Keeping it SiMMPle logo
                 Betsy Bondurant, CTE, CMM                                                                      Volume 7, May 17, 2012
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In This Issue
G is for Grand Goals!
SiMMPle Tips
Did you know...
 

Bondurant Consulting provides the following services:  

 

Assessment of SMMP potential for your organization   

 

Development and implementation of SMMP for meeting & travel managers  

 

Training programs for hotel companies and 3rd party meeting planning agencies which increase their understanding of Strategic Meetings Management, resulting in more successful engagements with clients who are involved with SMM 


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Welcome to Year Two of "Keeping it SiMMPle", a bi-monthly newsletter aimed at making and keeping your Strategic Meetings Management Program Practical, Light, and Effective!

Each issue of Keeping it SiMMPle addresses a component of the A to Z of SMM from a Practical, Light & Effective perspective. In this issue G is for Grand Goals!    

Some words used to describe grand are: elaborate, great, principal, & main. This makes sense to me when think of goals as they can be great and lead to great outcomes, or they are the principal driver of the strategy behind a program. They can also become too elaborate to be effective, or we allow the goal to overshadow everything else.

 

I am pleased that as an industry, we are speaking about goals and objectives more frequently! We have realized that not all goals need to be Grand, but they must always be SMART! Many of you may be familiar with this acronym. If not, below are examples to describe the SMART process of setting goals:

 

Specific: Implement Phase 1 of a Corporate Strategic Meetings Management Program by June 30, 2013

 

Measureable: Achieve 12% savings for group meetings by December 31, 2012 (not: show meeting savings to my boss)

 

Achievable: Implement a meeting registration process for North America and Europe by December 31, 2012 (not: implement global SMM program)

 

Relevant: Conduct training for occasional planners in new registration process by October 31, 2012 (not: meet with occasional planners about travel trends)

 

Time bound: Note we used an end point for all of our examples; this is what is meant by time bound. Taking the date out of any of these would make them irrelevant, because we wouldn't know if we had achieved the goal or not.

 

The secret here is to develop goals that make sense and that are not too grand or too elaborate. If they become too grand or elaborate, they become extremely difficult to achieve or measure.

 

Another key element for your grand goals is that they are in alignment with the overall goals and objectives of the corporation. For example, if your corporation is undergoing a major rebranding initiative or large acquisition project, this may NOT be the right time for your goal of implementing a Strategic Meetings Management program. However, if the company is stable and is focused on increasing productivity and improving outcomes, the time is perfect for your SMMP goal!

SiMMPle Tips for Keeping our Future Fabulous 
TIP #1: Review all of your goals to be sure they are SMART!

TIP #2:  Scan the internal corporate environment when developing your goals to ensure that they will align with the current company initiatives

TIP #3: Suggest an additional "stretch" goal to your supervisor that could really set you apart from others when it comes time for the annual review process     

Did you know...

Betsy will be participating in a session on the topic of Small Meetings at the Annual Lanyon Converge conference next week in Phoenix   

 

The White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday instructed federal agencies to cut fiscal-year 2013 travel expenses by 30 percent from 2010 levels, 10 percentage-points deeper than previously ordered cuts

 

On May 14, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow said, "Today, the Obama Administration announced its National Travel and Tourism Strategy. This important step officially elevates the travel industry to what it should be: a national priority."