Over the past two years, the roles and responsibilities of meeting managers have undergone a rapid evolution in response to dramatic changes in event venues and formats, and the technologies and resources needed to make them effective. This report examines some of the key forces reshaping how meeting managers work, and the skill sets needed to meeting the demands of their job.

The countless ways in which 2020 has proven a year without precedent for business travel managers won’t confine themselves to this calendar year. The shutdown of most types of business travel due to the global COVID-19 pandemic has left most organizations with only a sliver of their typical business travel volume in 2020, a fact that is complicating negotiations for corporate hotel rates for 2021.

With so little volume booked in 2020, how can travel buyers and hoteliers sufficiently assess the state of a hotel program to negotiate fair deals for 2021? Moreover, how can 2021 hotel volume be forecasted in a manner that allows for the negotiation of rates when so much remains uncertain? This white paper is designed to explore the possibilities available to travel buyers when constructing a 2021 hotel program and negotiating corporate rates, including forecasting amid the pandemic, the best ways to manage what seems to be a partial return to business travel in 2021, and the types of negotiated hotel rates perhaps best suited for a year that features so much uncertainty.  

Directing a strategic meetings management program in 2020 has been an exercise without precedent, as the COVID-19 pandemic all but shut down face-to-face meetings in many world regions. It’s a situation that even the most skilled and experienced practitioner couldn’t possibly have foreseen in designing and deploying an SMM program. Yet, practitioners have found that some of the core tenants of SMM — centralized events calendar, standardized, if not centralized contracts, duty of care and reporting — have proven invaluable as they navigated the rapid changes in 2020. Others identified opportunities to refine policies, practices, data, reporting and services.

Months after the shock of the abrupt global shutdown of business travel as the pandemic  spread through every corner of the world, travel managers, travelers and hoteliers are trying to figure out how best to work together for the eventual return to travel. While muted demand and continued government travel restrictions remains in most areas, some business travelers appear ready to hit the road again, and an increasing number of hoteliers are ready to welcome them back with safety and distancing measures in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This white paper is designed to spotlight hoteliers’ role in building would-be business travelers’ confidence in the safety of travel suppliers’ offerings and working with travel managers

Happier travelers. Smarter data. Reduced fraud. Lower admin costs. More and more businesses have reaped the many advantages of paying for travel through virtual cards in recent years. All these benefits are gained when paying for any kind of business travel transaction. Yet, to date, virtual cards have paid overwhelmingly for just one category: transient hotel. But that is changing as non-hotel payments shot up 35 percent in 2020.... Keep Reading

Planning an in-person meeting during a global pandemic, or even any crisis situation, challenges meeting planners and venues. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the industry globally in a way never seen before. Travel and meetings suppliers, under the guidance of governmental authorities at the local, state and country level, still are trying to understand the new processes and methods that will be needed to keep attendees and travelers as safe as possible amidst uncertainty. This white paper is designed to highlight the necessary considerations to sourcing and working with venues for in-person events, including managing social distancing and other hygienic protocols, as well as the pandemic-related changes to the meeting contracting process.

An effective hotel program can boost savings, compliance, and traveler morale, but building one takes time, effort, and insightful data. What works for one organization might backfire at another for several reasons. And, with COVID-19 upending travel for much of 2020-2021, corporations are rethinking their entire travel budgets, partnerships and guidelines. What defines success? This white paper presents results of a survey of more than 280 travel, procurement and hotel sourcing executives fielded in April-May 2020.