Meetings management trailblazer Betsy Bondurant died last week
after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The meetings industry, which she shaped
for the last 25 years through her pioneering work at biotech firm Amgen and then
through her deeply innovative and collaborative consulting business Bondurant
Consulting, is mourning her passing.
Bondurant built the model for a companywide meeting
registry, sourcing and contracting program at Amgen starting in 1999. An early
adopter of meeting technology StarCite, she used the platform to document the
savings of centralized sourcing and contracting, and reported the cost of
non-compliance to senior leadership to gain more buy-in to her program.
She continually evolved the program until she left Amgen in
2007 to launch her consulting practice. For the last 17 years, she helped
companies with SMM and event management.
Over the years Bondurant freely shared best practices,
common-sense tips and the savings potential of better meetings management. Business
Travel News has a long history as a beneficiary of Bondurant’s expertise. She
always made herself available to our editors for interviews featured in dozens
of articles through the years. She spoke often at BTN Group industry events,
providing cornerstone content and deep insights when BTN launched the Strategic
Meetings Summit in 2015.
Bondurant left an indelible mark on this industry through
her work with various committees and taskforces. BTN has compiled below just a
few of what could be dozens of tributes to her work, her professional generosity
and her friendship.
_____________________________
“The meetings industry lost a true pioneer this week. Betsy
and I crossed paths at Hyatt hotels and during her many years with Amgen and
then with her consulting business. She was one of the leading authorities on
Strategic Meetings Management and helped build numerous SMM programs that
continue to thrive today. She will be greatly missed and leaves a void in our
industry that will be incredibly tough to fill.”
David Peckinpaugh, President & CEO, Maritz
_____________________________
Betsy was perhaps the most genuinely authentic individual
that I ever met. Beginning with her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes,
she was truly a “what you see is what you get” individual who embraced every
person that she met, every opportunity she faced and every challenge that came
her way with a positive spirit and a sincerity that is so rarely found. She
possessed no self-serving agenda, and truly served to make others and our
industry better. She has left a mark that will never be erased. Our
best way to honor Betsy is to continue to elevate our industry with the
sincerity and purity of spirit that Betsy embodied.
Linda McNairy, Principal, Ground Floor Solutions
_____________________________
I first met Betsy when she was still at Amgen, and our
friendship grew over decades of traveling together, advocating for and
educating the industry about Strategic Meetings Management. Betsy had a special
talent for breaking down the fundamentals of SMM, making it easy for beginners
and those looking to launch their own meeting programs.
We often saw each other at industry conferences, and no
matter how hectic things got, we always found time to catch up over a drink or
coffee. Betsy was the kind of person people naturally gravitated
toward—kind-hearted, positive and full of warmth. She and her late husband,
Chris, were devoted Parrotheads, never missing a Jimmy Buffett concert when
they could, a reflection of their love for sailing and travel.
When I was tasked with developing an updated two-day Fundamentals
of Strategic Meetings Management course for GBTA’s SMM course
certification, I immediately reached out to Betsy, along with Debi Scholar and
Shimon Avish. Despite their busy schedules, they all accepted the challenge.
Betsy, in particular, brought her trademark dedication, always going above and
beyond. Even when my workload was heavy, she would offer to shoulder some of
it—just one example of her generosity and the true friend she was.
I will deeply miss her as a friend and confidante. Although
I am saddened by her loss, I take comfort in imagining Betsy and Chris
reunited, sailing once more and enjoying Jimmy Buffett’s heavenly concerts.
Rest in peace, my dear friend—you are missed by so many.
Kevin Iwamoto, Strategic Meetings Management Advisor
_____________________________
Over the years I have been part of some of the Strategic
Meetings Management sessions which Betsy led, and as importantly part of the
heartfelt conversations over coffee or a drink later in the day. Betsy
would be happy to spend her free time delving into the mechanics of SMM but
perhaps even more importantly supporting, encouraging and coaching the person
or people leading the charge for SMM. Her knowledge and commitment was
only exceeded by her kindness. We will miss that and her warmth most of
all.
Kimberly Meyer, Co-Founder, Data Angel
_____________________________
I first met Betsy in 2004 when she was at Amgen and I was at
PwC. One of her meeting managers was in the Meetings Competitive Advantage
Forum as was I. The MCAF founder, Maddy Caliri, joined four other industry
leaders (Kari Wendel, Tracey Wilt, Mike Malinchok and Alan Bednowitz) in a
newly formed National Business Travel Association (now Global Business Travel
Association) committee called the Groups & Meetings Committee that wrote
the first whitepaper (and several more) on Strategic Meetings Management.
Kevin Iwamoto, GBTA president and CEO at that time,
was instrumental in getting this new committee in place with Maddy and
Tracey as the first co-leaders. The Groups & Meetings Committee became
the driving force of worldwide SMM strategies and supplier services. Being part
of that prestigious group was a career highlight for many of us.
Progressive meeting leaders embraced the concept quickly;
yet, implementation posed challenges at most companies due to complexity and
buy-in. When Betsy learned the foundational aspects and the theory behind
SMM, she commenced on a journey within Amgen to deploy an improved meetings
program. She succeeded.
After leaving Amgen, she took her skillset to the market and
provided consulting services worldwide. We worked together on several projects
over the years; my favorite was a comprehensive day-long SMM course, with other
industry leaders (Kevin Iwamoto & Shimon Avish), that was delivered at a
GBTA Convention. Betsy was kind, hardworking and an industry expert. We
will miss her.
Debi Scholar, Sr. Director Global Travel & Meetings,
Teva Pharmaceuticals
