AUGUST 2011
QUEST FOR TALENT
+
GAMIFICATION
+
MUSIC LICENSING
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®
August 2011 • Volume 4 • Number 7
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR IN CHIEF David Basler, dbasler@mpiweb.org
Success: WEC and Beyond
MANAGING EDITOR Blair Potter, bpotter@mpiweb.org
EDITOR Michael Pinchera, mpinchera@mpiweb.org
EDITOR Jason Hensel, jhensel@mpiweb.org
EDITOR Jessie States, jstates@mpiweb.org
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jason Judy, jjudy@mpiweb.org
ANOTHER WORLD EDUCATION CONGRESS (WEC) HAS COME AND GONE,
AND I CAN’T HELP BUT REFLECT UPON OUR SUCCESSES—AND OUR FUTURE
OPPORTUNITIES.
From the industry-leading SAPPHIRE NOW case study (see Page 86) and
the One+ tablet application (see Page 8) to the new Core Skills Workshop
and the announcement of an extensive CSR research study, we certainly had
a lot to celebrate in Orlando last month.
And every session we held, conversation we had and lesson we learned
centered around one essential concept—the New Rules of Engagement, the
focus of MPI’s energy and passion during the WEC planning and execution
processes. These rules have four pillars:
• We must prove our value and measure performance in detail while delivering attendee hospitality.
• We must embrace technologies that enable us to enrich human connections onsite and beyond.
• We must design events in a manner that positively affects their economic,
social and environmental impacts.
• We must have the courage to act, to employ innovation and inspiration
that makes a difference for all.
And we demonstrated these rules throughout the conference. We offered a
technology hub called The HIVE (sponsored by PSAV), which featured peerto-peer learning, expert presentations and new technology in action; WEC
conference to desktops and tablet devices
Live Online, which brought the conf
24/7; and Daily Dow
Download sessions, which utilized new tech
conversations and attendee session ratings.
to track conversati
In the same manner,
we used the Sustainable Event
m
Measurement Tool
To to gain BS 8901 and GRI standards
compliance. We delivered
more community service projd
ects than at any past
p event, and we addressed CSR edulevel.
cation at every leve
We strived
striv to prove value and measure our performance
forman in detail while delivering attendee
hospitality,
and we embraced the technolohospi
gies that
enable us to enrich human connect
tions onsite and beyond.
I hope you enjoyed your conference.
We certainly enjoyed making it happen.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Javier Adame, jadame@mpiweb.org
DESIGN AND PREPRESS Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
COVER DESIGN Jason Judy, jjudy@mpiweb.org
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
Denise Autorino, dautorino@mpiweb.org, Phone: (407) 233-7305
(FL, GA, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America)
Fredrik Ehrenborg, fehrenborg@mpiweb.org, Phone: +011.352 26 10 36 10
(EMEA Region)
Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, suchenghs@mpiweb.org, Phone: (10) 5869-3771 (Asia)
Katri Laurimaa, klaurimaa@mpiweb.org, Phone: (817) 251-9891
(AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OK,
SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WY)
Jennifer Mason, jmason@mpiweb.org, Phone: (772) 233-0678
(AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA)
cnyquist@mpiweb.org, Phone: (972) 702-3002
(CT, DC, DE, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WI, WV)
Carolyn Nyquist, Manager of Client Services, cnyquist@mpiweb.org,
Phone: (972) 702-3002
Alison Macfarlane, Advertising Coordinator, amacfarlane@mpiweb.org
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Bruce M. MacMillan, C.A., President and CEO
Diane Hawkins, SPHR, Director of People and Performance
Greg Lohrentz, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer
Sandra Riggins, Chief of Staff
Didier Scaillet, Chief Development Officer
Junior Tauvaa, Vice President of Member Services and Chapter Business
INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman of the Board
Sebastien Tondeur, MCI Group Holding SA
Chairman-elect
Kevin Hinton, Associated Luxury Hotels International
Vice Chairwoman of Finance
Cindy D’Aoust, Maxvantage
Vice Chairman
Craig Ardis, CMM, Meetings Analytics
Vice Chairwoman
Patty Reger, CMM, DePuy/Johnson & Johnson
Immediate Past Chairman
Eric Rozenberg, CMP, CMM, Swantegy
BOARD MEMBERS
Chuck Bowling, Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino
Jordan D. Clark, Las Vegas Meetings by Caesars Entertainment
Paul Cunningham, IIMC International Information Management Corporation
Michael Dominguez, Loews Hotels & Resorts
Ricardo Ferreira, GRUPO ALATUR
Roel Frissen, CMM, Parthen
Chris Gasbarro, Community Connections LLC
Hattie Hill, CMM, Hattie Hill Enterprises Inc.
Kyle Hillman, CMP, NASWIL
Cornelia Horner, CMP, American Land Title Association
Carol Muldoon, CMM, KPMG LLP
Kevin A. Olsen, One Smooth Stone
Erin Tench, CMP, CMM, Penn State University
POSTMASTER: One+ (Print ISSN: 1943-1864, Digital Edition ISSN: 1947-6930) is printed
monthly, except the months of April and October, by Meeting Professionals International
(MPI), a professional association of meeting + event planners and suppliers. Send address
changes to One+, Meeting Professionals International, 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700, Dallas,
TX, 75234-2759. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Members receive One+ as a membership benefit paid for by membership
dues. Nonmembers may subscribe to the publication for $99 annually. “One+” and the
One+ logo are trademarks of MPI. © 2011, Meeting Professionals International, Printed
by RR Donnelley
REPRINTS: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written
permission. To order reprints, call Wright’s Reprints toll free at (877) 652-5295 or visit
www.wrightsreprints.com.
CONTACT ONE+: Contact us online at www.mpioneplus.org or e-mail us at
editor@mpiweb.org. View our advertising, editorial and reprint policies online
at www.mpioneplus.org.
MPI VISION: Build a rich global meeting industry community
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS:
Dallas, TX
DAVID BASLER is editor in chief of One+. He can be reached at
dbasler@mpiweb.org. Follow him at www.twitter.com/onepluseditor.
2
one+
REGIONAL OFFICES:
Doha, Qatar
Ontario, Canada
Luxembourg
Magazine printed on FSC Certified Paper. The body of One+ is printed
on 30 percent post-consumer-waste recycled content. Please recycle this
magazine or pass it along to a co-worker when you’re finished reading.
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AUGUST 2011
64
76
64 The Roaring 20s
How to attract and retain twentysomethings to future-proof your
organization.
BY ROBERT STEELE
68
68 The Gamification of
Everything
46 An Educational Journey
Feria Para Aprender (The Learning Fair) is the
largest Hispanic education and college-readiness
event in the U.S., and it hopes to help stem the
tide of high school dropout rates in Dallas.
BY KEVIN WOO
54 Arrrrgh!
An investors’ meeting in St. Augustine,
Florida, was spiced up by pirates.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
46
Wherein lessons, technology and best
practices from the gaming world are
seeping into the meeting and event
industry.
BY RYAN SINGEL
72 Second-Tier Destination = First-Rate ROI
How lower costs, personalized service
and unique options of smaller destinations rival the revered realm of first-tier
biggies.
BY DALIA FAHMY
81
Women’s Work
58 Innovation City 76
Want to find—and retain—top talent?
At Globe Forum Dublin 2010, more than 650
attendees talked development and listened
in on some of the world’s newest innovations
from sustainable developers.
Economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett says it’s
time to broaden your worldview.
BY JENNA SCHNUER
BY ILONA KAUREMSZKY
81 The Sound of Music
What you need to know about music
licensing for meetings and events.
BY NAN LITTLE
54
mpiweb.org
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AUGUST 2011
10
The BUZZ
ENERGY OF MANY
14 Paradigm Shifts, Part III
A look at several important books that are addressing changes in the role of information for business.
New meeting skill standards will change the
course of your career,
and your industry.
12
IMPRESSIONS
14
28
17 Art of Travel
You want to pack as many items as you can into a
small space in order to avoid luggage fees. These
bag-type products will help you with that goal.
Your industry peers
discuss yesterday’s
magazine and today’s
issues.
17 Sound Off
Two industry execs with new gigs describe inspirational events.
28
18 Agenda
The IDEA World Fitness Convention showcases
groundbreaking sessions taught by industry
experts and an expo hall featuring innovations from
top fitness companies.
TOP SPOTS
Scottsdale, Arizona’s
The Drinkwater showcases the vibrant spirit of
the Southwest.
30
34
30
20 Ask the Experts
To close deals, you need to concentrate more on
your openings vs. your closings. Paul Bridle asks
the experts to answer your questions.
CONNECTIONS
21 Web Watch
Find and read newspapers from all over the world,
translated to and from many languages with one
click.
Magazine partners with
think tank to create a
large-scale conversation
and “celebrate ideas.”
34
38
40
IRRELEVANT
Just Say ‘Nay’
86
24 Overheard
Your employees will treat your customers as they
have been treated by their leaders.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Business solutions firm
SAP transformed its
brand—with an event.
88
22 Learning by Doing
Best practices and recommendations from the
Young Professional Achievement 2011 RISE Awards
winner.
42
44
26 Staying Above Water
Hawai’ian industry leaders recall how they weathered the global financial crisis.
YOUR COMMUNITY
The MPI Foundation
Canada has raised more
than CAD$2 million for
industry education and
research.
Columns
38 What Google+ Means to You
Social media’s newest darling could transform the
way you hold meetings and events.
89
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Leeds University will
research the importance
of CSR to the meeting
industry.
104
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Some interesting items
are always packed in
British suitcases.
BY CHRIS BROGAN
86
88
Tag!
40 The Evolution of the
Business Event
Events aren’t what they used to be. This is why.
Want to see bonus coverage on the go? Whenever you see this
phone icon, get out your smartphone (it works with any Webenabled smartphone with a camera including iPhone, BlackBerry,
Android, Nokia, Palm and countless others), and with a click of a
button you’ll be instantly transported to bonus videos and much
more. It’s that easy. Here’s what you need to do:
BY DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF
42 I’m Just Not That Into You
Quitting a new job is tough, but sometimes you just
have to get going.
BY DAWN RASMUSSEN, CMP
DOWNLOAD the Microsoft Tag Reader app (free for all leading smartphones at http://
gettag.mobi).
44 Strategy for the Win
LAUNCH the app on your smartphone.
Here’s one business lesson you can learn from a
20-year-old Chinese gymnast.
HOLD your smart phone over the digital tag until you see the tag in the crosshairs on your
phone’s camera and let the device do the rest. You’ll be instantly transported to bonus
content.
BY DEBORAH GARDNER, CMP
mpiweb.org
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>
>
online
www.mpioneplus.org
08 . 1 1
One+ Releases
Tablet App
One+ has evolved digitally to respond to the
growing importance of mobility in content consumption. The most current development,
a universal tablet app, allows subscribers to:
• Experience all of the interactive One+ content 24/7 with or without an Internet connection once an issue is downloaded
• Access the app from any tablet device including Apple, Android, BlackBerry and more
• Fully interact with ancillary content through
images, video, voice and interactive graphics
• Read new monthly issues on their schedule
through an auto-updated bookshelf and
engage with past tablet editions through a
stored library
The app is available across all tablet platforms and is free to MPI members or subscribers. The tablet version of the magazine also
features tablet-only articles. This month, you
can read about the 2011 Summer Summit, an
event in Belfast that brought together five associations of the U.K. and Ireland MICE industry, and the Ben Franklin Project, which features
free Internet tools that you can use when planning events.
The One+ tablet offerings will continue to
evolve with new features each month. Download the app at www.mpiweb.org/apps, where
you can also view a video tutorial on how to
use the new app.
Visit the One+ YouTube page for exclusive
video interviews of speakers—such as
Fabien Cousteau, Simon T. Bailey and Jeff
Lieberman—from the 2011 World Education
Congress in Orlando, Florida.
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>
THE ENERGY OF MANY
A Field Guide to Success
AS I WRITE THIS COLUMN, THOUSANDS
OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS HEAD TO
ORLANDO FOR OUR WORLD EDUCATION
CONGRESS.
We’ll experience great speakers and peerto-peer learning to help us respond to the new
rules of engagement in business. We’ll even
have a career resource center with experts to
help attendees plot their courses in the quest
for talent. And, for the first time ever, we will
have something to guide us throughout our
careers in the meeting and event industry—
competency standards.
MPI worked with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council to develop
the Meeting & Business Events Competency
Standards (MBECS)—the industry’s first and
only skills and competency taxonomy and a
dream for many practitioners (including me)
and academics for years.
These standards are one of the most
important resources we have in terms of
professionall development and career
enhancement.
nt. By using the MBECS as
a field guidee to success, professionals
in any role and at any stage in their
careers can now follow a reliable path
to career advancement
dvancement by developing
key skills and
nd mastering competencies
that will gett them to the next level.
The MBECS
ECS are crucial,
coming as the industry faces myriad economic and employment challenges, a shifting
paradigm and new rules of engagement. This
guide makes you a player in the quest for
talent now and in the future. Whether you’re
designing curriculum for burgeoning professionals, a new graduate, a tenured veteran
hiring staff or shifting from supplier to planner, the MBECS is going to be a remarkable
resource.
Meanwhile, the Convention Industry
Council (CIC), with MPI’s support, has
developed a whole new blueprint for the
CMP exam that aligns the test with these
skills. So now, for the first time, we have
alignment from student à university à practitioner à CMP exam. And because the industry continues to grow significantly in places
such as China and Brazil, MPI made an
investment with the CIC to develop a global
CMP exam that also aligns with the MBECS,
extending the opportunity for meeting proworld to
fessionals around the wor
success in
set themselves up for su
the quest for talent.
The MPI Foundation continues its drive
to provide innovative, career-building
thought leadership development
through the following key industry
partnerships.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Future of Meetings
Value of Meetings
BRUCE MACMILLAN, CA, is president and CEO of MPI. He
can be reached at bmacmillan@mpiweb.org. Follow him at
www.twitter.com/BMACMPI.
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IMPRESSIONS
>>
Be Prepared
[Re: “Five Steps to a Fitter Career,” July 2011]
I find that it is helpful to write out what you want to learn from a course
before you attend. It’s always good to be prepared with questions and to
assess if your expectations were met after the course.
—Carol Porter
EDITOR’S NOTE: We appreciate the feedback on MPI
and your magazine, One+.
Your ideas and thoughts
are important to us. Let
us know what you think.
E-mail the editorial team at
editor@mpiweb.org.
You Tell Us
What type of smartphone
apps do you use most
often and why: audio/
video, games, news, social
media or augmented
reality? Send an e-mail to
editor@mpiweb.org.
12
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Making Things Easy
Sharing Your Stories
[Re: “How the Internet Affects
Memory,” PlusPoint blog]
The Internet just makes it easier by
putting all those various sources in
one easy-to-use, blindingly fast place.
We’re just getting more efficient at
outsourcing our memories, a change
in degree more than anything else.
The effect I think this should have on
conferences, if it hasn’t already, is to
switch up the learning from facts and
figures and things that can be memorized to showing participants where
and how to find what they need to
know when they need to know it.
There’s so much out there now that
we need to know that no one can
hold it all in their heads anymore
anyway.
[Re: “Tame Social Media Chaos by
Being a Front Page Editor,” June 2011]
This is such a great article. I had
no idea you could create your own
social media newspaper. I am curious
to know if there is anything like this
for Facebook, or do you suggest just
using Storify? Thanks for sharing your
wisdom!
—Sue Pelletier
—Pam Bergman
Waiting Around
[Re: “Desiring a Trusted Traveler
Program,” PlusPoint blog]
I would certainly pay for expedited
TSA treatment, but customs would
help as well since 95 percent of
my travel is international. TSA is
more important to me, though, than
customs because the customs line
usually moves faster than the luggage handlers, and I’m going to wait
either way. I can wait at immigration
for free, but I just don’t like waiting
for TSA.
Soft Skills Make the
Difference
[Re: “Most Jobs Found Person-toPerson,” PlusPoint blog]
Thank you for this article. Information at our college (Dakota County
Technical College) confirms that the
overwhelming majority of students
and alumni get their jobs via networking. In addition to traditional
job search skills, such as resumé
and interviewing, we place a great
deal of focus on building personal
brand, networking techniques, transferable skills, etc. Those soft skills
often really make the difference. And
organizations like MPI are at the core
of networking!
—Rosealee Lee
—Bill Smith
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17
Part III: Changes in the Role
of Information for Business
BY ROBERT STEELE
18
20
22
24
26
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PEOPLE ARE CHANGING—DIGITAL NATIVES ARE NOT GOING
to sit still for conventional events and meetings. The business climate is also changing. Business, science, education and meetings and events are now moving toward
real-time speed.
In this third and final part of our series on paradigm shifts, I look at changes in the role
of information for business. I have chosen to avoid the more obvious faddish books on
Twitter, Facebook and other common social media.
There are three aspects of information that I have chosen to emphasize here.
First, who controls the information environment? Second, what is the enterprise or
network’s attitude about openness to new information, diversity being the primary
source of novel insights? Third, to what extent is the organization or network keeping up with the benefits of advancing information technology as a means of making
the most of its human capital?
These are aspects important to meeting professionals and attendees. The information
aspect—by example and by direct attention—can be a huge part of attracting digital
natives to meetings and events, while empowering more traditional managers with a greater grasp of the culture of today,
where one author, David Weinberger, suggests that Everything is
Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder (2008).
Tim Wu coined the term “net neutrality,” and his latest book,
The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires (2011),
is of great importance to the business world because it is a warning
about the costs—financial and opportunity—to “normal” businesses
if and when the centralization of information power is corrupted.
Put bluntly, honest businesses have just as much to lose as honest
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individuals if they allow communications and
computing companies to “own” the Internet,
imposing toll booths, access limitations and
corrupt views of information. The author offers
deep evidentiary discussion of the dangers of
closed systems and what happens when closed
systems allow corruption to flourish. While he
proposes a regulatory approach, he neglects the
role of civil disobedience—hackers, ham radio
operators and those today who strive to enable
and demand the “open trifecta” (open source
software, open spectrum and open source intelligence).
Next up is Open Services Innovation:
Rethinking Your Business to Grow and Compete
in a New Era (2011) by Henry Chesbrough—
one of the pioneers of the services science
revolution.
There are multiple takeaways in this work.
First and foremost is openness to partnership—treating all constituencies with respect
and as co-creators of a services ecology. For
those planning meetings and events, the questions are: Who should be invited that has not
been invited in the past? What stakeholders
are not represented on the agenda?
A second takeaway focuses on relationships
as the greatest “intangible value” rather than a
specific product. It is the overall service inno-
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vation and the constancy of enhancements and
extensions of service that keep people coming
back, not a product per se. As more products
become leased rather than sold, with manufacturers being expected to design for sustainability and recycling, this will become even more
important.
The third takeaway—and I may well be
beaming my own biases into it—is open mindedness. From major corporations to the United
Nations, for the past 20 years the one constant
I’ve seen across organizations is closed-mindedness. The “not invented here” and “we like
our business as usual” refrain has killed the
U.S. Department of State, all of the secret intelligence bureaucracies and major corporations I
won’t name because they were kind enough to
hire me even though they didn’t listen.
On this note, I recommend looks at related
earlier books such as those by Clayton M.
Christensen and his varied co-authors including The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth (2003) and Seeing
What’s Next: Using Theories of Innovation to
Predict Industry Change (2004), and I continue
to admire Margaret J. Wheatley, see for example her books Finding Our Way: Leadership for
an Uncertain Time (2007) and Leadership and
the New Science: Learning about Organization
from an Orderly Universe (1992). The bottom
line is that everything is connected, and the
more that theme can be inserted into any meeting or event, the more value participants will
derive.
The third and final book in this edition is
Robert H. Buckman’s Building a KnowledgeDriven Organization (2004). This book has
stood the test of time, and I will present the
core idea that still rings in my head: If your
human capital is your most valuable asset, then
failing to upgrade their computers every two
years is bad for your business. For areas of
your business that rely on real-time and highspeed understanding, Buckman actually recommends computers be replaced annually.
ROBERT STEELE’s exclusive book analysis series for One+ covers important changes in
the business landscape that affect meeting professionals. He is the No. 1 Amazon.com
reviewer for non-fiction, a former Marine Corps infantry officer, then a spy and honorary
hacker. Read more of his reviews (he reads in 98 categories) at Phi Beta Iota the Public
Intelligence Blog, www.phibetaiota.net.
08.11
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SOUNDOFF
ART OF
TRAVEL
What transformational
event have you
attended, and why was
it impactful?
“I attended
an employee
orientation
led by Horst
Schulze, chairman and CEO
of West Paces
Hotel Group
LLC. Schulze,
who has been
recognized as ‘Hotelier of the World’
for his vision in building the Ritz-Carlton Brand, shared his philosophy on being ‘World Leaders’ in the service industry. His message was very simple: A true
leader makes people feel like they have
a sense of belonging and purpose. When
people feel like they belong and have a
purpose, they deliver exceptional service
on a consistent basis around the world
every day.”
—Shirley Dunn Hanks, new director of
sales and marketing for Capella Pedregal
in Cabo San Lucas
“I will never
forget one
keynote
speaker,
Frank Abagnale, who
was portrayed by
Leonardo
DiCaprio in
Catch Me if you Can. At the end of his
speech, he spoke of his family. He said,
‘A real man, next to God and country, puts his wife and children first in
the world. It has nothing to do with
money, degrees or status. Hug and kiss
your family every single day; one day
they may be gone.’ It struck me at a time
when I was working seven days a week
and traveling twice a month, that while
my career was important, love and family are worth the risk, too.”
—Jennifer Haire, CMP, new national
account director for IMN Solutions
When traveling, we bet you’re like us. You want to pack
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The original Knirps
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Easy to carry with its
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mpiweb.org
August_Buzz.indd 17
17
7/29/11 8:00 AM
gamescon
Aug. 17-21
Cologne, Germany
At Europe’s biggest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment, you’ll
discover the latest and best games, try
everything out and celebrate the game
community’s highlight of the year. The
concentrated program covers the protection of minors, media expertise and media
education. There’s also a retro exhibition
and the German Casemod Championship.
ASAE & The Center for
Association Leadership
Aug. 6-9
St. Louis, Missouri
Share your understanding and leadership, your energy and enthusiasm.
Come together with other association
and nonprofit professionals to grapple
with current trends and learn firsthand
what associations the world over are
doing to stay ahead. Leave this meeting
knowing you will make a difference.
IDEA World Fitness Convention
Aug. 11-14
Los Angeles, California
Attracting more than 5,000 attendees
from around the globe, this first-rate
event showcases groundbreaking sessions taught by industry experts, plus an
exciting expo hall filled with the newest
innovations from top fitness companies.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional,
a new professional or a fitness and
wellness enthusiast, we have top-notch
educational sessions made just for you.
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IFLA World Library and
Information Congress
Aug. 13-18
San Juan, Puerto Rico
This year’s International Federation of
Library Associations event features topics such as the importance of information literacy for multicultural populations: needs, strategies, programs and
the role of libraries; skills, needs and
strategies of a new generation of LIS
professional; and “can the new book
economy guarantee freedom of access
to information?”
COAL-GEN Conference
& Exhibition
Aug. 17-19
Columbus, Ohio
With a decade of service to the coal
sector, COAL-GEN is the industry’s
most dynamic event covering the latest
topics affecting the design, development,
upgrading, operation and maintenance
of coal-fueled power plants. With an anticipated attendance of more than 4,500
industry professionals, COAL-GEN is
the industry’s largest event focused on
the solutions of today and the technologies of tomorrow.
FLORALL
Aug. 23-24
Ghent, Belgium
FLORALL is the trade fair for ornamental plants, cut flowers and arboricultural
products. About 250 professional growers
and suppliers of horticultural products
present their goods. It is increasingly
becoming the Belgian meeting place for
growers, arboriculturists, purchasers of
garden centers, wholesalers, landscaping
companies, exporters and purchasing
organizations.
interpets
Aug. 25-28
Chiba, Japan
Mesago Messe Frankfurt and the Japan
Pet Food Association will host the
International Fair for a Better Life with
Pets. The event will introduce worldwide products, services and ideas to the
Japanese market. It is the only annual fair
in Japan that allows suppliers and brands
to create an international business and
communication platform with trade and
public visitors.
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What Women Business
Travelers Want
>>
Paul Bridle
Asks the
Experts
HOW DO I CLOSE
MORE DEALS?
I asked Ron Karr, author
of Lead, Sell or Get Out
of the Way, and he said,
“To close more deals, you
need to concentrate more
on your openings vs. your
RON KARR
closings.”
He says people are being
more careful with what they spend their money
on, as well as how much they spend.
“In today’s market, you compete not only
with your competitors, but anyone or anything
that is looking for the same dollars to be invested in them,” Karr said. “People have tough
choices on where to spend their limited dollars
today.”
So the person more likely to close a deal is
the one who knows and understands what the
customer wants and needs to achieve in more
depth. Karr gave me two very simple recommendations to increase your closing ratio.
The first was to concentrate “on the outcomes people want from you.” It’s not about
what you’re selling, it’s about what they are
needing. He also says that asking
the questions that help you “find
out the consequences if they
don’t achieve those outcomes”
will be extremely useful and help
you in presenting your offering.
These practical tips will help you
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create a compelling reason for people to
buy from you.
The first three chapters of
Karr’s book can be downloaded
for free at www.ronkarr.com/
leadsellbook.
APPLE CEO STEVE JOBS
IS FAMOUS FOR PRODUCT LAUNCH PRESENTATIONS. WHAT MAKES
HIS PRESENTATIONS SO
EFFECTIVE?
Jobs breaks many rules of traditional presentations, but also
creates rules he lives by. Some
may call it charisma, but charisma is an intangible quality and
too easy to use to describe someone.
What strikes me about Jobs’ presentations is his confidence, passion and
excitement for what he has to tell you.
He absolutely believes in what Apple has
developed and has the facts and statistics
available to back up his comments. On the
one hand he is like the kid who is excited
to tell you something that is sooooo cool,
and on the other hand he is challenging you
to defy him. Underneath it all is the feeling
that he really doesn’t care if you don’t get
it—he knows it and so does everyone else.
Most of all, he is Steve Jobs and not copying someone else. Anyone else doing Steve
Jobs would come over as false. Many do!
Paul Bridle is an information conceptualizer
who has researched effective organizations
and the people who lead them for 20 years.
He writes and speaks on his research and
business trends. Reach him at info@paul
bridle.com.
THE NUMBER OF WOMEN BUSINESS
travelers has been growing rapidly, and
for 40 years, hotel operators have attempted to discern and meet the needs
of this specific group, usually by looking
at the features and amenities offered
by the hotel. A new study by Cornell
School of Hotel Administration Professor Judi Brownell proposes a more holistic approach that takes into account
the overall emotional effect of clusters of
features and amenities.
“When hotel operators ask what
women want, the answer is not so
much specific features as it is an overall
outcome relating to how the experience
makes them feel,” Brownell said. “In
this context, we have found that women
want to feel secure, comfortable, empowered and valued. When I tested
this insight in a model, the result was
clusters of amenities and features that
contributed to these critical affective
outcomes.”
To fill a gap in existing research,
Brownell conducted a survey of hotel
managers to determine their perceptions of what women business travelers
sought in a stay. The managers rated
safety as a top concern. As an example,
specific features that contribute to a
feeling of safety include covered parking, secure locks, well-lit hallways and
thoughtful room locations.
“Over time, I believe we are seeing
a greater industry consensus on how to
serve this rapidly growing market segment,” Brownell said. “What is clear
is that the overall emotion or affect is
more important than a particular amenity or hotel feature.”
—Jason Hensel
Read more stories at
www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint
08.11
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Business Travel
Remains Steady
READ THE WHOLE WORLD
At NewspaperMap.com, you can find
newspapers from all over the world, most of
them possible to translate to and from many
languages with one click. In many cases, you
will also find links to the newspapers’ sites
on social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. The site collects, expands
and updates these links regularly.
BE A TUTOR
Tildee.com is a free tool to help create
and share tutorials on any subject. With
a clear and user-friendly interface, you go
straight to the point: write your own tutorial. You can add maps, images and even
videos to any tutorial step, and it’s not
required to create an account on Tildee to
start writing.
CREATE YOUR OWN SONG
Incrédibox (www.incredibox.fr/bigbox_
en.swf) is an online application that helps
you discover the musical universe of “The
Incredible Polo” using a range of human
beat-box sounds created by the artist. Just
drag and drop a sound icon on a character
until you’ve made your own song. Click on
characters to change out the sounds.
WORK YOUR BRAIN
CogniFit Brain Fitness (www.cognifit.com)
lets you explore your brain, assess your
cognitive skills, train the abilities that are
important to you and gives you efficient
mind training. You will instantly know how
fit your brain is and what can be done to
boost it. Start by taking a quick assessment
showing you where you stand.
BUSINESS TRAVEL SPENDING AND VOLUME
remained steady in the second quarter of
2011 despite obstacles to economic recovery, reaching an estimated US$62.2 billion
in spend, according to the latest Business Travel Quarterly Outlook - United
States from the Global Business Travel Association Foundation.
Year over year, this represented growth
of 6.3 percent compared to the second
quarter of 2010. The forecast for total business travel spending growth this year is 6.9
percent.
According to the report, continued business travel spending suggests that the U.S.
economic recovery will resist a backslide
or double-dip recession, despite setbacks
including rising oil prices, natural disasters,
slowing global growth and shaky consumer
confidence. Travel prices are also on the
rise, with growing demand providing suppliers with the ammunition needed to boost
rates.
“By the end of 2010, it looked like the
light at the end of the ‘recession tunnel’ was
becoming brighter as the economy overall
and business travel specifically were gathering positive momentum,” said Michael
W. McCormick, GBTA executive director
and COO. “We’ve now hit a soft patch in
the economic revival, but business travel
spend levels tell us the recovery should continue as companies invest in driving future
growth. Now is the time when companies
will absolutely call upon their strategic
travel programs to help offset rising costs
and keep travelers doing business.”
—Blair Potter
Read more stories at
www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint
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THE
Learning
by Doing
From marketing and networking to documentation and resource
management: Best practices and recommendations from the Young
Professional Achievement 2011 RISE Awards winner.
By Elaine Pofeldt
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“
That’s one of the most important
things—to really network before you
get out of college. You have this home
base of people who will support and
encourage you.
WHEN COURTNEY STANLEY, WINNER
of the RISE Award for Young Professional Achievement, wanted MPI’s
student club at Central Michigan University (CMU) to attract more interest on campus, the event management
student took on the challenge.
As president, Stanley expanded the
membership from five to 60 people
in four months by tailoring the club’s
activities to students’ most pressing need: employment. She made an
all-out effort to provide the student
members with behind-the-scenes experience at major events that would
make them more valuable to employers.
Stanley also helped her peers on
campus to seed their professional networks.
“That’s one of the most important
things—to really network before you
get out of college,” she said. “You
have this home base of people who
will support and encourage you.”
Stanley served on her chapter’s
executive board for three years, and
used best practices in event management that are valuable to all meeting
professionals in expanding their influence. Here are some that stood out.
AWARENESS IS KEY
Promote your new event or endeavor
appropriately (as much as is suitable)
to increase attendance or membership
and make a name for the group.
“There are four main levels of
media: local, state, national and
global. It was my goal to have our
name known at each level,” Stanley
said. “I reached out to newspapers,
blogs and magazines (such as One+),
constantly networking and informing
”
people how our group was revolutionizing the link between experience and
student growth.”
EXPERIENTIAL PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Get audience momentum moving by
offering participants unique opportunities and hands-on experience at live
events—and high-profile opportunities garner even greater attendee and
media attention.
One of Stanley’s biggest successes
was arranging an educational trip
with the Country Music Association
(CMA) in Nashville for 12 student
volunteers. At the festival, she found
that the CMA offered volunteers an
extensive learning experience.
SMART PARTNERSHIPS
Negotiate an arrangement with corporate, academic and association partners to ensure your target market has
easy access to your group and that the
group remains as inclusive as possible.
Stanley came to an arrangement
with her school in which every student striving for a minor in event
management would be automatically
encouraged to become a member of
the student club.
COMMUNICATE PERSONALLY
AND ADAPT
A successful business won’t be afraid
to admit mistakes—it’s essential to
ask, “What went wrong?” and “What
could have been better?”
Make an effort to communicate
personally with your attendees or
members and openly discuss how to
make your group better after every
meeting or event.
“Both communication and transformation are staples for program
growth as well as client/member satisfaction,” Stanley said.
PEER NETWORKING AND LEVERAGE
Arrange social events to engage with
groups of peers and mentors to collaborate. This effort can be especially valuable for start-up events and groups.
“One of the hardest things is starting from ground zero,” she said.
To connect with a fledgling club
at nearby Michigan State University,
Stanley arranged a social at a local
cider mill—which became a lively
forum for exchanging best practices.
DOCUMENT SUCCESSES
After an inaugural event, create a guide
or instructional manual to ensure continuity and share lessons learned from
year one.
Eager to continue her legacy after
graduating, Stanley assembled “Beyond Hands On: A Service Learning
Initiative”—detailing her approach
to trip planning, creating partnerships, membership growth, industry
networking and other projects—for
future club leaders to follow.
“Nobody asked me to do it,” she
said. “After all the work our group
put in, I didn’t want to see it stop. I
wanted them to have every single detail they needed for increasing membership and searching for student
opportunities.”
ELAINE POFELT is a former senior editor
at FORTUNE Small Business and a regular
contributor to One+.
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“Your employees will treat your customers as they have been treated by
their leaders. Treat employees in a respectful, caring manner, and that will
be transferred to customers. Research
shows that happy employees make
for happy customers.”
Remember This
I’ve been on a kick lately about how we should take more responsibility for our actions, that the things we do are personal choices and
not actions out of our control.
You may think, too, that forgetfulness is something that we can’t
control, that it’s something our minds do subconsciously. Not true.
According to psychology researcher Gerd Thomas Waldhauser at
Lund University in Sweden, we can control our memory the same
way we control our motor functions.
Waldhauser’s neuroimaging studies were carried out in a laboratory environment where volunteers were asked to practice forgetting
or attempt to forget facts. Through EEG measurements, Waldhauser
showed that the same parts of the brain are activated when we restrain a motor impulse and when we suppress a memory. And just
as we can practice restraining motor impulses, we can also train ourselves to repress memories.
Waldhauser has not only shown that we can deliberately forget
things. Through EEG measurements, he has also managed to capture
the exact moment when a memory is inhibited, when the forgetfulness is imposed.
The inhibition of memory eases off after a few hours. But the
more often information is suppressed, the more difficult it becomes to
retrieve it.
“If the memories have been suppressed over a long period of time,
they could be extremely difficult to retrieve,” Waldhauser said.
Remember this next time you meet someone who says she’s forgotten your name. She may actually have done that on purpose.
—J.H.
Read more stories at
—Ed Hess, author of Growing an Entrepreneurial
Business: Concepts & Cases and professor at the
University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of
Business
“The job search is changing and some approaches are losing
ground to others, but classic, systematic networking continues to
be the most effective way to find suitable employment.”
—Carly McVey, Right Management’s vice president of career management
“These findings contradict popular notions that flirting at work
can make employees mores satisfied or perform better. If men are
feeling unsatisfied in their roles, then they may resort to flirting
to keep them entertained and this would partially explain the
negative relationship. While flirting can have benefits, excessive
flirting at work may be a sign that you’re unsatisfied with your job
or simply bored.”
—Chadi Moussa, a business psychologist, on a study about flirting in the
workplace
“Some studies find that face-to-face contact is necessary to
achieve mutually satisfactory outcomes, whereas others find no
effect in being able to see and hear each other.”
—Adam Galinsky, the Kellogg School’s Morris and Alice Kaplan Professor
of Ethics and Decision in Management, on the divide regarding face-to-face
impact on negotiations and group decision-making
“A company can’t make up for mistreating employees with a free
gym membership. But in companies where perks are an extension
of a corporate culture that views its workers as partners or team
members and not cogs in the machinery, employees are more
likely to feel valued, engaged and happy.”
—John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas
www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint
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Hawai’i was suffering
from more than the
global economic crisis.
The islands’ challenges pre-dated the fiscal
crash with the prescient collapse of ATA
and Aloha airlines
within a month of each
other in spring 2008.
Staying Above Water
How Hawai’i faced the global financial crisis
head-on
PHOTOS AND STORY BY JESSIE STATES
MANY HOTELIERS HOARDED FUNDS DURING
the global financial crisis to stave off the
plague of bankruptcy descending upon the
hospitality industry, attempting at once to
keep staff levels up and costs down.
Not the owners of the Hyatt Regency
Maui, who sat quietly investing money during the chaos. They completed a room renovation and added new restaurants. When
visitors returned, they found a revitalized
Maui experience at the Hyatt property.
And during the height of the downturn,
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August_Buzz.indd 26
when rates fell to their lowest price point,
a larger-than-ever public relations staff peddled special promotions to international
media members and sales staff sold executives on the fact that Hawai’i, in fact, was
a fiscally responsible meetings destination.
Today, the business of meetings has
largely returned to the Aloha State. In May,
event and incentive arrivals by air were up
70 percent compared to May 2010 (to
37,091) and up 44.8 percent year-to-date
(to 225,100). Hawai’i Convention Center
execs project visits by more than 85,000
delegates in 2011—6,000 more than in
2008 (though down from the 2009 high of
94,800). Joe Davis, center general manager,
says the 2010-2011 fiscal year has proved
to be one of the venue’s best ever. In January, the center hosted its first Chinese incentive group.
The secret to success in a downturn,
Davis says, is remaining close to corporate
clients. As corporations shut down business events due to their perception as highpriced junkets, Hawai’i Convention Center
salespeople contacted their planner peers.
“We told them, ‘When you’re ready,
come back,’” Davis says. “Corporations
tend to decide whether or not to hold a
meeting in the short-term, and we wanted
to be there when they made that decision.”
The center also started its own conference—the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Expo
and Summit—in 2009. In its second year,
the event attracted 800 delegates to discuss independent and clean energy initiatives, reaffirm existing partnerships and
build new alliances in the region.
Meanwhile, the organization conducted blitz-marketing campaigns in easy-access U.S. markets—Chicago, Los Angeles,
the Pacific Northwest, San Francisco—
with twice-annual visits preceded by attention-grabbing billboards, signs, photos
and videos.
But Hawai’i was suffering from more
than the global economic crisis. The is-
08.11
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Terryl Vencl, executive
director of the Maui
Visitors Bureau,
increased her travel
plans to reach more
markets during the
downturn.
educate and get business done?”
Meanwhile, on Oahu, the Hawai’i Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB) assembled the state’s hotel, transportation
and retail organizations, which promptly
issued a series of eight programs in a new
Added Value Resource Center scheme. (To
date, hundreds of companies representing
56,000 delegates have taken advantage of
one or more of the programs.) Offerings
include special discounts to local attractions, advance notice of special room rates
and links to free activities.
“Like most organizations, we keep a
finger on the pulse of economic and business conditions,” says Michael Murray,
CASE, CMM, CMP, vice president of
sales and marketing for corporate meetings and incentives at the HVCB. “We anticipated that by September or October of
2008, we would be seeing a downturn in
corporate event bookings. The resource
center was our way of combating the
challenges posed by the economic slowdown, and it continues to work today as
a key sales tool for us.”
For the HVCB—and many other industry organizations—
the global financial
crisis became catalyst
for
lasting
change. The challenges of falling
bookings
fueled
projects and programs that promised
future
prosperity.
And Hawai’i wasn’t
in a position to sit
idly
by. Instead, inScan the tag with your smartphone to watch Tina Canderle,
dustry
and business
CMP, senior sales manager for the Westin Maui Resort &
clasped
hands and
Spa, describe how she convinces clients that Hawai’i is a
prevented
disaster.
business-smart and fiscally responsible destination choice.
—J.S.
lands’ challenges pre-dated the fiscal crash
with the prescient collapse of ATA and
Aloha airlines within a month of each other in spring 2008, leaving thousands
stranded and scrambling for stand-by seats
on Hawaiian Airlines (which offered free
coach seats to the ticketed marooned).
Terryl Vencl, executive director of the
Maui Visitors Bureau, witnessed the chaos
as she spoke with distressed travelers at
Kahului Airport.
“We knew our event bookings were
solid through the end of the year,” she
says. “Our pinch didn’t come until fall
2008. That’s when we began to see the
numbers fall. Sometime along the way the
entire global economy began to collapse,
so we started planning for the worst.”
Vencl hit the road, traveling to major
destinations to share Maui’s story with
travel agents, event planners and media
members.
“This is a place for people to relax,”
she says. “When you’re relaxed, you’re a
sponge, you take it all in. When people arrive on Maui, their shoulders drop. The
stress is left behind. What better place to
ADDED VALUE
RESOURCE CENTER
As the economy slumped, the Hawaiian
hospitality and meeting industries
teamed with the business community to
attract events and conferences to the
Aloha State. They called the final product the Added Value Resource Center,
and here’s what it offers. For more information, visit www.businessaloha.com.
The Speakers Bureau provides access to
the state’s top executives and leaders in
fields ranging from business to medicine to international affairs.
The Value Added Program offers an
array of special discounts and offers for
retail products as well as activities and
tours through partnerships with the
Retail Merchants of Hawai’i and the
Activities and Attractions Association of
Hawai’i.
Hot Rates, Hot Dates! gives inside information on special accommodation rates
and other savings for meetings and
events.
“Why Hawai’i” presents specific reasons why the state is a fiscally relevant
destination for meetings, conventions
and incentives. The program is offered
by local DMCs.
Enjoy Hawai’i for Free offers a list of all
the free activities planners can incorporate into their events to stretch the
budget, from concerts and hula performances to historic sites and scenic
locations.
Green Meetings Year-Round shares how
Hawai’i resorts and hotels are working
to preserve the tropical environment.
Hawai’i Booking Advantage provides a
choice of complimentary services so
groups can experience the best that
Hawai’i has to offer.
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TOP
Spots
The Drinkwater
U.S. West Coast-based Joie de Vivre
Hotels will introduce its first property
outside of California in Scottsdale,
Ariz., this fall. The Drinkwater, a 195room hotel in the heart of Old Town
Scottsdale, will showcase the colorful,
vibrant spirit of the Southwest.
The Drinkwater’s entrance is on
Drinkwater Boulevard, which was
named for Scottsdale’s former fourterm mayor Herb Drinkwater, who led
the Phoenix suburb’s transformation
into a thriving resort destination and
was known affectionately as “Mr.
Scottsdale.”
“This is a milestone step for Joie de
Vivre, and Scottsdale is a great place
for our first venture outside of California,” said Chip Conley, Joie de Vivre
executive chairman and chief creative
officer. “We’re opening in the best location just steps from the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts in a destination
that is popular with our existing clientele and one that will expand our reach
and business.”
Sheraton New
York Hotel and
Towers
Westin Playa Bonita
The 611-room Westin Playa Bonita in Panama will
debut in October 2011 near celebrated sites such as
the Panama Canal’s Miraflores Locks and a 20-minute drive from Panama City. Guests can visit the
Amador Causeway, modern shopping centers and
casinos in Panama City. Meeting and banquet spaces
will total more than 66,000 square feet.
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The Sheraton New York Hotel
and Towers has completed phase
one of its US$150 million renovation, updating and expanding
1,080 guest rooms and grand
suites, adding a state-of-the-art
Cisco TelePresence Suite and redesigning the Sheraton Club
Lounge. Phase two of the renovation will begin in December
2011, with completion in April
2012.
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Mandarin Oriental Paris
The 138-room Mandarin Oriental, Paris has debuted on famed rue Saint Honoré. The hotel, situated in the heart of the city’s entertainment and
high-end retail districts, offers access to all major
tourist sites and the city’s business center. The hotel includes an indoor garden, two restaurants, a
cake shop, a spa and four event spaces.
Adelaide Convention Centre
Australia’s Adelaide Convention Centre will be expanded and redeveloped at a cost of
AUD$350 million. Key features of the expanded center include three distinct buildings that
will flow seamlessly internally to host one single major event or three separate events concurrently and an additional 4,300 square meters of multipurpose convention floor space.
mpiweb.org
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> CONNECTIONS
>
WHO:
The Aspen Institute
A Celebration
of Ideas
BY JENNIFER JUERGENS
The Atlantic
MOST ASPEN INSTITUTE EVENTS ARE INVITATION ONLY.
EVENT:
Aspen Ideas Festival
June 27-July 3 • Aspen, Colorado
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They foster enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless
ideas and values and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues. But, for the most part, they’re closed to the public.
Walter Isaacson, institute president and CEO, wanted a largerscale conversation, and he knew the right partner—Atlantic Media Company owner David Bradley. They called it a “celebration
of ideas” and designed the Aspen Ideas Festival to draw hundreds
of influential leaders in the arts and sciences, culture, technology,
religion, philosophy, business, economics and politics. Isaacson
had the vision. Bradley had the national audience.
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7/29/11 10:54 AM
That first event attracted mostly magazine subscribers
and Aspen Institute members.
But, that was eight years ago. Earlier this summer, the
event drew 2,000 delegates to the Colorado Rockies to
hear U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer speak
on making democracy work and athlete Lance Armstrong discuss the greater good of social media. Speakers
Maria Bartiromo of CNBC and Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC set up network broadcasts on the Aspen Institute’s
40-acre campus to report from the festival along with
90-odd other media outlets including NPR, The Wall
Street Journal and Politico.com.
Planning has already begun for the 2012 festival. The
team shares responsibilities for program content, logistics
and funding. The process has become rote as the years pass.
Team members from both orgs first identify themes
for the event. They discuss current events and ideas and
then identify speakers and presenters.
This year, one of the magazine editors suggested “Our
Post 9/11 World.” Other session topics included global
economics, arts and design in U.S. culture, the digital
universe, frontiers of medicine, music on the edge, the
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While the Institute gets busy with
the mechanics, The Atlantic’s salespeople start securing underwriters.
Custom programs for sponsors are
critical to the success of the event.
environment, green tech to clean tech and the definition
of happiness. Topics at the festival appear in subsequent
magazine articles, and vice versa.
The Aspen Institute’s Kitty Boone books the speakers.
Program tracks are announced in October.
And while the Institute gets busy with the mechanics,
The Atlantic’s salespeople start securing underwriters.
Custom programs for sponsors are critical to the success
of the event. As sales identify underwriters, communication starts between the magazine team and institute event
coordinators. Lindsey Bahr, The Atlantic’s festival producer, works directly with Deborah Murphy, the Aspen
Institute’s conference coordinator, to find the right ven-
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7/21/11 9:42 AM
ues for each event.
For example: Reuters created a Sept. 11, 2001, exhibit with flat-screen TVs that looped photos. Bahr worked
with Murphy to find the right place for the display—the
Isaacson History Room in the Doerr-Hosier Building
proved the ideal contemplative room.
The gym on campus (which had never been used at
the festival before) housed Siemens’ Sustainable Cities
exhibit, which used 20 flat screens to create a single panel. Organizers found a great spot for Mercedes Benz to
co-host a breakfast with U.S. Trust including a session
on landscape photography. Delegates got the opportunity to test drive a car.
During the event, as many as 40 staff members from
both organizations met at 7 a.m. daily to debrief the previous day’s events and preview the upcoming day and
evening functions.
Understandably, there were logistical hot spots during
the event that required a great deal of support. There
were 12 interns and 90 volunteers recruited early in the
process. Volunteers were assigned to 16 different committees with duties such as golf cart driving and room
There were 12 interns and 90 volunteers recruited early in the process.
Volunteers were assigned to 16
different committees with duties
such as golf cart driving and room
monitoring for the 220 sessions.
monitoring for the 220 sessions. Additionally, they were
all connected by radio.
Ultimately, the show owes its success to The AtlanticAspen Institute relationship. The Atlantic was founded
in 1857 to lead the debate on “the American idea.” The
nonprofit Aspen Institute dates to the early 1950s with
a mission to foster enlightened leadership and dialogue.
It is this similarity in mission and purpose that truly
makes the Aspen Ideas Festival unique.
JENNIFER JUERGENS is the former editor of Incentive magazine.
mpiweb.org
August_Connections.indd 33
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7/21/11 9:42 AM
T
N
A
V
E
L
E
R
R
I
Just Say
‘Nay’
You’re allergic to eggs and
dairy, but can’t get enough of
the pasteurized heaven that is
mayonnaise? Fear not. Nasoya
has an all-natural, egg- and
gluten-free, vegan, non-cholesterol
alternative. Get your French
fries ready. (Amazon.com,
US$48.78/12 pack)
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0811_035.indd 35
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Meeting Logistics
Made Easy
aptify.com
Planning a meeting or big event can be stressful, but
it doesn’t have to be. Aptify’s Association Management System (AMS) provides complete management
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While the industry recognizes Aptify’s power and
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Aptify’s Meetings and Event Management provides immediate and powerful functionality to
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information in Aptify, including:
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With Aptify, your meeting information is retained in
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Build and Track Details
In Aptify, you can start with a meeting placeholder
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the details. Easily track a wide variety of logistical
Find Out Who Is Attending Your Meetings!
Aptify directly links meeting registrations to your
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Viewing Meeting Details in Aptify
Meeting Attendee List in Aptify
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 08 /11
Aptify Advertorial 0811.indd 36
7/29/11 12:00 PM
Since Aptify is a complete 360-degree Association
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Clone Annual Conference Info via Aptify’s Wizard
Capabilities
If you have recurring meetings that have the same
basic structure year over year, then you’ll want to
access Aptify’s New Meetings wizard. This wizard
makes it possible to automatically copy relevant
details from last year’s meeting to this year’s event.
Valuable data such as session information, accounting characteristics and registration pricing will all
transfer into this year’s meeting file.
meetings online and allow members to register
themselves and others directly from your website.
Online activity integrates directly with the Aptify system so registrations placed over the Web appear side
by side with registrations taken by your customer service department.
Additionally, Aptify e-Business provides attendees with 24/7 access to information and Web-based
registration for maximum exposure and ease. Direct
integration to the Aptify database and related applications ensures real-time access and updates, and
eliminates the need to enter data multiple times.
Manage registration for single and multi-session
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Sample Meeting Page on an Aptify e-Business Site
Aptify’s New Meeting Wizard: copy details from another meeting to
simplify set up
Select and Coordinate Meeting Space
Using Aptify’s Meeting Rooms feature, you can track
room scheduling and logistics to prevent conflicts.
Ensure There’s No Overlapping of Rooms, Registrations or Resources
Aptify includes a ‘validation’ process that prevents
you from double-booking rooms and resources, as
well as preventing attendees from registering for
two events at the same time.
If an event has a multiple number of sessions, Aptify
makes it possible to assign coordinators and venues to
each session. Sessions can also be designated with individual speakers and pricing options. Additionally, the
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Register Online
With Aptify e-Business, you can promote your
Aptify Advertorial 0811.indd 37
designation and promotional marketing.
Aptify Meetings and Event Management provides
you with a comprehensive view of your entire event,
with integrated order and registration processing
and real-time reporting of all correlated meeting
logistics. Realize immediate cost savings by automating the meeting management process, with complete project management capabilities to allocate
resources and control expenses, capture online registrations in real-time and use cost-effective personalized marketing campaigns to reach a larger audience
and enhance customer relationships.
About Aptify
Aptify is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and
maintains domestic offices in California, Chicago
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Canada and India. Aptify is a Microsoft Gold Certified
Partner with an active international partner presence
in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary and the United Kingdom. For more
information visit www.aptify.com or contact Katie
Kowalsky @ katie.kowalsky@aptify.com.
7/22/11 3:22 PM
> > M E D I A M AT T E R S
BY CHRIS BROGAN <<
WHAT GOOGLE+
MEANS TO YOU
I DON’T ALWAYS WRITE IN GREAT
GEEKY DEPTH ABOUT TECHNOLOGY,
ESPECIALLY SOMETHING AS BLEEDING EDGE AS GOOGLE+, but this new
social network has the potential to
be a really huge thing—and it’s got
the potential to be your next best
tool for meeting planning. I don’t
say that lightly. Because it’s Google,
because the company is working fast
to make the network amazing and
because Google owns search and
relevance, there is serious potential
in its most recent product.
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What is Google+?
Google+ is a social network platform launched by the search giant
at the end of June. It’s a bit like
Facebook, only cleaner and faster
with a better sense of organization
and a better video chat feature.
(Facebook offers one-on-one Skype,
while Google+ “hangouts” allow for
video chats of up to 10 people.)
What Does It Look Like?
Google+ comprises four main sections: streams, photos, profiles and
circles.
• Streams are the main communication engine, like Facebook news
feeds or Twitter timelines. You can
post text, photos, videos or links in
the stream. Then, people can comment on what you’ve posted.
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Google+ is not a platform that cottons
well to traditional marketing methods.
If you can’t carry on conversations, no
one’s going to care.
• Google+ users have unlimited
Picasa storage (which is great for
meetings with lots of photos and
media).
• The profile is your view of you,
broken into a listing of your posts,
bio, photos and videos (like what
you would see on your wall or on
your Twitter stream); an About
section (which lets you fill out a
great amount of detail, add links
and geographical data and more);
+1s (like Facebook “likes”); and
Buzz, which is your Google Buzz
account, but prettier.
• Circles organize the people
you follow in Google+ and are
probably the most useful change to
social networking that Google has
introduced. Grouping functions existed on Facebook and Twitter, but
the circles are easier to understand.
How Do I Use It?
Google+ is currently designed for
individuals only; there’s no “business” account, though some people
have made phony accounts that
act like businesses. Google intends
to roll out organization/business
pages shortly (if not by the time
this article runs).
Until then, get an account at
http://plus.google.com and build
your profile. Then, start finding
friends, colleagues, suppliers and
vendors and place them in circles
that make sense to you. Organizing people takes time, so start now
and you’ll have a network in place
when Google+ becomes more
prominent and prevalent.
Community Platform
Right now, most of the information
in the stream refers to Google+.
People are curious about how to use
it and how best to approach their
needs. But, there are far less geekonly conversations going on. “Real”
people are using Google+ the way
they use Facebook, which means
that your demographic will be there
soon, if it’s not already.
Google+ presents a simple, useful
community platform tool, depending on your need for privacy (it’s not
yet clear how business pages will
work, but you can restrict messages
to certain circles and/or individuals). You can share photos, videos,
articles and more information about
and around your meetings and
events in a one-to-many experience
that beats any other social platform.
It’s About Conversations
There’s a really beaten cliché about
social media being “all about the
conversation,” but Google+ is not
a platform that cottons well to
traditional marketing methods. If
you can’t carry on conversations, no
one’s going to care.
The conversation starts with
your post. If it’s interesting, people
will engage. If it’s self-promotional,
they’ll pass. Because there’s no
“events” function yet, your meeting information has to go into the
stream. Make it interesting. And in
between business stuff, share your
personal side so that people can
relate. Then, just stay current on
your comments. If people comment
on your posts, reply and keep the
conversation going.
Start When You Can
At the time I’m writing, Google+ is
in a closed field test. That will probably have changed when you get this
article, so go set up your account.
Here’s what to do first.
• Create a personal account,
understanding that you’ll use it for
business purposes until they open up
organization pages.
• Groom your profile. Add lots of
“about” information and site links.
• Record a video to share. Talk
about your organization and give a
URL to your website.
• Post photos from previous events
to show what your events look like
and who the players are.
• Find and connect with interesting people, and add them to circles.
Organizing people helps you cull
what you read.
• Read blog posts about Google+
to see how other businesses use it.
• Practice sharing, and see what
people respond to.
• Keep conversations alive.
Google+ won’t appeal to everyone,
but Google’s massive reach and its
ability to eventually integrate a lot
of powerful software indicate that
this will be an important social
network. Get in early.
And when you get there, look
for me. I’ll be happy to share with
you.
CHRIS BROGAN
is president of Human
Business Works, an
education and tools company
for small businesses. He is
the co-author of New York
Times bestseller Trust
Agents, and he blogs at
Chrisbrogan.com. Email him at
linkedin@chrisbrogan.com.
mpiweb.org
August_Column_Brogan.indd 39
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> > H I G H -T EC H H U M A N I T Y
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THE EVOLUTION
OF THE
BUSINESS EVENT
BY DO U G LAS RU S H KO F F < <
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMISTS ARE STRUGGLING TO
FIGURE OUT WHETHER THE WORLD MARKET IS IN
A SOFT PATCH, A SUSTAINED BEAR MARKET OR THE
PRELUDE TO A DREADED DOUBLE DIP.
They really don’t know, and they
are increasingly freaked out about
that. And while we in the live events
industry might like to laugh it off,
convinced we’re immune to all that
high finance hedge fund mumbojumbo, in truth our entire sector is
driven by it. At least it has been until
now.
Events, for the most part, have
been considered cream, funded by
the excess wealth of the companies
we work for, organizations we
contribute to and corporations that
want to win our business. In the
1990s, most of the events I spoke at
were hosted by groups: real estate
companies rewarding top sellers, associations helping members achieve
the “next level” and pharmaceutical
companies “training” doctors to use
new medications. Everyone played
golf, got massages and took historic
tours of the odd downtown.
As a result—and not entirely
unfairly—events were associated
with excess. Like a year-end bonus
or incentive, an event was a way
to celebrate success or demonstrate
dominance. That’s why, whenever
times got tough, events were the
first expenses to go. And, predictably, we saw the event marketplace
cool down during the dotcom crash
of 2000, and then again in 2008 as
Lehman Brothers collapsed along
with mortgage-backed securities.
Now that financiers are adapting
to a new normal of low returns,
soggy housing, challenged employment and occasional national bankruptcies, history tells us to brace for
another contraction in the events
business.
But that won’t happen this time,
and here’s why: This crash is different. We are not looking at the cyclical crunch of investment markets,
but the slow, steady realization by
big business that traditional methods for wealth generation just don’t
work anymore. This isn’t about the
housing market. The housing boom
and bust (or, more accurately, the
mortgage derivatives crash) was
just a last gasp by financial firms to
milk a little more cash out of the
economy during this sustained and,
I’d argue, permanent lull in profitability.
The real issue—the one that’s
been troubling economist John
Hagel at Deloitte & Touche since
before 2000—is that corporate
profit over net worth has been
plunging since World War II. That
doesn’t mean corporations aren’t
rich. It means they don’t know how
to make money with the money
they already have.
Workers grow more productive
and efficient each year, but that isn’t
translating into profits. Why? True
innovation is down. In the U.S.,
organizations—corporate America,
in particular—have focused innova-
tion on financial markets rather than
the creation of new and interesting
stuff. Except for Apple and a few
other technology companies, most of
the former giants have left their core
businesses behind to operate more like
financial institutions. General Electric
is much busier bidding on banks than
making washing machines (actually,
they sold off their appliance business
years ago).
This strategy allowed big companies to tip the money landscape
so that capital rolled down to them.
They collected by positioning themselves downstream. But they were
loath to innovate on any real level—to
use that capital productively. And
so their core capabilities languished.
They lost sight of whatever it was they
were supposed to be doing. They lost
their souls along with their competencies.
So, unlike previous downturns
(during which struggling businesses
cut out events along with budgets),
this downturn will have the opposite
effect. Corporations have nothing
but money. And we have what they
need: networks of creative, competent
people and the ability to bring them
together in new ways.
Remind your clients that events are
not always just a reward for a job well
done. They do not come after the fact;
they are a means toward success. Focus your event planning and promotion on the value created by bringing
together people who understand what
no corporation ever can—that true
innovation happens in real life, in real
time and in person.
DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF
is the author, most
recently, of Life Inc:
How the world became
a corporation and how
to take it back. He
teaches media studies
at The New School in
New York and can
be contacted at
rushkoff@rushkoff.com.
mpiweb.org
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>> ON THE JOB
I’M JUST NOT
THAT INTO YOU
THREE MONTHS INTO THE NEW
JOB, I REALIZED IT WASN’T WORKING OUT. Several industry friends had
given me the inside scoop before I
accepted the position, and I thought
I knew the company and its culture.
Cue joy and excitement—until
I discovered that the job entailed
more than the hiring manager had
mentioned. I was told, “Oh, that part
is totally easy.” It wasn’t.
Now, I enjoy challenges, but as I
delved into the projects at hand, it
became clear that my executives had
either underestimated or misrepresented the job. I was in over my head.
And I don’t like to fail.
There are dozens of reasons why a
job doesn’t work out: you didn’t pick
up on micromanaging bosszilla during the interview, the culture is a bad
fit, the company sits on the brink of
financial collapse—but still managed
to convince you to jump on board.
Now you’re stuck in a deteriorating situation, or you risk a frank conversation with your new employer.
Here’s my advice on how to survive
the bad-job-fit blues.
1. Face the facts. Ask yourself: Can
I tough it? Is this a short-term wall?
42
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Can I overcome the learning curve?
2. Cut your losses. Don’t valiantly
struggle on just to prove you have grit.
It is a disservice to you and your employer if you can’t apply yourself 100
percent emotionally and physically.
3. Be respectful and professional. I
wrote a heartfelt resignation letter to
my employer, explaining that leaving
the position was one of the most difficult decisions I ever made. I also wrote
that I realized that the most competent
employees are passionate advocates of
their work, and I couldn’t seem to find
that igniting fervor that would make
me the exemplary worker who could
take the business to the next level.
4. Suggest a solution. Your employer
may be angry to hear you are leaving.
The company spent time and money
during the selection process, and that investment is walking away. Prevent your
employer from feeling used by suggesting a viable solution. Suggest someone
who might be a better fit, or offer to stay
on until a replacement is hired.
5. Detail your contribution. Appropriately document the positive role you
BY D A W N R A S M U SS E N , C M P < <
played, so your employer understands
that your time spent wasn’t a waste or
loss.
6. Thank everyone. No matter how
bad it was, make a graceful exit by
thanking everyone. If you slink around
and act guilty, that’s what people will
remember.
When it comes to your résumé and
career history, there is no law that
states you must list every job you have
ever had (though applications are different). If it isn’t working out and you
have the ability financially to break up
with a new employer, the sooner you
can move on to more rewarding work
relationships, the better.
DAWN RASMUSSEN, CMP,
is the president of Portland,
Ore.-based Pathfinder
Writing and Careers, which
specializes in hospitality/
meeting professional
resumés. She has been
a meeting planner for
more than 15 years and
an MPI member since 2001.
08.11
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> > CO M P E T I T I V E E D G E
DEBORAH GARDNER, CMP < <
STRATEGY
FOR THE WIN
FOLLOWING A TWO-YEAR SLUMP,
20-YEAR-OLD JIANG YUYUAN DECIDED
TO TAKE A BREAK.
Months later, China’s gymnastics team captain made a dramatic
comeback at the 2010 World Championships, earning a silver medal in
the all-around, the highest honor
a woman from her country ever
received in the sport.
“I still need to increase my difficulty everywhere,” she told the
media. “My beam is a bit better, but
I need to up the difficulty on all my
other events. I finally realized a sys44
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tematic training strategy is what will
help me win. How else will I become a
champion?”
Jiang learned what many executives should already know: You need
strategy to win.
Businesses are looking to become
more competitive than ever before.
And to be competitive, they need effective and results-oriented stratagem.
When teams contribute to the same
bottom-line and objectives, everyone
wins. But all too often, convoluted
rules and regulations, budget restraints
and bureaucracy weigh down strate-
gies until they are essentially impotent.
An awareness of brand, people,
culture and values creates amazing
potential for transformation. We are
all familiar with Starbucks coffee (and
the brand’s once-US$10 billion annual
sales). Like many businesses struggling
through the slow economic recovery,
Starbucks is trying to figure out how
to continue driving consumption—in
this case of $4 lattes. The company
knows that consumers are rethinking
purchases. So Starbucks re-strategized,
making major changes to its corporate
structure (like bringing back CEO
Howard Schultz after an eight-year
hiatus), resolving quality-control issues
and addressing plummeting sales with
intensive staff retraining.
To be competitive, great companies—large and small—must strive for
reinvention and self-renewal.
Read my upcoming series on competition and strategy. Align these two key
concepts to monitor your business success. Find out if your organization or
business has the ability to participate
in a competitive market. Meanwhile,
we’ll look at business case studies from
organizations, companies and individuals, inside and outside the hospitality
profession. You’ll learn to identify and
analyze your strategic options by answering the “who, what, when, where
and why” questions.
Learn what distinguishes you from
your peers in order to authentically
dominate your marketplace. Get ready
to discover how competition and
strategy are not only part of the same
discussion, they’re a requirement to
winning.
DEBORAH GARDNER, CMP,
is a competitive performance expert who challenges companies, organizations and individuals to
think and act. She is a past
president of the MPI Arizona
Sunbelt Chapter and a
member of the National
Speakers Association. Visit
www.DeborahGardner.com.
08.11
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An Educational Journey
Feria Para Aprender (The Learning Fair) is the largest Hispanic education
and college-readiness event in the U.S., and it hopes to help stem the
tide of high school dropout rates in Dallas.
of Hispanics who go on to college, two
Texas educators, Sylvia Acevedo and
One (pronounce O-nay) Musel-Gilley,
started Feria Para Aprender (The Learning Fair). The program kicked-off five
years ago in Austin, Texas, and has since
become the largest Hispanic education
and college-readiness event in the country. In addition to Austin, Acevedo and
Musel-Gilley have produced Feria Para
Aprender events in Miami, Florida, and
Los Angeles, California. In October, Acevedo and Musel-Gilley will bring Feria
Para Aprender to Dallas.
“It’s important to understand the demographic changes and trends that are
DALLAS CVB
THE DROPOUT RATE AMONG HIGH
SCHOOL AGE STUDENTS IN THE DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
(DISD) HOVERS AROUND 60 PERCENT
ANNUALLY. The problem is especially
profound among Hispanic youth who
represent nearly two-thirds of the district’s 150,000 students and have a high
dropout rate. The unemployment rate
among Hispanics is equally as distressing. While U.S. unemployment stands
(at press time) at 8.7 percent, among
Hispanics in Dallas County the jobless
rate is 12.4 percent.
To stem the tide of high school dropout rates and increase the percentage
FERIA PARA APRENDER (5)
BY KEVIN WOO
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Destination_Texas.indd 47
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7/19/11 1:51 PM
happening in places like Texas, Florida
and California,” Acevedo said. “These
three states represent more than half of
our future workforce. And there is no
place in the U.S. that is changing as fast
and as dramatically and on such a grand
scale as the state of Texas.”
Acevedo adds that the current education model, where fathers work and mothers stay home, was designed for the baby
boom generation. That model no longer
applies, because today both parents are
likely to work and fathers are becoming
more involved with their children’s education. Because of this change, Acevedo says
it’s critical to produce educational events
that reach mothers and fathers.
The format for Feria Para Aprender is
48
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FERIA PARA APRENDER
Feria Para Aprender
is designed as a oneway path that takes
attendees on an
educational journey
from pre-K to college.
unlike other education events where vendors are scattered around a large meeting
hall and attendees are left on their own
to find information. Feria Para Aprender
is designed as a one-way path that takes
attendees on an educational journey from
pre-K to college. Each step along the way,
from early childhood education to elementary school and beyond, is called a
“zone.” The goal of each zone is to help
parents and children navigate their way
through the education process and connect the dots between education, parental
involvement and success.
Musel-Gilley says that the biggest challenge facing parents who are new to the
U.S.—or for whom English is a second
language—is that the education system
isn’t hospitable and it’s hard to learn how
to be assertive and advocate for their
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FERIA PARA APRENDER (2)
children. Parents who attend Feria Para
Aprender will learn how to become more
involved with their children’s day-to-day
education, how to create home study programs, how talk with teachers, how to
feel at ease when visiting their children’s
school and how to feel more comfortable
as their children grow older and begin to
think about college.
“Educational opportunities aren’t as
widely available in Mexico,” Musel-Gilley said. “When parents come to the U.S.,
they learn that education is compulsory.
Because of their lack of familiarity with
formal education, the parents aren’t able
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to understand how education works. We
teach the parents that if a child graduates
from high school, they’ll earn a million
dollars over a lifetime. If they graduate
from college, they will earn an additional
million. The more education someone
has, and being bilingual, means there will
be better opportunities for pay and jobs.
When we explain this, the parents get it.”
Parents begin their Feria Para Aprender experience in the Early Childhood and
Elementary zones, where they will learn
about the importance of early childhood
education. Teachers and administrators
will explain the importance of learning
to read and developing other skills prior
to attending elementary school. A mock
classroom will be set up so the parents
can have the opportunity to experience
a classroom setting (perhaps for the first
time in their lives) and get first-hand
knowledge of what their children will go
through in school.
Because much of the focus of Feria
Para Aprender is on reading and family
literacy, there will be reading pods and
reading gardens located throughout the
hall, and parents and kids are encouraged
to spend time reading together. To extend
the reading experience into the home,
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FERIA PARA APRENDER (2)
Acevedo and Musel-Gilley have arranged
for more than 20,000 books to be given
away at the event. Families will receive
bilingual copies of books such as Where
the Wild Things Are, Thomas the Tank
Engine and Pirates of the Caribbean. The
goal, Musel-Gilley says, is for families to
take the books home and make reading
part of everyday life.
As the families progress into the high
school zone, educators from DISD, community colleges and local universities will
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be on hand to talk about college, scholarships and financial aid. Representatives
from Southern Methodist University, the
University of North Texas in Denton and
the University of North Texas at Dallas will be in attendance. Community
groups—including Education is Freedom,
Communities in Schools and the United
Way—will also be on site to provide parents with information about education
resources available.
Gloria Bahamon, the assistant provost
at the University of North Texas at Dallas, says the key to getting kids to attend
college is to bring the university to the
parents to show them that college is accessible.
“In the Hispanic culture, parents have
a lot to say about what children do,” Bahamon said. “The parents need to be assured that universities are there to help
their kids. Many [Hispanic] parents don’t
have the education to know that there are
resources, such as scholarships and financial aid, to help their children.”
To help parents understand the connection between money and education,
Feria Para Aprender will feature a financial literacy zone, where parents will learn
how to save for college, and a financial
advisement zone, where university representatives will provide information about
financial aid and scholarships.
Feria Para Aprender concludes with
a trip into the enrichment activities zone
where parents and their kids can see how
education pays off. The zone features
demonstrations that represent various
careers. Parents and kids can play with flying saucers (for those who want to be astronauts), watch science experiments, talk
to nurses and other medical professionals
and meet firefighters and police officers.
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To extend the reading
experience into the home,
Acevedo and Musel-Gilley
have arranged for more
than 20,000 books to be
given away at the event.
Kids can dress up in job-related uniforms
and have a career picture taken while parents learn about the type of education that
is needed for various professions.
Associated with the enrichment activities zone is the commitment zone, where
parents and kids will make commitments
to each other. Families will be encouraged to talk about what they learned at
Feria Para Aprender and write down
what they’re committed to do to make
education a priority within the family.
Musel-Gilley has high hopes for the
upcoming event. She anticipates that
20,000 parents and kids will attend and
knows that Feria Para Aprender is making a big impact throughout the Hispanic
community.
“After an event in Austin, a mother
Destination_Texas.indd 53
frantically tried to find our photographer because she forgot to pick up her
daughter’s career picture,” Musel-Gilley said. “The mother pleaded for our
help. I asked the mom what her daughter
was dressed up as so we could find the
photo. She said her daughter was dressed
up as a teacher.”
For Musel-Gilley, that was confirmation that Feria Para Aprender is sure to
be muy importante para los ciudadanos
de Dallas.
KEVIN WOO is a frequent contributor to One+.
7/21/11 9:05 AM
DESTINATION PLANNING CORP. (4)
Arrrrgh!
An investors meeting in St. Augustine, Florida,
was spiced up by bringing in pirates.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
AT FIRST GLANCE, THE EVENT SOUNDS
LIKE SOMETHING FROM AN EPISODE OF
SEINFELD: An investment and retirement planning firm holds an appreciation event for a group of its investors—
at a pirate museum. What? Was Chuck
E. Cheese’s booked up that day?
But a closer look shows that event
was actually a part of an astute and
well-targeted strategy by its planner,
Julie Lee, director of marketing and
public relations for Petros Estate and
Retirement Planning LLC based in St.
Augustine, the historic city about 20
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miles south of Jacksonville, Florida.
“For one thing, with these appreciation events for clients, we try to go for
an atmosphere that is as far away from
stuffy, boardroom atmosphere as you
can get,” Lee said. “We consider our
clients to be more like family; relationships are very important to us. In fact,
the majority of our new clients come to
us through recommendations of existing clients. So these client appreciation
events are very important to us, and we
very much want them to be fun for the
group.”
When the St. Augustine Pirate and
Treasure Museum opened in December 2010 and started getting good buzz
from its initial visitors, Lee says she
started thinking it would be a great fit
for an investor appreciation event, and
a site inspection bore that out.
“It’s a place with excitement and
energy that appeals to kids,” she said.
“But it’s also sophisticated enough to
appeal to adults.”
The museum, which relocated from
Key West to St. Augustine in December, contains an extensive collection of
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The St. Augustine Pirate and
Treasure Museum is a place
with excitement and energy
that appeals to kids, but it’s
also sophisticated enough to
appeal to adults.
pirate relics from all over the Caribbean and the South Atlantic region of
the U.S., with artifacts that date to the
1600s. The collection and the massive
amount of historical information the
museum has developed about pirates
had been brought into the 21st century through judicious use of interactive
displays, through which visitors can
learn about the lives of virtually every
major pirate from the 17th to the 19th
centuries.
And there are costumed “pirates” at
the museum who serve as guides and
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docents, making the experience come
alive for visitors from ages eight to 80.
Lee says the most popular of the
interactive experiences at the museum
for a group was a small, theater-like
exhibit in which visitors are “kidnapped” by a 17th-century pirate and
then briefed by the pirate on what life
will be like as a pirate’s hostage. Another hit was an antique cannon that
visitors can “fire,” thanks to electronics that include LED lights to simulate
the muzzle flash.
But what made the venue perhaps
the biggest hit with Lee’s group was
something it has in common with a
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DESTINATION PLANNING CORP.
The pirate museum
is directly across
the street from the
Castillo de San Marcos, the fortress that
Spanish explorers
built more than 330
years ago to protect St. Augustine,
the first settlement
Spain established on
the North American
continent.
lot of the new event venues in North
Florida these days: location, location,
location.
The pirate museum is directly across
the street from the Castillo de San Marcos, the fortress that Spanish explorers
built more than 330 years ago to protect St. Augustine, the first settlement
Spain established on the North American continent. The settlement was attacked by pirates in the 17th century,
a historical fact that played a role in
museum owner Pat Croce’s decision to
move the museum there.
Croce—a history buff, entrepreneur
and former general manager of the National Basketball Association’s Philadelphia 76ers team—is a well-known
media personality in Eastern Pennsylvania and became another factor of appeal for this particular group.
“It just so happens that most of the
members of this group are from the
Philadelphia area and have relocated
to North Florida to retire,” Lee said.
“Philadelphia people who come south
love to locate and network with other
Philadelphia people.”
So although Croce did not personally attend the event, it was certainly
noted by the 30 attendees that he created and owns the museum.
Lee says the event mixed the pirate
and Philadelphia themes, with the
group having an outdoor meal of Philly
cheesesteak sandwiches served at tables
set up on a patio that overlooks the
waterfront and the Castillo. “Pirates”
periodically escorted small groups of
10 attendees inside the museum for personalized tours.
Anne Urban, president of Jacksonville-based Destination Planning Corp.,
says the museum offers another experience for groups, a sunset cruise on the
St. Johns River (just east of the museum) in a period pirate ship. The cruise
can handle groups of about 80, and
the museum itself can handle groups of
about 150 for private events. Urban, a
long-time veteran of the North Florida
meeting industry, says the museum is
representative of a host of new venues
in the region, many of which are in
close proximity to existing infrastructure assets.
The museum, for instance, is an
easy walk from the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Beachfront and the Casa
Monica Hotel, itself a historic property.
Ultimately, Lee says, the decision to go
with a pirate museum for an investor
appreciation event seems to be a good
one.
“We have had nothing but good
feedback,” she said. “I think they really liked us showing our appreciation
of them by taking them to a creative,
fun venue.”
ROWLAND STITELER is a frequent contributor to One+.
08.11
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7/21/11 10:19 AM
Midori Connolly
MPI Member for 4 Years
San Diego Chapter
My Story: www.mpiweb.org/stories
mpiweb.org
Destination_North Florida.indd 57
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7/28/11 7:25 AM
CONVENTION CENTRE DUBLIN
Innovation City
At Globe Forum Dublin 2010, more than
650 attendees came to talk development
and listen in on some of the world’s newest
innovations from sustainable developers.
BY I LO N A K AU R E MSZ KY
FOR ONE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION,
THE WORLD’S GROWING PAINS HAVE
BECOME THE ROOT OF ITS EXISTENCE.
A fairly green group (it started in
2003), Globe Forum is considered a
matchmaker between sustainable developers and financial investors interested in hooking up.
With hundreds of success stories
under its do-gooder belt, the Swedishbased think tank conducts its business
virtually, but admittedly for the deal
breakers and the next new “it” product discovery, old fashioned face-toface meetings reign supreme.
“Our uniqueness lies in the fact
that we combine the online activities
with real-life forums,” said Johan
Gorecki, president and CEO of Globe
Forum. “Online networking can never
fully replace the need for a face-to58
one+
face meeting.”
Hosted in a different European
city each year, Globe Forum’s annual marketplace conference is one of
those sought-after events planners and
DMOs hope to win due to the pedigree
of causes and bevy of international influencers it attracts. The attendees are
for the most part innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, international business leaders, investors and global companies.
In 2008, the stars lined up for Dublin, Ireland, when city reps attended
the Globe Forum Conference in Stockholm. Impressed by the ideas, they approached Globe Forum executives to
see if the concept would fly in Dublin.
The city beat the competition and won
the host bid in July 2009. Insiders there
called it a major coup.
“Dublin is today a global test bed
for innovations and new ideas, a place
where products and services can rapidly become internationally viable
businesses,” said Nicola McGrane,
managing director of Conference Partners, the PCO for Globe Forum Dublin
2010. “Dublin is becoming the creative
capital of the world, one of the world’s
great global connection places for
ideas, talent and investment, an open
city where new ideas are born. Conference Partners’ mission was to bring this
event to Dublin to highlight its talent,
capacity for innovation and desire to be
recognized as a global test bed.”
These days, Dublin is winning high
accolades as the next big creative capital. The “Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor 2003” concluded Ireland has
the highest rate of entrepreneurs in par-
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Dublin is becoming
the creative capital of
the world, one of the
world’s great global
connection places
for ideas, talent and
investment.
CONFERENCE PARTNERS (2)
ticipating European countries.
“Ireland has always had a very
strong focus on both education and
innovation, which has led to a skilled
and highly educated workforce, powerful research and innovation capabilities
and an influential and, most importantly, international range of corporate powerhouses located in Dublin,”
said Miriam Kennedy, business tourism manager at the Dublin CVB. “Over
1,200 overseas companies have chosen
Ireland as their European base.”
No wonder the city of nearly 1.2
million boasts a Silicon Valley familiarity. There’s a Google headquarters, a
LinkedIn office, a Facebook office and
other brands such as IBM. As a knowledge capital, Dublin’s been attracting
conventions for pharmaceutical, medical and sciences.
Then last November, Globe Forum
Dublin 2010 debuted. A planner’s
dream, the event coincided with a new
citywide event called the Innovation
Festival, lining up such acts as IBM’s
SmartCamp Final. Then there was The
Long Debate, Hackerspace and TEDxTallaght and, of course, Globe Forum
Dublin, which rounded out the city’s
intellectual hotbed playbill.
Over two days, 650 attendees mostly from Ireland but also from nearby
countries such as England, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the U.S.
came to talk development and listen in
on some of the world’s newest innovations from sustainable developers.
“Thirty-two percent of attendees
were from CEO or senior management
level within their organizations,” McGrane said.
It helps that the event theme was
“Smarter&Greener: Innovation for a
Sustainable Future.”
Increasingly, Dublin is leading the
way when it comes to green initiatives.
In 2011, Dublin has been lauded with
green awards such as the Dublin City
Council winning the Green County
Council Award and Dublinbikes, a
new bike-sharing project, winning the
Green Communications Award.
“The Dublin bike scheme was recognized as one of the ‘Heroes in Hiding’
of Dublin City during the Globe Forum
2010,” McGrane said. “The Globe Forum, and the Heroes in Hiding event,
celebrated innovators and their spirit of
creativity.”
The bike share rental program started in 2009 and now has more than
55,000 subscribers.
Kennedy says the city has a Green
Hospitality initiative that aims to
“green” Ireland’s hospitality industry.
“The voluntary program demonstrates leadership in environmental
management within the hospitality sector,” Kennedy said. “Each successful
member receives either an Eco Label or
an Award based on a set of strict criteria and is then allowed to use and display the logo.”
The conference theme was echoed
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CONFERENCE PARTNERS
We already have far
too many conferences,
forums and organizations discussing the
problems. Globe Forum
is all about business—
we’re done with the
talking.
seamlessly from delegate transfers to
the host venue right down to the conference details.
“Dublin is one of Europe’s most
popular destinations due to its central location, wide variety of accommodations and rich culture and history, as well as its world-famous Irish
welcome,” said Catherine NewhallCaiger, sales director for the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD).
In addition, Dublin’s infrastructure
has witnessed recent upgrades, making it easy to get to and around Dublin, including improved rail and road
links, the Dublin Port Tunnel, the upgraded M50 motorway, the new Samuel Beckett Bridge and the Luas light
rail tram system, located next to the
CCD.
A compact, walkable city, attendees
were in close proximity to the CCD in
the heart of the Dublin.
“The entire city benefited from
Globe Forum. Given the proximity of
city, sea and countryside, many delegates also made it to Dublin’s numerous coastal villages for seafood and
cliff walks as well as to the Dublin and
Wicklow mountains,” said Kennedy,
who noted a recent national tourism
study revealed that the average stay of
international delegates was six days.
“A surprisingly lengthy stay given the
time constraints that delegates find
themselves under these days.”
Another big green booster for the
Globe Forum Dublin 2010 was the
venue—the new CCD, the world’s first
carbon-neutral convention center.
“This was a big plus for us,” Gorecki said.
The visionary behind Globe Forum,
Gorecki is no stranger to social networking. One of the co-founders of
Skype, he started this forum because
of the huge growing global challenge
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one+
in climate, poverty and dwindling natural resources.
“We already have far too many conferences, forums and organizations discussing the problems. Globe Forum is
all about business—we’re done with
the talking,” he said. “The solutions
are already there, and people are coming up with new ones all the time. The
only way for these solutions to become
reality is if the innovators can make
a living out of them. That’s where we
come in, giving them a helping hand.”
In 2010, Globe Forum went leaner
and more focused with tracks called
headline sessions.
“There were eight headline sessions
over the two days, supported by round
table discussions, a youth debate,
breakout theme sessions where the delegates select which ones to attend and
the Innovation Awards,” Gorecki said.
The theme sessions were silent ones
occurring simultaneously in the same
room. The delegates received a headset
and tuned in to their preferred session.
“It works amazingly well, but for the
outside viewer it makes for a somewhat
surreal experience watching a room of
500 people, completely silent, watching
five different speakers—also silent,”
Gorecki said.
Using this innovative format, Conference Partners presented the themed
sessions as a silent conference.
“Our ‘smarter and greener’ approach
was achieved by keeping people in the
same room and by using less carbon
than if we took five additional breakout
rooms,” McGrane said. “As well as being a novel approach to conferencing,
it was highly effective in that it allowed
delegates to hear sections from all theme
sessions instead of just one.”
Another planner’s dream, McGrane
tapped into the local talent pool for
results.
“Usually we have a trade show in
connection to the forum,” McGrane
said. “In Dublin, we decided not to do
that in favor of displaying over 200
research projects from IRCSET (Irish
Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology). Dublin is
really focused on highlighting its talented researchers, which was an angle
that wasn’t utilized before (by Globe
Forum). As a result, the delegate mix
included large numbers of young researchers who were completing their
Ph.D.s or were research fellows.”
For Conference Partners, the success
of Dublin was evident in the attendance
numbers.
“Dublin’s attendance peaked from
the previous year, where they achieved
an attendance of 400,” McGrane said.
So how did these delegates woo their
potential investors? Try short elevator
pitches.
“Twelve finalists presented a oneminute elevator pitch to the audience,
and the winners were selected by an audience and jury vote via a mobile phone
voting system designed specifically for
the conference,” said McGrane, describing a contest focusing on smarter
and greener innovations within the
clean-tech industry.
“We wanted delegates to leave feeling inspired to leave our forums a bit
surprised and with a bunch of new
business cards in their pockets,” Gorecki said. “The Dublin Forum was the
incubator to drive business and solve
challenges. And that was definitely
accomplished.”
ILONA KAUREMSZKY is a regular One+ contributor and co-producer of Mycompass.ca.
Follow her on YouTube and Twitter @mycom
passtv.
08.11
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0811_061.indd 61
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COVER
STORY
20s
How to attract and retain twenty-somethings
in the quest to future-proof your organization.
BY
ROBERT
STEELE
64
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I
In the midst of
multiple global
catastrophes and
challenges,
the
quest for talent has
never been more important or more contradictory to all past practices.
Rising “digital natives” (on top
of the pending retirement of Baby Boomers) and declining
schools are changing everything about hiring, events, training and retention.
Digital natives (also known as Generation Z) are the first
to be completely distinct from all prior generations. They
learn, work and play in a completely different manner than
digital immigrants (everyone else, basically; see Page 67)
who seek to teach, employ and understand them. Efforts
to attract and retain workers from this generation must be
different.
Underlying any quest for talent is the need to understand
and respect the generation populated by digital natives.
While some consider this generation to be individualistic
instead of team players, they are not presenting the complete view. Digital natives are both self-directed and committed to “good of the group” processes and outcomes.
They tend not to trust corporations (or governments), nor
do they acknowledge profit at any cost as a reasonable objective. “True cost” economics and a 360-degree view are
two of the most important perspectives inherent in this generation. Thus, company culture and company mind-set are
important to that quest. Staying attentive to true cost and
the 360-degree view offers opportunities for corporations
to adopt sustainable profit strategies and cultures that are
in turn attractive to the best and the brightest.
Employee recruiting campaigns are also changing. According to the white paper 2011 Social Recruiting Trends
& Strategies by Cachinko Inc., physical recruiting events
are being displaced by Web-based recruiting campaigns. A
broader look at sourcing reveals additional changes. The
biggest new losers are job boards, according to the CareerXroads 9th Annual Source of Hire study, which found
100 percent of respondents actively disconnecting from
the major job boards. Not covered by the report are more
creative uses of event participation plans to spot and assess new talent. Also not covered is a new trend, especially
within mature industries, of acquiring companies for their
in-house talent as well as their market share. In this and
other reports, there is a blurring of the line between referrals from employees and the use of social media, with some
WHILE SOME
CONSIDER THIS
GENERATION TO BE
INDIVIDUALISTIC
INSTEAD OF TEAM
PLAYERS, THEY ARE
NOT PRESENTING
THE COMPLETE
VIEW. DIGITAL
NATIVES ARE BOTH
SELF-DIRECTED
AND COMMITTED
TO “GOOD OF THE
GROUP” PROCESSES
AND OUTCOMES.
companies now providing specific software capabilities to employees, both to
enhance their role as referral agents
and to track the specifics of success in
leveraging employees and social media as the dominant source of hired
talent.
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There is (and should be) a great
deal of emphasis on creating a
corporate culture that attracts
and retains the best, with “brand
ambassadors” recognized as one
technique for communicating this
into the social media realm. Implied by various sources is an existing
high turnover rate. Left unstated—but
known from direct experience—is the impact of extremely
strict limits on employee salaries including denial of overtime
for experienced hourly workers and reductions in allowable
first-year salaries.
In the quest for talented digital natives, “personalization” is a new development—not only the personalization of
CULTURE
AND
CANDIDATES
recruitment, but of talent management.
“Early on I found that our traditional recruiting process
did not delve deeply enough, and we had several digital natives that we had to let go after 90 days,” said Mike Lyons,
executive vice president of AMR Meetings & Incentives.
“Now we know that we have to probe deeply, the hiring process needs to be much more personal and interactive and we
have to feel comfortable that the right candidate has learned
a strong work ethic from their parents or other role models.
By offering jobs to those candidates our success rate went
up, since those candidates subscribe to the reality that hard
work and paying your dues are a part of any job—it’s not just
about their social media intelligence or digital skills.”
Bob Glickman, owner of Glickman Productions, agrees
want to co-create any event in
that digital natives require a deeper look during the employwhich they are to participate. In
fact, this point can be dramatically ment process.
“Anyone can construct digital representations of themexpanded: Digital natives want to
selves that are scorching hot,” Glickman said. “The truth
co-create the entire enterprise.
kshopss witth scchoolro
oom comes from their actual history as recounted by real people.
4. Work
We continue to rely on direct references as a means of valigid
d agendas will
seatting and rig
dating personal traits that are timeless, such as a solid work
h diigital nativves.
not worrk wiith
ethic.”
Instead, pre-workshop multimedia
A solid first step is for digital immigrant recruiters and
orientation materials, pre-workshop
hiring managers to train in digital native tools. Sadly, these
networking and team learning,
recruiters are generally found in the same corporations that
open-space workshops and posthave poor websites—“dated material, dinosaur technology
workshop tangible rewards are
and copy that’s about as exciting as reading an accounting
recommended.
w dig
gittal nativves to define textbook,” according to Dr. John Sullivan, author of 1,000
5. Alllow
Ways to Recruit Top Talent.
wn in
nceenttivve plaans, to
theiir ow
Amidst this focus on the digital native, it is important to
include redeemable points and/or
emphasize that there are two aspects of recruiting that should
instant pay raises for specified
run parallel to and with the change management oriented
accomplishments.
6. Interrnallyy foccused events are toward digital natives.
The first practice that demands continuous improvement
ut,”
” replaced by structured
“ou
is the focus on the recruitment of women (see Page 76), espeemail (groups, lists), shared wiki
cially in leadership roles and C-suite tracks.
spaces, short (5-7 minute) YouThe second practice, talent management, began to emerge
Tube-like video broadcasts, online
surveys and interactive co-creation. in 2005. It includes recruiting, retention, professional development, leadership and high-potential development, perfornal even
nts can be used
7. Extern
dittio
onaary
y learnin
ng oppor- mance management, feedback and metrics, workforce planas exped
tunitties—instead of concentrating ning and culture. I mention this because just as traditional
HR finally evolved into a more comprehensive and integrated
employees at an internal event,
or holistic approach, they have gone and changed the entire
spread them out to cover a broad
nature of the workforce—HR must start over, in a manner of
range of events in and out of the
speaking, and adjust every aspect of its program to the new
industry, bringing back new reladigital natives while continuing to nurture the older digital
tionships, new information and
immigrants.
new opportunities.
The Nature of Meetings
and Events Must Change
For the meeting and event industry, the economic situation is both
a crisis (reduced budget share)
and an opportunity (jobs are so
scarce, higher quality individuals
are reducing their financial expectations and looking more broadly).
The below list should be read from
two points of view: first, what
kinds of meetings would digital
natives most like to help create as
employees; and second, what kinds
of meetings can help HR clients
fully engage their own employees?
Here are some critical points
illuminating how digital natives
require a change in how we do
events.
nt purp
posse must be tangi1. Even
diviidual—creating
ble for the ind
relationships with many people
instead of listening to a series of
“I speak you all listen” speakers is
the biggest change in focus.
ould
d demand the
2. No eventt sho
divvideed atttenttio
on of the digital
und
natiive. They want to be in motion,
using hand-held devices and having
power outlets available for their
laptops.
ould
d be an “ana3. No eventt sho
” eveent thaat is pre-ordain
ned
log”
d ask
kin
ng only th
hat the employand
nt. Digital natives
ee be prresen
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DIGITAL NATIVES ARE
FAR MORE INTERESTED
IN WORK THAT ENABLES
THEM TO LEARN NEW
THINGS, TO MEET DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE
AND TO MULTITASK. THIS
MEANS THAT THE NATURE
OF WORK MUST BE
REDEFINED AWAY FROM
MICRO-ADMINISTRATION
AND TOWARD HUMAN
ENGAGEMENT.
Digital natives are far more interested in work that enables
them to learn new things on
the fly, to meet many different
kinds of people and to multitask. This means that within
the meeting and event industry,
the nature of work must be redefined away from micro-administration of schedules and changed instead
toward relationship management and human engagement.
“Digital natives have already drastically changed the
world and they clearly want to be engaged on their own
terms,” said Michael Bouchard, owner of Takoda Consulting. “They are definitely a well-networked collective force
and they are empowered by what they see happening. Businesses need to understand, embrace and leverage these differences, or they will be left behind just as selected dictators
have been deposed, much to their surprise.”
THE
BOTTOM
LINE
ROBERT STEELE is the No. 1 Amazon.com reviewer for non-fiction, a
former Marine Corps infantry officer, then a spy and honorary hacker.
Read more of his work at Phi Beta Iota the Public Intelligence Blog,
www.phibetaiota.net.
Marriott Uses Gaming
to Expand Talent Pool
Marriott International is hoping a new game will help them find
new talent. “My Marriott Hotel” can be found on the company’s
jobs and careers Facebook page.
The game—available in five languages—focuses on running a
hotel kitchen, and players are awarded points for happy customers
and lose points for poor management. Marriott hopes that playing
the game helps demystify what it’s like to work in a hotel kitchen
and helps drive new job applicants.
Scan this tag with your smartphone
to learn more about Marriott’s game
designed to attract new talent.
DIG
GITAL NATIVES
(A.K.A. GENERATION Z/
THE INTERNET GENERATION)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prefer receiving information quickly from multiple sources.
Prefer parallel processing and multitasking.
Prefer processing pictures, sounds and video before text.
Prefer random access to hyperlinked multimedia information.
Prefer to interact/network simultaneously with many others.
Prefer to learn “just in time.”
Prefer instant gratification and rewards.
Prefer learning that is relevant, instantly useful and fun.
DIG
GIT
TAL
L
IMMIG
GRA
ANTS
S
(ALL OTHERS)
• Prefer slow and controlled release of information from
limited sources.
• Prefer singular processing and single or limited tasking.
• Prefer to provide text before pictures, sounds and videos.
• Prefer to provide information linearly, logically and sequentially.
• Prefer individuals to work independently rather than network
and interact.
• Prefer to teach “just in case” (on exam).
• Prefer deferred gratification and rewards.
• Prefer to teach to the curriculum guide and standardized tests.
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The
Gamification
of Everything
[Wherein lessons, technology and best practices
from the gaming world are seeping into the
meeting and event industry.]
BY RYAN SINGEL
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It’s a nightmare scenario: nearly all
of the attendees at your conference
aren’t paying attention as your keynote
speaker steps up to the dais—they’re
playing games on their smartphones.
It sounds awful, but it may actually be something you should
shoot for, so long as the game is one designed for the conference and not Angry Birds.
The concept is called “gamification,” which is simply a
tech term for taking the lessons and tricks that make electronic games so fun and addictive and translating them to nongaming applications and the real world. The trend is all the
rage in tech startups such as Foursquare, an app that lets you
tell your friends or the world when you are at a location—
“checking in”—and rewards you for doing so by giving you
digital “badges,” distinctions such as the “mayor” of your local coffee shop and even discount coupons.
Why the interest in gamification? Well, games are hugely
popular. Game designer and theorist Jane McGonigal, PhD,
estimated in 2010 that players in the online role-playing game
World of Warcraft had spent a collective 5.93 million years
playing the game—because the game challenged and rewarded
them even better than real life.
During a 2010 TED Talk, McGonigal explained that was
actually a good thing.
“In game worlds, we are the best versions of ourselves,”
McGonigal said. “We need to make the real world more like a
game.”
People who play games together like each other better, even
if one person trounces another, because there’s trust that’s built
up. Games also inspire people to tackle tough challenges immediately, what McGonigal calls “urgent optimism,” and people
take to hard tasks in games for free, a state she calls “Blissful
Productivity.” Games also put people into an “epic” world and
give them a sense of meaning.
ow, then, do you go about creating a game-like
experience for attendees?
There are three key components to any game, according to Brian Wong, founder of an in-game rewards system
called Kiip that gives gamers real rewards for in-game achievements, based on the psychological principles of gamification.
There is the action layer, where people actually do things
such as kill an orc or show up on time to a conference or ask
H
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a question of a panel. There’s the achievement layer, where
actions get significance—such as finishing a level in a game or
getting Bingo. Then there is the reward layer, for instance, gaining hit points or winning US$50 for getting Bingo.
“Gamification, if applied correctly, could make an event
really fun,” Wong said.
But he warns that requires being careful with delegate
expectations and being careful of known problems. For instance, there is a “fun quotient” for any activity, and things that
Scan this tag with your smartphone to
watch Jane McGonigal’s complete TED
Talk on how games will make a better
world.
are not fun—such as being on time—can only be enhanced so
much by gamifying them. There are also problems with setting
up rewards—make them too simple or predictable to attain and
people become discouraged or bored (the perils of a fixed-ratio
reward schedule). Make the prizes too variable, and you can actually make people very angry, something known as “behavioral
contrast” in gamification lingo.
Games also need to aim to build on the goals of attendees,
which for conferences usually tend to be learning something
new and meeting new people.
Wong says that the Future of Web Apps Conference in London in 2009 built a game that created a “mingling” environment that helped break down the social barriers to networking,
helped people network with the kinds of people they wanted to
talk with and ended up being a lot of fun.
He says if he were to design a conference game, it would
center on connecting with new people.
“The action layer would be around connecting with someone and actually having a good conversation, where you find
out interesting things about them,” Wong said. “The achieve-
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Gamification: The Future of Work?
ment layer would be if you were able to get to know them and
trade contact information—that would be an achievement that
would give you the ability to be recognized as someone who
made the most out of the conference.
“The rewards layer would just be either a prize or sweepstakes model, or it could be a status mention. They could be
identified or given the opportunity to be on stage or have a oneon-one interaction with the final speaker. Say the final speaker
is Sir Richard Branson, and the winner would get a five-minute
Q&A with him. That could be a very cool reward.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done. Ryan Carson, who
runs the London-based event planning group Carsonified, built
the game Wong liked for the Future of Web Apps Conference.
That conference used a homegrown Twitter-based-game called
@HelloApp. The idea was simple: collect points for meeting
people and finding special codes around the event—many at
vendor booths.
Users started by tweeting @helloapp with custom codes on
cards on their seats. They also indicated their interests. Then,
as conference goers met one another they tweeted “@helloapp
met @newpersonstwitterhandle.” If the other person did the
same, then both would get 10 points. Users could also give others points by sending them virtual “high fives,” which provided
points and special “badges.” Various hidden clues around the
venue led to bonus points.
The winner, an attendee named Calvin Robinson, took
home a remote-controlled car and got a brief moment on stage
to name-drop his company—though he later blogged that it
would have been nice to have three minutes to give a quick
pitch about his company.
Carson says the game worked really well for getting people
to interact.
“The hard part about conferences is meeting people, and @
HelloApp really made it fun,” Carson said. “You could voyeuristically ‘look’ around your seat and pick who you’d like to
meet based on things like follower count, similar interests or
profile pictures.”
The hard part, Carson says, was preventing people from gaming the system, so they had to create physical cards for each seat,
which users would have to tweet anytime they changed seats.
The system caught the eye of folks from Twitter, which led
them to hire Carsonified to produce Chirp, the Twitter developer conference, the following spring.
Even though Carson would gladly have done it again, Carsonified found itself spread too thin to continue building out
@HelloApp, so the company open-sourced it, in hopes that
someone else would build it out and handle the bugs.
There are other solutions to rolling out your own system or
finding a coder to build upon @HelloApp.
SCVNGR, a member of the recent generation of hot startups, is a game-based check-in company whose main focus is
creating games that people can play in their city. As the name
suggests, the company relies heavily on the game mechanics of
Tricks of the Gaming Trade
Get a peek at the cards up SCVNGR’s sleeves and learn the
game mechanics they use to create challenges. http://
techcrunch.com/2010/08/25/scvngr-game-mechanics/
According to Salesforce.com’s chief scientist, JP Rangaswami,
that’s it exactly. Visit http://livestre.am/OXCq to watch his session
from the ReadWriteWeb’s 2WAY Summit in June.
a scavenger hunt.
The company, however, is also quickly growing its division
devoted to producing games for conferences, events and corporate retreats.
Colin Treseler, the senior brand alchemist at SCVNGR, says the
company has layered gamification onto 15 events in the past year.
The company has had success with increasing the number
of people who visit conference booths by utilizing a game mechanic called progression. This involves creating five to 10 challenges that have to be completed to reach an achievement. These
can be as simple as checking in somewhere or more involved,
such as getting a special password from a booth, taking a group
photo with a sponsor’s cardboard cut-out or finding a sponsor’s
slogan and entering it in the app.
That’s surprisingly fun and rewarding for sponsors and attendees alike, according to Treseler.
“If you later ask people, ‘What was the motto of American
Samoa’s adventure travel department,’ everyone could remember that it was, ‘The day starts here,’” Treseler said. (The slogan
refers to the country’s location on the International Date Line.)
Giving away good rewards, such as tickets to next year’s
event or two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, drives engagement
way up. But the challenges can’t be dry.
“If the goal is to get people to visit a booth, that might be
dry,” Treseler said. “But if you have to get a photo with 10 people and the [company’s mascot], that is actually kind of fun.”
The challenges can also get people to post more about a
conference or sponsor to Facebook or Twitter, which nearly
all brands want. Achievements can be badges that show up on
Facebook and that give attendees special conference privileges.
Treseler warns, however, against having too many companies
involved in the challenges—one sponsor brand per day is best.
Other possibilities include having conference feedback for
some of the five challenges of the day.
“You can ask things like, ‘What was best thing you learned
from the keynote?’ ‘What’s your favorite booth?’ ‘What’s one
thing you wish you had known last year that you learned today?’” Treseler advised. “And you get them to share a lot of
info in an activity feed. That’s rich, valuable data. Throw an
incentive in there, and we have a good environment.”
At Comic-Con, the serial killer-based Dexter TV show sponsored a challenge that encouraged attendees to virtually “off”
one another, and once enough points had been scored collectively, the show would release sneak peeks of its next season.
That created a collective motivation and camaraderie among attendees that can also be created via collective challenges, such as
organizing people sitting in rows by pre-distributed color cards
or alphabetically by title or company.
However you want to do it, the challenge, achievements and
rewards are up to you.
Game on.
RYAN SINGEL writes for Epicenter, Wired magazine’s business
technology blog.
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Second-Tier
Destination =
First
Rate
How lower costs, personalized service and unique options of smaller
destinations rival the revered realm of first-tier biggies.
BY DALIA FAHMY
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Jeff Sventek traveled for a whole day to
make it to his organization’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Some
members, especially older ones, said they
couldn’t attend because of the distance.
Y
et, the Aerospace
Medical Association (AsMA) 82nd
Annual
Scientific
Meeting,
which
was held in early
May and attended
by 1,300 medical
professionals and
academics
from
around the world,
was one of the organization’s most successful.
“It’s such a unique location,” said
Sventek, executive director of AsMA,
describing a city framed by icy Cook
Inlet on one side and the snow-capped
Chugach Mountains on the other.
He says attendees commented on
how thrilled they were about the surrounding wildlife, and many of them
added personal days to their trip.
“Many of us who live in the contiguous 48 states have the dream of
getting to Alaska in our lifetime,”
Sventek said. “We also had a slightly
higher percentage of international
attendees, from Asia in particular,
because many people from around the
world also want to visit.”
When people think about top-tier
events, they often think about pricey
destinations such as Chicago and New
York—or, in Europe, London and
Paris. But many of the most successful
events actually take place in smaller
destinations, from Anchorage to
Austin. In these types of destinations,
organizers can afford to splurge on
luxuries because the basics are more
affordable. They get more attention
from the convention bureau because
they’re the biggest show in town.
Attendees also benefit: They’re more
likely to focus on the program because
they’re not necessarily rushing out
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to catch the sights, and they’re more
likely to run into colleagues during
their evening stroll downtown. Perhaps more importantly, smaller cities
can send a more meaningful message
to event participants.
Eric De Groot, founder of Netherlands-based MindMeeting, recalls
attending a conference at the Georgia
World Congress Center in Atlanta.
At such a large venue in a huge city,
De Groot says he felt insignificant,
as “one of the masses.” By contrast,
when a Dutch European insurance
company chose a tiny Dutch village
to celebrate its 200th anniversary, the
message it sent was that “people here
know each other and take care of each
other.”
In many cases, De Groot says,
the important choice isn’t whether
an organizer chooses a “first-tier” or
“second-tier” city, but whether the
city fits the event’s mission.
“The main issue for us as meeting
designers is the message the location
transmits to participants,” he said.
Unique Attractions
There are many ways to define a second-tier city. Some experts go by cost,
ranking cities such as Chicago and
New York highest simply because it’s
more expensive to host an event there.
Some rank cities by the quality of the
attractions they offer, whereas others
go by meeting volumes: the number
of business travelers visiting a city in
any given year.
But there is agreement on one
point: Successful second-tier cities
are generally cheaper, offer more personal service and have a unique local
attraction or activity that you can’t
get anywhere else. A destination that
can offer meeting planners all three of
these elements has hit the second-tier
jackpot. If not, it can do its best to
show off the assets that it has.
Take Manchester, England. Unlike
Anchorage, the U.K.’s seventh-largest
city has no otters, glaciers or sweeping
mountain vistas. A former industrial
powerhouse, the city now revolves
around the media, medicine and aerospace industries. But it does have one
cultural gem that it uses to attract
visitors from around the world: Manchester United, one of the world’s
most successful football (or soccer, if
you prefer) teams.
Steven Small, head of business
tourism at Visit Manchester, says the
city tries to offer visitors as much
access as possible to football-related
activities.
“We’re absolutely the home of
football, and we don’t shy away from
that,” Small said.
When possible, the CVB tries to
get Manchester United celebrities
involved in hosting events.
“We try to do as much as we can
to show that Manchester is supporting your event,” Small said.
o
ther cities play up
their strengths in the
same way. In Greenville, South Carolina, for example,
visitors can race cars on BMW’s test
track. In San Jose, California, the convention bureau will show you nearby
beaches and wineries.
Lower Costs
Unique attractions or activities, however, are not enough to draw meeting
planners these days. Especially in the
post-recession economy, planners are
wary of choosing locations simply
because they offer a fabulous leisure
option. In fact, lower cost is one of
the top reasons that meeting planners cited for choosing second-tier
destinations.
In New York, for example, the
most expensive U.S. city for business
travelers, the average cost for hotel,
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car and food per day amounted to
US$536.79, compared to $261.58 in
Nashville, Tennessee, and $272.63 in
Salt Lake City, Utah, according to the
2011 Corporate Travel Index from
Business Travel News.
Often, it’s also possible to find a
more favorable tax rate in a secondtier city. Todd Bertka, CASE, vice
president of sales at the Greenville
CVB, says his city’s combined accommodations and sales tax is only 10
percent, compared to 15 percent or
more in other cities.
Successful second-tier cities are
generally cheaper,
offer more personal
service and have a
unique local attraction or activity that
you can’t get anywhere else.
Choosing a second-tier destination not only means that event hosts
can keep their costs down, but it also
allows them to afford luxuries without breaking the bank.
Karen McGrath, managing director at U.K.-based Eventure, says she
recently organized a sales and teambuilding event at a second-tier destination and received much higher
quality at a fraction of the cost she’d
have experienced in a city such as
London.
“Because you can reduce your
costs, you can afford little gems that
create a wow factor,” McGrath said.
Companies, for example, can
afford to rent out nearby castles for
events, put up attendees in meticulously kept boutique hotels and shuttle them to nearby forests or beaches
without wasting too much money or
time.
Better Service
Whether they decide to splurge on
luxuries or stick with the basics, many
meeting planners say second-tier destinations frequently offer better customer service. Maybe that’s because
residents in smaller cities are just naturally less harried or because they’re
grateful to get business from visitors.
And even when a smaller city doesn’t
have particularly stellar customer
service, at least event organizers and
attendees don’t have to wait in line for
every meal and ride.
“When you come to Salt Lake
City, you’re a big fish in a little pond,”
said Scott Beck, president and CEO of
Visit Salt Lake, the city’s CVB. “You
can book a whole restaurant near the
convention center, and when you get
into a taxi the cabbie knows which
conference you’re with. Those are the
kinds of experiences that make visitors feel welcome.”
The fact that second-tier destinations are less harried, less crowded,
with—let’s face it—fewer attractions actually means that everyone
can focus on the job at hand. Event
organizers can focus on getting the
small details right without worrying
about getting kicked off a waiting
list. Event attendees, meanwhile, can
find a special spot for lunch and get
back in time for the 3 p.m. session,
without getting lost or stuck at Saks
on the way.
Smaller cities also offer more
opportunities for networking.
“I’ve been to small locations where
you run into colleagues as you’re
walking down the street, and suddenly
you’re a larger group of people for
dinner,” said Gail Bower, an independent meeting planner and strategist
and president of Bower & Co. Consulting. “That’s kind of nice.”
Challenges Exist
Of course, not everything about hosting an event in a second-tier destination is easy. Accessibility is perhaps
the biggest challenge. Unless a city
has a large, busy airport, attendees
may balk at the cost, effort or time
needed for transportation. Representatives from CVBs in small cities
often like to list the cities that offer
direct connections into their airport,
but that only serves as a reminder
that travelers from many other cities
require a layover.
A
ccessibility is
not only a
problem for
people, but
also products
and equipment that must make it to
a location. AsMA’s Sventek points
out that the exhibit materials at the
Anchorage conference trade show—
including oversized panels—had to be
shipped in by air.
In addition, some destinations may
be popularly considered second-tier
because they are actually second-rate.
Bower points out that some cities simply have nothing to offer, especially if
they have been built up specifically to
serve business travelers, as opposed to
serve an established local community.
In such cases, no amount of marketing from the CVB will cushion participants’ disappointment when they get
off the train. She recalls attending a
conference at a small town in Maryland that was made up of meeting venues, drab hotels and chain restaurants.
“A place like that is very convenient and maybe cheap, but it’s not
that interesting,” she said. “It makes
you not want to leave your hotel at
all.”
DALIA FAHMY is a veteran international
business journalist with previous experience writing for Financial Times, Inc. and
The New York Times.
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W
R
K
O
WOMEN’S
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08.11
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BY JENNA SCHNUER
7/21/11 9:10 AM
Want to find—and retain—top talent?
Economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett says
it’s time to broaden your worldview.
ing markets are female, Hewlett says, and
they’re hungry for the work. She notes that
the “rates of ambition” are much higher in
countries such as China and India than in
the U.K. or U.S.
“It’s an amazingly impressive talent pool,
and it’s a well-kept secret,” she says. “Entire books are written on India and China,
[yet] women aren’t mentioned.”
Hewlett, an economist who has long studied work, attracting and retaining talented
employees and gender issues, is founding
president of the Manhattan-based Center
for Work-Life Policy (CWLP). Originally
called the National Parenting Association, the group was renamed in 2004 after Hewlett bolstered its mission with the
“Hidden Brain Drain Task Force.” The task force—now 67
companies strong—studies and works to improve the way
companies find and retain talent. The companies are “big
players...[that] collectively employ four million people”
and, Hewlett says, “are interested in talent innovation...and
how to successfully utilize all of the new streams of talent in
the marketplace.”
Hewlett was determined to make sure the Hidden Brain
RON RINALDI
It’s fitting that Sylvia Ann Hewlett’s latest book, Winning the War for Talent
in Emerging Markets: Why Women are
the Solution (Harvard Business Review
Press), starts with a story out of Brazil.
Hewlett, who lived in Brazil for two years
while working toward her Ph.D. from the
London School of Economics, “was fascinated by the interplay between economic
growth and social justice in what was
then a miracle economy—but one with a
great deal of inequality and a huge chasm
between male and female roles.”
With the calendar slowly closing in
on the end of the first decade of the 2000s, the Brazilian
division of Goldman Sachs was in the midst of a serious
growth spurt—but the company president was concerned
that he wouldn’t be able to find the talent necessary to meet
the demand as the company grew…and grew…and grew.
The traditional way to fill open jobs in emerging markets:
pluck prospects from the U.S. and Europe. But Hewlett
says it’s time to upend that practice and, instead, put a new
pool of talent to work: local women.
Fifty-five percent of college graduates across emerg-
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The reality is
that women,
thought by many
to be in need of
rescue, are the
ones who can do
the rescuing.
NATURAL EXPRESSIONS NY PHOTOGRAPHY
Drain Task Force fostered a global conversation. Though the task force kicked
off with a U.S. focus and, quickly,
expanded to Europe—it went global
two years ago.
“It was very exciting,” she says.
Now about 25 percent of the task
force’s companies are headquartered
outside of the U.S. and, to underpin the
commitment to international markets
and cultural differences, the task force
has also been working with the World
Bank and the International Monetary
Fund.
One of the task force’s flagship projects: “Winning the talent war in the
American market, specifically looking
at the role of women,” Hewlett says.
“As you might imagine, all of this is
very close to my heart.”
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The task force’s 2010 study, The
Battle for Female Talent in Emerging
Markets, helped Hewlett and her colleagues realize that it was time to let
the world’s business leaders know they
were acting a bit myopic. Make that extremely myopic.
“I think the biggest surprise of the
study was how impressive the female
talent pool is in the new growth market [including Brazil, Russia, India,
China and the United Arab Emirates],”
Hewlett says. “I think back in the days
that I was doing my Ph.D., for sure,
and to some extent today, scholars
and policy people in the U.S. tended
to think of third-world women as very
backward, right? That they are illiterate, that they’re oppressed, that they
are the victims of patriarchy, and the
best one could hope for is a little bit of
micro financing. But that is only a piece
of the reality.”
The rest of the reality is that women, thought by many to be in need of
rescue, are the ones who can do the
rescuing. They’re flooding careers traditionally thought of as the realm of,
mostly, white guys from North America
and Europe.
Hewlett has a more-than-impressive
resumé and a stack of degrees. So,
yes, that adds up to a rather intimidating first few minutes of conversation
with her—or, at least, the perception
that she’ll be intimidating. As Hewlett
speaks about the task force and her
work, it’s clear that she’s genuinely excited to help women get the chance to
change the way the world works.
Though Hewlett’s life may seem far
removed from the women she now focuses on helping, it’s not. When she
was growing up in the mining valleys
of Wales, the unemployment rate was
38 percent.
“I do understand what it feels like
being in that community where there
are no opportunities,” she says.
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Give Purpose
The recession, as we all know, did not exactly raise the confidence levels or morale of most
employees. But studies at the Center for Work-Life Policy make it clear that for most professionals who are looking for meaning or purpose in their work lives, there are a whole bunch of nonfinancial rewards, Sylvia Ann Hewlett says. One way to lift the mission and morale: Give employees the chance to put their real skills to work for the good of others. So, no, as nice as it sounds,
this is not a “let’s build a house for people who can’t afford one” sort of thing. Instead, Hewlett
offers up the example of Moody’s.
Because Moody’s had taken such a hit on their reputation after things went awry on Wall
Street, Hewlett says, “they decided to make a big statement as to where the company was
going to go going forward.” Moody’s asked their staffers to use their real talents and skills—the
ones they employed in their regular jobs—to build a new rating tool for the micro-finance community. And they did it for free.
“By doing that well, they will expand the [talent] pool enormously because one thing that
has bedeviled that field: there was no quality control,” Hewlett says. “And they had a whole
team really totally stirred up about it. It was a huge retention tool, because [employees] were
using their very specific skills to reduce poverty in the world.”
“Emerging market women, themselves, are delighted by this work because they’re fed up with being invisible.”
And they’re also excited to set the
record straight.
“[India has a] long-distinguished history of women in leadership,” Hewlett
says. “They want these facts to be known
in the world, because they don’t want
to be thought of as backward on gender
issues.”
In fact, the task force discovered that,
not only are many of these countries not
backward on these issues, they’re on the
cutting edge of human resources and
other practices. Of course, that’s a drop
easier when you’re starting from scratch
instead of trying to rework systems that
have been in place for decades.
One of the stars on the HR front is
a major industrial conglomerate in India
that has an on-ramping program to help
women get back into the workforce after
taking a break.
“It’s a sophisticated program with,
now, a track record of success,” Hewlett
says. “It’s the rare company in the U.S.
that proactively reaches out and encourages these folks to rejoin [the work-
place]. It is a very smart thing to do. It’s
the rare thing to do.”
Another practice Hewlett has witnessed in India could, she says, be put
into practice without much difficulty in
the U.S. and elsewhere: Extended families are involved “in the career trajectory
of their key female talent.” Family events
help convince the extended family—particularly the in-laws—“of the success of
the company, where the company intended going in terms of its growth path,
the kind of careers that their daughters
or daughters-in-law might have ahead
of them, the kinds of benefits that they
were growing. In other words it was a
kind of…marketing job to the extended
family.”
And, in a country where 58 percent
of professional women have a household
that includes their elders, making nice
with the older generation can really help
make things easier for the employee.
“That’s a big learning thing for an
employer because that helps you figure
out how to retrain your female workers,” Hewlett says. “It might not have
dawned on you that that’s a very powerful way in. Get that extended family on
her side. But it clearly is.”
Hewlett thinks that can be a powerful tool for helping women in cultures
which tend toward the traditional on
women’s roles.
“In particular [in] the Hispanic and
the Asian communities in the U.S., that
kind of connection with not just the
nuclear family but the extended family
would be a very good idea,” she says.
Hewlett believes that putting programs into place and giving women the
chance to lead is, basically, where it’s at.
“We’re at kind of a watershed moment in the world,” she says. “Widgets
are not driving growth rates these days.
It’s innovation and very sophisticated
sectors of the economy and, clearly, talent is hugely central to that prosperity.
The stuff I’m concerned with is at the
center of things so, that’s pretty amazing.
“I think that there is a kind of
very healthy shock value that comes
with this work. We sure need some new
energy and new momentum. I’m ready
to provide it.”
JENNA SCHNUER is a regular contributor to
One+, American Way and other business and
travel publications. Read more of her work online
at jennaschnuer.com.
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The Sound
of Music
What you need to know about music
licensing for meetings and events.
By Nan Little
SOMEONE OWNS THE RIGHTS TO
EVERY PIECE OF MUSIC YOU HAVE
EVER HEARD. Many people don’t realize that
they can’t just put a CD they’ve purchased into a stereo
system and play it for an event without obtaining a licensing agreement with the individual or entity that owns the
copyright. And some event planners may not recognize that the
licensing fees paid to obtain the right to play a piece of music are
how songwriters make the majority of their income from a piece
of original music.
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It’s commonly believed that
songwriters make most of
their money off music sales.
We may view those in the music industry
as rich and famous, but the truth is that a
songwriter signed to a traditional record label is paid only about four-and-a-half cents
per CD sold. Royalty fees paid to the songwriters for the performance of their music
is essential to their ability to make a living
creating that music. Even with royalty fees,
most songwriters do not make enough
money to be self sufficient. That’s why it’s
essential that music licensing organizations
monitor the use of their members’ music
and collect fees on their behalf.
“Music performance royalties, to me,
are really no different than anyone’s regular
paycheck—we all can relate to looking forward to getting the money we’ve worked
hard for,” said Los Angeles, Californiabased musician Alexander Amato. “We, as
artists, need this royalty income to sustain
our lives and lifestyles; it allows us to create
music for the world to experience.”
The average yearly income through licensing fees for songwriters is US$5,000.
According to the law, a person must pay the
copyright holder a fee for any public performance of that copyright holder’s piece
of music. Of course, an individual doesn’t
have to pay a licensing fee if he is listening
to a favorite album during a house party,
even though there might be a large group
of people in attendance. Legally speaking,
a person must pay a licensing fee whenever
playing a piece of copyrighted music for a
group that includes people other than his
or her family and friends, broadcasting the
music or making a direct or indirect profit
off of the performance of the music. If anyone is compensated for involvement with
an event—musical performer, promoter
or event organizer—then a licensing agreement is required. An event with an admission fee can be exempt if it is benefiting a
charitable or religious organization.
When a meeting is being organized, responsibility for acquiring licensing for any
and all music played in conjunction with
the event falls on the sponsor or producer
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of the event. Some mistakenly believe that
it is the venue’s or performer’s responsibility to pay licensing fees. Even if the hotel
or convention center playing host to the
event has a licensing agreement with the
copyright holder, the presenter must obtain her own licensing agreement in order
to perform any copyrighted music. If an
exhibitor in an event is going to include
music in a presentation, it is still the event
sponsor’s responsibility to obtain proper
licensing agreements.
If everyone had to create licensing
agreements with each individual copyright holder for each piece of music,
things could get out of hand fast. Fortunately, there are organizations that act on
the behalf of copyright holders to insure
that they receive compensation whenever
someone uses their music. In 1914, Victor Herbert founded the American Society
of Composers, Authors and Publishers
(ASCAP). Composers of music can join
ASCAP, and the organization will create
licensing agreements and pay member artists the royalty fees they are owed. Since
the creation of ASCAP, other organizations have emerged to represent artists.
The three largest groups are ASCAP,
Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and
SESAC (which is not an acronym).
These three groups control 95
percent of U.S. music licensing (the other 5 percent is
controlled by agencies that
provide licenses for specific
WHEN A MEETING IS BEING
uses). By signing a music licensing agreement with one
ORGANIZED, RESPONSIBILITY
of these groups, the licensee
FOR ACQUIRING LICENSING FOR
can then publicly perform
any of the music of that
ANY AND ALL MUSIC PLAYED
group’s members.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE
If you want to know
who owns a piece of muEVENT FALLS ON THE SPONSOR
sic, check with each of the
OR PRODUCER OF THE EVENT.
licensing organizations to
find out. ASCAP, BMI and
SESAC maintain lists of the
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music they represent, which can be
found on their websites (www.ascap.com,
www.bmi.com, www.sesac.com). Music
licensing agreements are handled on a
yearly basis. If an association holds four
meetings or fewer a year, they can fill out
reports and pay fees 30 days before each
event. Those who host more than four
meetings or events within a year file the
reports and pay fees on a quarterly basis.
The amount of the fees depends on whether the music is live or recorded and the
number of people in attendance, which is
determined by the number of people who
are registered guests at the event and does
not include the organizers and staff members putting on the event.
Even if you’ve already obtained a license
to play music during a presentation, there
are things that license may not cover. If you
plan on placing video of your presentation
on the Internet, you will need a separate
licensing agreement with ASCAP, BMI or
SESAC for that specific use. Also, if you’re
planning on putting together a video presentation that contains music, that requires
a sync license with the song’s publisher.
For meetings held in the European
Union, music that is copyrighted in one
country maintains its protections internationally. In 1886, the Berne Conventions
for the Protection of Literary and Artistic
Works (also known as the Berne Union)
was created in Berne, Switzerland. The
Berne Union governs copyrights internationally. One hundred and sixty-four
countries are members of the Berne
Union, including all European Union
nations. According to the convention, a
piece of music is covered by the copyright laws of the country in which it was
originally performed or published. The
main difference between the U.S. and the
European Union in music licensing for
meetings and trade shows is that in most
countries outside of the U.S. it is the facility that is responsible for obtaining the
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BECAUSE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS SEEN
PROFITS FROM MUSIC SALES DROP OVER THE
LAST FEW YEARS, LICENSING ORGANIZATIONS
ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO MAKE SURE
THEY ARE REIMBURSED FOR EVERY PUBLIC
USE OF THE MUSIC THEY REPRESENT.
music license.
“Regardless of what country you’re
in, always check with your professional
conference organizer or facility to find
out exactly what your responsibilities
are for the event,” said Jonathan Howe,
founding partner and president of Howe
& Hutton Ltd. “The main thing is to be
conscious of who exactly is responsible in
each situation.”
It’s easy to think you won’t get caught
using music you haven’t licensed. The
problem is that ASCAP, BMI and SESAC
employ individuals to perform random
checks at events. Because the music industry has seen profits from music sales drop
over the last few years, licensing organizations are highly motivated to make sure
they are reimbursed for every public use of
the music they represent. If you get caught
using an unlicensed piece of music, it
could cost you much more than licensing
the music in the first place. The damages
can cost anywhere from $500 per song to
$100,000, not to mention the court costs.
For example, when you first obtain a
music license for your event, you pay a
minimum fee of around $140. The minimum fee is adjusted each year based on
the Consumer Price Index. At the end of
the licensing period, you then pay approximately $.06 per registered attendee for
the event minus the minimum fee already
paid. If you had 10,000 registered attendees at the events you held over a licensing
period, you would pay roughly $460.
“Fifteen or 20 years ago, we saw a lot
of activity,” Howe said. “Meeting planners were saying it was the exhibitor’s
responsibility to obtain the licenses, and
there was some disagreement about that.
More recently, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC
just send out letters to organizers letting
them know they didn’t have a license and
asking them to remit.”
You may be familiar with the phrase
“public domain.” When a piece of music becomes public domain, it is no longer copyrighted, and anyone can use it in
a public performance at no cost. At this
point, the music belongs to the public.
Music that was created after Jan. 1, 1978,
retains its copyright for 70 years after the
death of the composer. If the copyright is
owned by a corporation, the copyright
extends for 95 years after the piece was
first published or for 120 years after the
year of creation. Copyrights on any music
created before 1978 retains its copyright
for 95 years after the original copyright
date. Even a piece of music whose original
copyright has expired may not be public
domain. If a newer version has been recorded and copyrighted, that piece of music is not in the public domain. A lot of
music that you might assume to be in the
public domain isn’t.
“Now how the world pays to experience music is a whole other ball game,”
Amato said. “[Musicians] do the work
like anybody does a job, from the man
at the dry cleaners to the lady at the corner market and the people on Wall Street.
I’ve earned that money, and it is my
profession.”
Just like meetings and events are your
profession.
NAN LITTLE is a Dallas-based freelance writer.
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>
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Sponsored by
The Power of Hybrid:
SAPPHIRE NOW
B Y J E S S I E S TA T E S
Sweeping changes in the way people consume information,
engage with companies and communicate have changed the marketing, media and business landscapes. In 2010, business solutions firm SAP wanted its SAPPHIRE event to reflect these trends
and showcase the company’s innovation and relevance.
Now, MPI members have access to the full history of SAPPHIRE’s transformation on an industry-first, interactive microsite, which brings the event to life with video, photos, callouts
and more. Study researcher Mary Boone also offers Intelligence
Notes—less expensive ways to create similar delegate experiences
to those at SAP’s event.
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See how SAPPHIRE transformed into SAPPHIRE NOW
during the first 100 days of two co-CEOs’ tenure and created an
opportunity to articulate the company’s vision and go-forward
strategy.
In May 2010, SAPPHIRE NOW launched on two continents,
connecting satellite locations in seven cities and comprising
16,000 onsite and 35,000 online delegates, two network-quality
TV studios, 400 sessions broadcast online in HD and hundreds
more presentations, discussions and micro-forums on site. Access
the case study at www.mpiweb.org/SAP2010.
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>
YOUR COMMUNITY
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT
Finding a Link
The MPI UK & Ireland Chapter wanted to engage
its members around conference content after an
annual industry event, so it turned to social media for help. Now delegates—and their peers who
couldn’t attend the early July event—can continue
the conference conversation on LinkedIn (http://
linkd.in/qMrbQV).
The Québec Cup
For the eighth successive year, Tourisme Québec
raised money for the MPI Canadian Foundation
through a silent auction at the organization’s
Annual Coupe Tourisme Québec Invitational
Golf Tournament. The coupe took place in
June at The Country Club in Woodbridge,
Ontario, the latest in an annual series that
has raised more than CAD$50,000 to support
industry research and education initiatives that
are MPI Foundation Canada’s raison d’être.
The MPI Foundation Canada has raised
more than $2 million by Canadians, for Canadians
to help build the strategic influence of the meeting
industry. These funds go directly to creating initiatives such
as professional development scholarships and the industry’s first
economic impact study and update.
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT
Why Do You Attend?
Following its 2011 conference, MPI Southern California Chapter leaders began
deliberating whether or not
to hold a trade show in 2012.
So they decided to ask their
members. In a survey, they
sought to learn how planners
and suppliers find each other
and how they ultimately end
up doing business together.
When asked why they attend meeting industry events,
82 percent of respondents
chose networking (68 percent
of planners and 94 percent
of suppliers). Planners were
seeking more opportunities
to network and learn from
other planners (72 percent of
respondents chose education). And less than half
of the total marked “trade
show” as a reason to attend
an industry event.
Meanwhile, planners
and suppliers chose the same
top three ways that planners
research suppliers: Internet,
networking/relationships and
referrals. Results showed that
planners a) value the opinion
of their industry peers when
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they are researching vendors
and b) shop for trends, technology, hotels and relationships at trade shows.
As for the 2012 MarketPlace, leaders offered several
scenarios and asked respondents which activities they
%
82
%
72
NETWORKING
EDUCATION
would likely attend. The top
three activities for planners
were networking, hospitality
events and supplier-as-speakers. Suppliers said they would
likely attend all the activities
listed.
As for supplier appointments, planners didn’t
respond favorably. Most
planners said they would
spend between one to two
hours in an appointment format. And when asked about
their experiences with hosted
buyer programs, respondents
were split—they had either
participated and found them
beneficial or didn’t know
what they were or hadn’t
participated in the past. Some
expressed concern about the
criteria to participate and
whether or not they would be
considered a qualified decision maker.
Now, it’s up to the 2012
MarketPlace committee to
create a new event based on
the member feedback.
—Elizabeth Glau, CMP,
owner of Building Blocks
Social Media
The Summer Summit is actually organized by
five industry organizations, a unique collaboration
that brings together event professionals and key
industry suppliers and destinations to share ideas
and experiences while enjoying a practical learning experience from the host city.
“For me, this is a classic example of how
associations work together to learn, drive change
and professionalism in the industry, network
and share practices with professional conference
organizers, destinations, venues and suppliers,”
said Samme Allen, president of the MPI U.K. &
Ireland Chapter. “The event had a mixture of
great content from world-class speakers, intense
workshops, peer discussions and a debate about
the hot topics in the industry.”
With thanks to Tourism Ireland, the Belfast
VCB and Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the main
conference took place at the Waterfront Hall in
Belfast City Centre, where delegates celebrated
industry developments, examined trends in an
open and honest environment and looked forward
to the opportunities of the year ahead.
08.11
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>>
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Scholarship Winners
Honored at WEC
ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHY
Six recipients of the Peabody Hotel Group Corporate
Planner Scholarship were given the opportunity
to participate in the Peabody Orlando’s Duck Walk
at MPI’s World Education Congress last month in
Orlando. The recipients include Tisha Aldredge, CMP,
New Mexico Municipal League; Trina Avalos, Farm
Family Insurance Company; Cynthia Douwes, Certified General Accountants Association of Alberta; Kristine Morgan, CMP, Carlson Wagonlit Travel; Sydney
Osmun; and Sarah Whitlock, TCF Financial Corp.
CONTRIBUTORS The MPI Foundation thanks the
following organizations and individuals for their
generous support.
THOUGHT LEADER
AIBTM
Freeman AV
Gaylord Entertainment
IHG
Jumeirah
Marriott International
Omni Hotels
PSAV
INNOVATOR
Dallas CVB
Hyatt Hotels
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Rosen Hotels and
Resorts
Wyndham Hotel Group
ADVOCATE
Abu Dhabi Tourism
Authority
AT&T Park
AVT Event Technologies
Caesars Windsor
Carlson Hotels
Dallas CVB
Detroit Metro CVB
Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts
IMEX
Mediasite by Sonic
Foundry
SWANK Audio Visual
Universal Orlando
Resorts
GATEKEEPER
Disney Destinations
Encore Productions
Loews
Hey, U.K., What Are
Your Meetings Worth?
orth?
Next among regions to officially determine the
he economic value of
events is the U.K., in large part thanks to the MPI Foundation,
which has raised more than £125,000 for thee venture.
The U.K. follows Canada (released in 2008) and the
U.S. (released in 2011) to launch such a report.
rt.
Like the U.S. study, the research is an
industry collaborative effort this time
involving the International Congress and
Convention Association, the Society of
Incentive & Travel Executives as well as
public and private enterprise partners. The
MPI Foundation has reached more than half of
its financial target.
oundationThe research will be based on the MPI Foundationfunded methodology that was first used to study
udy the Canadian
ons World Tourism Organizaindustry in partnership with the United Nations
tion and successfully applied in Canada and the United States. It will articulate the
contribution of the meeting industry to the U.K. GDP as well as overall employment and tax contributions.
The U.S. results demonstrated that the meeting industry had a higher contribution both in terms of GDP
and employment than the automotive or data processing industries, making it a significant growth engine
for both economies.
In addition to the three industry associations, Confex, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, London &
Partners, IHG, IMEX, Meetings & Incentive Travel, VisitScotland and VisitWales have pledged support.
Maritz Travel
MaxVantage
ASSOCIATE
Associated Luxury Hotels
International
Benchmark Hospitality
International
Fort Worth CVB
LXR Luxury Resorts
Palm Beach
Starwood Hotels &
Resorts
STRONCO Group
CONTRIBUTOR
AFR Event Furnishings
Confex
Gelber Conference Centre
Greenfield Services Inc
Groupe Germain Hotels
Hello USA!
CHAPTERS
Aloha
Atlantic Canada
Chicago Area
Greater Edmonton
Kentucky Bluegrass
New England
New Jersey
Northern California
Oklahoma
Orange County California
Oregon
Philadelphia Area
St. Louis Area
Tampa Bay Area
Texas Hill Country
WestField
Building a Sustainable Future
We all know corporate social
responsibility is important. But
how important? That question
will finally be answered. The MPI
Foundation has commissioned
Leeds Metropolitan University to
manage a three-year study into
the importance and value of
corporate social responsibility to
the meeting industry. This study,
the most comprehensive of its
kind ever undertaken, will bring
new insights into how the sector
can build a sustainable future
through best practices.
“This research initiative
will provide our members and
professional colleagues around
the world additional information
and tools in practice, reporting
and professional development,”
said Didier Scaillet, MPI chief
development officer. Academic
researchers include the U.K.
Centre for Events Management,
the International Centre for
Responsible Tourism and the
Centre for Hospitality. The group
will analyze
global trends
by top venue
executives,
organizations,
suppliers and
event consumers worldwide.
Given the
breadth of the
study—which
includes a
diverse range
of stakeholders in the global
hospitality and meeting
industries—MPI will manage
progress in conjunction with
Leeds closely. The overall goal is
to produce a detailed report
against three core areas:
external environment, industry
engagement and consumer
demand. MPI intends to release
results in three phases at major
global industry events in the
U.S., Asia and Europe mid-2012
through 2013.
The launch of this research
initiative is just one element of
a major focus on CSR by MPI,
made possible thanks to a
US$500,000 investment in the
MPI Foundation from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). More
information about MPI’s comprehensive efforts in sustainability
and social responsibility can be
found through the CSR portal at
www.mpiweb.org.
mpiweb.org
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MPI STRATEGIC PARTNERS
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
GLOBAL PARTNERS
EUROPEAN PARTNERS
ASIAN PARTNERS
GULF REGION PARTNERS
MPI Strategic Partners
MPI would like to acknowledge the many partners that have contributed to its growth globally. Through their partnership, these
companies gain visibility through all available MPI communication tools within their respective regions. Partners are offered valuable
educational and networking opportunities and provided with relevant business information, which enables them to be more effective in
connecting with their customers.
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pg90-91 Sponsors 0811.indd 90
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MPI MARKETSMART BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
TM
ELITE PARTNERS
PREMIER PARTNERS
SIGNATURE PARTNERS
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CHOICE PARTNERS
MarketSmart Partners
MarketSmart Business Solutions™ is the first fully integrated program designed to heighten your reach and provide optimal visibility
among meeting and event professionals. By partnering with MPI, your business will be front and center among the industry’s largest
worldwide community of more than 23,000 members—decision makers who have $16.9 billion in buying power to purchase your
products and services. This partnership provides you with an exclusive opportunity to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with MPI
members in ways that are best suited to meet the individual needs of your business. Bottom line? Increased sales potential, higher revenue.
mpiweb.org
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7/21/11 10:13 AM
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 08.11
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SPECIAL SECTION
LasVegas
The lure of Las Vegas is palpable
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PAGE 96
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PAGE 102
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LAS VEGAS SPECIAL SECTION
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by Caesars Entertainment
totalrewards.com/meetings
When you hold a meeting or event at any of
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N
ow, planners have even more reasons to work with Caesars Entertainment. When you hold a meeting
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part of our business, in our Total Rewards
program.”
Reward Credits may be earned for qualified charges paid by the master account with
no limit on the number of credits that can be
earned. Reward Credits will be earned at the
rate of one Reward Credit for every eligible
$1 paid by the master account. Tier Credits
will be earned at the rate of one Tier Credit
for every eligible $5 paid by the master
account. Cardholders can then redeem their
credits for the same goods and services as
other Total Rewards members, including
room stays, spa treatments, dining, merchandise from the Total Rewards catalog and
now future meetings and events at Caesars
Entertainment properties.
Total Rewards is the gaming industry’s
largest nationwide customer-loyalty program, with more than 40 million members.
Cardholders earn cash, comps and other
benefits based on casino play and spending
on Caesars Entertainment rooms, restaurants
and other entertainment and retail outlets.
Bringing your meetings and events to
Caesars Entertainment properties makes
them memorable for everyone. And the
rewards, well, they’re just for you! For additional information, visit www.totalrewards.
com/meetings or call (877) 633-8702.
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LAS VEGAS SPECIAL SECTION
The Palms Casino Resort
palms.com
T
he Palms Casino Resort is best known
as Las Vegas’ celebrity playground,
playing host to MTV’s Video Music
Awards, E!’s Girls Next Door and Bravo’s
Celebrity Poker Showdown. But a new level
of luxury accommodations at Palms Place,
paired with legendary nightlife, a diverse mix
of award-winning restaurants and more than
200,000 square feet of innovative meeting
space, truly define this destination resort.
Spacious guest rooms boast panoramic views
of the Vegas skyline. Notorious hotspot RAIN
sets the standard for outrageous nightlife,
while the Playboy Club offers a hipster hangout in a chic ultra lounge environment. And
the French culinary brilliance at Michelin starrated Alizé at the top of the Palms takes dining decadence to new heights, elevating the
Las Vegas experience beyond imagination.
The newest addition to the Palms Casino
Resort, Palms Place Hotel and Spa, takes
luxury to a whole new level in an ultracontemporary setting. This non-gaming
sanctuary features 599 suites ranging from
spacious studios and one-bedrooms to spectacular penthouses. Resort amenities include
Drift, a two-story spa enclave that boasts
Las Vegas’ first hammam, a co-ed hideaway
recalling the ancient traditions of a Turkish
bath. For a casually elegant dining experience, celebrity chef Kerry Simon has created
an inventive modern American menu at his
namesake restaurant, Simon at Palms Place.
Additional resort amenities include Primp
Salon operated by renowned color specialist
Michael Boychuck, the intimate lobby bar,
Rojo Lounge, and the only Las Vegas location
of L.A.’s famed Sunset Tan. Guests of Palms
Place also have direct access to entertainment, dining and nightlife at the Palms via
the SkyTube, an elevated, enclosed moving
walkway that joins the two complexes.
If you care to mix a little business and
pleasure, the Palms Fantasy Tower is home
to the world’s most incredible themed suites
that double as over-the-top meetings and
entertainment venues. Guests can move from
suite to suite with one-of-a-kind amenities like
regulation bowling lanes in the Kingpin Suite
or a basketball half-court in the Hardwood
Suite. The Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms
is not just reserved for today’s hottest acts.
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The Palms Casino Resort is best known as Las
Vegas’ celebrity playground, playing host to MTV’s
Video Music Awards, E!’s Girls Next Door and
Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown.
The 2,500-seat, state-of-the-art theater is fully
equipped with a complete audiovisual setup
for general sessions, meetings, private concerts, conventions, live broadcasts and other
special events. With 18 private and semi-private boxes and a 10,283-square-foot ballroom
located above, The Pearl is ideal for corporate
conventions and VIP entertaining. This eclectic
mix of not-so-traditional venues is completely
customizable for any group, large or small.
For more information, contact Mike
Larragueta, vice president of sales, at (702)
944-3207 or mike.larragueta@palms.com.
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LAS VEGAS SPECIAL SECTION
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
T
he Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is revolutionizing the convention industry in
the heart of The Strip. With one-of-akind private terraces, breathtaking views of
the Las Vegas skyline and 150,000 square feet
of state-of-the-art meeting space, this luxury
resort is adding new and exciting dimensions
to your meeting experience.
At The Cosmopolitan, a broad selection
of meeting room types can accommodate
groups from 10 to 5,000, and oversized living
spaces cater to your guests’ comfort. With
two towers situated directly above three floors
of premium convention space, strategically
placed elevators and escalators offer easy
access to guest rooms. The resort’s vertical design creates a unique destination that
minimizes time spent getting from one place
to another.
By learning about your meeting’s purpose
and goals, the curation staff can personalize
each area to meet your specific needs. They
then work closely with you to create an event
that brings that purpose to life by designing
the environment, selecting entertainment and
crafting menus to align with your goals.
When you plan a meeting at The Cosmopolitan, every detail is an expression of your
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event’s objectives, including technology. A
full-range external sound system is available,
along with adjustable stage and accent lighting. A wide array of sophisticated presenter
tools such as laser pointers, video playback,
multiple computer switching, laptop audio
and more are also offered, with dedicated
technicians on hand to ensure flawless
execution.
Unique dining options can transform
each meeting into a memorable experience.
Here, gourmet chefs can curate a personalized menu or choose from extensive catering
options including inspired receptions, buffets
and themed action stations. The Cosmopolitan also offers the Chef Meal of the Day, a
gourmet daily menu.
For smaller groups and intimate gatherings,
Breaking from convention.
Redefining the meeting
experience in Las Vegas.
Reception Suites are also available. These
spacious, 1,050-square-foot suites are perfect
for almost every type of event, from morning
meetings to late-night functions. Each suite
features comfortable seating, a fully equipped
kitchen and a king-sized bed.
As the newest luxury destination in Las
Vegas, this resort is unlike any other on The
Strip. With the spectacular Las Vegas skyline
as your backdrop, the one-of-a-kind terrace
views offer an unrivaled experience. Each
expansive room features stylish designs and
art with unexpected touches such as Japanese
soaking tubs, separate living areas and plush
daybeds on your private terrace.
Dining is reinvented with a restaurant
collection featuring world-class flavors from
chefs making their Las Vegas debut. Innovative designs and art engage cultural sensibilities while a vibrant nightlife scene captivates
perceptions. Combine it all with hand-selected
boutiques, a 100,000-square-foot casino,
an unrivaled Pool District and the serenity of
Sahra Spa & Hammam to redefine your resort
experience.
For more information visit cosmopolitan
lasvegas.com, e-mail groupsales@cosmopol
itanlasvegas.com or call (877) 763-2267.
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LAS VEGAS SPECIAL SECTION
Cirque du Soleil
cirquedusoleil.com/groups
Cirque du Soleil upholds
its mission through its
shows to invoke the
imagination, provoke
the senses and evoke
the emotions of people
around the world as it
brings wonder to almost
100 million spectators
in more than 300 cities
across the world.
S
tarting as a group of just 20 street
performers at its beginnings in 1984,
Cirque du Soleil has become a major
performance organization that provides
perhaps the highest level of artistic entertainment. Cirque du Soleil upholds its mission
through its shows to invoke the imagination,
provoke the senses and evoke the emotions
of people around the world as it brings wonder to almost 100 million spectators in more
than 300 cities across the world.
Assisting guests in creating experiences
as unique and memorable as the shows
themselves, Cirque du Soleil has become a
destination for individuals and groups alike.
With as few as 12 attendees, Cirque du Soleil
can offer guests the choice between any of
the company’s one-of-a-kind productions in
Las Vegas.
• Personalized service with a sales
account executive
• The exhilarating and high-energy
Mystère at Treasure Island
• The lavish and surreal “O” at Bellagio
• The provocative and daring Zumanity,
The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil at
New York-New York
• The epic and gravity-defying KÀ live at
MGM Grand
• The intimate and powerful The Beatles
LOVE at The Mirage
• The illusion-based spectacular CRISS
ANGEL Believe at Luxor
• A harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music at Viva ELVIS at
ARIA Resort & Casino, a tribute to the
life and music of Elvis Presley
In addition to offering a group rate,
Cirque du Soleil will work to make each and
every show an extraordinary event for your
group. Some of the benefits of bringing
your group to Cirque du Soleil include the
following.
• Priority access to tickets when you
book in advance
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• Personalized service with a sales
account executive
• Ability to assist in completing your
evening with pre- or post-show dinners
or receptions at the finest Las Vegas
restaurants
• Cirque du Soleil-branded souvenirs,
such as show programs or music CDs
from the shows
Now Performing in Los Angeles…
IRIS, A Journey through the World of
Cinema, is the first permanent production
from Cirque du Soleil in Los Angeles and
has taken up an exclusive residence at the
world-renowned
Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland
Center. Directed by French director and choreographer Philippe Decouflé and featuring
music by Danny Elfman, IRIS brings together
dance, acrobatics, live video and filmed
sequences while taking spectators on a fantastic voyage through the history of cinema.
Now Performing in New York City…
Cirque du Soleil invites audiences to witness
Zarkana, a beautifully bizarre journey exclusively at Radio City Music Hall. This epic spectacle takes audiences into a fantastical and
suspenseful world where acrobatic feats are
heightened by original live music and interactive multimedia elements. Zarkana concludes
its limited four-month engagement on the
grandest stage in the world in October.
Performing in Orlando…
La Nouba transforms the ordinary into the
extraordinary and stimulates the imagination
from beginning to end with daring acrobatics, dazzling choreography, vibrant music
and whimsical characters performed at Walt
Disney World Resort.
To book your reservation today call (866)
353-5625 or e-mail us at lasvegas.sales@
cirquedusoleil.com.
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>
>
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
What (and How) Do You Pack?
A new study by Lowcostholidays.com of more
than 1,000 British vacationers found that some
interesting items are always packed when going
on holiday. What do you always pack in your
suitcase? Tell us at editor@mpiweb.org.
40%
Organized
Packer
15%
Less
Fashionable
Clothes
10%
Toilet Paper
(in case of surprises)
(hey, we’re on
vacation)
5%
25%
Bacon
Alarm Clocks
30%
17%
Teaa Bags
Last
Minute
kers
Packers
(not surprising)
urprising)
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(no clue)
(wouldn’t a cell
phone suffice?)
6%
Meticulous
Packer
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