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Proudly supporting Clarion Events

Founded in 1947 and headquartered in London, Clarion Events is renowned as one of the world's leading event organisers, managing a diverse portfolio of events and media brands across various vertical markets.

Through their delivery of innovative, market-leading events, Clarion Events has evolved into a truly international business with over 950 employees across 13 offices worldwide, providing top-tier marketing, networking, and information solutions.

Seeking a remedy to streamline their administrative tasks and manage expenses efficiently in order to free up their leaders’ strategic time, one of their digital marketing teams turned to SmartPA for help.

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"...by partnering with SmartPA, we've saved, on average, one month's worth of work per year for each of our senior leaders, meaning they can put their energy back into the areas of the business that require it..."

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The Challenge

In 2021, Clarion Events Digital Marketing faced significant challenges with an increasing build-up of expenses and administrative tasks, particularly during the post-COVID events resurgence. With a new team and a fresh portfolio, they were in the early stages of acquiring a new business, leading to a lack of solid foundations and a pressing need to focus on core areas. The heavy workload led to delays, especially with critical tasks like expense reconciliation. This situation impacted not only their immediate team but also other departments within the organisation.

 

Why SmartPA?

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Clarion Events sought a solution to manage their increasing administrative workload without committing to a full-time role. SmartPA, recommended by a business associate, stood out for its ability to scale support hours based on demand.

After an initial meeting to assess capabilities and discuss support strategies, Clarion Events promptly engaged SmartPA's services. They appreciated the swift and efficient onboarding process, and the immediate support from SmartPA’s friendly internal team.

How does Clarion Events use SmartPA?

Clarion Events utilises SmartPA in three main capacities:

Expense Management & Administrative Tasks: SmartPA handles all aspects of expense management, ensuring prompt processing and reconciliation. This relieves senior management of administrative burdens, saving them considerable time.

Back-end Event Support: During events, SmartPA provides customer support as agents while Clarion Events’ team focuses on-site during events. Managing customer queries on Freshdesk ensures smooth event operations by allowing Clarion Events' team to concentrate on their core responsibilities.

Ad-hoc Support: SmartPA assists with various ad-hoc tasks such as research, travel management, and procurement of sponsorship gifts. This support is particularly valuable during high-demand periods, such as the post-COVID event resurgence, when internal resources were stretched.

The Results

 

  • Time Savings: Senior management has regained substantial time since SmartPA assumed responsibility for expense management. Tasks that previously consumed one to two days each month are now streamlined, saving nearly a month's work per year for each senior leader.

  • Operational Efficiency: Streamlined expense management and administrative tasks have eliminated roadblocks, ensuring timely submission and reconciliation of expenses and minimising disruption to the wider organisation. Through comprehensive documentation and handover processes by SmartPA, consistent and seamless support is maintained with minimal retraining needs, enabling Clarion Events to allocate more time to critical projects.

  • Scalability and Flexibility: The flexibility to adjust support levels based on business needs has reduced the necessity for Clarion Events to seek additional resources during peak periods.
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Tips for Other Businesses

For businesses grappling with similar challenges, Clarion Events recommends SmartPA for their friendly, adaptable, and efficient services. They found SmartPA incredibly easy to collaborate with, seamlessly integrating into their operations when treated as integral team members, thereby cultivating a smooth working relationship.

To make the most of your SmartPA support, Clarion Events suggests taking proactive steps. Start by identifying your pain points in advance and remain open to embracing SmartPA's innovative methods and suggestions to enhance operational efficiency. It's crucial to keep track of the time saved and productivity gains from outsourcing, as these directly impact scalability and business outcomes. And, above all, trust in SmartPA's capability to scale support according to your specific needs.

These measures foster a collaborative approach centred on innovation and impactful support, ultimately contributing to your enhanced business performance.

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