The Groups and Meetings Committee of the National Business Travel Association is creating a comprehensive tool kit to help meeting managers implement SMMPs, to be rolled out at its annual convention August 8–11 in Houston. It will include tools to help with every aspect of a strategic meetings management program: strategy, policy, communication, meeting registration, sourcing, planning, payment solutions, data reporting, and technology.

For example, if you need to build a meeting policy, there will be templates, samples, and a meetings policy decision tree to help you create one. If you want to put a payment solution in place, there will be information on various kinds, from manual invoices to procurement cards to meeting cards.

The tool kit will also address the most challenging aspect of initiating an SMMP—communicating it across the company. The tool kit will include communication samples geared toward each employee category (administrative assistants, senior management, etc.), as well as sample FAQs.

For the first time, meeting managers will have a guidebook to move this initiative through their organizations, said Lynda Garvey, business development manager, MaXvantage,
 the NBTA Groups and Meetings Committee member leading the effort. “We recognize there are barriers to the implementation of an SMMP. That’s why we’re creating this—to help meeting managers implement SMMPs in every size company and with every level of resources."

It is still undecided whether the tool kit will be available to non-members. Visit the NBTA Web site for membership info.

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