For meeting strategists who are trying to change or implement a new meetings measurement program, getting the buy-in from your stakeholders can be difficult. The most common reasons that stakeholders object to measurement programs include past failures on initiating programs, lack of time, concern that it will expose failures and a lack in the belief of the usefulness of measurement. To gain stakeholder support, you must understand best practices for business value of meetings measurement and create accurate expectations in terms of time, money & outcome.
Meeting strategists share concerns over the amount of time needed to properly measure the business value of meetings. However, those who have successfully implemented measurements did so by starting small. By focusing on expected outcomes and limiting the scope of their measures, they demonstrated the value of the process and expanded it accordingly. And by limiting the initial scope, they have been able to successfully begin measuring the business value of their meetings with stakeholder support.
The need for additional funds for the business value of meetings measurement and reporting system seems may seem insurmountable, especially when the scope and processes are undefined. By limiting the initial scope, you can minimize budgets—to almost nothing at all.
Many meeting strategists have successfully implemented measurements by using existing internal reports, free software tools (such as Survey Monkey or analytic software tools) and onsite resources—though successful strategies do eventually require funding, in order to be properly implemented.
Related Certificate Course: Basics Bootcamp: Meeting Fundamentals
Stakeholders will not support initiatives that don’t have clearly defined outcomes, and these can be defined after stakeholders have bought in. So, they must be made aware of what to expect, before actual measurement begins.
Focus on the key benefits of implementing a program like reducing waste, improving meeting outcomes and creating greater value by identifying ways to remain relevant and deliver on an improved attendee experience, lowered costs, increased ROI, accountability to meeting owners and making better data-driven decisions.
While best practices vary, meeting strategists who have successfully implemented measurement processes share common characteristics: they define the purpose of their meetings, they measure them appropriately and they use those results to improve. They understand that a business value of meetings measurement is part of a larger overall organizational performance process, wherein the contribution of meetings and events is integral to the larger, overall organizational strategy.
