NR 2 – j u n e 2012
• Mini-conference creates ma xi satisfac tion • The modern Marco Polo • Meet anno 2012
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Our meeting room. Alp Aelggi, Central Switzerland
MySwitzerland.com/meetings With its excellent infrastructure, ease of access and breathtaking scenery, Switzerland is the ideal location for your meetings. For assistance with the planning of your event please contact the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau: phone 020 620 92 29, scib.nl@switzerland.com, or visit us on www.MySwitzerland.com/meetings
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contents
C o v e r p h o t o The Gleneagles Hotel Scotland
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10
36
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editorial
By Yolanda & Kim
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share +
Full speed ahead
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Story
How does a mini-conference create
maxi-satisfaction?
10
once in a lifetime
A tribal solution for global minds
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l e t m e e n t e r ta i n y o u
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Eye witness
A UN intern meets Beirut
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s u s ta i n a b i l i t y DIY
Sustainable Hospitality, No Science Fiction!
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column
Should Destinations and DMCs Use
Social Media?
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c l o s e & p e r s o n a l
The modern Marco Polo
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g r o u p s s -x x l
See you In Shanghai!
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s n a p s h o t
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FYI
The right fit
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check it out
Meet anno 2012
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column
Meeting Connections, Expectations and
Spirituality?
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z o o m i n
Mind your meeting!
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food for thought
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e d ito r ial
We like! Two years ago we pitched our SHARE TODAY idea at IMEX for a selected group of global event professionals. One year ago we launched our first breakfast meeting at IMEX. This year we created our first mini-conference one day before IMEX. We cannot deny anymore that gathering around IMEX Frankfurt brings us to the next level year by year. The success of the IMEX tradeshow celebrating its 10th anniversary attracts and inspires event professionals from around the globe. We like!
We bring you the new edition full of meeting tips & tricks. A highly valued topic because the meeting industry is gaining more and more importance compared with the incentive market of today. Some may say ‘face to face’ will be the new black in future. We need to stay tuned to the everchanging social landscape. Pinterest has landed and new event applications pop up every day. We have met some inspiring social entrepreneurs lately like Julius Solaris from Eventmanagerblog, Gerrit Heijkoop from HCIBS (How Can I Be Social?) and Tony Pardo from Mobile Roadie and again cannot deny we are truly inspired by some of their interesting insights. We like! Very soon we will launch a new SHARE TODAY face. Why? We like to deliver 100% inspiration in a social landscape for our fans, followers & friends. Stay tuned and we hope...You like! Happy reading, Kim & Yolanda
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Full speed ahead Half way the year and on full speed. Just finished our first mini conference of SHARE TODAY and returned from IMEX Frankfurt full of ideas but not before sharing feedback and news with you. We have new members to introduce: Maria Jacobs-Bene of J&B Incentives, one of the major DMC’s for Hungary, and Marc Glatigny of Argentina en Colores representing Argentina and Chile. Further, we are looking back to our first SHARE TODAY conference with a great feeling. We are proud to share some of the feedback. Linda Benmammar of Vanadoo and DestinationPro I decided to join because of the people behind it, the possibility to talk and network with industry pro’s outside from the regular fair routine. I was touched by the speaker, Julius Solaris who made a short tour to social media, especially blogging world. I would probably welcome an even more advanced session for a deeper knowledge of the social media. Iris Langanke of First Incentive Travel I just wanted to add that I was happy that I joined your Share Today event! I liked the location, the people and the format. And finally I got to meet the two of you in action!
Maria Jacobs Bene of J&B Incentives I can speak only in “superlatives” about the event: location, speakers, timing, atmosphere, catering. I left with a wonderful feeling! Speakers were carefully chosen, all of them really top, interesting subjects and surely instructive sessions. Chapeau in every sense of the word, a perfect balance of learning and exchanging views. I do hope there will be a next one. Rui Calapez of Buzz Portugal The fact that your events have been extremely profitable, bringing in extremely interesting subjects and most of all, very interesting speakers. Was a space for discussion, believe you’re building for sure one if not the best discussion forums in our industry. Jeroen Swolfs, the photographer was extremely interesting. Not only the story but mostly the way one can show, through pictures, that we are all not so different after all. Very entertaining and yet challenging to make us think more globally. You bring in new subjects for discussion etc. and that will surely keep your formula a successful one. WOW, we are speechless, thank you all for joining and for the one who missed it? Hope to see you next time! Read more about our event at page 6. For more information about the SHARE+ membership, please contact us at info@sharetoday.com share today | 02.2012 5
How does a mini-conference create maxi-satisfaction? te x t & p h otos K im A l derden & Y o l anda L o gt
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sto r y
15 event professionals accepted our invitation for the first SHARE TODAY mini-conference. Both of us were eager to deliver what we promised: an inspirational setting to open-up minds and tantalize everyone’s event spirit. We dare to say we succeeded. Every year in May the global events industry meets in Frankfurt for the IMEX tradeshow. Therefore we picked the day before it all started. Monday 21st May was D-Day. A line-up of four carefully selected speakers shared different stories coming from different angles. Willem van Weert kicked off our miniconference. He used to work with DMC’s when he was an entrepreneur in events himself. Today as Director of Sponsoring and Events at an internationally operating company he is responsible for a team of 17 persons. He shared how the corporate of today is working on three major pillars: measurement (ROI), integration (the bigger picture), and creativity. In a lively setting he took our guests through his 360˚ model where brand exposure, sales leads and brand building are the key elements in events as well as business. His open attitude created lots of questions that the guests could benefit from, and resulted in an interesting discussion. Next was Jeroen Swolfs of Streets of the World who lives a boy’s dream. Persuasive and persistent he presented his plan to over 100 possible investors. And finally he succeeded, an art lover and investor was struck by his idea and
Streets of the World was born. Read more on page 26. What would you expect from SHARE TODAY in a mini-conference? Someone social and 100% connected, right? So we brought Julius on stage to give a ‘mini’ workshop. Julius Solaris has been an event blogger since 2005 and can pay his rent from his blog eventmanager.com. Treat him to a perfect coffee and this Italian guy will share his blogging insights with you. Maybe not everyone can relate to the potential of a blog, but we all learned a very important lesson: a personal blog adds value to your personal brand. Still not convinced? Blogging is a way to be in control, have great SEO (search engine optimisation) and influence. You own your blog and do not have to be afraid that Marc Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook) will wake up one morning and change the complete layout of your carefully designed Facebook page. Interested in some insights? Click here [presentation JS attached) to see Julius presentation. Kameha Suite was the perfect host in Frankfurt for our event. A great atmosphere and various guest lounges make you feel instantly at home. ® share today | 02.2012 7
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sto r y
Food lovers will definitely return here, and we enjoyed a great night out on the open-air terrace. But not until after we had listened to the story of Carsten K. Rath, founder and owner of the Kameha concept who is Mr. Excellent Service himself. Next to this venue, a stunning hotel in Bonn is their masterpiece. Carsten is a star in creating the right spirit and team of employees. Some things may sound unconventional but help him build the Kameha brand. “Mistakes are made by anyone. Misbehaviour is something totally different, and we can go this far that by serious misbehaviour a colleague is fired on the spot while a mistake can learn sometimes a complete team to create a better understanding,” according to Rath. That must be why guests feel like kings at Rath’s places and not
like obstacles, a word Rath used to explain how some hotels treat their guests. The vibrant afternoon gave us insights and inspiration and that is just why SHARE TODAY makes a great community. We love to attract people in our industry who are willing to share and inspire, and we know there are a lot more of them out there! In for more inspiration? Sign up at our blog. √
Note For this event SHARE TODAY used Twoppy to show all details of the event on smartphones. Interested click here. share today | 02.2012 9
A tribal solution for global minds
te x t kim a l derden p h otos af r ican ant h olog y
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o nce in a l ifetime
The next annual board meeting is on your agenda. All eyes are focused on you. For five years you managed to come up with either a creative conceptual approach or a divine destination. But what’s next? Well we might have a nice suggestion for you. We love to write about tented camps. The atmosphere is usually very genuine and the surroundings and nature mostly stunning. Chiefs Tented Camp is able to bring the concept of a tented camp to the next level. Here is our idea of your new board meeting solution; • The hub is Capetown, easy accessible from major worldwide airports • The location, amidst wine lands in South Africa because we all know that a successful board meeting is created by the right balance between business and pleasure • The concept? Let’s call it A tribal solution for global minds The history of South Africa combined with the values of nature and quotes of their world famous leader Mandela enable a default to deliver the perfect backdrop for your next event. SHARE TODAY was anxious to learn more about the feasibility of their idea and contacted Wayne Pritchard, managing director of African Anthology.
Q. What made you create the mobile concept of Chief Tented Camps? ‘The concept of the tented camp came about largely as a result of the fact that our most magnificent locations, by their nature, are void of infrastructure and development. In order to experience this natural phenomenon for anything longer than a quick visit would require an accommodation solution, which was temporary, and very low on environmental impact. A luxury tented camp was the ideal option.’ Q. Please explain to us what key element is necessary to convince our clients of this concept? ‘What a wonderful question. I would say that the most important element would be the extent to which the decision maker is able to think outside the box. And in the minds of many, the concept of a tented camp is a high risk adventure, and we would say that yes to the uninitiated it may be so, but with risk comes reward and we believe that international awards and feedback should mitigate some of these fears. ®
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o nce in a l ifetime
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o nce in a l ifetime
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o nce in a l ifetime
We are acutely aware that the market often looks for adventure but would like all potential risks mitigated, and we believe that we have been able to mitigate these risks. Q. What was the most extravagant location you set up one of your camps? ‘Another interesting question and I can’t help but ask how one defines ‘extravagant’. For us extravagant would be doing a camp in the Kruger National Park, as we recently did, and it was during one of the nights at our Kruger camp that our guests got to see some wonderful interaction between a pride of lions and a pack hyena over a wildebeest kill, all from the safe barrier of our temporary electric fence. I think it is very difficult to explain the power of an experience like this. But having said this, we also did a camp 14 share today | 02.2012
in the Kalahari and the vastness of the Kalahari is particularly humbling and made all the more so when one wakes from our tent to find fresh territorial male lion tracks within meters of the camp. Having said this, the book on extravagant places remains open, and we will shortly depart for a camp in the Okavango delta in Botswana and by all accounts this will be the best yet.’ √ African Anthology is the marketing and sales partner of Chiefs Tented Camp. They can cater for 10 to 400 guests. Africa is their playground; countries such as Botswana, Namibia and east Africa are suitable for this concept. The have set up more than 30 tailor made camps already.
l et me entertain y o u
w e b s & App s
oksBooks
Share a Table When traveling alone (for example during an inspection trip) and not having any appointments during the night, try ‘share a table’. Meet other interesting people while enjoying your dinner. At this moment only available in Europe. www.shareatable.org
The Complete Guide to Greener Meetings and Events While there are many reasons to incorporate sustainable practices into meetings and events, the number one reason to go green is to do business better. The book is divided into three parts, which reflect defining principles of greener meetings and events: Innovation, Conservation, and Education. This book broadly explores sustainable management in the hospitality, tourism, conference and exhibition and meeting & event industries.
Design your own tents Wouldn’t it be great if your client has his own designed tents as his sleeping place for a night? Check these outstanding tents out at field candy, inspiration enough! www.fieldcandy.com
The Conference CO2 travel calculator from Tourism Ireland is an application that allows you to calculate the carbon costs of flying to and from your next international meeting or conference. It will help you work out which locations for your event might be less harmful to the environment than others, depending on where your delegates are travelling from.
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te x t & p h oto est h e r g r isnic h
A UN intern meets Beirut 16 share today | 02.2012
e y e witness
‘It was hot. The sun shattered by a grey and cloudy sky. Whether it was pollution or just some light rainy clouds; it made the day even more uncomfortable. Today we visit a refugeecamp in a suburb of Beirut. I do not know what to expect. A lot of hear-say stories about accidents with weapons in the camps that are densely populated areas. I even don’t know whether to expect a tented camp, a slum or people living in totally damaged houses. Of course I read reports about the current situation and the challenges trying to create a more human situation for both the refugees and the Lebanese people and to avoid the violence amongst the different groups and families in the camps but I can really only describe the real situationd after my visit to one of the camps together with an international organisation’. SHARE TODAY got an insight in a meeting with a totally different focus than we usually publish. Esther Grisnich is a student Political Studies and took the opportunity of an internship at the UN office in Beirut, Lebanon. Definitely no fancy events related details here. Below her story: ‘I called a taxi to drive me up to the mountains, where I would join the group of volunteers. Different than the beautiful and glamorous centre of Beirut the neighbourhood became messier. Damaged buildings, garbage on the streets, torn curtains before the balconies and open windows; Children playing in the small streets between cars manufactured before I was even born. Already I was wondering if I could live
in such uncomfortable circumstances and this was not even the final point yet. How the taxi driver could ever find this place was a miracle but after half an hour I arrived at the point I should meet other volunteers to join them to the camps by bus. A nice guy sitting next to me gave me some handy tips; I learned it is not at all unsafe in the camps however a woman on her own is not very common. However I am here with an organization of volunteers so I think it’s fine… No mans land Further we drove. What I called ‘poor’ before became ‘rich’ already. Buildings made of other ruins but four floors high, electricity cables above the streets everywhere, laundry to dry all over the balconies and women hanging out of other open windows. Expecting a gate to enter a camp, with maybe a fence around it, I was surprised we only had to stop at a military control post before entering the camp. It’s actually not really a camp but more a town. Maybe a tiny little country with an entire society on a squared kilometre. The big difference is… this is a limbo. Yes, it’s Lebanese ground but who is the owner? To which country do these people belong? No passports are available for the thousands living in this place. This means no possibility to travel, to work, to go to university or even to join a different society than behind the fictitious borders of the military posts. ®
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e y e witness
Meeting Momentum When entering a kind of solid building I was surprised about the ‘nice’ environment made by an organisation. A room with proper chairs, tables and a nice coloured red wall. A warm welcome by a young man, other guys and one covered woman impressed by such a tall blond Dutch girl. (I am 1.85 with shoe size 42) A strong Arabic coffee was offered. Soon more young people enter the room. Sitting in a circle the project leader started the discussion. The subject? A project to establish a safer environment for children to play and an initiative to organize a youth group by giving workshops in behaviour, attitude and job training; simple steps forward towards a safe environment. The meeting focussed on electricity. Cables are everywhere! All over and across the streets between houses. No wooden or metal pillars used to make constructions safe. The young people informed us on the situation that water pipelines are crossing the cables and in the past year twenty, mostly children, died because of electrocution. Only a small budget is available to fix the main problems. Despite the motivation to move foreword in the discussion, decisionmaking is more complicated than expected. Turning down the electricity for several hours is a must but who and which company can be involved? I learned that consensus-based decisions in this group of young ambitious people is not easy at all. Is it culture, is it background or is it attitude?
Despite this all I was impressed about the will and encouragement of this group. Starting a meeting, deliberating the problems and looking for possibilities to change a difficult environment are the beginning of building bridges instead of fighting for power. Sometimes I feel that a peace negotiation by political groups and world leaders is a past station already. A new strategy by NGO’s and international organisations focusing on the new generation and to involve them in simple projects for a better living standard will bring new perspectives. How and if this project will be successful I don’t know. But I’m sure this meeting has at least given me a deeper intention of one of the small but maybe even major problems in this environment. I trust the model that a lot of small initiatives like this will make a difference in future.’ √
As an event professional you may work with interns yourself. SHARE TODAY wanted to publish this story because it gives insight in the world of young and ambitious people ready for their path in the future. Certainly this meeting story has less to do with our industry but inspiration from other businesses creates added value so now and then. Interested to learn more about our woman in the Middle East? Click here share today | 02.2012 19
Sustainable Hospitality, No Science Fiction! te x t Yolan d a L ogt p h otos acco r
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sustainabilit y D I Y
Who does not remember the science fiction series Mork & Mindy from the end of the seventies? Mork, an alien, arrives on Earth from planet Ork and starts a friendship with ‘earthling’ Mindy. Hilarious episodes follow and the Ork greeting, ‘Nano – Nano’ entered our pop culture phrase book, as well as Mork’s attention getter, ‘Mork calling Mindy’. Mork from Ork was the first thing that popped in our heads when we heard about project PLANET 21. But PLANET 21 isn’t funny science fiction, it is both real and serious. We talked about sharing and caring in the hotel industry in a former edition of SHARE TODAY. PLANET 21 is another example of CSR in our industry. PLANET 21 is an initiative of Accor that confirms its ambition to reinvent the hotel industry on a sustainable basis by increasing the mobilization of its employees, guests and partners. The name is taken from Agenda 21, a program of goals signed in Rio in 1992, reminding us of the urgent concern of the 21st century: the need to change our methods of production and consumption to preserve human beings and eco-systems.
PLANET 21 consists of 21 commitments in 7 pillars and the same number of quantified goals adopted by Accor looking forward to 2015. “With the PLANET 21 program, we are putting sustainable hospitality at the core of the Group’s strategy, development and innovation. I am convinced that sustainable development will lead us towards a new business model. PLANET 21 gives us a fantastic driver of competitiveness for our brands, attractiveness for our customers and partners and loyalty for our employees,” said Denis Hennequin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Accor. To achieve the 21 commitments made by the Group, one thing is primary: involving their customers in order to move ahead even faster and multiply their results. From booking to room stay and restaurant service, customers will discover a rich and diverse array of educational messages encouraging them to contribute actively to the hotel’s action by means of a few simple gestures. The tone of the messages is friendly and thoughtful, aimed at encouraging customers to participate without ever making them feel guilty. Accor even comes up with surprising ideas like selling second hand furniture through their web store. Sophie Flak, Executive Vice President Sustainable Development and Academies for Accor adds: “Today, 70% of our major account customers integrate sustainable development criteria in their supplier policy, and one out of two ®
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China Star Professional Programs (China Star) is the leading DMC and PCO based in Beijing and Shanghai with the services covering the whole China. Because of its outstanding service rendered, China Star has been highly praised and recognized by its clients and the municipal government. China Star is also very active in the associations of SITE, MPI and ICCA etc.
sustainabilit y D I Y
T ’ N S I M O K O R R A D S I T H A I D O F T HeEs energy.
AF R this switch sav IN HET DONKER Using
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customers claims to take this criterion into account when choosing a hotel! We used these findings to implement PLANET 21: a social, societal and environmental program with precise goals that unite our employees and offer our customers an opportunity to participate.”
guests are used to. Let’s stay put if Accor adopts all 21 commitments by 2015. At least there is a good start. Instead of Mork calling Mindy we ‘call’ you to send us your sustainable initiatives of the events industry. √
PLANET 21—what’s in the name? The project was globally launched together with a list and formula for checking every hotel individually to determine what level of progress by percentage they had reached on each pillar. The final aim is for the whole CSR strategy to become second nature for Accor, without losing the quality share today | 02.2012 23
c o l umn
MORE ABOUT julius
Should Desti Use Social M Social this, social that. In the business community the rush to jump on social media has started a few years ago. With the ever growing penetration of tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the peer pressure to start a Facebook page or to run a Twitter account is almost unbearable for some. But is it worth it? Should you really be concerned with setting up multiple presences, dedicate your time to ‘engage’ and start a ‘conversation’? The dictates of the self proclaimed social media experts and the neighbor’s grass would push us to reply with an unconditional yes. Right, but what about you? If you run a DMC or work in the destinations industry, social media could well be of use but you need to account for the amount of time needed to learn and deploy properly. How can you tell if social media is worth your time? If social media is selected as a tool to achieve your wider business, marketing, HR and PR objectives, usually it leads to happy endings. The time you will dedicate to it is not wasted, in terms of output it will compare to the time you dedicate to other 24 share today | 02.2012
C OL U M N
tinations and DMCs Media? tools and activities. If you marry social because ‘everybody else is doing it’, you are effectively wasting your time. This is the most recurring mistake I’ve seen as a consultant and social media manager within large or small organizations. It is not a trend created by social media. If you decide to start a direct marketing campaign just because your competitor is doing it, you’ll probably spend a lot of resources and money to achieve very little. The focus is on You. Sound businesses run under proper strategies. You know what your objectives are and it is highly likely they won’t match those of your competitors. You are the only person who decides what’s needed and measures the results. Therefore if your objective is to increase revenue by 20% within the next 6 months and you know that sales are generated by contact form submissions, you can surely select a number of social tools to achieve that.
On the other hand, if your objective is to change perception of your destination after political turmoil or natural catastrophes you can adopt tools such as a blog to influence customers and measure results in terms of mentions, sentiment, comments and ultimately contact form submissions. You see how it comes together rather nicely. I believe destinations and DMCs have a substantial advantage when it gets to social, something that most businesses crave for: a story to tell. You can tell a great story about your traditions, customs, events and people. This alone can fill thousands of blogs, Twitter or Pinterest accounts. Just align your story with your wider business objectives. Make it serve a purpose. I can guarantee you that in this perspective social media will become part of your business DNA, bring results and become addictive.
Julius Solaris a marketing professional dedicated to social media and events is the editor of the Event Manager Blog, the first blog for event planners. Furthermore he consults about social advertising designing advertising strategies on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube. If that is not enough he loves to speak at events. Check out his Slideshare channel. share today | 02.2012 25
The modern Marco Polo te x t Yolan d a L ogt p h otos Y o l anda L o gt and S askia P evere l l i
‘As photojournalist this country intrigues me. How does it work here? Making stories about other people’s misery. Make money with it. Soon I’m looking for ‘my’ street. Not giving the torments around me a moment’s thought. With tunnel vision I let my rickshaw rouse through and end my mission fast. Relativize this case. A picture of a busy street. That’s already so bizarre in India that the story probably will be understood. But now that I walk here again it suddenly seems not enough. A human site of this almost mechanical poverty, this cement machine of a society.’ 26 share today | 02.2012
C lose & P e r sonal
Meet the world of Jeroen Swolfs who just finished his first adventure book (Asia) Streets of the World, only a sub goal of his real mission: to photograph street life in all capitals of the world. The combination of these streets creates a positive portrait of what humanity looks like at the beginning of the 21st century. His big adventure started as a three year old who ran away from home with his girl next door. Destination? Paris. This was not the last time that he ‘flew’ but never reached his destination. The turnaround came when his father told him to follow his heart and do what he really wanted to do. That’s when Jeroen decided to work on his dream, making photos of global streets, sharing faces and places and showing this century’s humanity. What looks like a boy’s dream is in fact really hard work: find the right street, symbol for this destination, have the perfect light and make that one good picture in only 4 days per capital. All with very limited budget. It’s certainly no holiday! You could say Jeroen is a modern conqueror and adventurer, not searching for new worlds like in the past, but looking for the world of modern society at every corner of our planet. Quite a challenge. During his mission he faces loneliness, disease, fear; but above all he meets new friends and gains insights. At the moment he is almost half way, still 115 countries to go. During his short visits home he writes and gives interviews and presentations.
The book Streets of the World will soon be available in English. Ready for an introduction?
Want to know even more? Watch this CNN episode or look at their online platform.
Listening to this Marco Polo of today is inspiring. That’s why we asked him to speak at our SHARE TODAY event. A fascinating man on the run for the second part of his mission. We can only say, “Go, Go, Go and hit those last countries!” In the meantime, don’t hesitate to share your stories with us. We will stay tuned! √ Streets of the World can only be materialized with sponsorships. Interested? Contact us. share today | 02.2012 27
See you In Shanghai! T e x t K im A l derden P h otos Yong F oo E lite
A crossroad of contradictions; bling bling versus cozsy chic, mondain versus industrial, art deco versus high tech, this city knows how to tantalize your senses. 28 share today | 02.2012
gr o ups s - xx l
Let’s meet! But where? We checked it out with China Star’s Tina Xiaoyun, in charge of their Shanghai homebase. “Everyone knows what to expect in Beijing or in HongKong, but you never know what’s waiting for you in Shanghai. This city shows two major ‘faces’; Semi-colonial culture meets Communist culture. This creates a very intriguing atmosphere that is never felt in any other city in the world. Below we reveal some examples of matching places”
venues to meet, greet & do business ● YongFoo Elite ● China Mansion Hotel ● Club Shanghai ● 1933 ● Hengshan Moller Villa
Every venue is a one of a kind experience but we love to zoom-in on YongFoo Elite. This historic mansion has been dominating the history of Shanghai for more than 80 years. Built as a private home, it served as a diplomatic headquarters for Russia, Vietnam and the UK, and is today a mustsee venue. According to its owner Wang Xing Zheng, YongFoo Elite is so much more than just a bar or restaurant; it’s the heart of the city’s classic lifestyle. Spectacular pieces of art from the owners’ personal collection are dotted around the venue and create the perfect fusion of style and days gone by. Various bars, indoor dining and veranda’s with a view to-die-for are available for you. No matter how S or XXL a group is, Shanghai is able to cater to all your needs. √
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The London hotspot during the Olympic Games this summer: Holland Heineken House. Read more in our next issue.
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snap s h ot
p h oto h eineken
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The right fit
te x t Yolan d a L ogt
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FYI
Being an event professional, do you still know what tools fit your client’s congress or meeting the most nowadays? One says you should use social media in all its aspects. Others tell you to offer the most sophisticated technical equipment. All of course to impress the delegates, not to forget put them into action gear. Yes, nowadays meetings and conferences are the must-be events to experience new technology and apps like Instagram and Pinterest together with social media icons as Twitter and Facebook. For both the organizer and the participants. Technics boring? Before you start digging into details it is good to know the bigger picture. Too few meeting planners clearly define their technology goals beforehand. A planner who wants to improve audience engagement requires a very different solution from a planner who prioritizes savings on driving costs. Researching and selecting meeting management software is tough. An informal survey* of corporate meeting managers reveals the big challenges: an overwhelming number of options and packages, difficulty in determining your total cost, figuring out if the product features match your needs, having to work with internal stakeholders such as procurement, information technology, and security, and, finally, not knowing how it will all come together until you
try to work your first program. Lets face it you don’t completely understand the user experience until you start using the system. It ‘even’ happened to us when creating an event app for our SHARE TODAY event. Tip: Create a ranked list of business objectives before investigating technical options. Certainly not a luxury but a must. Read about the newest tools in one of our next posts on our blog. Social Media, interaction is key! Ask yourself what audience do you have, not only profession wise (dentists versus technicians) but also age. The Y generation wants something completely different than the X, they are used to the modern techniques as well as communications. Nowadays a conference or congress is nothing without social media. Live Facebook pages created on stage are a common good, while Twitter cannot be ignored anymore. It is limited but excellent for short phrases and comments and not forget the possibility for live questions appearing on a screen next to the speaker ready to answer, just by adding a hyphen with the name of the congress to the tweet (#sharetodayevent). Short movies and pictures will be taken at your event ready to be thrown into the digital world via Facebook or Youtube. So get ready to learn ®
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St. Maarten: Island of MICE
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St. Maarten is a special Island. Not only because it is the only place in the world where the Netherlands and France are neighbours, but also because of many surprising elements like finding three destinations in one: The Caribbean, The Netherlands and France.
At night stroll around the culinary highlights with the ‘Dine Around’ program. If this is not enough, through the year there are various events to bring your group to! Think of the annual sailing regatta, the ‘culinary month’ but most surprising: the Carnival in April!
Groups experience more Caribbean in one incentive by including day trip(s) to neighbour islands such as Anguilla or St. Barth’s: Island Hopping! St. Maarten offers an extensive activities and teambuilding programs both on land and on water.
Inspired? Contact us. We assist organising a varied group program and connect you with the specialists on the island.
St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Tel: +31 (0)71 5622002 or e-mail st-maarten@interreps.eu Or visit us on www.vacationstmaarten.com or www.vakantiestmaarten.nl (for the Netherlands) *Meetings Incentives Conferences Events
FYI
about the social media trends and hypes as you will certainly see the flashes of pictures taken, the tweets and messages on LinkedIn and be surprised about the amount of feedback. Tip: Don’t forget to check the WiFi connection on your location. The delegates will tweet themselves blue fingers about your event and if there is no connection as promised, you will read tweets anyway but not about the content of your event.
More to come about social media and events in one of our next posts on our blog. √
Note Six tips for your software search that might help you find your way through the technology bush. Click here Source; *Meetingsnet
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Meet anno 2012
Check-it-out takes you around the globe to meet extra-ordinary places.
te x t Yolan d a L ogt p h otos F irst I ncentive T rave l , U ni q ue l y N o rthwest, R usskie P r o st o ri , Outstanding in the F ie l d , inte r net
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c h eck it out
When asking the market for special, uncommon venues for a meeting, conference or congress we received lots of the usual suggestions. Read: the common meeting room at a hotel. Why is it so difficult to be different? Are we afraid to be too ‘out-of-the-box’ and would rather play it safe when proposing to our client? We say, “Dare to be different!” Especially when you need to prove your added value in order to be successful. To help you a bit, here are some ideas to get you on the right track.
Meet and sleep with sheep? Calm and peaceful in the heart of the Auvergne region, dominating the valley of la Cère, the ‘Buron de Niercombe’ an original shepherd hut invites you to his special and entirely preserved setting. Perfect for a unique board meeting, accommodating up to six persons. The experience starts in the valley where a mountain guide will escort your little group up to Niercombe, between ‘Sky and Earth.’
More at a round table? The Round Room in Dublin is the only city centre venue that caters to groups with over 500 attendees. The mansion house is easy to get to for visitors to the city and also in walking distance of numerous Dublin city hotels. Ready for an inspection? Just click here. ®
Between the oldies The Chicago History Museum might be the place to be, offering event spaces for meetings from small to XXL! This museum is a cultural institution that houses priceless artifacts of old Chicago history including a suit of George Washington and a top hat of Abraham Lincoln. Wouldn’t it be great to combine your meeting with some vendors to add in your planning? share today | 02.2012 37
c h eck it out
Get inspired by fresh air
Meet with the trolls
The best way to start a meeting is with a clear head. That’s why many conferences schedule breaks outside in the fresh air or serve a great meal ‘al fresco’ with power food to provide energy for the rest of the day. Why not combine all and meet and eat in the open air? Possible on the ground or in the air!
Hardingasete overlooking the Hardanger fjord (Norway) is a unique meeting or conference center. When you wander around the premises, you feel like you are walking through history. Houses, cottages and farms dating from 1600 till 1850 have been transported from all over Norway to be rebuilt here again. Perfect for a remote meeting in combination with some activities around the fjord.
Space invaders Explore the inspirational meeting facilities of Kennedy Space Center near Orlando, Florida. Pump up your conference with a real astronaut as host.
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Royal spirit Have you ever thought about exploring a 17th century Palace in the very heart of Moscow? It is not just a historic building, it is also a perfect place for a conference. Petrovsky Palace is known as a pearl of Russian architecture and is closed to ordinary visitors. Feel the spirit of a Russian Tsar while you meet or have your conference. Up to 120 people.
Our share+ members can help you with information about the venues, see our website under members of the particular country where the venue is based. Happy meeting!
Meet like a UN counsel Here you have the perfect ambiance. Enjoy your meeting sitting in adjustable ergonomic chairs, with built-in microphones and laptop power, arranged in concentric rings for maximum interactivity. You think you are in a meeting room? Not in the Asia Pacific Hall or Little United Nations in the Delta Hotel of Vancouver. The ultra modern equipment lets you feel like you are a member of the United Nations. √ share today | 02.2012 39
MORE ABOUT john Meeting Connections, Expectations and Spirituality? There is a lot to be considered when organising meetings be it planning logistics, selecting the venue, organising the speaker and presentations, creating your new cool theme that will entertain and inform your guests and importantly, will your meeting have the right balance between content, activity, timings and so on. Then there is the attendees themselves, how will you be sure to attract the ‘right’ people and is the event more likely to succeed if a hybrid option is included? Much to decide, but for the professional planner or agency these are everyday matters that usually go well as long as the person or team handling the event do their homework, keep everyone informed and think, plan and manage the details with care and attention. Naturally things can go wrong but with all of the available tools at our disposal today, contingency arrangements can easily be communicated. Internal meetings have a different tone because the attendees are more likely to know each other beforehand and so there is a ‘short hand’ in play where some of the subtleties of such meetings cannot be played out at public meetings. For example, the participants may be in-company peers; industry colleagues; competitors; association members with common interests, and each situation will dictate who has the power in the meeting. Is it the PA that arranged it? The presenter? The most senior person in the room? Can it be the participants? These are questions that may not seem too important for the booker but once the practical arrangements have been made it is the dynamic within the meeting that will make it a worthy/successful event or not and these psychological considerations need to be addressed. So, thinking about the participants, it seems to me that there is much to consider about the expectations and experience that 40 share today | 02.2012
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they have and sometimes it may need more than just practical matters such as how many energy beaks are included or what type of lighting is to be arranged. Attendees are the reason for having a meeting and if these meetings are to have the ‘right’ outcome – to achieve whatever objective is set, i.e. the reason for calling the meeting - consideration to attendees spiritual, experiential and psychological needs whilst in the meeting should perhaps be considered more. Recently I have become involved in assisting several Christian and ‘enlighten’ venues where the ‘spirituality’ of events is considered. Prayers at the start of a meeting may seem unnecessary, quirky or even embarrassing for the secular attendee, but for the committed Christian, starting with prayer is part of the psychology and spirituality is a core value and both should be satisfied. Another example, talking of religion, (I know, a difficult subject), would a Muslim attending a meeting be likely to feel the benefit more if there is an opportunity to face Mecca? I am not suggesting this is anything to do with religion, race or creed but it is about delegate’s expectations, which are wide and varied. So, the more that planners and venues can introduce innovative content, brainexpanding ideas and interesting activity the better. If spirituality is the required content, then find ways to include it. New technology can help, and there are just a few examples beginning to gain traction. Software such as Event Platform, which is an interactive games software that engages participants to complete a wide range of motivational activity and communication. Created in Russia, this innovative technology can be organised around any subject and involve delegates at many levels. What about Whales on Waves? A tablet device application that creates a quiz show connected to 20 to 250 participants and in multiple locations. This is entertaining and engaging for both physical attendees and those involved online. Another, MINT is a web-based service that makes it easy to make
mobile applications for any event. A further development provides connectivity with individual participants enabling them to easily connect at indoor events utilising a GPS-style application that works through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. These tools are available now allowing meetings attendees to be more connected, to experience greater benefits and to improve the value of attending whether in person or virtual. Whilst practical and technological, hopefully, these tools will assist to add valuable insights and to exceed expectations whilst helping to deliver the spiritual, emotional and experiential content in meetings that participants now expect.
John Gallery established Great Potential, following a successful 25-year career in hotel & conference venue management. John is cofounder of LateMeetings. com, sold in 2009. share today | 02.2012 41
te x t M irjam H art & Y o l anda L o gt p h otos V isit D enmark
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Looking for that one-of-a-kind concept for an inspiring, innovative meeting that also provides a return on your investment? It sounds impossible but here is the answer: MINDblowing Meetings is the story of a uniquely Danish way of designing meetings. It is about the Danish ‘movement’ to fight for engaging and innovative meetings while ensuring a high, measurable Return on Meeting Investment. The Need for Change: The Meeting Concept of the Future While everything else in and around us has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, nothing significant has happened to the way we meet. Apart from PowerPoint presentations, we run meetings today in the same way we did a hundred years ago! New generations are not used to this endless oneway communication. They share knowledge and ideas. New technology opens new opportunities for the meeting industry. Globalization and cultural diversity set new demands. There must be ways to improve efficiency and outcome. No more boring meetings! Exactly what we as Event Professionals are looking for. Back in 2003, the first steps were taken towards a change in the old fashioned and traditional way of conducting meetings and conferences. In Denmark, to be precise. The result was a joint public/private project entitled ‘The Meeting Concept of the Future’ to strengthen Copenhagen’s and Denmark’s competitive
position as a preferred international meeting destination by offering up-to-date, innovative meetings concepts. Meetovation – Engage. Excite. Encourage. VisitDenmark, the official tourism organisation of Denmark, took care of the project management and defined the end ‘product’ as ‘Meetovation’. The aim of Meetovation is to create a better RoMI – Return on Meeting Investment. The concept builds on five key ingredients that together guarantee the creation of successful meetings with better learning outcomes, and thereby an increased return on the investment put into the meeting: • • • • •
Delegates are actively involved; Meeting and conference facilities are used in new and creative ways; Inspiring local experiences are part of the programme; Responsible thinking is key, with focus on local produce, recycling and environmentally friendly transport; Return on Meeting Investment.
Examples of a Meetovated meeting are many and varied. It can involve a rearrangement of the physical set up by having the participants sit on beanbags instead of chairs. It should include healthy, energy-filled food. Or it can focus on recycling and energy saving products and facilities such as USB sticks and whiteboards instead of paper based materials. ® share today | 02.2012 43
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A large Swedish company had a board meeting with 20 persons in Copenhagen. They stayed at the environmental friendly Hilton hotel close to the airport. Participants only joining the meeting did not waste time and CO2. After the meeting the delegates had a little challenge. Divided in two teams, they went into town by Metro followed by some exercise on bicycle rickshaws. A glass of Danish organic beer was served in Nyhavn as refreshment before boarding a charter boat to meet the famous little mermaid and enjoying the waterline of Copenhagen. The best team performance received a prize. It all ended at restaurant Søren K in the new Royal Library by the habour with an organic meal. ‘All participants enjoyed their trip and claimed it was the best board meeting they ever had and the DMC fulfilled the demand of a creative and environmental friendly board meeting and dinner’ thus the corporate quoted. Per Ankær, Managing Director of ICS, the Danish DMC used in this case replied; ‘This was only possible by using some of the Meetovation elements. We created a unique event, that went over our clients expectations.’ Another example is of a large pharmaceutical company who stated; ‘We had a great inspiring meeting. All our delegates were positive and above all returned to their work with new ideas and inspiration to use in their daily jobs. All because of using the innovative meeting concept.’ Not convinced yet, here some references; 44 share today | 02.2012
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To date, 180 key staff members from almost 80 hotels, conference and congress centres, museums and theatres all over Denmark have completed the educational program and are certified ‘Meetovators’. Due to demand, a new version of the concept has been developed for corporate and association meeting planners.
Well what more is there to say? It looks like the Danes have found the answer, now it is your turn to follow their initiative! √
For more information visit the website Still not convinced? Watch this
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foo d fo r t h oug h t
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foo d fo r t h oug h t
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