ATP Event Experts survey finds 59% of businesses do not use Strategic Meetings Management

WORLD – Research conducted by business travel and event management company, ATP Event Experts, has found 59 per cent of those surveyed do not currently consolidate their corporate travel with their meetings and events policies.
 
The survey, which was conducted during the 2013 Business Travel Show in London, also found 56 per cent of these businesses think that policies should be combined.
 
ATP says, as a result of the research, they are urging businesses to consolidate their corporate travel and meetings and events policies in order to lower costs and increase efficiency.
 
The group says that by tracking volume and spend on meetings and events alongside corporate travel through one central booking source, businesses can monitor how much is being spent company-wide. This consolidation can deliver comprehensive management information, useful for analysing and optimising the strategic meeting process.
 
“Centralising this spend with a roster of preferred service providers means that businesses can take advantage of better rates due to the large network of hotel and venue contacts available to their travel management company,” says Head of UK event operations for ATP Event Experts, Neil Pace. “They will also be in a stronger position to negotiate the terms and conditions of the booking, while their TMC can also save time internally by supporting staff whose primary role isn’t to manage meetings and events.
 
“Plus, greater consolidation also ensures that the standard of service is consistent across the board, whether it’s a meeting in Aberdeen or an event in Madrid.”
 
Although most travel management programmes include centralising all other elements of corporate travel, in some cases meetings and event spend can be overlooked. ATP Event Experts urges buyers to consider an audit of all meetings and events activity to assess how much money is being spent by different departments and where.
 
ATP has 60 offices worldwide and revenues in excess of US$1.1bn. The company has operations in corporate travel, corporate event management, online travel technology and specialist travel management for a number of key industries including the energy and shipping sectors.
 
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