American Express Meetings & Events, a division of American Express Global Business Travel, has launched "Meetings Expert," a new program that provides resources for people who are not trained meeting planners, but are nonetheless asked by their employer to plan a meeting.
Launched last week at IMEX America, Meetings Expert connects ad hoc meeting planners with experts who can negotiate on their behalf all aspects of a meeting contract — including conference rooms, sleeping rooms, food and beverage, and ancillary spending — provided their meeting includes at least 10 guest rooms per night.
"As companies direct more of their attention toward meeting and expense consolidation, Meetings Expert offers solutions for those who continue to plan meetings on an ad hoc basis," said Issa Jouaneh, vice president and general manager, American Express Meetings & Events. "Even for companies only requiring meetings sourcing support intermittently, implementing structure around the process is important. We expect that the Meetings Expert experience will demonstrate the value of managing meetings and associated expenses — one of the largest categories of uncontrolled spend for most companies."
Meetings Expert was piloted this year with companies in North America, where clients using the service have achieved an average savings of 28 percent per meeting, according to American Express, which is now offering the service in the United Kingdom, as well, with continued rollout expected across Europe and Australia.