Finding the Right Fit
Numerous department managers were tasked with putting together their national meeting. Each stakeholder prioritized different goals, different locations, and ideal budgets –it was up to Bucom to assist them in “staying on the same page.”
Our team hosted strategy sessions to help establish ranking criteria for the most important aspects of the program. Bucom’s collaboration with our client confirmed that an impactful attendee experience was most valuable and of highest consideration while sourcing the venue. This intangible value for the guests became the main consideration while planning this experience for the 250 attendees. The message of celebrating achievements and showing appreciation to the attendees needed to come through loud and clear.
Using a data-driven sourcing process, Bucom remained focused on budget savings and cost avoidance in considering the top locations and remained committed to generating value. Washington D.C, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Atlanta were all under consideration for the program. To facilitate the selection of the best location, Bucom gathered information including the full air lift analysis of each of the different locations. The sustainability data showed the carbon footprint and how much time people would need to travel in addition to the pros and cons of each location.
The research that Bucom provided about the different destinations allowed the company stakeholders to better judge the value of each sourcing choice and make a collective decision efficiently. After considering the data the planning committee decided Fort Worth as the best option for the meeting. Fort Worth was centrally located and had the right attractions; the venue was within budget range, and guests could walk to destinations within the city.
Easing the Burden
Once the location and the venue, the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth, were sourced Bucom got to work on enriching the details of the meeting. Clarifying goals for the program allowed our experienced planners to enrich the details of the program. During our weekly planning sessions, Bucom presented clear and detailed solutions for meeting presentations, dinner selections, and attendee experiences so the stakeholders could make value-based decisions quickly.
Our team’s collective centuries of experience in the hospitality industry helped us inform the pharma company which of their choices were meaningfully aligned with the theme of their program. This helped them quickly and collectively make decisions and move on to the program detail.
Negotiation & Buying Power
Event sourcing has radically evolved from before the pandemic to now. Venues require larger financial deposits and offer smaller consideration windows even before a contract is signed. Negotiating goes beyond reaching a target dollar amount. Bucom’s experts lean on our collective knowledge of venues to find ways to increase the return on a program’s investment.
This Pharmaceutical company shared that the last national meeting was planned to take place in March 2020 and was canceled due to Covid. Their venue for that event pushed to keep their contractual terms in place and keep the company’s deposit for the event. This became a sourcing hot button. Bucom negotiated terms of the terms contract to include a clause that if the pharmaceutical company’s meeting needed to be canceled due to an external factor, such as covid, the company would be allowed to have their deposit returned. Bucom went one step further and made sure the venue contact terms also noted that the Worthington would need to provide another venue of equal quality should they have any major renovations take place during the April Meeting. Creating that security provided the Pharma company additional value.
In addition to working toward a specific budget, our team added elements to enhance the experience for the attendees. For the welcome reception, Bucom negotiated the location to be moved from the indoor hall space to the Worthington’s beautiful rooftop patio and for custom cocktails to be included complimentary. For the company’s 15 C-Suite executive who were presenting on a panel during the meeting, Bucom negotiated a complimentary upgrade from their confirmed standard guest rooms to one-bedroom suites each with a private terrace. Finally, for the last day of the meeting, which ended at 12pm, Bucom extended the check-out time from 11am to 2pm so attendees were able to keep their luggage in their rooms and leisurely checkout.
Results
Bucom was able to source solutions for this pharmaceutical company’s national meeting. From supporting strategy sessions creating unified goals, to generating value for the guests and budget, Bucom is here to find the best solutions for your program.
