CWT Meetings & Events, the global
M&E division of CWT, has launched a direct-booking platform for small meetings.
The platform gives organisers access to more than 250,000 meeting rooms in chain
and independent hotels as well as unique venues and event spaces in more than
90 countries.
CWT easy meetings, powered by the online
booking engine MeetingPackage, will allow planners to source and book
venues, AV equipment and food & beverage packages. It also provides
companies with greater visibility and control over their small meetings so they
can better manage costs, compliance, and employee safety and security.
Chris Bowen, senior VP & managing director
CWT Meetings & Events, said: “Before the pandemic, many of our clients spent up to 70%
of their meetings and events budget on small meetings. As the desire for real
engagement grows and face-to-face business meetings gradually resume, we expect
this figure to increase due to restrictions on group sizes and safe distancing
requirements. Surprisingly however, most organisations still don’t have any
standardised processes or solutions to manage small meetings, the way they do
for large events or transient business travel."
The standard version of the platform is
free of charge for any meeting organiser to use and allows planners to easily
search, compare and instantly book meetings. It is available in eight
languages. Payments can be made using a credit card, virtual card, or lodge
card, and bookings can be easily modified or cancelled through the platform.
A customisable version of the platform is available
for large companies looking to automate their meeting booking processes, while
consolidating spend in a centralised hub. Organisations can upload
pre-negotiated rates and unique venues that can only be accessed by their
employees and the tool can prioritise preferred suppliers. Users can configure the payment method so that card details do not have to be entered every
time.