Philadelphia-based meetings and events planners StarCite can get you anything you need. Need a board room at a hotel? Need to find a car service to pick up clients from the airport? Need a suite for executives to stay overnight? They have got you covered, down to the last detail. But where is the love?
This week, StarCite announced a partnership with i-Meet, a social networking site dedicated to connecting buyers and suppliers in an online, social media forum. The two sites hope to combine their efforts to create a more open relationship between companies planning meetings and the suppliers who can help.
When we are transacting online now, it can be a little harsh, says Senior VP of Global Supplier Sales David ODonohoe. But the social media platform we are working on with i-Meet will be much softer and will enable our suppliers to put their best foot forward, offering a personality online as opposed to just a transaction.
Launched in November, 2008 by former StarCite executive John F. Pino, i-Meet will allow the suppliers (hotels, caterers, car services), which StarCite’s online meeting tools help promote, to present themselves in a more personable way, using an integrated online community that, Pino says, doesnt just introduce you like another name on a sheet.
When youre looking to create a platform like this you have to take a step back and make sure youre doing it for the right reasons, ultimately meaning that it will create value, says Pino. Our ultimate goal will be to show a positive return on engagement for active members around the world.
The platform will include some original features, like virtual forums for suppliers to discuss best practices, and some familiar features, like the ability to friend certain suppliers or follow their updates. Currently, visitors are asked to join i-Meet, creating a list of pilot members for when the platform officially launches later this year.
Source: David O’Donohoe, StarCite
Writer: John Steele
