Meetings and events
In many companies nobody knows what conferences cost each year
The budget is spread across departments, marketing and sales. Each unit knows its own share. Nobody knows the total, and without a total there is neither a negotiating position nor a basis for decisions.
What this is not about
ExpenSight does not plan events, does not produce them and does not select agencies. Agencies do that, and they do it better.
This page is for the other side of the table, for companies that commission agencies and find that they know neither their volume nor their own rules.
What can be clarified
The volume. It can be reconstructed from existing data, from accounts payable, cost centres, travel data and card transactions. An exact figure rarely comes out of it, a reliable order of magnitude almost always does.
Responsibility. Who may commission, above which amount who else has a say, and where the department’s freedom ends.
The interface with travel. Attendee travel, hotel allotments and duty of care depend on the travel programme, yet are often bought separately from it.
Typical outcomes
- a reliable order of magnitude for the annual volume
- a lean minimum model of approval, commissioning and invoicing
- named responsibilities between departments, procurement and travel management
- a link to the travel programme where money or duty of care is involved
Where I know this from
From both sides. My own travel agency had a department that organised conferences and events for corporate clients. Later, as a client at an automotive supplier, I worked regularly with the internal events service.
My book on strategic meetings management will be published in 2027.