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I. Introduction
For most companies today, travel
and entertainment (T&E) remains the
second-largest controllable expense. Total
corporate meetings spend is expected to
reach $75.8 billion by 20081 and meetings
spend has exceeded overall corporate travel
spend. Yet, despite this huge proportion of
corporate expenditures, many organizations
havent yet moved to manage meeting and
events costs separately from overall T&E.
But thats all changing.
As corporations increasingly seek ways to
reduce T&E expenses, many are recognizing
a need for a formal expense management
strategy to cut and control all types ofmeetings costs. These include direct
expenditures, such as for airline tickets,
hotel rooms, dining and ground transportation,
as well as for the administrative costs of
managing corporate meetings. Much as
transient travel management has emerged
over the past decade, a formal approach to
strategic meetings management is emerging
now, in response to corporate demand to
reduce expenditures in the travel arena.
The objective of an effective meetings
management program is to drive savings,
establish controls and deliver consistent
processes, procedures and service delivery.
Key to the success of a meetings expense
management program is to channel demand,
as if through a series of funnels, with each
funnel shaping behavior and directing the
demand to achieve the desired outcome(see Exhibit 1). Unstructured demand should
be routed through a series of policies and
Establishing a Best-In-ClassMeeting Expense Management Strategy
1 PhoCus Wright Inc, January, 2007: "Groups and Meetings: Market Opportunity Redefined"
1
DEMAND
Procedures &Policies
Point of SaleTools
PreferredSuppliers
ManagementInformation
SAVINGS CONTROL
CONSISTENCY
Exhibit 1: Overview of a Meetings Expense
Management Program
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procedures that enforce the purchasing rules deemed
appropriate to a corporations culture. The policies and
procedures should then channel demand to a series of
point-of-sale tools that deliver meeting arrangers and
attendees to the doorstep of the preferred suppliers, for
instance, to designated airlines and hotels. Preferred
supplier programs are configured to enforce policy and
deliver savings. Companies then measure the effectiveness
of, and compliance to, these programs via management
information that tracks conformance to policy, preferred
supplier usage, as well as savings and benchmarking data.
Once meetings demand is channeled, and managementinformation provides aggregate data on spend, a corporation
is in a much stronger position to track purchasing, enforce
compliance, leverage its volume and negotiate with suppliers
in both its meetings and transient programs.
II. Benefits of a Well-Managed Program
In addition to the benefits of aggregating spend and
improving leverage in negotiations, a well-managed
meetings expense program can help reduce risk and
liability through enhanced contract management. Aneffective program also supports destinations consistent
with the corporate travel policy, promotes preferred airline
and hotel suppliers, provides compliance reporting,
establishes best practices, streamlines event registration
and attendee management, and delivers savings and
benchmarking data.
During the initial phase of creating a meetings expense
management program, companies often learn that
rank-and-file employees are signing contracts that are
worth, in many cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In addition, these employees, who are not approved
signatories of the company, are committing their
organizations to costly contract-related cancellation and
attrition penalties. By centralizing the contract review
process, hundreds of thousands or even millions of
dollars in potential spend can be avoided.
Similarly, many corporations can take advantage of
opportunities to support their corporate travel programs
by encouraging meeting owners to select destinations,
airlines and meeting sites that leverage the companys
existing preferred supplier relationships, and perhaps
more importantly, do not undermine them.
HOW MEETINGS PROCUREMENT CAN SUPPORT
THE TRANSIENT PROGRAM . . .
A Sales Trip to Dallas An Example
A vice president of marketing for Rexport, Inc. (head
office near Newark), planned a national sales event for
staff. Not being aware of Rexports preferred programs
and destinations, he chose Dallas as the destination.
As a result, the attendees flew on a non-preferred carrier
at full fare, and Rexports corporate travel manager missed
a volume threshold for airline deals he had negotiated for
travel to Houston. The cost to the company: several hundred
thousand dollars. Conclusion: centralizing procurement
and linking the purchasing of meeting travel to corporatetravel policy not only delivers savings, but increases
purchasing power and supports post-program tracking.
Data is one of the key factors in building a successful
program, and the main goal of a well-managed program
is to centralize sourcing, booking, registration and
payment in order to consolidate volume and track spend
information. The capture of meetings expense data
provides ammunition needed for improved supplier
negotiations, as well as opportunities to manage
compliance, track savings and benchmark programperformance.
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III. Components of a Well-ManagedMeetings Program
Corporate meetings expense management requires
the same disciplined approached as transient travel
management. To achieve the most effective results
in managing a meetings program, companies should
implement the full measure of best practices, technology
and innovation that many have adopted to manage
transient travel. This includes spending policies and
booking/registration procedures, preferred supplier
programs, payment and reconciliation platforms,
spend and compliance reporting, as well as a variety
of automated tools. Exhibit 2 (below) shows the key
components of a well-managed travel program and
their meetings management corollaries.
These components are inter-related and work together to
achieve the desired end result. If implemented separately,
as sometimes happens while developing a new meetings
management program, the result will be less than complete,
as missing components will allow for program leakage.
We will explore each component below.
COMPONENT 1Policy and Change Management
Meetings policy, and the change management approach
developed to implement it, are two critical success factors
when creating a meetings expense management program.
Not all corporations have reached the point where they
are willing or able to enact a meetings policy. But even
in a non-mandated environment, purchasing guidance
can be offered. However, the most successful programs,
in which success is defined as achieving savings, control
and consistency, as well as reaching satisfaction goals,
are those that have enlisted executive leadership to
support implementation of an enterprise-wide policy.
From a content perspective, policy or guidelines should
contain, at a minimum, the following elements:
Definitions of both industry and policy terms
Policy requirements, including:
Procurement authorization guidelines
Information on using preferred suppliers (both indirect
and direct)
Information on payment mechanisms, such as a
preferred corporate card for meetings
Consequences for non-compliance
Rules by meeting type, including guidance on frequency
of events, length, size and spend per person
Explanation of roles and responsibilities for end-to-end
management of meeting expenditures
Such elements should then be communicated to all involved
in some way with meetings expense management, including
those within the corporation (e.g. event owners, cost center
owners, formal and informal meeting planners), and, if
appropriate, to the corporations third-party meeting planning
supplier. Each segment should be treated differently, with
messages customized to address the needs and interests
of each constituent.
Policy
Compliance Management
Change Management
Preferred Supplier Programs
Payment Platform
Data Consolidation
Benchmarking
Technology
Policy
Compliance Management
Change Management
Preferred Supplier Programs
Payment Platform
Data Consolidation
Benchmarking
Technology
Policy
Compliance Management
Change Management
Preferred Supplier Programs
Payment Platform
Data Consolidation
Benchmarking
Technology
TRAVEL MANAGEMENT MEETINGS MANAGEMENT
Exhibit 2: Discipline of Travel & Meetings Management
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COMPONENT 2
Compliance Management
Actively managing compliance is the key to modifying
employees purchasing behavior. For both mandated and
non-mandated environments, it is important to regularly
review adherence to the following policy/guidance areas:
Conforming to meeting planning principles, policies and
procedures
Compliance to preferred supplier programs
Use of acceptable payment platforms
Contract signed by authorized signatories
Following guidance concerning frequency, length, and
spend per person
After review, additional steps should be taken, such as
following-up with those violating or ignoring policy, with
the escalation of consequences (if appropriate to the
corporate culture).
COMPONENT 3Preferred Supplier Programs
Corporate expense managers can support their companys
existing preferred airline, hotel and purchasing card supplier
programs, along with third-party planning companies,
when consolidating volume under a meetings expense
management program. Additional opportunities exist to
negotiate volume discounts with national or regional
audio/visual suppliers, event production firms, destination
management companies and ground transport vendors.
Air Implementing a meetings management programenables corporations to support and possibly expand
existing negotiated city-pair volume commitments. By
ensuring that meetings are held in destination cities
that support the air program, T&E or procurement
managers are able to leverage the incremental spend
and more easily hit their volume thresholds. Additionally,
a strategic meetings program can direct meeting-related
air travel to a companys online booking platform, thereby
supporting initiatives to increase use of the tool and
enhancing the ability to capture data on group air
volume.
Hotel American Express estimates that approximately
90% of all meeting spend is for hotel-related expenses.
See Exhibit 3 for a break-down of non-air meetings
spend. Numerous opportunities exist to consolidate and
leverage this spend in conjunction with the corporations
transient hotel program. While linking the transient and
group programs is just emerging as an industry option,
the opportunities are very exciting. They include:
Honoring negotiated transient rates as the highest
rate that the corporation will pay for meetings
Applying group volume to overall room commitments
with a chain
Applying non-room spend (food and beverage, meeting
space, A/V, etc.) to the corporations annual hotel
volume commitments
HOW THE COMPONENTS WORK TOGETHER . . .
Policy and Change Management
Developing a meetings policy is a crucial first step in
consolidating a meetings program. However, if your
policy is not communicated as part of an effective
change-management initiative, and your end-users
never read it and/or the policy is not endorsed by
senior management, its likely your company will not
reach its expense management goals.
Change Management and Compliance Management
While effective communication of your meetings policy
is a critical tactic, its also important to ensure that
end-users are complying with it.
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Card Leveraging incremental spend with card suppliers
affords access to high quality, properly itemized spend
data distinct from other T&E spend that can be
leveraged in negotiations with meetings suppliers.
Third-Party Meeting Planning Companies Aside
from creating high-performance meetings and events,
third-party planning companies can work within a
corporations purchasing guidelines, consolidating
spend and helping to drive significant hard-dollar
and cost-avoidance savings. In addition, third-parties
can often leverage their industry position and buying
power for the benefit of their customers. If a company
must cancel an event, third-party meeting planning
firms can network to find other clients to take over
cancelled space, thereby reducing cancellation penalties.
Additionally, by utilizing a single outsourcer for
planning, companies can realize even greater savings
through reduced management fees.
COMPONENT 4Payment Platform
The standardization of a payment platform is a key way to
identify and consolidate meetings spend, with the ultimate
goal being the insertion of new controls, leveraging spend
in vendor negotiations, and managing compliance with
policy and preferred supplier programs.
Meetings spend can be tracked in a number of ways,
including data capture via a corporations financial system
(by establishing meetings-specific fields), reports from
suppliers, or from corporate card vendors. Cards, however,offer additional benefits beyond tracking capabilities,
including efficiencies and savings in the procurement-to-
payment cycle, as well as sourcing savings with suppliers.
By using a designated payment card for meetings, companies
can separate meeting expenses from other transient travel
expenses. This is a task otherwise difficult to accomplish.
Furthermore, a card offers detailed meeting expense reports
that can be broken down at the industry level, property
level, and card member level. With this improved expense
monitoring capability, companies can more easily identify
vendor consolidation opportunities, as well as identify
opportunities to negotiate better rates.
Another opportunity for savings is centered on the processes
involved in settling meeting expenses with vendors. The
most common method used today is for vendors to direct-
bill corporations, and for corporations to then cut a check
to each vendor. This can result in a billing process of up to
four to six months. On the other hand, a card platform can
help reduce billing cycle time to one month, and reduce
costs by eliminating the need to cut multiple checks.
Food and Beverage
Meeting Space
Audio/Visual
Ground Transportation
Entertainment /Recreation
SPEND CATEGORY INDUSTRY AVERAGE
47%
33%
2%
7%
1%
2%
Cancellation/Attrition
Hotel Accommodations
Total 100%
1%
7%Other
Exhibit 3: Non-Air Meetings Spend Allocation
Source: Clients who have centralized meetings procurement with
American Express Business Travel's Advisory Services Meeting
Solutions.
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COMPONENT 5Data Consolidation
Data truly is key to a well-managed program. There are
several ways data can be collected, including through
corporate financial systems, cards and online meetings
software. The primary types of data to be collected and
studied include:
Final spend data at the event, division and corporate level
Savings data to measure the value of the enterprise
meetings program
Budgeting data to compare budgets versus actual spend
Preferred supplier usage
Compliance to both policy and preferred supplier programs
Benchmarking data to determine program success
COMPONENT 6
Benchmarking
Benchmarking plays a central role in any meetings
management program, as it allows the meetings programmanager to evaluate and communicate program successes.
It also enables the corporation to remain competitive.
There are five primary types of benchmarking that can be
undertaken. Each answers a different set of questions:
Industry Benchmarks - What are the trends in the industry?
Includes general benchmarks such as average spend
per attendee, length of meeting by event type, average
spend by expense type, etc.
Profile Benchmarks - Are we undertaking the same
initiatives as others? Includes benchmarks for comparison with other firms
on items such as the existence of meetings policy and
preferred supplier programs, use of technology solutions
and payment platforms, and internal charge-backs to
offset program costs
Savings Benchmarks - Are we saving as much as others?
Includes benchmarks on savings compared to like-sized
companies or competitors. Savings measurements can
be both overall and within specific expense categories,
such as room, food and beverage, audio/visual and
production expenditures
Snapshot Benchmarks - What did we do in the past?
Includes high level period-over-period benchmarks on
variables such as number of meetings operated and
cancelled, number of attendees, spend per attendee,
average length of meetings, etc.
Actionable Benchmarks - What can we do in the future
to improve our program?
These are less specific, but in many ways, more
impactful types of benchmarks, focusing on recognizing
opportunities that become apparent when reviewing
the data.
COMPONENT 7
Technology
There are numerous technology tools that support a meeting
management program and which can play a key role in
introducing process efficiencies, supporting preferred
supplier strategy, tracking spend data, reducing costs
and improving the servicing of your meeting programs.
Technology should be considered an enabler it will not
create strategy, but will support your program goals.
Technology modules can address the following areas of the
meetings management process at the enterprise level:
Standardize processes across an organization
Facilitate meetings procurement through online site
selection and RFPs
Support and enforce policy
Influence buying decisions by highlighting preferred
suppliers
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Consolidate data across operations for negotiation
purposes
Technology also offers advantages for on-staff meeting
arrangers. Examples include:
Budgeting tools to establish, track and report on event-
level spend
Tools to facilitate collaboration on meeting planning
activities. For example, a centralized corporate
calendar of meetings allows meeting organizers to
view enterprise-wide events in one location
A central repository of cancelled space
Help in channeling attendees to preferred suppliers,
for example, via automated attendee registration
Access to accurate and timely attendee data to make
cost-effective, real-time decisions
IV. Case Study Implementation of aCentralized Meetings Program atAmerican Express
While adherence to travel policy was mandated years ago
at American Express, greater oversight of meetings has
only recently emerged as a new opportunity to control
costs, leverage spend and drive savings. Over a period of
three years, American Express implemented a comprehensive
end-to-end meetings expense management program,
comprising many of the best practices listed above. An
established meetings policy is the backbone of the program,
and a mandate that requires employees to follow guidelines
addressing venue selection, registration, payment and
other key meetings-related procedures provides the critical
leverage needed to achieve savings and efficiencies.
The success of the American Express program relies on
three primary components:
Policy the guidelines and procedures put in place to
modify purchasing behavior. Compliance with policy is
facilitated through the use of an online attendee
registration system, a data management tool and the
use of a designated meeting planning provider.
Payment Platform used to support the program by
providing spend data at both the event and card member
levels. The card is coupled with an expense reimbursement
system that allocates charges and taxes to the appropriate
corporate cost centers.
Data Aggregation - information management.
Consolidated data on meetings spend is used for
negotiation purposes and for tracking of compliance
to policy and preferred suppliers.
The phases of the three-year program are described
below, followed by a more in-depth review of the
primary components of the program:
THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
Pre-Initiative
American Express identified the need to place greater controls
around corporate meeting expenditures, and a dedicated
management position within the Purchasing Services Group
was assigned to build a meetings expense managementprogram. The first step consisted of designating American
Express Business Travel's Advisory Services Meeting
Solutions as the preferred meetings management supplier.
At the time, there was no mandate at American Express to
arrange meetings and events through Advisory Services
Meeting Solutions. Another initiative, the selection of
online hotel procurement and attendee management tools,
was planned.
Year One
In year one, the transition to a best-in-class meetings
management program was launched. Beta tests of hotel
procurement and attendee registration tools were
completed and implemented. A preliminary meetings
policy was released as part of the T&E policy, stating that all
meeting expenses must be charged to the American Express
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Corporate Card. Guidelines were published on how to execute
American Express meetings.
In partnership with Accounts Payable alternative methods of
payment (e.g. check and wire transfer) were no longer allowed.
That directive immediately drove expenses, and therefore data,
to the Corporate Card.
It was mandated that large meetings be centrally procured
through American Express meeting management department
with updated addenda stipulating that vendors must accept
the Corporate Card as the form of payment for all meetings.
Purchasing Services held training forums and seminars,
enabling key users to give feedback on the new tools and
processes being implemented. Additionally, the compliance
education process allowed one-on-one educational discussions
to take place with policy offenders who were identified by card
data.
Year Two
An internal process audit was undertaken in year two, the
results of which were presented to the Global Leadership
Team during the second quarter of that year. A management
action plan was created to execute the audit recommendations.Areas of focus included meeting policy, reporting, bypass/
compliance, enlisting participation company wide, and the
definition of roles and responsibilities. As a result, American
Express purchased a data management tool after a six-month
review of the companys existing purchasing tool. A separate
general ledger line was created for meetings. Meanwhile,
Global Payments configured the companys expense reporting
tool to allow submission of meeting charges, as well as to
ensure that the taxes on meetings charges would be
categorized correctly. Discussions began around a consolidated
North American hotel procurement solution to leveragevolume and track spend. On the supplier front, transient and
group spend were both included in the American Express
Company Employee Travel RFP with successful results.
Additional strategies were created to drive spend to the
Corporate Card.
Meanwhile, Purchasing Services continued to focus on
communication and education as part of its change
management strategy. The group continued to offer key
users seminars on the new tools and processes, along
with continued one-on-one training.
Year Three
In the first quarter of year three, American Express
implemented a formal, written policy for meetings that
was separate from its overall T&E policy. Released by the
CFO, the policy defines roles and responsibilities, clarifies
approval processes and institutes central reporting. It classifiesthree tiers of meetings, substructured by meeting type (e.g.
off-site, on-site, sales, incentive, training, etc.). General
policy requirements were outlined for each tier. In addition,
the company has set maximums that govern frequency,
length, and spend per-person for the different meeting types.
In American Express meeting tier categorization, all
larger/high level or Tier III meetings and their budgets
must now be approved annually by the CFO.
MEETING TIERS . . .
Tier I Meetings
On-site meetings, including Department, Region, Direct
Report, Unit, Staff, Small Strategic, Project, Training, Town
Hall, Day meetings and other.
Tier II Meetings
Off-site meetings, including Region, Customer, Departmenta
Strategic, Board, off-site Training, Business Unit Day, off-
site Town Halls and other. Business Unit CFO strategically
approved.
Tier III Meetings
Off-site meetings, including CEO, National, Business Uni
Strategic, Sales and Incentives Meetings. Budgets approved
by CFO on annual basis.
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In the second quarter of year three, American Express
consolidated all hotel procurement in North America.
Processes were developed to support the mandate for all
Tier III meetings spend to be placed on a separate commercial
card, the American Express Corporate Meeting Card, further
improving the companys ability to track meeting spend,
enforce policy and improve leverage with vendors.
In order to ensure senior executives had hands-on involvement
in the program, the new corporate meetings policy was rolled
out by the corporate CFO to Vice Presidents and above, who
then communicated the policy to their respective business
units. Purchasing Services had direct discussions with criticalusers of the policy during the first and second quarters.
Simultaneously, American Express implemented enforcement
strategies for those who bypassed the policy. The implementa-
tion of the data management tool in the fourth quarter
required targeted training seminars for meeting owners
to ensure a smooth roll out.
Year Four and Beyond
As American Express Company's strategic meetings man-
agement program continues to grow and change, results
remain strong. Critical milestones have been established
for all Tier III meetings. A strategic staffing plan has been
implemented. The data management tool has been fully
implemented, with meeting approval required at the CFO
level. The Company continues to focus on driving double-
digit savings and data collection, elevating service levels,
expanding the global focus and streamlining efficiencies.
Looking to the future, the Company plans to update the
meeting policy to include new scope into small meeting
spend, as well as a meetings matrix that addresses the
needs of individual global markets.
COMPONENTS OF THE AMERICAN EXPRESSPROGRAM
Policy
The stated purpose of the American Express meetings policy,
which is managed by Purchasing Services, is to achieve
measurable cost savings though leveraged buying, control
spend and provide reporting to Senior Leadership. The policy
outlines requirements for the procurement and planning of
company-sponsored off-site programs for employees and
external customers with 20 or more attendees. Direction is
given to organizers of groups of under 20 to arrange meetings
at a company preferred property and comply with the T&E
policy.
The meetings policy is structured into six main areas
including: (1) definitions, (2) policy requirements, (3)
roles and responsibilities, (4) contacts, (5) meetings
matrix, and (6) frequently asked questions (FAQs).
According to the policy:
Pre-authorization is mandatory for all meetings more
than 20 attendees with overnight stays.
Hotel procurement is consolidated for North America
and through key contacts globally.
Payment must be via a card product, with the American
Express Corporate Meeting Card mandated for large
meetings.
Preferred suppliers must be utilized for all services.
Meetings with more than 100 attendees will be planned
by the designated meeting planning provider.
Online attendee registration must be used for groups
of more than 100.
Critical to the success of the meeting policy are the
authorizations or approvals assigned to specified meeting
tiers (see Exhibit 4) . For all large/high visibility (Tier III)
meetings, it is necessary for the business unit CFO to
approve the meeting prior to the commencement of sourc-
ing or planning initiatives. For Tier II meetings, the business
unit CFO is responsible for approving all meetings over 20
attendees. For Tier I meetings of under 20 attendees, the use
of on-site facilities is strongly recommended.
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The policy clarifies roles and responsibilities for everyone
associated with a meeting, and assigns responsibility for
policy compliance with the key meeting owner. Detailed
definitions are included for each role, from CFO to meeting
attendee.
Payment Platform
Maximizing use of the card payment platform is one of
the key success factors in the American Express program.
Initially, several parallel actions were taken to promote card
usage. In partnership with Accounts Payable, requests for
payment via invoice were returned to the requestor with adecline message. Requestors were then directed to Purchasing
Services for information on the proper payment type.
Additionally, supplier contract addenda were updated to
require that vendors process payments via a card.
Purchasing Services identified users with over $60,000 per
year in meeting spend as candidates to receive Corporate
Meeting Cards. Some of these users, with spend outside of
the defined meeting tiers, also utilize the Corporate Meeting
Card to cover meeting related expenses.
Data Aggregation
With virtually all meeting spend now on some type of
American Express Card, Purchasing Services is able to
analyze clean, complete spend data. On a monthly basis,
meeting data is generated and reviewed. While hotel spend
is often the main focus for reviewing risk and controls,
industry-specific reports can also be produced, for example,
categorized by Restaurant and Transportation.
Compliance control is one of the central benefits of information
management. Data on spend that bypasses policy requirements
is reviewed, and maverick spenders are contacted to explaincharges. Quarterly bypass reporting, identifying those in
breech of policy, is also provided to the CFO.
All Tier II Meetingser II Meetings
Business Unit - off-site
Business Unit/Staff Group CFO
or Global Market Controller
strategically approves
BU CFO submits to Global
Procurement
American Express designated
meeting planning department
to procure
Overnight meetings with more
than 100 attendees must be
planned by the designated
meeting planning department
American Express Corporate Card to
be utilized for payment of expenses
Meeting host to be held accountable
to budget
Meeting Authorization Form required
Frequency: BU CFO submits
to Purchasing Services
Maximum Length: x days/x nights
Maximum Cost: USD $x per day,
per attendee
POLICY REQUIREMENTS
TYPE OF TIER II MEETINGS
Exhibit 4: Sample Meetings Matrix
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Card data is also analyzed to improve supplier leverage.
With spend channeled to Cards, American Express can analyze
hotel-and chain-specific reporting, which it utilizes to enhance
negotiations with suppliers. Purchasing Services not only
sees which suppliers are being used, but also monitors how
much is being spent with individual suppliers, and by whom.
Monitoring the spend is now done in conjunction with the
Companys transient corporate travel spend.
SUCCESSES
Over the first three years, the meetings expense management
program achieved a number of significant successes, including:
Process improvements leading to consistency in
procedures and service delivery
Elimination of 10 to 30 invoices per meeting
Policy compliance rate of 95%
Savings of 16% of total spend (for large meetings) in its
third year
Following year three, American Express continues to achieve
double-digit cost avoidance for consolidated meetings.
Additional successes include:
Streamlined billing process based on the Meeting Card
platform, with reduced cycle time
Policy compliance rate of 99%, monitored weekly
Transient and meeting spend leveraged with suppliers
V. Summary and Next Steps For Your OwnProgram
There is no one solution that is right for every company,
as varying corporate cultures and unique requirements
are the key drivers in shaping a program. This white paper
describes a tightly-managed, highly successful program
that addresses the primary goals of American Express to
rationalize spend, lower the cost of meetings and deliver
consistency across the procurement of meetings. The
steps involved in creating a comprehensive meetings
management program include assessing the current state
of your meetings procurement process, developing and
rolling out a meetings policy, selecting direct and indirect
vendors for the preferred supplier program, implementing
a payment platform and processes, and putting reporting
tools in place to drive control and compliance. The changes
in processes, procedures, and purchasing rules, coupled
with compliance management have resulted in considerable
savings and control for American Express.
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For more information on how we can help you optimize your air, car, hotel and meetings spend,
contact your American Express Business Travel representative or visit one of our Web sites above.
About American Express Business Travel
American Express Business Travel, a division of the American
Express Company, is dedicated to providing peace of mind
to clients as they achieve the greatest possible value from
their investment in travel through in-creased cost savings,
outstanding customer service and greater spend control.
For small businesses, medium-sized enterprises and
multinational corporations, American Express Business
Travel provides a combination of industry-leading booking
technology, travel management consulting expertise,
strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation support, andcustomer service available around the world, around the
clock, online and offline.
American Express operates one of the worlds largest travel
agency networks with over 2,200 travel service locations in
over 140 countries and territories worldwide. The Company
processed over $21.8 billion in global travel sales in 2006.
American Express Company is a diversified worldwide
travel, financial and network services company founded
in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards,
Travelers Cheques, travel, business services and
international banking.
Regional American Express Headquarters
North America
American Express
200 Vesey Street
New York, NY 10285
www.americanexpress.com/businesstravel
Europe, Middle East and Africa
American Express Services Europe Ltd.
Belgrave House
76 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9TQ
www.americanexpress.co.uk/businesstravel
Japan, Asia Pacific and Australia
American Express International, Inc.
175 Liverpool Street
Sydney NSW 2000
www.americanexpress.com.au/businesstravel
Latin America & the Caribbean
American Express
Patriotismo 635
Col. Ciudad de los Deportes
CP 03710
Mexico DF
Mexico
www.americanexpress.com.mx/businesstravel