Metlife

MetLife is a leading global insurance and financial services provider. It operates under a centralized meetings department with 500-600 meetings registered annually. At the time of transitioning to Cvent, MetLife had used a different meetings management technology solution for a number of years.

Facing Significant Meetings Management Challenges

MetLife came to Cvent toward the end of its contract with a different meetings management technology system. Users found the existing solution cumbersome and were interested in finding a more user-friendly solution to increase adoption and the value of their meetings program. In evaluating different solutions, MetLife decided that Cvent provided the best solution to meet their complex meeting planning requirements, while also being user-friendly.

After choosing Cvent, MetLife faced a number of challenges in successfully transitioning solutions. The fear of starting over with a brand new system was compounded by a short time frame for transition. The client had only 10 weeks, inclusive of two major holidays, to implement, train, and adopt the Cvent system. In addition to transition challenges, the client required a piece of functionality that Cvent did not offer at the time of contract signature.

Implementing the Cvent Solution

To address these challenges, Cvent's Implementation Team began working with the MetLife team prior to contract signature. While final contract terms were approved by MetLife's legal team, Cvent provided the meetings team with "homework" to help the team prepare for an immediate project kick-off as soon as the contract was received.

Once the contract was signed, Cvent's Implementation Team provided MetLife with a detailed Implementation Plan and Toolkit, which outlined and defined all project tasks, deliverables, and milestones. This documentation provided the client with a clear understanding of the implementation process and helped ease their concerns about transitioning to a new technology solution.

Once implementation officially kicked off, the Cvent and MetLife teams scheduled twice weekly calls to make sure the project was completed within the time frame. Cvent helped the MetLife streamline its processes and increased user-friendliness by consolidating their multiple Meeting Request Forms (MRF) into one using advanced logic and sub-questions.

Cvent also worked with the client to create a Requester Website, a portal that houses the Meeting Request Form, with a central meetings calendar, and other meeting-related policies and information. The site, easily accessed by all Requesters, is maintained by MetLife's Cvent System Administrator, without the delays and costs associated with updating the company's intranet site.

Future Plans for the Journey of SMM

After the successful implementation of the meeting request process, MetLife is now focused on increasing adoption of the Cvent sourcing module. They are also examining the possibility of taking their meetings management program global.