Articles

Benchmarking Meeting Planning Practices


Insurance meeting managers get to know Marriott during weekend events at corporate headquarters, flagship properties, and even the home of a well-known and welcoming executive.

With the help of a wireless audience response keypad system provided by Meridia Interactive Information Services, Plymouth Meeting, PA., attendees at Marriott’s Insurance and Financial Services Customer Forum created a picture of meeting management at the turn of the century.

Below is a sampling of the questions asked during the session. Participants entered their answers via keypads and instantly saw the results displayed in graph form; they also left the meeting with printouts of all the charts.

The lightest moment came when hoteliers were asked if they mail out “hot dates” announcements to planners (83 percent said yes) and then planners were asked if they find such announcements valuable (90 percent said no).


QUESTION

In the past 12 months, has your department been downsized?
26% ANSWERED Yes
74% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

What is your total annual meeting budget?
22% ANSWERED $1 to $3 million
33% ANSWERED $3.1 to $5 million
17% ANSWERED $5.1 to $7 million
17% ANSWERED $7.1 to $10 million
11% ANSWERED more than $10 million
 

QUESTION

Do you use hotel chains’ national sales offices?
100% ANSWERED Yes
0% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

How many incentive travel programs do you handle in a year?
64% ANSWERED 1 to 4
36% ANSWERED 5 or more
 

QUESTION

Do you use the web for site searches?
70% ANSWERED Yes
30% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

Do you use third parties for site searches?
38% ANSWERED Yes
62% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

Are there employees outside your department who plan meetings?
81% ANSWERED Yes
29% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

Is your department centralized?
81% ANSWERED Yes
29% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

Do you hold incentive meetings outside the U.S.?
89% ANSWERED Yes
11% ANSWERED No
 

QUESTION

Do you pay all qualifier expenses on inventive trips?

71% ANSWERED Yes
29% ANSWERED No