Three UK events industry trade associations have collaborated with leaders of the procurement profession to produce a good practice guide to assist corporate purchasers in working with events service providers.

The CIPS Events Services Guide is the result of a working partnership between the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and the Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA), Eventia, and Meeting Professionals International (MPI UK).

Discussions on the creation of the guide date back to early 2006, when a working group was convened comprising over 20 representatives of the events industry.

Of these, 40% were procurement professionals who had responsibility for purchasing events services. The balance of the group included major agency CEOs and in-house corporate meetings planners.

The group’s initial purpose was to generate open discussion about the prevailing barriers to effective events purchasing, and from there to identify best practice in selecting potential suppliers, managing the pitch process, measurement and evaluation, and the ongoing supplier relationship.

The CIPS Events Services Guide will be available to CIPS members and also members of all three associations, via their respective websites, from 13 September.

A six-page Knowledge Summary of the guide has been printed and will be distributed at the HBBA Forum on 13 September and also at the CIPS annual Marketing Services Conference on 18 September. Printed and electronic versions of the summary will also be available to the associations’ members.

The Procurement Working Group will continue its meetings with a view to further identifying and communicating good practice and building on the relationship between CIPS members and the events industry. The Group reconvenes on Monday 19 November.

Says Chairman of the working group, Peter Rand MBE, Director for Industry Relations at Zibrant: "I have been delighted by the enthusiasm with which this initiative has been taken up by CIPS, HBAA, Eventia and MPI. There is no doubt that with a greater level of education and understanding among all parties, the benefits that procurement can bring to the credibility and value of the Events Services sector is enormous".

Ian Schollar Head of Practice Development, CIPS, agrees: “The partnership approach in producing this Guide has proved to be very successful. The learning and knowledge gathered by all the groups involved has been significant and gives us a great platform from which to develop future understanding. This Guide will prove to be an invaluable tool for both the procurement profession and the Events Services industry."

Adds Izania Downie, Executive Director of Eventia: “We previewed the guide at our Summer Conference and attending members showed great interest in promoting it to their corporate clients. We are confident that, with CIPS’ support, the guide will be widely circulated to, and accepted by, events procurement professionals”.

Peter Ducker, Executive Director of the HBAA says: “This guide is a major contribution to the meetings Industry. The spirit of co-operation and common purpose that has enabled its drafting is a tribute to all concerned. As businesses are seeking to better control their meetings spend they will find this route map invaluable.”

Says: “Paul Cook, President of MPI (UK): “The UK chapter of MPI are delighted to have been involved in the formulation of the Guide.”