Conference Event Management

What Conference Event Management does

Conference Event Management (CEM), founded in 2003 by Michelle DeClerck, CMP, is a privately held, women-owned business enterprise headquartered in Clive, Iowa that provides full-service event, conference, incentive travel, and meeting management to associations, corporations, and financial/insurance industry clients. The firm's core offering is organized around eight integrated service lines: hotel and cruise site selection (a no-cost sourcing service), total event management, incentive travel, special events, marketing and gifting, speaker and entertainer bookings, creative services, and corporate sports outings, supplemented by two registered sub-brands — FICPro Team® (financial and insurance industry specialization) and Travel My Way® (individual travel voucher system).

The technology stack is modest and service-oriented rather than platform-oriented, consisting of custom event websites, attendee portals, registration platforms, email marketing campaigns, real-time updates, and meeting apps. CEM holds Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Certified Targeted Small Business (Iowa), and Women-Owned Business Enterprise certifications, and is a member of SITE, MPI, NAWBO Iowa, and the International Association of Speakers Bureaus.

CEM monetizes through two primary streams: professional services fees for full-service event management (engagement-based) and placement fees paid by hotels and cruise lines for client sourcing referrals, which funds the complimentary site selection offering without charging clients. GTM is direct, relationship-driven field sales targeting enterprise and association buyers, supported by LinkedIn, Facebook, and X/Twitter presence. The firm operates a lean organizational model with a second office on the West Coast staffed by an Event Strategist, and reports 11-50 employees with no disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or institutional investment.

Name

Conference Event Management

Legal name

Conference Event Management

Website

https://mycem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Management Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

Keywords

• Event management services
• Corporate meeting planning
• Incentive travel programs
• Conference site selection
• Special event production

Headquarters

HQ city

Clive

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Event Management Services: Full-service event management including incentive travel, corporate meetings, special events, conferences, and galas. Clients can select individual services or comprehensive management packages.
2. Hotel & Cruise Placement Fees: Complimentary sourcing services for clients; the company receives placement fees from hotels and cruise lines for bringing business to them. This model does not adversely affect rates paid by clients.
3. Incentive Travel Programs: Indulgent destination experiences that enhance customer or employee performance. Includes individual travel vouchers, adventure packages, and elite sport packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Conference Event Management (CEM) is a women-owned event management agency delivering full-service planning and execution for associations, corporations, and financial/insurance clients. Core offerings include complimentary hotel and cruise site selection, total event management, incentive travel programs (including the Travel My Way voucher system), special events/galas, marketing and gifting, speaker and entertainer bookings, in-house creative services, and corporate sports outings. The FICPro Team specializes in financial and insurance industry events with compliance-aware execution.

Product overview

Conference Event Management (CEM) is a women-owned business enterprise providing a comprehensive suite of event, conference, and meeting management services. The core offering is organized around eight integrated service lines: Hotel & Cruise Site Selection (a complimentary sourcing service), Total Event Management (full-service planning and execution), Incentive Travel (destination-based incentive experiences), Special Events (custom gala and festival design), Marketing & Gifting (event marketing and curated gift experiences), Speaker & Entertainer Bookings (Speakers Bureau and entertainer contracting), Creative Services (in-house photography and design), and Corporate Sports Outings (VIP sports event arrangements). Supporting these services are branded programs including Travel My Way (individual travel voucher system) and the FICPro Team (specialized financial/insurance industry consulting group). Clients can select individual services or engage CEM for total event management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FICPro Team®: Financial and Insurance Consultants - leverages proven event management techniques and industry trends to deliver results for associations, corporations, and financial industries.
• Travel My Way®
• Speakers Bureau

Products and services

• Hotel & Cruise Site Selection A complimentary sourcing service that researches destinations and properties, negotiates rates and contracts on behalf of clients, and provides unbiased recommendations for hotel and cruise venues. The company is compensated via placement fees from hotels and cruise lines, not from clients.
• Total Event Management Full-service event planning and execution covering site selection, contract negotiation, air travel management, transportation planning, event marketing, speaker bookings, banquet planning, on-site management, and custom website development for corporate and association clients.
• Incentive Travel Destination-based incentive experiences designed to enhance customer or employee performance, improve morale, and drive sales, featuring optional full event management, adventure packages, and individual travel vouchers under the Travel My Way brand.
• Special Events Custom-designed event experiences including galas and festivals, with full-service stage production, creative concepts, live show design, media creation, and technical management.
• Marketing & Gifting Custom event marketing and gifting strategies including marketing plan development, registration websites, promotional packages, themed events, meeting apps, and curated gift suite experiences with customizable and locally-inspired gift options.
• Speaker & Entertainer Bookings Speakers Bureau service providing access to trendsetters, newsmakers, authors, and professionals for keynote speaking, plus entertainer contracting for celebrities, comedians, performers, and musicians with professional contracting and negotiation services at no cost.
• Creative Services In-house creative team providing photography packages, event branding services, interior event design, graphic design, and creative idea development, including on-site staff photographer and videographer access with full photo access and editing enhancements.
• Corporate Sports Outings VIP sports event arrangements including premium seating at major events (Masters, US Open, Wimbledon, Super Bowl), adventure packages, and VIP autograph sessions.
• Travel My Way Individual travel voucher system offering customizable reward trip options including specific hotel stays with breakfast, promoted destination packages, custom catalog options, and fully customizable qualifiers' trips.
• FICPro Team Financial and Insurance Consultants team leveraging proven event management techniques and industry trends to deliver results for associations, corporations, and financial industries, with awareness of compliance requirements.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small BusinessesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference Event Management participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program at Babson College in Spring 2017. This elite entrepreneurship program is designed to propel small businesses to create jobs and economic opportunity. Being the only small business in Iowa to participate in this program provides credibility and learning opportunities.
• NAWBO IowaminorOthersNational Association of Women Business Owners Iowa chapter membership and involvement. The company founder received Iowa Business Owner of the Year award from NAWBO.
• Meeting Professionals InternationalminorOthersProfessional industry association membership for meeting and event professionals.
• Society for Incentive Travel (SITE)minorOthersProfessional association for incentive travel industry. Company maintains active membership.
• International Association of Speakers BureausminorOthersIndustry association membership supporting speaker and entertainer booking services.
• Iowa Hospitality Donation NetworkminorOthersCommunity organization that connects hospitality industry donations to those in need. CEM actively supports this initiative.
• Hotels and Cruise LinescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotels and cruise lines pay placement fees to Conference Event Management for bringing client business to them. This is a key revenue partnership that enables the company to offer complimentary site selection services to clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BI WORLDWIDE: BI WORLDWIDE is a Minneapolis-based global provider of incentive, engagement, and event solutions for enterprise clients. It is comparable as a full-service incentive travel and meetings agency targeting corporate audiences with vertically specialized programs.
• ITA Group: ITA Group is a West Des Moines, Iowa-based performance improvement and incentive/event engagement company serving enterprise and association clients. It is the most directly comparable peer given shared Iowa roots, similar B2B incentive and event-management focus, and overlapping vertical mix including financial services.
• PRA Business Events: PRA Business Events (now part of CWT) was a corporate event management agency serving association and enterprise clients across incentive, conference, and meeting programs. It is comparable as a similarly positioned full-service B2B event agency.
• Bishop McCann: Bishop McCann is a corporate event management agency producing conferences, incentives, meetings, and special events for enterprise and association clients. It is comparable as a similarly sized, full-service B2B event agency.
• ConferenceDirect: ConferenceDirect provides hotel sourcing and meeting planning services to corporate, association, and third-party-planner clients. Its complimentary site-selection model funded by hotel commissions directly parallels CEM's no-cost hotel & cruise sourcing offering.
• Hello! Destination Specialists: Hello! Destination Specialists designs and operates incentive travel programs and corporate events for Fortune 500 clients. It is a direct peer in incentive travel program design and execution, including destination-based reward experiences.

Broad incumbents

• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: George P. Johnson is a global experience marketing agency producing large-scale events, conferences, and experiential programs for enterprise brands. It is comparable as a broader-scope incumbent in event design and production serving corporate clients.
• BCD Meetings & Events: BCD Meetings & Events is a global meetings management and event agency operating across corporate, association, and incentive programs worldwide. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the same strategic meetings management and corporate events category.
• CWT Meetings & Events: CWT Meetings & Events is a global meetings, events, and incentive travel division of CWT serving multinational enterprise clients. It is comparable as a broad incumbent with end-to-end meetings and event capabilities at global scale.
• Maritz (M): Maritz is a long-established, large-scale provider of incentive travel, meetings, and engagement services to global enterprises. It is comparable as a much larger incumbent offering overlapping meeting, incentive, and event capabilities across a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Conferenceevent
• Facebookfacebook.com/desmoinesconferenceeventmanagement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/262483

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conference Event Management