“You have to design a policy so that you know what is a meeting or an event, and how procurement should buy for it. We have to leave some control with the person that is in charge of the meeting or event, but the procurement control comes from another place. That has to graciously and gracefully come together into a complete picture. It’s the ‘art of procurement,’ isn’t it?” – J. Grant Caplan, President, Procurigence, Inc. and Chairperson – GBTA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In this week’s episode, which is based on an Art of Procurement Mastermind Community Category Briefing, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner ask J. Grant Caplan, President of Procurigence, Inc. and Chairperson of the GBTA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, detailed questions about the current state of the meetings and events to better understand the conditions companies are dealing with and possible steps they can take to restart their meetings programs without incurring unnecessary risk.
He shared his knowledge and experience regarding:
The nuanced differences between ‘meetings’ and ‘events’ and how procurement needs to manage them
How companies can navigate the complex web of policies and guidelines that help meeting and event planners decide how much to spend on what elements of their gathering
Why he believes travel is a service sold as a commodity, and how that should influence procurement’s handling of the category
