Brenda Crocker-Pierce

Senior Manager, Operations GE

Brenda is the Senior Manager of Operations for GE’s Global Strategic Meetings Management Program initiative – GE SmartMeetings.  Her career has taken her to all corners of the globe in a variety of roles - from hotel management, global corporate event management, logistics and sporting events management for a number of world-class organizations such as Carlson Marketing Group, NBC and GE. Brenda has managed hospitality or production events for 14 Olympic Games and a variety of other sporting events, including multiple Super Bowls.  She is a seasoned international traveler, multi-lingual and enjoys diverse cultures. 

At GE, Brenda was inspired to develop a new process for Meetings & Events Management that would unlock cost efficiencies, economies of scale and broader cross-functional communication. This led her to the creation of the Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP) for the company that successfully launched in the U.S. in October 2018 and is now in the process of rolling out globally. This exciting new program allows anyone within the organization to plan meetings and events using an internal portal that shares critical information such as sourcing, payment solutions and experience enhancing tools.  This breakthrough initiative at GE will not only drive process and leverage buying power across suppliers, but more importantly will result in significant bottom-line savings for the company.

Brenda has found that the key to her success has been to focus on continuous process improvement, seeking input from her internal and benchmarking with external customers,gaining trust and alignment among her team and cross-functional partners.