Necessity has always been the mother of invention, and technology has always been at the helm of solving problems and improving our daily lives. Over the years, we’ve seen Netflix replace Blockbuster Video, Uber disrupt traditional taxi services, and Amazon online shopping has completed transformed the retail space. And yet, before the COVID-19 pandemic, certain industries remained stuck in the past, defined by technology which no longer served them. Specifically, the meetings and events industry that was in dire need of an update would help streamline and simplify planning corporate events and meetings.
Now, as the industry braces for recovery in the coming months, we realize that the path forward demands the long-awaited functionality of self-service meeting management technology.
The Old World of Meeting Management
Traditionally, larger corporations comprised entire teams dedicated to planning travel and venue accommodations for meetings and events. Without the corporate infrastructure to dedicate a whole team to such efforts, smaller companies often relied on a manager who helped oversee and manage upcoming events and travel while working closely with travel agencies specializing in business travel. With expensive and over-engineered technology systems designed for meeting management, the process of planning and facilitating events and meetings (regardless of scale) was often complicated and rife with delays and managerial headaches. Without the appropriate manpower of internal teams or external support from travel agencies, the administrative and logistical demand associated with event planning would make the process, simply put, extremely difficult.
Moreover, events and meetings can occur in any department. Those companies which have never allocated an internal role for event planning often found themselves in a predicament. If an HR manager had to plan a training event somewhere but didn’t have the tools or training required to facilitate such a process seamlessly, what did that look like? Similarly, if a Sales Manager has to plan a sales meeting, how can they approach the planning process in an informed and efficient manner (especially in a post-pandemic world) without having any appropriate experience?
The New Era of Meeting Management
In a post-pandemic world, the internal infrastructure of corporations across industries has abruptly changed. Most companies are now relying on fewer resources and an increasingly limited budget. With fewer people in the office and a growing virtual workforce, most businesses simply don’t have the means to support teams dedicated to corporate meetings and events. Those administrative efforts, most likely, have been transferred to someone else who, up until now, was entirely unfamiliar with the events and meetings landscape. As these individuals most likely lack dedicated planners’ expertise, they don’t require the complex tools or resources leveraged by professional planners. Instead, they need user-friendly, intuitive online tools that simplify the process of venue shopping, requesting proposals, booking venues, and booking travel.
Not only that, but corporations must demand increased visibility into the event planning process at an executive level. After all, the demands and expectations placed on businesses are heightened. COVID-19 has altered the way we consider and actively prioritize staff and public safety, and, understandably, those considerations must be at the forefront of meeting and event planning. From start to finish, the event planning process must be closely managed with the help of self-service management technology that allows company members to track spending and manage protocols all in one place easily.
The Rise of Self-Service
Ultimately, the writing is on the wall: every meeting program in the world now requires a self-service tool. Companies that empower their events and meeting planning process with self-service meeting management technology will, in turn, ensure that anyone in their company can plan, manage, and implement all aspects of an event (including associated travel) with ease.
Groupize enterprise travel and meeting management technology delivers enhanced efficiencies at every company level while ensuring that robust features do not come at the cost of simplicity and self-service. Acting as a centralized hub, all members and departments within an organization have unparalleled access to the tools they need to manage events and meetings with confidence and support. From sourcing venues to registration, travel, duty of care, workflows, and spend, everything they need can be accessed in one, easy to navigate, highly visible platform.
Transformation is a key concept these days, especially in light of the current global pandemic. The incredible acceleration brought about by Covid-19 will lead to one of the most exciting periods of change in the meetings management landscape as companies reimagine the future. 2021 is also one that offers many opportunities to companies that are prepared to adapt and use meeting management technology innovations to survive and succeed in the market. At the core, it’s an opportunity for businesses to re-examine how they’ve approached operations in the past and transform themselves to stand the test of time.
