February 2022
BCD Meetings & Events is a world-leader in crafting digital and live experiences that connect organizations with the people that matter most. Recently we met with Corinne Nobel, Process Improvement Manager EMEA at BCD M&E.
"Qondor is the backbone for our M&E business"
We had been looking for an M&E Project management tool for a while. We knew there was a better way to combine various operational processes, but we could not find the perfect tool. When we acquired TicketBiz in 2015, they spoke warmly about Qondor and how much it had improved their workflow.
As TicketBiz was mainly targeting the Swedish and Norwegian market, we started to analyze what we needed to implement Qondor on a regional level within EMEA. We quickly saw that, with Qondor, we could finally streamline ONE operational process for all Meeting Planners across multiple countries and cultures–a challenge for many years. We were also able to standardize our legal terms as well as ensure better compliance between countries and markets.
Since we have now standardized our quality and operational excellence, we are also able to roll out in a more efficient way. Implementing changes to our process is also much easier.
It felt like we were finally stepping into the future!
The first “wow” came during the first demo of Qondor. I remember seeing the Project Ledger, a complete overview of estimated costs and actual costs for each project, and the payment status to suppliers. The Project Ledger also shows estimated gross sales and revenue, actual sales and if client invoices are paid. Finally, every meeting planner could have the full financial overview of every project with the click of abutton, securing cash flow and earnings. Even though this information is handled by our financial system, pushing the information to Qondor through their APIs was very straightforward.
The next “wow” was when Supplier Relations reporting was done because of the offer process. Getting a report on all supplier spend and earnings was a huge time saver. Being able to create the budget while building an online proposal for the client to sign digitally, and in turn, report on a global supplier spend, made the jaw drop on most of us in the first meeting.
During implementation, we discussed our needs to provide transparent offers to our clients. After consultation with tax, legal and finance, Qondor was able to develop this based on our input. Being transparent in our offering, showing all costs related to the meeting, supplier costs and fees, allows clients to make a solid decision as well as manage their budgets in a better way. It turns out that (especially during COVID with last-minute cancellations happening more often), it is important for our client to have full insight on the costs for their meeting. Whenever or wherever, our clients now have access to their most up-to-date digital budget.
It is not just the work process that is standardized using Qondor, it is also the look and feel of how our offerings are presented. Before Qondor, we were manually creating offers in Word and/or PowerPoint. Updating the proposals and contracts with changes in requirements or supplier negotiations was very time consuming and we experienced limited interactivity during client communication.
With Qondor, we now have one source of truth for every meeting wrapped up in a consistent look and feel that fits on your mobile. The interactive proposals are creating a better impression to our clients and strengthens our brand awareness.
Now that we have a standardized way of working, we improved our quality and our real-time financial and client reporting are much more accurate. We deliver a consistent experience to our clients and looking forward to continue to focus on connecting organizations with people that matter the most.
