NBTA, StarCite Announce Strategic Meetings Management Model
The NBTA Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), in partnership with StarCite, Inc., announced the development of a new model for strategic meetings management programs (SMMP) designed to help companies accurately identify where they stand in the SMMP implementation process and how to progress successfully to the next level.
Based on a successful framework for software development created at Carnegie Mellon University, and incorporating the results of industry research and focus groups, the new SMM Maturity Model is structured to allow companies to gauge their current progress in each essential category of an SMMP such as policy, strategy, meeting registration, sourcing, planning, payment, technology and reporting. In each category, users of the model will assess their companies as falling into one of six levels: Random, Discovery, Emergent, Operative, Excelling or Mastery.
The model will also offer a prescriptive report on how to advance through the stages of SMMP development, including the actions required to achieve mastery and the tangible and intangible benefits of an SMMP at each stage. The SMM Maturity Model supports companies as they develop their SMMPs by providing information on best practices and case studies at each level, along with benchmarking data from companies in similar industries. NBTA will also incorporate the model into the Strategic Meetings Management Certification (SMMC) program.
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“We felt it was crucial to team up with the NBTA Foundation and invest in the research and development of this model, because when it comes to strategic meetings management, companies need clear standards and benchmarks on which to focus,” said Kevin Iwamoto, vice president, Enterprise Strategy, StarCite. “The SMM Maturity Model promises a new degree of rigor for companies as they work to develop and implement their own SMMPs, coupled with the professional education and tools needed to ensure success.”
