The relationship between procurement teams and event planners is crucial, yet often fraught with tension. Procurement teams are driven by the need for professional venue management tech that provide strategic meetings management that is cost-effectiveness, adherence to business protocols and controls, and ensuring that events align with industry standards and environmental, social and governance standards and bottom-line objectives. They prioritise efficient reporting, analytics, and seamless integration into the wider organisational processes.
Event planners, however, focus on delivering experiences that are culturally aligned, personalised, and creatively distinctive. Their world is one of flexibility, innovation, and the ability to adapt to shifting demands with ease. Balancing these two perspectives is essential to creating events that are not only financially sound but also resonate with attendees on a deeper level.
This session will unpack the challenges and opportunities of tech and aligning procurement's business priorities with the creative, experiential needs of event planners. We will explore key discussion points, such as:
• How procurement can maintain rigorous governance and cost controls while allowing for the flexibility needed in event planning.
• The role of reporting and analytics in satisfying both financial oversight and creative performance metrics.
• Strategies to streamline sign-offs and decision-making processes that satisfy both procurement's need for structure and planners' need for agility.
• The importance of fitting events within the cultural fabric of the organisation, and how both procurement and event planners can collaborate to ensure this alignment.
• The role of technology platforms in straddling these needs, offering solutions that provide efficiency, robust data, and compliance while enabling creativity and user-friendly interfaces.

Ultimately, this session will reveal that both sides share a common goal: creating events that are not only efficient and cost-effective but also impactful and memorable. Through collaboration and the smart use of technology, procurement and event planners can achieve the best of both worlds.