, and control over potential liability may also be on the downturn. With that being said, the cheapest of everything isn’t always the best value. Balancing the needs of the organization, the planners, and the meeting participants is a critical factor in creating a unified travel policy that will maximize savings and efficiencies while simultaneously delivering unsurpassed value to travelers. SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS OCTOBER 2008 MUN.. H’S U IC I HO RA HOFBRAUHAUS original 400+ year-old Where else would BREWERY RE R nkycvb.com/SM locate its first franchise ? http://www.nkycvb.com/SM
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