10th Anniversary Forum of Administrative Directors
On February 28th, 2013 in Moscow Sheraton Palace hotel the 10th anniversary «Administrative Directors Forum» was held; its organizers were Russian Association of Business Travel (ABT) and AHConferences.
The Forum’s participants were administrative directors, maintenance service directors, office managers, head receptionists and administrative managers. The event gathered more than one hundred participants.
The key issues of the Forum were the following:
— specific aspects of administrative director’s work, its effect on the company’s success and achievements
— internal communications system
— ways to motivate employees of the administrative department
— corporate travel policy
— office ergonomics, office repair and real estate management, business floor space projects and design
— automatization of record keeping and property management systems
The event schedule included three sections: «Enhancement of administrative department efficiency», «Modern office philosophy», «New requirements — new solutions». The Forum participants had an opportunity to get acquainted with business cases of administrative directors of large Russian and international companies.
The event was opened by the Forum moderator, independent expert Pavel Volkov, who took the greeting word and welcomed the audience.
Elena Reisentul, Yandex.Money administrative director presented a report entitled «Effect of Administrative director’s efficiency on the company’s success». Ms. Reisentul named the main tasks of the administrative and maintenance department, specifics of its staff motivation, ways of efficient internal communication, cost planning and cost minimization and the results the company can achieve due to efficient work of the administrative and maintenance department.
Executive director of «MTA Translation Agency», Artem Gruzdev made a report «The high price of a cheap translation». He told the audience about the main risks of low quality work of freelance translators: reputational, financial, and legal risks (even subject to imprisonment) and gave several spectacular examples of how the company and its clients can get harmed as the result of careless translator’s work.
The last report of the first Forum section was presented by Grigory Antsygin, managing director in «Renaissance Insurance». He presented a report «Corporate communication system of administrative department as a way to enhance efficiency» and stressed that previous ways of communication were out of date and special corporate social networks have emerged to prominence (Yammer, LinkedIn etc.). Mr Antsygin shared his company’s experience in using their own corporate network based on Yammer. In his words, this network has aroused a burst of feedback and has proved its efficiency.
During the second Forum session Oleg Pugovkin, UC «ARMEKS» managing director took the floor and covered the issues of real estate exploitation; Artem Dergozubov, «IT Smart Systems» commercial director told the guests about modern technologies in record keeping and property management. Then the Forum participants listened to the report of «Cargill» administrative manager Alexander Dubrovsky «Office repair. Cost optimization» and of the «STOROSS» furniture factory commercial director Yury Chibelyaev «Office changes — it’s easy».
During the last third section named «New requirements — new solutions» current issues of travel management and corporate events were discussed, as well as problems of project development and design, particular aspects of holding tenders and contests.
The first spokesperson of the section was VTB Bank vice-president, director of cost control and analysis department Irina Kuznetsova. She began her presentation «Business travel program: strategy and tactics» with the explanation of the key difference between the notions of «travel management» and «travel program». In general, a travel program implies a broader approach and strategic partnership and cooperation with a business travel services provider, and not just customer relationship. A professional travel management company, and not a travel agency should be responsible for the program elaboration and fulfillment. Mrs Kuznetsova explained the audience that when you choose a travel service provider, «you should make a sort of a snapshot» i.e. a picture of what you already have, and to analyze what you plan to achieve and how you can achieve these particular goals in your company«. The speaker pointed out the main travel program elements and described in detail the search of a partner — a travel management company — and the purchase process. In the end of her speech Mrs Kuznetsova again stressed the importance of a clear definition of working practices for travel management companies and named advantages of having control over travel policy implementation (cost optimization and reduction, partner relations promotion, brand image strengthening).
The topic of travel management was further developed by the Chairman of the Russian Association of Business Travel Vadim Zelensky. He stressed that business trips costs make up a large expenditure item of any company, as a rule, the third after the personnel costs and office lease. That is why it is crucial to convey to the companies the idea of travel management necessity, because it allows to cut costs (by
ABT chairman proposed to consider travel management as a circle or a cycle divided into several phases. It begins with analysis and statistics that companies provide a travel management company with, then tenders and purchases that have their own particular aspects in the travel industry. Mr. Zelensky noted that all these questions would be discussed in detain at the next ABT educational session «Bidding for a business travel supplier: effective ways to prepare and to conduct a tender» which would take place on April 9th 2013.
The next phase, travel policy, is the cornerstone for all further work. Then goes the travel request, the business trip itself, payment and finally business trip closing documents. Mr. Zelensky specified that it was necessary to decide whether the business trip is necessary or one can conduct negotiations and achieve business goals by phone, Skype or by means of a teleconference, etc. In case the business trip is necessary, it is crucial to make the right choice of a travel services provider based on his experience and the level of expertise, because it is the provider who bears the responsibility, supplies information and provides help in case of emergency. As for the payment, the speaker covered the issue of special corporate cards for travel services, which is rather seldom in Russia yet; the cards are mostly virtual and are issued among others by American Express and Diners Club International.
In the final part of his presentation Mr. Zelensky made a conclusion that corporate cost cutting may be achieved by means of certain steps and procedures carried out by experienced travel managers and TMC, as well as by means of close control over travel policy implementation, corporate agreements and contracts with TMC.
The ABT chairman summarized his speech with a few words about the Association and about its important educational mission in particular. Despite the fact that travel management is taught as a separate educational course in colleges abroad, in Russia ABT is the only organization that offers educational courses in travel management. Besides, ABT is a perfect platform for communication with colleagues engaged in travel management, as well as a place to exchange opinions, experience, success stories and ideas.
Pavel Sakharov, commercial director of the «Tzargrad» hotel made a report named «Corporate events: effective means of event management». Commercial director of «AVKUBE Commercial», Anton Shipnyagin concluded the third Forum section with his presentation «Design as a business task solution. Best practices in business floor space project development. Modern design trends».
All the participants of the 10th anniversary «Administrative Directors Forum» highly appreciated the level of effort. Executive director of «MTA Translation Agency», Artem Gruzdev told the ABT reporter that his company attended this event for the first time and was very much satisfied with the results and was planning to participate in the Forum in future: «The decision was strategic, because the companies we work with, and to be more exact, decision makers in our field, are not
GK «Avtomir» representative, Igor Yemelyanov was also satisfied with the Forum results. «My expectations of the event were met by 100%». I am bound up in these issues, these are my topics, including business travel. There was something new for me, while some other matters have already been regulated and formalized and do not pose any problems in our company. I appreciate not only the reports themselves, but also the chance of unofficial communication with colleagues and the opportunity to share experience. I have regularly attended events held by AH Conferences lately". (Vlada Stekanova)
