The title of an article in the May/June issue of Sales and Marketing Magazine caught my eye: “Prove the Value of Events or You’ll Lose Them”. The author, Tara Thomas, writes about the on-going challenge that every corporate meeting and event planner experiences, especially in these ROI-driven, bottom-line times: proving the value of face-to-face meetings. She says,

Event planners everywhere must sharpen their ability to prove the business value of their events. If they don’t, their job is at risk.” (Read the entire article.)

Whoa! Did that last sentence put a chill down your spine? Fear not – MPI’s new Business Value of Meetings Toolkit is now available.

The toolkit, supported by the MPI Foundation and AIBTM,  includes a series of white papers to walk you through the five key steps of event measurement: Perception vs. Reality, Stakeholder Commitment, Defining Objectives, Meaningful Measures, and Analysis and Reporting.

Each of the five white paper “toolkits” includes all you need to navigate that particular step and build on your understanding of the business value of events and meetings. Tools include webinars, tutorials, articles and worksheets.

So grab hold of this toolkit and take a deep breath. In the first of the series, Perception vs. Reality, you’ll learn that when it comes to implementing measurement strategies,

..meeting professionals can start with as little or as much time as they have available…the actual time needed to start the process can be as little as 10 hours over the course of an entire event.”

So what are you waiting for? Read more in the June issue of One+ Magazine, or on MPIweb.org. Then download the Business Value of Meetings Toolkit – it’s free to MPI members.

Filed under: Meeting & Incentive News, Miscellaneous