Procurement departments are not out there to practice public relations and although it may be assumed the salaried event manager, be it corporate/association or public sector, are the ones that make the decisions on a range of event management services, the main influence and decision-makers are likely to be a totally different type of individual than the ones accepting the exhibition invitations or that upmarket promo function.
Savvy professional planners are discovering it is becoming increasingly important to know the motivation and method in which procurement departments operate.
John Fisher, Director of UK’s FMI Group and regular contributor to the Meetings publication and the MICE Academy’s CPD Programme sums it up perfectly in his MI&T Fisher’s File According to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, the main purpose of procurement is: ‘To obtain the desired quality of service, supplies and works at the best possible price’. There are a number of highly contentious and disturbing words even in this short definition, which event organisers should treat with extreme caution. Firstly, the word ‘obtain’ suggests they should have almost perfect knowledge of the events marketplace to be able to seek out quotations from those that can deliver the specified service’.
Secondly the types of processes which selects event management companies usually eliminates over 90% of this SME sector.
The Events Industry undertaking this year – taking place at the fit-for-purpose Hackle Brooke will expose the procurement aspects in order to establish Professional Planner Standards going forward and allow a larger slice of the MICE pie to ensure good planning practices are understood and recognised
For ongoing info go to www.miceacademy.biz and click on the Professional Planner icon, complete and submit the form.
