Company shares independent research study on SMM and compliance;
second edition of SMM best practices eBook
SAN DIEGO, Calif.—August 5, 2013– ACTIVE Network ® (NYSE: ACTV), the leader in cloud-based Activity and Participant Management™ solutions, today announced from booth #2937 at the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention the availability of an independent research study from Aberdeen Group examining the benefits of Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) and how it can help companies achieve higher cost savings on meetings and events. For the study, Aberdeen surveyed global supply management and procurement business leaders on trends driving the need for SMM and the actions companies are taking to mitigate compliance risks. Among the findings, the study revealed that:
- Compliant companies report 167% higher realized and implemented cost savings resulting from strategic meetings and events spend than non-compliant companies
- 63% of survey participants said the requirement to reduce costs on meetings spend is the top factor driving the need for SMM
- 71% of aligned organizations use an end-to-end SMM solution rather than risk mismanaging events
- 42% of companies surveyed plan to align with federal regulatory policies in 2013
- Compliant companies report a 29% higher rate of strategic meetings that are executed on or below budget
- Companies that are already aligned are more likely to leverage technology to save time and money, enable fiscal reporting, provide visibility into their business, and reduce risk
- The complete study can be downloaded today from ACTIVE Network’s website at: http://go.activeevents.com/smm-aberdeen?elqCID=701d0000000iRli.
“The Aberdeen Group study reinforces the need for SMM in this day and age, where companies are required to provide visibility into their business in order to enhance compliance,” said JR Sherman, senior vice president and general manager of ACTIVE Network’s Business Solutions Group. “ACTIVE StarCite™ is the only product in the market with numerous case studies showing significant savings globally through the widespread application of SMM. ACTIVE can help take companies to the next level by providing end-to-end visibility into their entire event program. The robust software provides a meeting locator, approval workflow, budget management, Healthcare Professional (HCP) tracking, small meetings management, spend management, budget reconciliation, and in-depth business analytics, all of which enable companies to reduce risk, and save time and money.”
“This study points to the large need for SMM and compliance as companies are facing more intense scrutiny over spending,” said Louis Berard, senior research analyst with Aberdeen Group. “In order to minimize risk, companies are aligning with federal and regulatory policies, and they are leveraging technology in order to do so.”
ACTIVE Network also unveiled the second edition of its SMM eBook, today. Following the first edition ACTIVE StarCite SMM handbook released in 2011, the new eBook is entitled, “SMM Champions: Best Practices for Developing SMM.” It includes contributed articles on trends and best practices in SMM from industry experts at companies such as Carlson Wagonlit Travel and American Express, among others. Topics include creating a SMM program, controlling spend, managing risk, using social media and gaming to improve attendee engagement, and implementing global SMM. The eBook can be downloaded today from ACTIVE Network’s website at: http://go.activeevents.com/smm-champions?elqCID=701d0000000iNhv. GBTA attendees are invited to meet the authors of the book at a champagne reception at ACTIVE Network’s booth #2937 on August 5 at 5 p.m. Pacific.
“We were pleased to work with some of the SMM industry’s best and brightest for this eBook,” said Sherman. “The book provides useful tips and information for any organization looking to increase the ROI of their meetings and events, engage their attendees on a new level, and grow their business anywhere in the world.”
ACTIVE Network Business Solutions Group
ACTIVE Network is powering the next generation of SMART EVENTS™ through its Business Solutions technology suite, which provides intelligent data and insights designed to increase potential revenue growth, deepen attendee engagement and gain efficiency. Customers of all sizes—including small and medium-sized businesses, enterprise corporations, associations, tradeshows and expos—benefit from a single technology partner for all of their event management needs. The Business Solutions technology suite includes ACTIVE Conference™ for large flagship conferences, ACTIVE RegOnline™ for attendee management solutions, ACTIVE StarCite™ for strategic meetings management and event expense management, and the ACTIVE Marketplace to connect events with suppliers. For more information on ACTIVE Network Business Solutions please visit www.ACTIVEevents.com.
About ACTIVE Network
ACTIVE Network is the leading provider of Activity and Participant Management™ solutions. Our leading ACTIVE Works cloud platform scales to meet the needs of our customers, large and small, and makes managing and operating all types of activities, events and organizations smarter and more efficient. We power over 55,000 global customers and build leading vertical technology applications for the markets we serve. ACTIVE Network was founded in 1999, is headquartered in San Diego, California, and has offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.ACTIVEnetwork.com.
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© 2013 The Active Network, Inc. All rights reserved. StarCite is a registered trademark of The ACTIVE Network, Inc. ACTIVE Conference, ACTIVE Network, ACTIVE RegOnline, ACTIVE StarCite, Activity and Participant Management, and SMART EVENTS are trademarks of The Active Network, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Michelle Ragsdale
michelle.ragsdale@ACTIVEnetwork.com
858.964.6017
Aberdeen Group study available through editorial contact, or at: http://go.activeevents.com/smm-aberdeen?elqCID=701d0000000iRli.com/smm-champions?elqCID=701d0000000iNhv
SMM eBook available through editorial contact, or at: http://go.activeevents.com/smm-champions?elqCID=701d0000000iNhv