View the entire 2009 SMMP Software Buying Guide

THE INTEGRATOR
Arcaneo Inc.

The Story: “Clients had asked us for a central view of meetings data,” explains Clement Ng. “We quickly realized they needed more than just a central data repository. What was lacking was a single platform that addressed the end-to-end needs of enterprise meetings management, from meeting request approval workflow to attendee management to supplier management and enterprisewide spend management, while complying with enterprises’ IT policies and external data-protection regulations. There were only disparate systems addressing specific areas, and enterprises and their suppliers resorted to highly manual cut-and-paste methods in order to gain insight into their meetings.”

Product Type: On-premises or “shrinkwrapped” software

For Meeting Management:

• Meeting request and approval
• Enterprise calendar
• Planner resource management
• Venue database/e-RFPs
• Budget management
• Attendee management, including registration, surveys, and e-mail marketing
• Custom reports on cost savings, cost avoidance, and spend, aggregated or segregated as needed
• Agenda management integrated with meeting room and attendee allocations
• Housing and meeting room inventory management

Supplier Database? Yes, through a partnership with Cendyn, which maintains a database of about 100,000 suppliers

Supplier Database Marketing Packages: No. Cendyn acquired its database from providers such as Pegasus Solutions and is continuing to aggregate existing databases. Venues in the database are on a “level playing field,” says Pete Brady, relationship manager.

Do you get commissions or finder’s fees from hotels? No.

RFP Customization: RFPs are configured as templates, allowing users to specify their requirements within each template and issue that same template to multiple suppliers to compare responses side-by-side.

What are the different ways hotels can respond to your RFPs? An RFP can be sent as e-mail, as a PDF attachment, or via Cendyn’s eProposal solution, which allows planners to view RFP responses in a multimedia format.

What do corporate enterprise clients pay for? Fixed annual licensing and maintenance fees for their dedicated deployment of the software and complete control of their data, residing on dedicated systems either hosted by the clients or by Arcaneo.

Credit-Card partner? Visa. Cards can be issued on a per-meeting basis with pre-determined spend amounts and expiration dates, or generated for individual budget items. “The traditional invoice payment model is highly manual and time-consuming, with the potential for inaccurate payments and fraud,” Ng says. “We give planners the ability to pay, allocate, and reconcile their charges easily and accurately.”

Enhancements: Quarterly

Support: 24/7 for server monitoring. Support personnel based in Canada and U.K.

Our Differentiators: “Our solution is highly configurable and easily integrated with enterprise systems to maintain data integrity and track meetings with relevant enterprise financial codes, HR, and other pertinent information,” says Clement Ng. “We maintain a transparent business model that allows clients complete insight into their actual meeting costs and savings. With our end-to-end solution, clients can implement enterprisewide processes and standards to truly scale their strategic meetings management programs.”

Other SMMP Software profiles:
Arcaneo Metron
Cvent
Lenos
StarCite
Certain Software
Meeting Evolution