Managing Iasta’s user group conference, reSource ’08, was much, much easier this year thanks to SmartSource SRM. Yes, its true, a marketing professional used an eSourcing application. I used SmartSource SRM to collect information and negotiate favorable rates for our conference facility. This included meeting rooms, guest rooms, parking and wireless Internet access, among other things. The process saved me vast amounts of time, not to mention providing direct benefits for our attendees.

After I confirmed the facility, I expanded my use of SmartSource SRM to communicate with Iasta’s potential attendees. This is where I benefited the most. Once I organized my invitee list by customer, I was able to create standardized emails to announce details about the conference’s dates, agenda or other important information. I then used SmartSource SRM to manage attendee registration, payments and conference activity participation.

Now that reSource ’08 has concluded, I’m surveying the attendees about their experiences so we can improve next year’s conference. I’m also distributing post-conference information to conference attendees through SmartSource SRM. This step is very easy since all the attendees are already SmartSource SRM users (often called ‘suppliers’ when used in a sourcing project).

Though this year’s conference is over, the really big benefits will come in the future. I am in the process of helping coordinate our European reSource ’08 conference that will be held in October in London. And, I also have next year’s, not yet announced, reSource ’09. I’ll simply reuse all my recent project work as templates and make a few adjustments to account for new information. And if I have someone else helping out, they can easily see the project’s history.

Most marketing professionals reject the use of eSourcing for marketing initiatives. Perhaps they think it stifles creativity. I think it helps stimulate creativity. By developing repeatable processes for certain areas, I have more time to focus the areas that need creative energy. Also important, not all marketing projects need to be auctions, many are RFx surveys. Non-auction projects add just as much value. Categories that are great candidates for marketing sourcing projects include meeting/guest room rates, giveaways (pens, bags, shirts, etc.), limousine services, media, printing … among numerous other possibilities.