MEETING EVOLUTION (M.E.)...Using business intelligence to manage meetings strategically

Overland Park, KS – Meeting Evolution, the hospitality industry’s most comprehensive hotel sourcing and data management software has enhanced the meeting and event approval process. This includes the ability to define multiple meeting approvers, set approval criteria, track collaboration during the approval process and create a high level meeting approval summary for management review.

 “Achieving pre-approval for a meeting or event before procuring a hotel or venue is critical to ensure meeting policies are being followed and to comply with Strategic Meeting Management Program (SMMP) guidelines,” stated Rob Wilson, MCSE, President of Meeting Evolution. “Our technology allows management to define business policy through a configuration interface that incorporates who can approve meetings and events, specific guidelines based on size, minimum budgeted dollar amount, compliance criteria and a budget template to insure consistency. An overview of meeting and event dates, number of attendees, location, history and budget summary is produced to obtain the approval needed to start the sourcing process,” Wilson added.

 The meeting and event approval process is one of the cornerstones of Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) Strategic Meeting Management Program, which was launched as a “value and accountability” business model in 2004. “Meeting Evolution provides the flexibility every organization needs to define their meeting and event policies, approval criteria, ensure financial integrity and consistency.” Wilson concluded.

About Meeting Evolution

 Meeting Evolution was founded in 2008 and based in Overland Park, Kansas. The architects behind Meeting Evolution software are Rob Wilson, MCSE, formerly Technology Manager at Honeywell Corporation and Jennifer W. Brown, CMP, formerly Director of Meeting Services at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

 Meeting Evolution is the hospitality industry’s most comprehensive hotel sourcing and data management software available in the Meeting and Events Industry today. Meeting Evolution key components include master meeting calendar, meeting / event approval process, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) module, 100,000+ global hotel / supplier database, supports 170 currencies converted (updated daily), detailed e-proposals of availability exported to Excel, side-by-side budgets and first option meeting space holds, 24/7 access to all current and past meeting activity including comprehensive financial data and hierarchy reporting, cost savings / risk reduction / cost containment reports and supplier contract workflow management.

For further information contact:

Rob Wilson, MCSE, President
Phone: 913-897-8234
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.meetingevolution.net

Overland Park, KS – Meeting Evolution (ME) software, with its umbrella of comprehensive Strategic Meeting Management Program (SMMP) reporting capabilities, has achieved a significant increase in Q1 software licensing and user compliance. ME integrates all facets of the global sourcing, hotel and supplier database, custom hotel contracting, meeting consolidation / leveraged spend and data management process.

Meeting policy and compliance is an essential component in the SMMP landscape and Meeting Evolution clearly drives increased stakeholder participation. “Our software is user friendly, streamlines the SMMP and data integrity process, which has increased our customer base and user compliance,” said Rob Wilson, MCSE, President.

Meeting Evolution recently added a flexible meeting budgeting module that allows planners to incorporate unlimited line items for each meeting budget category, while updating the budget summary in real time. “All hotel and supplier data can be downloaded from E-proposals and budget estimates can be exported to Excel for easy access and review. Budget templates can be created to streamline the planning and meeting management process, which assures data integrity and company financial compliance,” Wilson added.

Meeting Evolution software also features a meeting portal that allows planning teams 24/7 access to all current and past meeting activity, including countersigned contracts and addendums. Easy access to other critical data is also available including cost savings / risk reduction reports by meeting, enterprise wide meeting spend, by planner, department, business unit and hotel chain, meeting cancellation credits / usage, transient spend data and more. “Now, planning and procurement teams can do more with less and have immediate access to data that drives strategic decisions and validates success to senior management,” Wilson concluded.

Meeting Evolution software was launched in the fall of 2008 and was built by meeting planners for meeting planners, according to Wilson. ME quickly gained corporate and association acceptance with its flexible and easy to use features, including visibility into enterprise wide meetings, robust data and financial management reporting capabilities. Meeting Evolution is fully APEX compliant and follows SMMP standards.

For further information contact:

Rob Wilson, MCSE, President
Phone: 913-897-8234
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.meetingevolution.net

Overland Park, KS – Meeting Evolution (ME) has added a flexible budgeting module to their Strategic Meeting Management (SMM) software capabilities. The comprehensive budgeting module allows meeting planners to incorporate unlimited line items for each budget category while updating the budget summary in real time. “All supplier data can be downloaded from e-proposals and real time budget estimator is exported to Excel for easy access and review. Budget data is managed at all phases of the meeting management process and offers post meeting reports on actual spend by category, variance or revenues generated, if applicable,” said Rob Wilson, MCSE, President of Meeting Evolution.

Additionally, budget templates can be created to streamline the planning and meeting management process, which ensures data integrity and company financial compliance.

The Meeting Evolution budgeting module focuses on four core SMM principles:

1. Integrated Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

2. Robust Sourcing / Custom Contracts / Procurement

3. Hotelier / Supplier Contract Management and Workflow

4. Detailed Financial Analysis / Reporting.

Wilson, a 10 year industry veteran and former technology manager at Honeywell, is architect of the state-of- the-art meeting management software. “Our new budgeting module enhances the financial management and reporting process and ME offers planners 24/7 access to all current and past meeting data / reports,” Wilson added.

Meeting Evolution integrates comprehensive sourcing, custom contracting, meeting consolidation / leverage spend and data management and includes a 90,000+ supplier database and supports over 170 currencies. The ME system also features a multitude of planning tools and resources and is fully APEX compliant. “Meeting Evolution software is user friendly and ideal for both planning and procurement teams, who want to streamline the meeting management process with a focus on Strategic Meeting Management (SMM),” Wilson concluded.

For further information contact:

Rob Wilson, MCSE, President
Phone: 913-897-8234
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.meetingevolution.net

SmithBucklin Licenses Meeting Evolution Technology

Overland Park, KS – SmithBucklin has selected Meeting Evolution (ME) software to manage all facets of its meeting management processes, including global hotel and supplier database, sourcing, custom hotel contracting, meeting consolidation/leveraged spend and data management. This sophisticated meeting technology system also features custom RFP’s, meeting budgets (downloaded from e-proposals), side-by-side meeting space evaluation and a multitude of meeting and management reports, including cost savings/risk reduction, by meeting.

SmithBucklin is the world’s largest association management and professional services company. Founded in 1949, the company provides full-service management and outsourcing services to trade associations, professional societies, technology user groups, corporations, government institutes/agencies and other nonprofit organizations. SmithBucklin offices are located in Chicago, Washington, D.C., St. Louis and St. Paul, Minn.

“Our organization is prepared for a new strategic direction and Meeting Evolution technology will drive this organizational effort,” stated Brad Weaber, Executive Vice President, Event Services, for SmithBucklin.  “We’ll be using this comprehensive technology platform as an accelerator to improve internal processes, increase team productivity, enhance hotelier and supplier communications, gain visibility to enterprise wide meetings and drive real value to all stakeholders.”

Rob Wilson, MCSE, a ten-year industry veteran and former technology manager at Honeywell is architect of the state-of-the-art software. “Our system is user friendly and truly consolidates the overall meeting management process.  All meeting activity and data is consolidated for 24/7 planner/management access and reporting,” stated Wilson.

The ME system also features a variety of planning tools and resources and is fully APEX compliant and follows Strategic Meeting Management (SMM) standards.

For further information contact:

Rob Wilson, MCSE, President
Phone: 913-897-8234
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.meetingevolution.net