We are waiting for academia to catch up

TIM BROWN
CEO and Founder, Meeting Sites Resource
Irvine, California

One often-cited reason for resistance to acceptance of meetings and events as an academic discipline in its own right is the supposed lack of hard numbers supporting the proposition that events can deliver a measurable return on investment. Tim Brown’s visionary company offers evidence to the contrary.

“There have always been internal machinations and politics within colleges and universities, with certain groups coveting certain courses in curricula, especially those that are profitable. But there comes a point where we need to recognize that there is an injustice to the future business person and communication specialist who has not been given an understanding of the scope and strategy behind a well-designed, planned event.

“We are finally beginning to see some movement in this area, with broader acceptance of the Strategic Meeting Management Program. This is a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event activities, processes, suppliers and data in order to achieve measurable business objectives that align with an organization’s strategic goals/vision, and delivers value in the form of quantitative savings, risk mitigation and service quality.

“During the ’80s and ’90s, the big focus for meeting planners was wrapped around meeting execution and overall meeting and event logistics efficiencies. Now, there is recognition that meetings are big investments, and that those investments need to be evaluated… In a very real sense, we are still waiting for the world of academia to catch up.”