The combination of the great recession and the Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) initiative has increased senior management's expectations for improved planner productivity, meeting value and ROI. Although SMM delivers an umbrella of measurable benefits, cost savings remains a high priority for corporate and association planning teams. We will review specific methods to generate real cost savings, including metrics to define and measure results.

Learner Outcomes:

• Review current industry trends and how they affect your meeting budget
• Share planner's feedback on managing the pandemic landscape
• Learn how hotels value your meetings so you can leverage your meeting value to increase cost savings
• Identify & prepare for social distancing & risk management budget busters
• Learn F&B, AV, production and other cost saving tips & how to prepare a cost savings report
• Review hotel contract clauses that affect risk reduction & cost containment

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