March 2008 - Will 2008 be the year that more corporations advance strategic meetings management initiatives? That buzz is building as companies detail innovative new approaches. For example, in our cover story,
Oracle Corp. specifies how it has tackled not just the logistics of meetings management, but also the requisitioning, sourcing, procurement, payment and reconciliation.
Elsewhere, you'll find a new department designed to present both strategic meetings management theories and practices. In a recurring column, the
National Business Travel Association Groups and Meetings Committee will summarize some of its findings and guidance on establishing strategic meetings management programs. In the debut column, committee co-chair Lee Ann Adams Mikeman of Science Applications International Corporation discusses how travel, procurement and meetings can best partner.
Future columns will be written by other members of the committee, which currently includes co-chair Debi Scholar of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Connie Bocchieri of Pfizer Inc., Kristen Dierickx of BearingPoint Inc., Keith Hymel of Hilton Hotels Corp., Kelli Livers of American International Group, Linda McNairy of StarCite, Pamela McTeer of Molson Coors Brewing Co., Joel Osterman of Prism Group, Lisa Palmeri of American Express, Brian Richey of Conference Direct, Kari Schroeder of Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network, Michele Snock of Cisco Systems, Lisa Stanford of ConocoPhillips, Jeremy Stubbs of GetThere, Theresa Tamer of The Coca-Cola Co. and Diana Voto of Disney Resort Destinations.
The increasing importance of payment solutions to travel management is highlighted in our stories on
Dawn Food Products' card mandate and
Pfizer's recent global card bid.
This issue's
Feature summarizes the history of Southwest Airlines, detailing the obstacles the no-frills carrier has to overcome to feel the love of corporations that it is now courting.
Meanwhile, in Profile, read about what the
American Bar Association learned from its recent online booking bid and what it hopes to achieve with two new travel booking portals.
This issue's departments are chock-full of insights about the implications of the
United Kingdom's new Duty of Care law, new
online booking tool technologies that offer alternatives to travel and United Airlines' "disciplined" approach to corporate contracting.
