BNP Paribas Real Estate: Hospitality Audit

BNP Paribas Real Estate Audit

The brief

  • Review BNP Paribas Real Estate existing corporate hospitality and event management processes

  • Conduct primary and secondary research to understand internal attitudes to using hospitality and events for business development purposes - involving HQ and 12 regional offices

  • Identify key strengths and best practice which could be replicated in other locations, as well as opportunities for change and improvement

  • Present key recommendations for management consideration and action

Our response

  • Sportsworld deployed a team of 4 with wide-ranging experience of the UK events industry to conduct this project, using their proprietary hospitality audit process as a framework

  • We conducted high level secondary research, in particular reviewing selected existing documents, in order to gain a better understanding of internal processes and team structures

  • We designed a programme of primary research to engage key BNP Paribas people which included:
    - An online survey to capture both quantitative data and qualitative opinions
    - A series of one-to-one phone interviews with relevant decision makers
    - A half-day stakeholder workshop to explore in more depth certain 'hot topics' raised during earlier research

  • Having identified a number of strengths and areas for improvement, we filtered the options down to a set of recommendations, separating cost effective, high impact 'quick wins' from longer term 'ideal solutions'

The results

  • BNP Paribas participants commented on the professionalism and rigour of the research undertaken by the Sportsworld team

  • Using an immediate 'bull's eye' feedback form, attendees of the stakeholder workshop scored the event 4 or 5 out of 5 according to:
    - the usefulness of the workshop in considering issues relating to current event management
    - the potential to improve management of events internally
    - their personal commitment to support process improvements

  • The process of engaging a wide range of people across both HQ and regional offices generated healthy internal discussions and supported the business case for change

  • Sportsworld's recommendations were received with interest and a high degree of consensus; several have been or are being implemented, with the express intention of increasing hospitality ROI for the business

  • Sportsworld's best practice guide to hospitality was included within the project team's final report and has been used by BNP Paribas Real Estate colleagues to good effect

 Testimonial

“We were impressed from start to finish with Sportsworld's intelligent and thorough approach to this project.  They listened to our business objectives, put in place a programme of research engaging over 60 stakeholders and presented the key findings back to us.  In particular, the recommendations made included a number of practical 'quick wins’ where we could enhance our hospitality and event offering.  Colleagues were motivated and we have been able to make positive change as a result - a very worthwhile exercise and, at a fraction of our annual business development budget, good value for money."

Marc McConnell, Business Development & Marketing Director, BNP Paribas Real Estate