You face all kinds of challenges. Get the support you need.
- Strategic Meetings Management
- Request for Proposal (RFP) Management
- Contract Negotiations and Strategy
- Additional Support
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Purchase a one-hour Strategy Session for only $250.
Strategic Meetings Management
It's about more than saving money
You might be thinking about a Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP) as an opportunity to save money.
Did you know most SMMPs achieve savings between 10% to 20% on total meetings and event spend in the first year? Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
While savings are a worthwhile goal (and you will save money!) here are some more advantages to consider:
Manage your Brand Identity - An effective SMMP ensures your meetings and events truly align with overarching strategic goals and your organizational vision, which is incredibly important in today’s environment.
Cut your contracting timeline by 30% or more - Standard templates let you stop wasting valuable time on contract reviews.
Know where and when ALL your events are happening - This provides critical insight into your organization’s external marketing events and internal meetings to help inform your strategy.
Deliver GREAT experiences – instead of worrying about administrative details, your team can focus on achieving event objectives.
No central Meetings department? You might be surprised to hear you don't need one to have a successful program. In fact, the business case for SMM is even stronger if you don't have a meetings department.
Wondering how to get started?
Download a free Getting Started checklist.
Do you like DIY, but don't want to start completely from scratch? Consider the SMM Quick-Start Program. With this program you'll receive:
- One-hour Initial Assessment/Strategy Call
- Detailed Project Plan/Task List
- Sample RFP for service providers
- List of qualified agencies with contact information
- Additional three-hours of project support
Learn more here.
Full-service project management is also available. Project cost varies by scope. Ask for a quote!
Ready to Discover How I Can Help You Manage Your Event Portfolio?
Take advantage of a free 30-minute consultation to get to know each other.
Request for Proposal (RFP) Management
Streamline your supplier selection process
Raise your hand if you LOVE doing an RFP!
Don’t worry, my feelings aren’t hurt. RFPs are sort of like doing your taxes. It’s important, but you don’t do it every day. That’s why you need expert guidance.
Support you get working with me:
- RFP Content Development — Focusing on what really matters
- Supplier candidate recommendations
- Timeline management and supplier communication
- Response analysis and selection recommendation
- Contract and pricing negotiation support
RFPs don’t need to be lengthy or complicated to be effective. A concise RFP is easier for suppliers to respond to and more straightforward for you, the organizer, to evaluate. The more questions you ask, the more answers you need to read and score.
I'll make sure you ask the right questions to get results.
Project cost varies by scope. Ask for a quote!
"The RFP process does not have to be that painful. It's really about how Therese approaches it and learning about her approach and how that can make the process a lot less painful."
Heather Schneider, CMP, DES.
Tyler Technologies, Inc.
Contract Negotiations and Strategy
Protect your organization with solid contracts
When I started in Procurement at Microsoft, there was minimal strategy, process, or consistency. We had expired contracts, obsolete rate cards, and out-of-date processes. The good news is it was a great opportunity to learn.
What saved me time (and a whole lot of money for Microsoft) was a systematic approach to contracts.
Framework (Master) agreements and standard templates help lower risk because you're working with familiar documents. They're essential to decreasing your contracting timeline by reducing the need for legal review. I recommend using them whenever it makes sense for your business. If it's not possible, consider using an addendum that will meet critical language requirements.
If you don't know how your suppliers make their money, it's hard to negotiate well.
This is especially true with hotel contracts. I use this analogy when explaining how complex hotel contracts can be:
Asking a Marketing Manager or Administrative Assistant with no industry experience to negotiate a hotel contract is like sending a newly licensed teenage driver to a car lot to purchase their first car. If you don't know the industry or what questions to ask, you can easily get into trouble.
Solid hotel contract terms are paramount for protecting your company. This is something I learned first-hand managing site selection for Microsoft's Corporate Events Team. Sometimes having one or two more sentences, or even just a word or two in a clause can make all the difference. Have you heard my "Rodents and Roaches" story?
Clients have asked for example language for key contract clauses. To meet this need, I created the Essential Hotel Contract Clause Package. The package includes eight clauses that will dramatically reduce risk for your organization.
Other clients have hired me to give customized training to their team. Here is what one happy client had to say:
"Therese!
The private session was wonderful! You broke down the concepts for my planners on negotiation and contracts so they could easily grasp it! They left the session with a wealth of knowledge and energized to tak on new contract challenges with less fear and hesitation!"
Shantee Proctor, Meetings Department Lead
Leading Pharmaceutical Company
Additional support:
If digging into the details isn't on your list, I can help. I've worked with data my entire career and know where to find the information you need.
