The Benefits Of Centralizing Congress Spend

Congress spend has historically been highly decentralized. Sponsorship costs are often managed by brand teams without tracking against specific meetings.

Registration, housing, and travel are typically paid by individual attendees and billed to their personal travel and expense budgets. Country affiliates fund local delegations—including Health Care Professionals (HCPs)—using local budgets. This fragmented approach leaves the parent organization with limited visibility into the list of corporate-funded attendees or the total spend associated with any given congress. 

Why visibility matters 

Without a centralized view of congress spend, organizations face several challenges: 

• Inability to quantify investment, making ROI calculations impossible and hindering future budget planning. 

• Unverified total spend, which can affect a company’s ranking with societies. Higher spend often leads to benefits like priority housing and exhibit space selection. 

• Missed opportunities to capture spend with preferred partners, such as hotels, DMCs, and housing brokers, which could be leveraged for better rates and contract terms. 

By centralizing congress spend, organizations gain the ability to build informed processes and policies that drive cost savings, reduce risk, and improve operational efficiency. 

The value of congress oversight 

At BCD Meetings & Events, we support clients at all stages of congress maturity, from those just beginning to consolidate attendance to those with established global programs. Our consistent approach focuses on efficiency, compliance and strategic oversight. 

Key benefits include: 

• Streamlined global communication through platforms like Cvent and dedicated logistics teams. 

• Standardized processes and training to ensure best practices across all congress activities. 

• Strategic and consolidated negotiation, using buying power, data and supplier relationships. 

• Risk mitigation through proactive planning and reliable partner support. 

• Enhanced compliance and corporate reputation via a single point of contact aligned with society requirements. 

• Centralized spend and data insights to support informed decision-making and global visibility. 

Success stories that demonstrate impact 

Our centralized approach has led to tangible results for clients at high-profile congresses: 

• At ASCO, we managed over 800 delegates globally. Early-bird registration compliance saved $114,000, and re-selling 181 rooms between affiliates avoided $76,000 in cancellation fees. The program earned a 96% satisfaction score from attendees. 

• For HIV Glasgow, where early-bird deadlines are notoriously tight, our centralized management enabled a two-month extension of discounted rates. This allowed us to process 375+ registrations, resulting in £22,000+ in additional savings. 

These examples highlight how a centralized congress strategy not only improves visibility and compliance but also drives significant financial and operational benefits. 

Building a Global Congress Strategy

A successful congress strategy should include all areas of the business—commercial, medical, R&D—and span all regions and countries. Implementing a new congress policy requires the same level of stakeholder communication and education as a meetings or travel policy. 

Creating and implementing such a policy can be daunting. Get in touch and we can partner with you to design a policy and implementation plan tailored to your organization’s current state.