–Tops the List for Most Managed Meetings and Incentive Travel Programs in 2014–
NEW YORK, NY, September 16, 2015 – American Express Meetings & Events has been named to MeetingsNet’s 2015 ‘CMI 25’ list, the ninth annual directory of the largest and most influential full-service meeting and incentive travel management companies based on U.S. corporate meetings and incentives activity. According to the list, American Express Meetings & Events managed more than 46,000 corporate meetings and incentive travel programs globally, more than any other company on this year’s ‘CMI 25’ listing, accounting for 58 percent of the meetings and 44 percent of group incentive travel programs in 2014. American Express Meetings & Events also showed strong year-to-year growth with a 36 percent rise in group incentive travel programs and an almost four percent increase in corporate meetings. In addition, American Express Meetings & Events secured 3.92 million room nights for its customers, accounting for more than 37 percent of the ‘CMI 25’ list overall.
“American Express Meetings & Events is honored to be named to the ‘CMI 25’ list for the ninth consecutive year,” said Issa Jouaneh, Senior Vice President and General Manager, American Express Meetings & Events. “As our customers continue to globalize, they are seeking providers that are able to provide broader capabilities to consolidate meetings spend and effectively service a range of meeting types through a single provider. Our focus is to continue to strengthen our advantage and differentiation globally, by building on our capabilities on a country by country basis. For us, this past year has been monumental and rewarding as we continue to evolve our business, our products and our services to meet the growing demand among today’s meeting planners and attendees. We are appreciative of the confidence that our customers have demonstrated in us, and we are committed to continue to innovate, deliver actionable insights, and retain and attract the best talent in the industry to service our clients.”
Together, the independent meeting planning companies on the 2015 CMI 25 list report booking more than 10.5 million group room nights in 2014, all tied to the 80,487 meetings, conferences, and incentives they executed for corporate clients during the year.
The magazine’s editors selected CMI 25 companies based on several factors, including the number of meetings and incentive travel programs managed in 2014 out of their U.S. organizations and the total number of room nights represented by those meetings and incentives. They also considered the number of full-time employees at each company, as well as the percentage of the company’s 2014 revenues that came from organizing corporate meetings and incentives, versus association meetings or other sources.
“As the economy made significant strides in the past couple of years, the companies on the CMI 25 list appear to have benefited. As a group, they report a 16 percent increase in 2014 in the number of meetings and incentives planned over 2013,” said MeetingsNet’s Sue Hatch. “Not only are these planning organizations trusted corporate partners, relied on to orchestrate critical events around the globe with professionalism and creativity, they are also major corporate citizens in their own right, with 56 percent of the CMI 25 companies employing more than 100 people.”
The CMI 25 is the most comprehensive listing of the major independent meeting companies serving the corporate world. The CMI 25 list was published in the September 2015 issue of the MeetingsNet tablet magazine (http://meetingsnet.com/cmi25/2015-cmi-25) and digital edition, and on www.meetingsnet.com.
About American Express Meetings & Events
American Express Meetings & Events, a division of American Express Global Business Travel, offers longstanding experience, expertise and leading capabilities spanning program implementation to budget optimization to deliver powerful meetings and events experiences for clients. The global team is focused on meetings and events sourcing, planning, contract negotiations, budgeting, expense management, reporting and benchmarking, combined with strategic counsel and integration of leading technology. This end-to-end approach focuses on creating visibility, driving savings and enabling effective meetings experiences.
With more than 40 years in the industry and a presence in over 50 countries, American Express Meetings & Events is uniquely positioned to manage meetings and events locally, regionally, internationally and across the globe. American Express Meetings & Events works with local leaders to enhance its offering to clients. To learn more about the services offered by American Express Meetings & Events, visit https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/meetings-events/
“American Express Meetings & Events” is a service provided by American Express Global Business Travel (“GBT”). GBT is a joint venture that is not wholly-owned by American Express Company or any of its subsidiaries (“American Express”). “American Express Global Business Travel”, “American Express” and the American Express logo are trademarks of American Express, and are used under limited license.
###
Media Contacts:
Tess Alberts
(212) 640-8801
[email protected]
Jessica Nelson
Kwittken
(646) 747-7141
[email protected]