27 April 2010

More meetings but planners finding ways to cut spending

Meeting Professionals International found corporate planners in the US anticipate organizing 21 percent more meetings this year. On the other hand, planners expect to spend 3.5 percent less per meeting.

Area companies also seem to be following the "do more with less" strategy by making every effort to trim costs, from tightening schedules to forgoing amenities.

"Some of the groups are shortening their length of stay," said Bryan Muellar, director of sales for the Charles F. Knight Center at Washington University. "What they’re doing is working through lunch and trying to cram what may have been a two-day meeting into a day and a half."

Lisa Smith, director of sales and marketing for The Gateway Center, said the number of meetings the center hosted dropped 17 percent in 2009.

Even now as activity is starting to pick up again, companies are cutting back on their food and beverage costs and other expenses, says the St. Louis Business Journal.

"For example, instead of offering a choice of entrees, like steak or chicken, some clients are opting to serve only the less-expensive chicken," says the newspaper.

Some meeting planners are saving money in various other small ways such as bringing their own audiovisual equipment. Some meeting planners are going so far as to even provide their own microphones.

Kathy Brassil, manager of the meeting services department at Monsanto, said her company occasionally taps its own in-house media services department for audiovisual equipment at off-site meetings.

Another way Monsanto is keeping meeting costs in line is to limit participants to just key players, Brassil said.

"We’re more selective about who would go to a meeting," she said. "We’ll look at a list and say, ‘Do we really need five people to come from the Denver office?’"

Brassil said her department tries to schedule meetings in areas where participants can drive to save on travel costs. Her department also tries to take advantage of large gatherings and tack on smaller meetings in an effort to save travel costs, she said.

Some companies also are looking at cutting down on transportation costs for activities held outside the conference center.

By David Wilkening

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By Joey Sciarrotta, Monday, May 3, 2010
How to do more with less

More meetings - good news! If you don't want to scrimp on the shrimp or lug your own AV, try a meeting at sea. Meals, entertainment, AV, meeting space is all included.

By Maureen McKeon, Wednesday, April 28, 2010