It’s a tricky question because many businesses do not have a policy, and if they do, few people know about it, as it usually sits on a procurement hard drive somewhere. So when one asks about policy rules, and more so, MICE policy compliance, responses are generally as clear as mud. Enterprise businesses have lengthy ‘code of ethics, conduct and policy rule’ documents with lofty statements like ‘all personnel will follow policy rules without exception’ or else… or else what? When staff plan and procure meetings & events, policy rules sit way down on their list compared to which rock band ..read more

Major corporates now have two primary goals; cost containment and policy compliance. As the MICE market re-opens here in South Africa, companies are no longer willing to spend huge budgets on lavish meetings & events. In a recent survey, 80% of travel managers agreed these two issues were now critical. 99% expected real challenges in implementing their new policy rules. The Evolving Role of Travel Managers Meetings & Events Cost Containment A term loosely associated with the MICE industry in the past, for several reasons: MICE spending is tough to track and reconcile; many compani ..read more

There are many opinion pieces being written and dialogue between Directors and management as how best to bring staff back to the office, be it permanently or even a few days a week. It is a very delicate and trying situation for employers; some businesses have adapted more readily than others to remote working, many are battling to cope operationally. There will never be a one-strategy-fits-all but are some fairly bright individuals at Harvard Business School are currently applying their minds to the challenges. Here are some highlights: The importance of managing employees well-being, either ..read more

The MICE (Meetings, Events, Conferences & Events) industry has long spoken of the need for change but Covid-19 has put an end to debate and finally driven the need for action. Be it a training session for ten employees or hundreds of delegates convening as an organisation, the planning, procurement and financial management has long been a time-consuming, manual and expensive process with transparency and compliance challenging at best for organisations. Gone are the days when MICE budgets were secondary to the entertainment value of a creative, extravagant event at an exotic venue, today’s ..read more

People are returning to offices in South Africa if city traffic volumes are anything to go by. ‘Zoom Fatigue’ has taken its toll and as a consequence, offices, coffee shops, bars and meeting places are filling with employees with laptops charged to do business. This signals the return either hybrid or in-person meetings, not necessarily large conferencing as yet, but what onus is placed upon employers to ensure duty of care and how should companies be managing the multiple health, safety and liabilities? Norton Rose Fulbright on the 19th of May 2021 published their guide as to the ramific ..read more