Best Practice Fundamentals of SMM:Turn Conversations Into Action Plans

How can you infuse best practices of Strategic Meetings Management Programs into your current organizational structure?

Driving the implementation

False: Requires hundreds of thousands of dollars, complicated re-engineering, & years of data collection

True: There are practical ways for any-size organization to apply SMMP

‘One SIZE does not fit all’

But

‘One STYLE does not fit all’ either

Action Blocks for successful business P.O.A. a framework for driving SMMP into your business

#1 Get the ball rolling

Identify a business mentor whom you trust for guidance.This person should be in a position at least one

organizational level above you.

Request calendar time with your mentor to discuss the strategic program and inform him/her you would like insight & feedback.

Obtain a copy of current mission statement & business objectives.

#2 Visibility can impact your organization

Answer the following:

With visibility into the meetings spend volume & activity levels, company leadership would be in a position to do what that they cannot do today?

What recent business situation could have been avoided, improved, or managed differently if the company had visibility into this area of spend?

Which 1 or more business goals from the previous year, that were not met, could have been impacted (positively) if the company had visibility into this area of spend?

Which business goals that were met could have been exceeded if the company had visibility into this area of spend?

#3 What is ‘at risk’ for your company that an SMMP can help mitigate? (Use mission statement & business goals from #1)

Identify what your company has determined are HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW risk priorities to its viability and ability to achieve its goals this year.

Looking at each risk, evaluate the way in which a SMMP can potentially mitigate them. Determine how that could be articulated and validated.

#4 What compliance matters to your company

List three internal company compliance expectations placed on all employees.

ex: corporate travel policy, expense reimbursement policy, etc.

Identify what ways SMMP can directly assist in driving higher compliance rates.

Identify 3 industry regulatory policies that your company is required to be in compliance with. Identify what ways SMMP can directly assist in driving higher compliance rates.

For past 2 tasks, understand and be able to articulate the cost of either non-compliance or the opportunity loss of low compliance.

#5 Positioning for leadership

Within the industry vertical or competitive set that your company resides, your company is considered in a leadership position in what area of its business?

How would an SMMP reinforce/strengthen the position(s) identified above?

Within your own company, research and identify up to 3 other similar spend categories that are managed strategically and considered exemplary.

Reach out to more than 1 of those identified spend category leaders above to understand how they achieved the exemplary level of respect you’ve identified.

#6 Complete each following statement for the company’s CORE mission statement and objectives for current fiscal year from task #1. It is recommended that this exercise be performed at both company and divisional/departmental levels in which SMMP

practitioner resides.

Visibility into the meetings spend category will enable the organization to: ______________________

Which creates opportunity for: __________________________

If we had that opportunity, it directly supports the manner in which we could achieve the following goal: ___________________________

Risk Mitigation: contract compliance, event hazards reduction… Define It.

A current risk we face within our company is: ______________

An SMMP could help mitigate that risk in the following ways: _______________________

Without the kind of risk mitigation an SMMP can provide, we substantially impact our ability to achieve this company goal: _______________

The penalties for non-compliance to industry regulations we must follow are: _____________________________________

The missed opportunity in low compliance to internal policies (i.e. travel) is: __________________________

Our low level compliance adversely affects our ability to achieve the following goal: ________________________

My company considers itself a “leader” in the following areas: _________________________

An SMMP directly is in alignment with what leadership position from above: __________________________

A lack of an SMMP is in direct contradiction to which leadership position from above: ____________________

#7 Building out the process illustration

Request the event planning process map or illustration from the internal meetings department

If your organization has no meetings department, identify up to 3 meetings/events that are sponsored by your company, reach out to the person in charge & create their process map

Reach out to one of the leading industry organizations (i.e. NBTA or MPI) for their standard meeting planning process maps.

From an SMMP technology provider, request a process flow chart showing how their system drives the process around SMMP.

Compare & contrast each model for similarities and differences making special note of any unique internal attributes that are currently in practice in your organization.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

#8 Building the People Framework

Create a list of those person(s) that are involved with the management of key sponsored events. Determine if any outsourced companies are employed to support their programs. Develop a profile of what the ‘Product Team’ within your company looks like today.

Reach out to a procurement executive to better understand how this spend category is classified with your company (i.e. non-core, etc.) and what is the standard in-source/out-source policy that applies

What key executives (no less than 5) have a vested interest in this area of spend category management? Define each person’s top 3 areas of interest & assess the value their visibility might bring to an SMMP effort

As a starting point, identify 3 similar spend categories (include Travel) and learn who is the executive sponsor for each & evaluate their performance in that role. Use this to create a short list of potential executive sponsors for SMMP.

#9 BPA Situation Assessment

Look at current process of meetings – what technologies are in use right now?

Look at similar spend category processes: what internal technologies are in use that have cross-over benefit to meeting process? (i.e. internal communication tools, business travel apps, etc.)

What’s missing? Determine what tools might be missing by looking at existing technology tools to validate their capabilities in providing the data support to provide the organization with visibility, risk mitigation and/or compliance data.

Educate yourself on the market offerings in the area of SMMP technology – access whitepapers provided by NBTA, MPI, ACTE. Request product overview information from key providers.

Review & understand the level of financial and product support resources that would be available for an SMMP initiative.

#10 Finding quick win seeds

Reach out to owner of Corporate Transient Travel spend category to determine if there are any market share commitments to suppliers that are in jeopardy in the current year.

Reach out to an executive within Finance division – with responsibility over payment processing specifically, any payment card products. Learn level of adoption and how that compares with desired level of usage.

If your company has a meetings dept., learn what criteria must be met in order for them to provide their services to a meeting sponsor (i.e. attendee count, spend amount, etc.). Ask how they handle requests for support that fall outside the criteria.

Speak to administrative assistants of at least 3 C-level executives to understand how they are planning executive meetings today. Identify areas of pain & areas that need support.

Speak to an executive in contracts/procurement department. Find out if there are any company-standard contracting terms that exist for this category or in general. Seek out a sampling of meetings contracts from past 12 months to validate whether those terms are included in those contracts.

#11 Confirming the Executive Sponsor

Prepare a presentation to the Sr. Level Executive whom you would like to assume the position of corporate sponsor.

The SMMP Value Drivers that will directly support the company’s objectives and that of this particular Sr. Level Exec.

A comparison of current practice to the most relevant competitor set of organizations.

Specific near term role you need that Sr. Level Exec. to play and what would the time and resource commitment be. List specific activities and events you will need his/her direct participation in.

Identify at least 1 quick win that would most powerfully support his/her own business objectives for current year.

#12 Complete value statements

The top 3 most significant benefits my company will gain as a result of the SMMP is: ____________________________________________

Each benefit will position the company for higher levels of success by: ___________________________________

The way I will assess whether or not any component of the SMMP contributes to driving the benefit noted above is: _____________________________________________

#13 Three benefits review

From task #12, review the top 3 SMMP benefits that must be delivered to the organization immediately.

In order to deliver those 3 benefits, what process, people & tools must be in place?

What is the direct impact to the overall company of not delivering each of the 3 benefits listed above?

As you look at the 3 benefits, what is happening today organizationally that is preventing the company from enjoying those benefits?

A successful SMMP will be how YOU define it, implement it, and validate its benefits.

It does not have to replicate a graphical model, or the way in which a Fortune 100 company has done it.

Design your SMMP for your own specific needs.

Keep it clear of purpose, concise of value and consistently validated . . .

Don’t overcomplicate it!

‘After you’ve done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over.’ - Alfred Edward Perlman

For a detailed SMMP’s best practices and Plan Of Action guide download the 23 page whitepaper: The Pragmatist’s Guide to SMM: Moving from action to theory (http://www.signup4.com/whitepapers/register/)

To learn more about SignUp4’s Meetings Management software:Call: 1.877.745.5826Email: sales@signup4.comVisit our site: www.signup4.comView SU4 blog: www.signup4.com/blogSuccess stories: www.signup4.com/success-stories

Special Thanks ToMike Malinchok of S2K Consulting and photos from:

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