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Meetings & Events
Corporate Travel Management
Incentives & Rewards |
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All Systems Go
Moderate growth in the business events industry this year means that planners and corporate travel managers need to watch the spend on all aspects of a program. Take a look at some tips to rein in some of the costs associated with events. |
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Kathy Stoodley, director, meetings & events in North America for CWT Meetings & Events offers these recommendations to help corporate travel managers/meetings planners stay within their meetings budgets.
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Negotiate on total spend:
Go beyond sleeping rooms and meeting space to include food and beverage, audio/visual support including Internet, business centre charges and parking. |
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Book in advance:
At least 45 days out for best availability and price for smaller meetings; longer for larger meetings or for those with unique requirements. |
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Broaden the approach:
Consider secondary and tertiary cities, alternative dates, and midscale hotels that may deliver more for the budget. Oftentimes, secondary and tertiary cities have great air lift and on-the-ground pricing below that of a tier-one city. |
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Leverage current contracts:
Look for opportunities to either fill cancelled space or additional space where another meeting may have decreased in size. |
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Close to home:
Consider staying domestic or evaluate short-haul destinations to keep spend under control. |
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Steady growth:
While there is a continued rise in business-related meetings and events (expect a 1 – 2 per cent growth in 2014), moderate growth may mean smaller event size. |
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Evaluate total program cost:
Be sure to evaluate the total cost of a program, inclusive of airfare, when you're selecting a destination. Oftentimes, a city may look attractive when you're evaluating one aspect of the cost, but the picture will change when you incorporate all aspects of the program. |
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Editor's Choice
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Wearable Intelligence |
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Save the date
Meetings Industry Euchre Tournament
When: May 22, 2014
Where: Allstream Centre, Toronto
Why go: A good time is in the cards if you go to this game night. Grab a friend and help raise funds for the Princess Margaret Hospital.
What's in it for you: Meet up with your peeps for a great evening of socializing with a purpose. If you don't know how to play euchre, here's your chance to learn.
More industry events at Ignitemag.ca
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Good to know
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MEETINGS + EVENTS
Certification Tracker
Keeping track of continuing education credits is a snap with this electronic system for association, convention and meeting event credentials. This centralized location tracks 27 industry certifications, lists events where educational credits are offered and tracks your individual educational credits for re-certification. A yearly fee (about 4 cents per day) electronically delivers a record for your files.
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CORPORATE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT
Looking Up
The Young Travel Professionals (YTP) has just launched a Toronto chapter for the future leaders of the travel and tourism industry. Toronto chapter liaison, Melissa Medeiros, says monthly networking opportunities, a volunteer mentoring program and thriving online community are all essential components of the Young Travel Professionals network that enhance ongoing career development. Toronto is the second chapter in Canada, following on the successful launch of YTP in Vancouver. Membership is free of charge, you can sign up or check it out here.
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INCENTIVES + REWARDS
Exotic Waterways
Avalon River Cruises is adding some Eastern destinations that could make the "been there, done that" crowd sit up and take notice. With the christening of two new ships to the fleet in 2015, the Avalon Siem Reap and the Avalon Myanmar, travellers can experience the reaches of the Mekong River in Vietnam and the Upper Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, respectively, that is impossible for large cruise ships to do. These brand new ships have a maximum of 36 guests and 24 crew, so travellers can expect unrivaled service levels while experiencing the exotic riverways of the East.
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| Share your event news, case studies or story ideas with us here at ignitemag.ca. |
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Job code: Opportunities in the world of work |
Click It
S.I. Systems has positions in Calgary and Vancouver for a junior project coordinator on the events and sponsorship team. You'll have at least two to four years of experience as a project coordinator and be familiar with Function Fox and/or SharePoint. You will have a key role in vendor research and procurement management and be responsible for event specific materials including invitations, swag, banners, branded clothing and related materials. |
Law and Order
If you're ready to plan, coordinate and execute client events and sponsorships in a corporate law environment, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP needs your services. Working under the direction of the director, marketing and communications, you will manage local, national and international client seminars, conferences and social functions. You will have a university degree in a related discipline, such as business administration or marketing, and have at least five years of event planning experience. |
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