Implementing a Meetings Consolidation Plan

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• Implementing a Meetings Consolidation Plan
• Debi Scholar
• Debi.Scholar_at_us.pwc.com
• Meeting Event Services Director

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• Meeting Event Services (MES)
• Why and How
• Consolidation highlights
• The study
• The actions
• Consolidation today
• Responsibilities to the firm
• Top 10 reasons to contact MES first
• Volume today

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• Meeting Event Services (MES)
• Why - Consolidate and manage meetings/learning
  programs through MES enabling PwC to enhance
  meeting quality, ensure consistency, control
  costs, utilize preferred suppliers while allowing
  flexibility and creativity for unique program
  planning.
• How - Analyze, negotiate, plan and implement
  meetings/learning programs by using consistent
  knowledge/resources/tools/processes for better
  initiation, accountability, responsibility and
  containment of costs relative to the benefits
  derived by the firm.

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• Consolidation Highlights
• Conducted study in August, 1998 with
  implementation in 1999 of consolidated meeting
  planning team. (after merger)
• Developed a Meetings Protocol including business
  case template and approval process for initiation
  of all meetings gt50 people.
• Established Territorial Centers of Excellence for
  meetings as part of Infrastructure and
  Procurement with representation from Lines of
  Services (LoS). Today a team of LoS leaders
  approves policy changes and all meetings.
• Determined Cost Savings based on historic meeting
  complexity and meeting planner professional or
  non-professional.
• Teamed with Travel for Group Travel management.

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• Study conclusions
• (1998)
• Of the estimated 1,350 large meetings (with a
  complexity Level II or higher) being held within
  PwC US, approximately 65 were being managed,
  partly or wholly, by non-professional meeting
  planners.
• Internal meetings were being managed by four
  types of meeting planning processes (Meeting
  planners, Learning Education, Hybrid model, or
  Field staff.
• Approximately 16 - 32 million in annual cost
  savings could be achieved by migrating the
  meeting planning opportunities to a centralized
  process Most to be saved was in the Field
  Process of planning meetings.

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• Next Steps (1998)
• Agreed upon key elements for meeting planning
  process to satisfy and achieve our quality and
  cost objectives.
• Identified key stakeholders worked toward
  buy-in on meeting policies.
• Closed key process gaps by combining new and
  existing process elements.
• Included high sponsor touch for meeting quality
  and centralized sourcing for meeting cost
  efficiency in process design.
• Categorized meetings into levels of complexity
  based on their characteristics.
• Provided appropriate MES services by different
  meeting types.
• Executed services by various groups within and
  outside of MES.

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• Today - 2004
• Meeting Consolidation - Most meetings over 5K or
  those that require a total number of 40 guest
  rooms or more (on a cumulative basis over the
  meeting dates) and 10 or more rooms per night are
  required to go through Meeting Event Services.
  Some still slip through the cracks but it is
  rare. Some exceptions are granted.
• Non-LE webcasts MES provides full service
  design through implementation webcasts using our
  two firm approved vendors. We have one Virtual
  Meeting Manager on staff.

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• Responsibilities to the firm
• Vendor Management with hoteliers and meeting
  vendors Travel Dept. manages airline vendors.
• Data Collection and Verification All LE or
  non-LE programs over approx 5K to be listed and
  approved through MES.
• Contract Review and Compliance Ensure that the
  OGC-approved Hotel addendum or the new PwC Hotel
  Contract is used. We work closely with
  Procurement.
• Management Reporting Report volume, costs,
  savings, penalties, lead time information to LoS
  Operations Team.
• Meeting Consistency Provide a full commercial
  level conference organization service to all
  meetings over 5K focusing on location, season
  and unit accommodation cost issues and travel
  time.
• Non-LE webcasts Provide full service design
  through implementation webcasts using our two
  firm approved vendors.

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• Top 10 Reasons to contact MES first
• 10. Reduce the tangled communication channels and
  inherent risks by allowing MES to manage the
  vendors. A SPOC creates less confusion and risk
  - hotels do not get 'mixed messages' regarding
  specs, rather - they get one message.
• 9. Reduce travel and property costs associated
  with meetings through hotel and travel policies
  in place. MES adheres to Firm policies and
  procedures as it relates to procuring a facility
  such as using standard RFPs, etc.
• 8. Reduce property costs through negotiations
  on group and transient volume as we see all the
  spent. MES participates in the global hotel
  agreements with Travel. MES negotiates standard
  concessions plus more with our preferred vendors.
• 7. Reduce risks in verbal agreements made by
  multiple people contacting hotel.
• 6. Reduce/limit firm liability via contract
  negotiations, OGC-approved addendums and review.
  It is Firm policy to use MES for sourcing
  meetings.

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• Top 10 Reasons to contact MES first
• 5. Offer extensive conference services and hotel
  experience as the MES team has numerous CMPs, a
  CMM, a LES, and many tenured planning
  professionals who remain on the forefront of
  industry trends.
• 4. Present where we have outstanding penalties
  that we can use toward future programs.
• 3. Use our strong national hotel contacts who
  will go to bat for PwC if an individual
  property is being difficult. Similarly, we know
  what hotels have performed well recently and
  which hotels may have slipped in performance.
• 2. Reduce confusion during invoice audit by
  eliminating side negotiations.
• And the 1 reason WHY to CALL US FIRST
• 1. It is important to work Smarter, not
  Harder. Lets not duplicate efforts as were all
  short on resources! Together We service the
  LoS.

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