FCM MEETINGS & EVENTS (SOURCING)

BACKGROUND

Part of the Flight Centre Travel Group, FCM Meetings & Events is an award-winning strategic event management agency for the corporate market. Headquartered in Australia, the agency has offices worldwide, including in Asia, Europe, and in the US.  

As a full-service event management agency, their multidisciplinary teams offer customers seamless and dynamic solutions with outstanding creative and meticulous attention to detail for all types of corporate events. They provide everything from strategic direction, event logistics, and innovative technology solutions, to production, design, and event planners who are the best in the industry. 

GOALS

The primary objective for the FCM team was to streamline and enhance the efficiency of sourcing venues for their MICE travel business. Historically, the process of sourcing venues for events was cumbersome, reliant on traditional methods of web searches, emails, and phone calls. The integration of Cvent Supplier Network (CSN) into their sourcing operations marked a pivotal change in how the team approached event planning and travel management. 

Matthew O’Connor, Business Development Manager at FCM Meetings & Events (Australia), who is responsible for venue sourcing, describes the process prior to using Cvent as being a ‘complete nightmare’. “It took you forever to source since you could only rely on doing things manually,” says Matt, adding, “It either took you forever, or you didn't get the range of options for venues. So not only did it hinder our time, but it also hindered our clients probably more as they were forced to choose from limited options.” 

APPROACH

Cvent Supplier Network has been a game-changer for the team. Adopting CSN as the cornerstone of their sourcing process has enabled the team to significantly enhance the way they search for hotels and venues. It provides a robust platform that facilitates access to a vast global database of venues complete with up-to-date contacts. “Cvent has transformed the way we source. What used to be a nightmare of endless searches and calls is now a streamlined process,” remarks Matt, highlighting the drastic improvement in their operations. The platform's ability to quickly generate RFPs and customise them with specific questions means that unique client requirements are addressed right from the start, ensuring a tailored approach to each event. 

The team frequently uses the Quick RFP feature to efficiently create and send RFPs to a wide array of venues, significantly cutting down the time spent on this task. Says Matt, “With Cvent, we just jump in and create RFPs in the same time it would take to search the hotels online, find a phone number, and sit on hold. In that time, you can now send RFPs to 20 hotels!” 

Having access to an extensive database of venues worldwide has enabled the team to source venues not only within Australia but also internationally, in cities across Europe, Asia, and the US, overcoming language barriers and time zone challenges. The CSN platform’s maintained and updated contact list for venues ensures the team is always reaching out to the right person, eliminating the need for time-consuming searches for current contact information. “It also enables us to contact them at our convenience,” adds Matts. He elaborates, “The other night, I sent RFPs from CSN to venues in Copenhagen just before I clocked off work. The next morning, I had five hotels that had already replied with rates. Earlier, if I wanted rates of five hotels that quickly, I would have to sit up until three o'clock in the morning and call them up trying to reach the right person.” 

RESULTS

The FCM team's adoption of Cvent brought about transformative results. The platform significantly reduced the time spent sourcing venues, with Matt noting, "On average, Cvent saves us about 5-6 hours per event in sourcing time. This is a game-changer for our team." This efficiency gain translated into roughly 600-700 hours of annual time savings, allowing the team to focus on other critical aspects of event planning. 

Furthermore, the team was able to offer clients a wider selection of venues, improving client satisfaction. The improved response rates from venues, especially from larger chains, facilitated quicker decision-making processes. Matt fondly refers to the ‘View Bids’ report feature as "the best thing there is," praising its ability to present venues side-by-side in a professional format and allowing them to slice and dice the data to show only what is relevant to each client. As Matt explains, “Clients who were probably used to only getting three or four venue options can now get 15 in that View Bids report, and it's still really clean to look at and enables them to make a decision easily. Because all of them are listed side by side, they can compare the costs and everything.”