Streamlining Global Event Scheduling for Southwest Airlines
As Southwest Airlines expanded its global presence at key industry events, coordinating schedules across time zones and markets became increasingly complex. Manual processes couldn’t keep up with the pace and scale required. To streamline scheduling and ensure the right people were in the right place at the right time, Southwest turned to GoMeddo.
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines began operations in 1971, transforming domestic air travel with its low-cost, high-frequency service. Initially serving just three cities in Texas, the airline expanded rapidly post-deregulation and is now one of the largest carriers in North America. Operating over 4,000 daily flights and serving 117 airports across 42 U.S. states and 11 international destinations, Southwest remains known for its customer-centric approach, operational efficiency, and history of innovation, from ticketless travel to online booking.
The Challenge
As Southwest began attending more global industry conferences and trade events, coordinating the schedules of Account Executives (AEs) and Business Development Representatives (BDRs) became increasingly complex. Events took place across time zones, in different markets, and often simultaneously. Yet, all scheduling was managed manually through Outlook, with no centralized visibility.
This made it difficult to match team members to the right events or clients. Staff lacked insight into where people were, where they needed to be, and on their availability, resulting in lack of visibility on double bookings, missed opportunities, and time-consuming coordination. With high stakes tied to visibility and responsiveness, it was clear a more scalable solution was needed.
Why GoMeddo
GoMeddo entered the picture as Southwest was exploring ways to enhance their Salesforce stack. As a 100% Salesforce-native solution, GoMeddo provided the flexibility, structure, and integration Southwest required. It wasn’t just about managing time, it was about making smarter decisions based on who was available, where they were, and what each event required.
GoMeddo aligned naturally with Southwest’s goals by eliminating the need for third-party tools and syncing directly with Salesforce, where much of the sales and CRM activity already lived. This allowed for seamless collaboration across teams and simplified the event planning process.
The Solution
With GoMeddo, Southwest implemented a centralized internal scheduling system tailored for global operations. The platform enabled multi-time zone management, letting the team coordinate events across continents without confusion or overlaps.
For every booking, GoMeddo handled the matching of AEs to event slots based on their availability, travel location, and specific event requirements. Whether an event needed bilingual staff, specific seniority, or required approvals, GoMeddo’s rule engine and dynamic booking logic adapted to each use case. And because everything operated within Salesforce, all data remained connected and visible, eliminating silos and improving decision-making.
The system also supported real-time updates, allowing adjustments on the fly without losing accuracy. This was especially useful during high-volume periods or when multiple events were happening concurrently in different regions.
The Results
While detailed performance metrics are still in development, early feedback points to significantly improved scheduling efficiency, better visibility for planners and sales leaders, and a smoother experience for AEs on the ground. Southwest is now able to plan with confidence, knowing the right people are in the right place, at the right time.
This implementation has helped reduce administrative overhead, enhance responsiveness, and deliver a more strategic approach to global event planning. Most importantly, it’s given the sales team the tools they need to make the most of every opportunity.
