KPMG implemented an event consolidation strategy to streamline their event management and realize cost savings. Bruno Amadi, a KPMG partner, championed the initiative after seeing how an outside report highlighted the benefits. Amadi assembled stakeholders and hired an external consultant to develop an implementation plan. While some stakeholders were skeptical initially, change management efforts helped gain support for the new centralized event management process. KPMG has seen benefits like reduced costs, improved vendor relationships, and freed up time for marketing managers to focus on strategy rather than event planning. The consolidation strategy is rolling out in phases and KPMG expects long-term cost savings and other benefits from the new aligned approach to event management.

1. Pathway
Critical
How accounting giant KPMG implemented an event consolidation
strategy to realize cost savings, streamline resources and inspire
effective event-team management. BY SUSAN RADOJEVIC
One chilly fall day in November, 2005, a
white paper landed on the desk of Bruno
Amadi, partner and national continuous-
improvement leader with professional services pro-
vider KPMG.The information and revelations contained
in the report marked the beginning of a firm-wide cru-
sade to implement event consolidation.
Today, KPMG holds a place of honour as the first
Canadian professional-services firm to complete a
comprehensive event consolidation. The account
of the company’s event-management transforma-
tion from fractured to aligned illustrates the impor-
tance of having a sound strategy, strong leadership
and teamwork.
The white paper Amadi received that day focused
on marketing events and meetings. But he quickly
ascertained the value of aligning event management
throughout the firm, including training, recruitment
and other departments that conducted events.
LONG-TERM STRATEGY
The firm had a clearly defined long-term strategy
and there were a number of continuous-improve-
ment projects underway when the idea of event
consolidation began to take shape. Amadi recog-
nized the synergy consolidation had with the goals
and objectives set out in the firm’s strategy. And
so, with Amadi at the helm, the initiative began to
evolve from idea to reality.
He assembled key stakeholders to explain the proj-
ect and gain support to see it through.The first step
was to engage an outside consultant with the right
strategy for obtaining results to move the pieces
along in a timely manner. Amadi was looking for
someone who could understand the KPMG culture,
and, with that in mind, align the firm’s events. Event-
alignment specialist The Peregrine Agency was
selected to take on the role. Amadi explains, “It
would have been impossible for someone inside the
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firm to take the time away from their regular jobs to push some-
thing as big as consolidation through, and to know enough about
doing it right. I knew right away, the only way this would work
was to hire someone with a strong strategic vision, a corporate
mindset, and who could focus their attention on it.”
When the strategic analysis was complete, the implemen-
tation plan was fine-tuned and a critical path assigned. Amadi
now needed the blessing of senior management in order to
push the implementation into action. His entire presentation
was laid out on a single page under the heading, ‘Why Invest
in Event Management Now?’ In point form, he outlined five
reasons for investing time and money in consolidation. Chief
among these was the long-term cost savings that would be
realized through consolidated purchasing, stronger negotia-
tions and streamlined resources. Another key point was the
value consolidation would bring to the other improvement ini-
tiatives being undertaken throughout the firm.
UNANIMOUS VOTE
The vote was unanimous to move the project forward. Soon
after, however, the bloom faded from the rose when the real
work began, and enthusiasm was replaced by concern and
skepticism by some stakeholders. “No one ever expressed a
problem with it from the 60,000 ft. level,” recalls Amadi. “It
was in the descent that the issues came up.”
Harry Ort, partner, event management, at KPMG, describes
one crucial issue that came up shortly after the implementa-
tion process began. “When the senior-executive deck chairs
were shuffled a few months into the project, the steering com-
mittee lost its effectiveness,” and this, in turn, reduced the
impact of communication to the firm regarding the pending
transformation of event-management processes.
Change management became a critical factor in gaining a
foothold in accelerating the initiative. The setback with the
steering committee increased the importance of having a plan
to address the concerns of staff and management alike, to
convert skeptics into supporters. Amadi’s philosophy about
this is clear. “You can drive the train; you can get on the train
and be a passenger; you can get off and wave goodbye from
the platform, or you can stand on the tracks and take your
chances. But that train is leaving the station.” Fortunately, how-
ever, the consolidation strategy included a change-manage-
ment component. Change-management specialists met with
groups and individuals to address concerns and help them
through the transition. So when the train finally left the sta-
tion, it had, happily, almost everyone on board.
In hindsight, Ort reflects, a keener eye on communications
would have smoothed the course of implementation. KPMG
staffers are inundated with e-mail and other communication
on a daily basis. If it isn’t ‘need to know now,’ it often ends up
in the trash. So how do you let people know about something
that will eventually affect them? Ort believes that talking ear-
lier to the groups and individuals most immediately affected
could have instilled stronger support for the alignment sooner.
Lesson learned: know how your company functions – not just
on paper, but where the real work gets done, and how.
‘THINK DIFFERENT’
“Event consolidation has made people realize there are differ-
ent ways of doing things,” explains Ort. “This initiative has
been a big part of an overall ‘think different’ approach that
KPMG is taking.” He points out that, despite the bumps
encountered at the start of implementation, the firm is now
reacting well to the new processes. This is due in large part
to the positive experiences individuals are encountering in the
new event-management arena. “Performance is key,” explains
Ort. “If you can gain their trust, show them how you can make
their lives easier and make them look good, they’ll not only
accept change, they’ll be your strongest supporters.”
The change itself has been gradual, and according to Ort,
that is a good thing. As the various aspects of consolidation,
such as a firm-wide event policy, came into effect, the people
and departments were able to adapt and then move on to the
next new process. As new processes came into effect, they
were rolled out to various user groups, followed by a pilot pro-
gramme, to identify and work out the kinks before launching
firm-wide. Consolidation is unfolding in two phases, with the
Toronto and national offices now fully engaged and the regional
offices coming on board as part of phase two.
The first phase focused on introducing a dedicated event-
management team to plan events.This included the introduc-
tion of a specialized event-management technology to help
identify and track event expenses and demographics. During
the implementation process, Ort has seen the event-manage-
ment team establish positive relationships with and gain the
trust of clients and vendors alike.The firm is able to track ven-
dor costs, negotiate better rates and value-added services.
Vendors have expressed relief at having a single point of con-
tact, making customer-relationship management easier.
KPMG administrative assistants, who once had to balance
event-planning duties with their myriad assignments, are con-
tacting the event-management department more frequently to
deal with the task. Ort is particularly happy to see his marketing
managers making better use of their time. Prior to consolidation,
managers would become entangled with planning meeting
chores, which detracted from their ability to focus on strategy.
FULL TILT
The result, confirms Ort, is that the event-management team is
operating at full tilt.The firm is gaining a much greater awareness

3. MITexecutiveFall2008
of the volume, costs and profile of their events – the first step
in Amadi’s key objective of reducing costs and increasing value.
Amadi stresses that cost savings do not pertain simply on a
per-event basis. Proper event consolidation will realize cost sav-
ings in a number of areas, many of which will not be initially
obvious, he says. These include reduction in back-office trans-
action volumes; savings due to process streamlining; reduced
intra-departmental redundancies; more effective procurement
activities; enhanced event-management techniques; leverage
of group competencies and support structure to other, more
internally focused activities; and reduction in dependency on
outside service providers.
Ort points out, “the sales cycle for our audit group is five
years – when do you measure ROI? It will take time for us to
reap the financial reward of this consolidation, but we know
we are on the right track.”The next checkpoint in KPMG’s con-
solidation comes in September, when a formal review of
tracked costs, savings and other alignment criteria will be con-
ducted and a comprehensive analysis of its strategic effective-
ness can be determined.
Amadi has advice for others who are planning to embark on
an event alignment: Have a clear understanding of your firm’s
internal structure. This is key to successful change-manage-
ment efforts. Clearly define the roles and goals of champions
and participants in the implementation process. Ensure every-
one involved has the appropriate level of expertise, authority
and enthusiasm. Corporate strategic insight and extensive
senior-level event-management experience are essential assets
for two crucial roles: the leader of the initiative from within
the firm and the external alignment specialist. Map the pro-
cess and make sure everyone involved in the implementation
is aware of it. ‘Being on the same page’ takes on new mean-
ing when many people in various departments and locations
are being asked to work as a team.
Is event alignment worth the investment of time, money
and energy? Both Amadi and Ort, pioneers of the implemen-
tation at KPMG, agree that it was. Ort has one last recom-
mendation to firms considering event consolidation: “Don’t
lose sight of the horizon. Along the way, it’ll be easy to get
distracted from the end goal, get hung-up on issues and think
those issues are insurmountable. It’s important to keep your
boat facing the horizon and keep paddling!” n
— Susan Radojevic is president of Toronto-based meeting
consolidation strategists The Peregrine Agency Ltd.