RESPONDENTS: This online webinar was held on November 5 2009 with Larry Head, Global Director of Events for drinks giant Diageo, and Debbie Donaldson, Global Development Director for the meetings, events and communications division of agency Grass Roots. It was facilitated by David Kliman, former chair of MPI and President of The Kliman Group.

Both speakers agreed with the statement: “What was relevant and targeted yesterday does not apply today.” Despite complex measurement tools, they agreed that simple measures such as “bums on seats” can sometimes be the best indicators of success. Head said that the success of the 2009 Guinness 250 Anniversary Celebrations was based on whether 20 million glasses of Guinness were consumed in one day instead of 10 million.

He added that the industry was becoming too complex, with too many multi-layered suppliers, explaining that a consolidated approach helped him to do his job better. But he admitted this could make it more difficult for suppliers. Donaldson also noted that clients were now demanding more consolidation. Head added that corporate buyers needed to work harder to understand their procurement departments. Donaldson went further, saying procurement could be buyers’ allies and provide impartial insights.

Donaldson said accountability and efficiency were being demanded by clients, with more emphasis on events with good transport links allowing a quick in and out. She added that the greatest pressure was from clients triggering a bidding war on price alone, sometimes asking up to 10 agencies to pitch. Donaldson went on to describe two Grass Roots campaigns - for Phones4u and Jaguar Cars - that had “a very clear, simple strategy which linked back to extremely specific sales or pipeline targets”.

The Corporate Meetings Head to Head webinar is part of a series of IMEX webinars held in support of the Meetings for Success campaign. Full video and audio presentations from this and other webinars (including an in-studio interview with Angie Smith, Manager Global Sales Experience and Global Sales Operations, Cisco Systems) can be viewed online and free of charge at http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/webinar.html