Research and White Papers
Travel Buyers Still Not Using Strategic Meetings Management
By Matt Alderton
February 2, 2012
Although 40 percent of them are now responsible for managing meetings spend, more than half (59 percent) of corporate travel buyers still do not have a strategic meetings management policy (SMMP) in place, according to a recent survey of 252 travel buyers conducted by Europe's Business Travel Show conference, taking place Feb. 7-8 in London. Perhaps "more worryingly," according to show organizers: 13 percent of travel buyers don't even know if they have one.
"As more travel managers continue to take on responsibility for meetings, they should be aware of the tremendous risks that meetings present," said Kevin Iwamoto, vice president for enterprise strategy at StarCite, now part of the Active Network. "Meetings make up a huge investment of your company's time, resources and human capital. Plus, your company's reputation may be at stake. We believe much of this risk can be mitigated with a strategic meetings management program and meetings approval process."
For more information about the Business Travel Show — which features four masterclasses and two case studies about SMMPs — visit
www.businesstravelshow.com.