ConferenceDirect Selects Cvent Supplier Network™ as Hotel RFP Platform
JULY 13, 2009 – NEW YORK and MCLEAN, VA – Cvent, the leading provider of web-based software for the $350 billion meetings and events industry has announced an agreement with ConferenceDirect, one of the largest meeting sourcing solutions in the country. ConferenceDirect's 280 associates worldwide, who booked over 2 million of group hotel room nights for its 900 customers in 2008, will now use the Cvent Supplier Network to search for meeting venues, send electronic RFPs to hotels for group business, compare venue bids and carefully track client budgets throughout the site selection process. The Cvent Supplier Network will streamline the site selection and decision making process so ConferenceDirect Associates are able to focus on leveraging their negotiating power and securing the best possible contract for their meeting planner customers.
Over the last year, ConferenceDirect conducted a rigorous analysis across sourcing platforms, followed by a six-month beta test period on the Cvent Supplier Network system. "The Cvent Supplier Network is currently the best tool on the market for site selection and event sourcing," said Brian D. Stevens, CEO of ConferenceDirect. "Over the past six months, we had ten ConferenceDirect Associates send out over 5,000 real RFPs to test the Cvent Supplier Network and we were very satisfied with the results. Our ten beta testers unanimously agreed that we should move to Cvent from our current RFP provider. Our Associates were impressed by the sophistication of the Cvent Supplier Network. It is user friendly and complemented by a Cvent staff that offers excellent customer care. We also needed a solution that was embraced by hotels. We have been equally impressed by the positive experience hotels have had with the new tool. The Cvent Supplier Network will save ConferenceDirect Associates a tremendous amount of time, which in turn, will give them the freedom to provide better service for existing customers."
ConferenceDirect Associates will use a co-developed version of the Cvent Supplier Network that will empower them to search and source meetings to over 75,000 suppliers in a matter of minutes. This unique technology platform will enable ConferenceDirect Associates to provide superior service to their customers. ConferenceDirect's suppliers and contacts, including National Sales Offices (NSOs) and Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) executives, will be listed in the ConferenceDirect version of the Cvent Supplier Network platform to ensure that ConferenceDirect Associates continue to build upon their long-standing relationships and secure the best service possible for their customers.
"This partnership is between two companies that are dedicated to delivering the greatest value to their customers for meeting management. Cvent is committed to providing ConferenceDirect with world-class software and unmatched service," said Chuck Ghoorah, Cvent Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We are proud to count ConferenceDirect as our newest strategic partner and look forward to providing ConferenceDirect's Associates the booking platform for hundreds of millions of dollars in group business."
About Cvent
Cvent is a leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with 4,800+ employees and ~22,000 customers worldwide as of December 31, 2023. Founded in 1999, the company delivers a comprehensive event marketing and management platform and offers a global marketplace where event professionals collaborate with venues to create engaging, impactful experiences. Cvent is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C., and has additional offices around the world to support its growing global customer base. The comprehensive Cvent event marketing and management platform offers software solutions to event organizers and marketers for online event registration, venue selection, event marketing and management, virtual and onsite solutions, and attendee engagement. Cvent’s suite of products automate and simplify the event management lifecycle and maximize the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Hotels and venues use Cvent’s supplier and venue solutions to win more group and corporate travel business through Cvent’s sourcing platforms. Cvent solutions optimize the event management value chain and have enabled clients around the world to manage millions of meetings and events. For more information, please visit Cvent.com.
About ConferenceDirect
Founded in 1998, ConferenceDirect is a meeting resources company specializing in Site Selection/Contract Negotiation, Conference Management, Housing and Registration. ConferenceDirect provides its expertise to more than 900 corporations and associations worldwide. ConferenceDirect's 280 Associates and worldwide regional offices comprise one of the largest full service meeting resources companies in the hospitality industry today. For more information, please visit www.conferencedirect.com.