JUNE 2012
BUSINESS VALUE OF MEETINGS
+
EMERGING DESTINATIONS
+
MEDICAL MEETINGS
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®
Were You Part of the 98%?
If So, Your Industry Needs You
June 2012 • Volume 5 • Number 5
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR IN CHIEF David Basler, dbasler@mpiweb.org
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
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST U.S. CENSUS, THERE ARE 71,600 MEETING PLANNERS IN
THE UNITED STATES ALONE. That number doesn’t include the tens of thousands of
supplier meeting professionals working directly for venues and destinations, which
would bring the total number of meeting professionals in the U.S. to considerably
more than 100,000.
So, following the recent GSA scandal when we learned about proposed legislation that would strictly limit government spending on conferences and events—and
would arguably negatively affect every single one of us included in that 100,000
number, both in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world—a call to action was issued
by MPI and numerous other industry organizations, including PCMA and ASAE.
ASAE organized an open letter to Congress allowing anyone in the industry to
“sign” their name online reminding Congress that the meeting and event industry
equates to jobs and getting business done. It was an extremely bold move to make,
and it should have been a top priority for all of us to support.
But out of 100,000 members of our industry, only 2,100 signatures of support
were collected (a meager 2 percent of our population). A far cry from a bold stand
of solidarity and just sad, if you ask me.
If you were one of the 2 percent, thank you.
If you were one of the 98 percent, did you think others would take up the cause
for you or did you feel like your voice wouldn’t make a difference?
Well, your voice does matter and your industry needs you to use it.
MPI has created the One Industry, One Voice campaign to educate you about
the negative impact this legislation could have on our industry both in the U.S. and
abroad, and we created an easily navigable portal on the MPI website that gives
you the tools you need to make your voice heard. With the templates and tools we
provide, it will take you all of 5 to10 minutes to customize a let(we’ve already drafted it for you—all you
ter to Congress (we
have to do is add your personal touch, and you can find
the template at mpiweb.org/OneIndustryOneVoice).
also access tools like our Business Value
Plus, you can als
Toolkit (mpiweb.org/Portal/Business/
of Meetings T
BusinessValueofMeetings), a valuable collection of
BusinessValueofM
and data that will help you clearly articresearch studies an
that meetings and events provide.
ulate the value th
To further
help with this effort, we have
fu
included a detailed overview of our latest
includ
research on the Business Value of Meetings
resea
this issue’s cover story (Page 58).
as th
Read it, use the online tools and draft
R
letter. Your industry needs your voice in
a let
the discussion, and 100 percent of us need
be engaged from here on. Thank you for
to b
your support.
you
REPORTER Stephen Peters, speters@mpiweb.org
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Javier Adame, jadame@mpiweb.org
DESIGN AND PREPRESS Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
COVER DESIGN Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
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, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK,
SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY)
Jennifer Mason, jmason@mpiweb.org, Phone: (772) 233-0678
(AK, AZ, CA, CT, DC, DE, ID, MD, NJ, NV, OR, PA, WA)
Carolyn Nyquist, Manager of Client Services, cnyquist@mpiweb.org,
Phone: (972) 702-3002
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Bruce M. MacMillan, C.A., President and CEO
Danya Casey, Vice President of Events and Certification
Cindy D’Aoust, Chief Operating Officer
Diane Hawkins, SPHR, Director of People and Performance
Sandra Riggins, Chief of Staff
Didier Scaillet, Chief Development Officer
Junior Tauvaa, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketplace
INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman of the Board
Sébastien Tondeur, MCI Group Holding SA
Chairman-elect
Kevin Hinton, Associated Luxury Hotels International
Vice Chairman
Craig Ardis, CMM, Univera
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, Caesars Entertainment
Paul Cunningham, IIMC International Information Management Corporation
Michael Dominguez, Loews Hotels & Resorts
Ricardo Ferreira, GRUPO ALATUR
Roel Frissen, CMM, Parthen
Chris Gasbarro, Creative 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 January 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. © 2012, 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
REGIONAL OFFICES:
Doha, Qatar
Ontario, Canada
Luxembourg
Beijing
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.
DAVID BASLER is editor in chief of One+. He can be reached at
dbasler@mpiweb.org. Follow him at www.twitter.com/onepluseditor.
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JUNE 2012
58
44
Landing a Deal
Allowing crop duster planes to land near the
Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
reinforced the Georgia city’s eagerness to
host the National Agricultural Aviation Association’s convention. BY ROWLAND STITELER
48
Iff you don’t
d ’ know
k
the
h business
b i
value
l off your event, you’re
’ not alone.
l
That doesn’t mean it isn’t time to start measuring. BY JESSIE STATES
It’s a Beautiful Day
Much of the meeting industry descended on
the streets of Baltimore last June for the highly
anticipated travel and incentive show, AIBTM.
BY ILONA KAUREMSZKY
64
The Path Less Traveled
Emerging destinations aren’t just charming; they actually help
draw more attendees. BY TARA SWORDS
68
How We Affect Each Other
With his groundbreaking research into the functioning of social
networks, 2012 World Education Congress speaker Nicholas
Christakis shows how our seemingly trivial behaviors and ideas
can significantly affect the lives of people we don’t even know.
54
Capturing the World’s
Attention
The China Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM) is the torch bearer for
bringing China’s meeting industry to a global
audience. BY ROB COTTER
76
Learning from the
Regulated
Due to the challenges of managing increasing
optics, medical and pharma
meeting pros are at the forefront of industry regulation.
BY ELAINE POFELDT
BY TARA SWORDS
mpiweb.org
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JUNE 2012
The BUZZ
10
ENERGY OF MANY
16 Get More in Person
Dr. Stuart Diamond reveals new negotiation tools
during his session at the 2012 WEC.
Creating the New
Connectivity
12
IMPRESSIONS
Your industry peers talk
about the ‘elevator
pitch,’ government
mandates and keeping
things simple.
16
20
19 Sound Off
How do you know you’ve reached a successful
return on investment for live events? Industry pros
give their insights.
24
20 Shining Bright
MPI recently announced the 2012 Recognizing
Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Award
winners.
TOP SPOTS
Jumeirah Port-Soller Hotel
& Spa in Mallorca, Spain,
is open for business.
30
24
26
CONNECTIONS
The American Lung
Association hosts the
fourth annual Fight for
Air Climb in Dallas.
30
IRRELEVANT
18 Agenda
Each June, meeting professionals from around the
world come together for AIBTM in Baltimore.
21 Ask the Experts
Paul Bridle gets insider information from the experts on how to network more effectively as part of
marketing your business.
22 Memorable Moments
MPI members share their memories about the
association and the past 40 years.
32
34
23 Web Watch
A one-stop-shop for insight and commentary on
women in the business world.
Hand-crafted vinyl record
clocks and art.
82
Columns
YOUR COMMUNITY
Canada celebrates
National Meetings
Industry Day.
83
32 Don’t Ignore the Ground
Why the content of an event matters less than the
medium.
38
36
34 School’s Out, Professional
Development’s In
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Eli Gorin chats with One+
about defending his The
Big Deal title and preparing for the World Series
of Poker.
Employers hire subject matter experts wherever and
whenever they can. What are you doing to establish
expertise?
BY DAWN RASMUSSEN, CMP
84
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
A Sustainable,
Sustainable Event
96
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
What purpose do social
networks serve?
BY DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF
36 Follow Your Purpose
40
83
When we feel like we’re making a difference, we find
meaning in our lives and in our work.
BY TIM SANDERS
Tag!
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:
DOWNLOAD the Microsoft Tag Reader app (free for all leading smartphones at http://
gettag.mobi).
38 Haven’t We Been Here Before?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that just thinking
about déjà vu can make you more prone to it.
BY JON BRADSHAW
40 Olympic Countdown
The Olympic Games offer one of the most effective
marketing campaigns in the world.
BY DEBORAH GARDNER, CMP
LAUNCH the app on your smartphone.
HOLD your smartphone 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.
mpiweb.org
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CREATING THE
New Connectivity
The most important quest
st in business
usiness is to create and foster human connections
connections. Watch our exclusive video on
online at www.mpiweb.org/wec
and learn how
ow you’ll find your connectivity at the World Education Congress (WEC), July 28-31 in St. Louis,
Lo
Missouri.
WEC SESSIONS
WEC education sessions and descriptions are now online at www.mpiweb.org/wecc (click the Schedule tab).
The following is just a taste of the vast content offerings available at the conference.
Meeting Management Ethics: What’s In It for Me?
The subject of ethics is rarely discussed
in large-group settings despite the
growing need for a more conscientious understanding of the issue in
today’s complex worlds of business
and academia. Indeed, it seems the
meeting and event industry hangs on
to some practices that some find a bit
questionable. This session will launch a
live dialogue among participants about
issues of ethical behavior—those that
are clearly black and white and others
that fall in gray areas.
8
one+
The “Melting Pot” Perspective: Incorporating Values
from a Wide Array of Stakeholders
The meeting and event industry is
evolving, thanks to a growing “melting pot” of involved parties, all with
unique perspectives adding to the mix:
everyone from planners to procurement, from marketing to sales, from
the C-suite to supplier-partners—even
to the guests and audience members
themselves. Attend this presentation to
gain a broader understanding of how
stakeholders with differing values and
viewpoints can work together.
Creating a Web of Influence
As the needs of the industry change,
meeting and event professionals are
tasked with thinking and planning
meetings in a more strategic way.
Creating a “web of influence”—building strong relationships with key
stakeholders, co-workers, clients and
others—is an increasingly critical aspect of strategic thinking and meeting
management. “Creating the New Connectivity,” in this sense, means creating
a web of influence that connects all
the key players involved in producing a
successful meeting or event.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Practice:
Your Meetings, Your Delegates, Your Communities
The final roundup of year one of MPI’s
global CSR study provides insights into
how and why the industry is engaging
in CSR and explores the value and
importance of CSR to international
delegates and client organizations.
Using case studies of CSR in practice,
interview results and survey findings,
the key takeaways for meeting planners will be revealed.
06.12
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>
THE ENERGY OF MANY
Creating the New Connectivity
YOU’LL OFTEN HEAR ME SPEAK ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION. As
innovative creativity.
We’ve developed these opportuni-
I wrote in the April issue of One+, the
ties for you at this year’s WEC. We’ve
business climate is no longer black and
customized our educational content to
white, so it is innovation that will make
give you more specialized knowledge
your work unique.
that fits your needs. We’ve created
But innovation isn’t something that
ground breaking networking experiences
appears in a vacuum—it’s created from
that offer you the face time you need to
dedicating yourself to your connections.
engage with people on the same journey
That’s why we themed this year’s
you are—giving you opportunities to
World Education Congress (WEC) in
create amazing ideas that will help you
St. Louis around connectivity—because
build a brilliant future.
when WEConnect, we change the world.
What makes MPI and WEC such a
The world we live and work in is mov-
powerful part of creating connections is
ing faster than ever. It’s hyper-connected,
the access to a truly global community
and because of that, we are no longer
of people who see the world of events in
simply planning meetings and events;
the same way. Innovation equals success
we’re designing human connectivity—
in today’s business world, and you only
connections that are spanning the globe.
have to look around the corner to find
ctivity is changing how we
Connectivity
ut meeting design and how
think about
The MPI Foundation continues its drive
to provide innovative, career-building
thought leadership development
through the following key industry
partnerships.
Corporate Social Responsibility
the connections essential to
making that success a
ct with peers, experts and
we interact
reality. I’ll meet you in
industry professionals. It’s changing
St. Louis!
Future of Meetings
what we do and how we do it—
ond of every day. Because
every second
of this, it’ss more essential than ever
n our current connections
to build on
and, moree importantly,
establish new ones that
nce our
will enhance
ties for
opportunities
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
>>
Slow Pitch
[Re: “What’s Your 118?” Professional Development blog]
The “Elevator Pitch” is important, as you need to be able to clearly and
concisely inform others about who you are and what you do. The problem is we mistakenly educate people to lead with their pitch and get it in
“fast.” But if you met someone on an elevator and they jumped in to toss
rehearsed “verbal vomit” about themselves at you...you would run away
when the doors opened. It’s best to memorize questions that get the other
person talking first. Know about yourself, but wait to tell them until you
know about them.
—Thom Singer
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.
Hefty Price Tag
[Re: “Professionalism = Accountability,” Your Community blog]
I’m still trying to figure out how they
managed to spend $US3,000 per bike
but had to build them themselves. For
$3,000, I want the bikes pre-assembled...team-building activity or not!
—Missy Covington
Keep it Simple
[Re: “The Future of Meetings,” April 12]
One of the most precious commodities of the 21st century will be clarity.
Simplicity is not simple. The key is to
simplify and let technology be a tool for
doing that.
—Mark Grimm
12
one+
Communication is the
Solution
[Re: “How Government Mandates
Change the Meeting Industry,” onlineonly April 12]
I read Katie Herritage’s article with
great interest. I have been a meeting
planner with the federal government
in Ottawa, Canada, for the past
seven years. Over that time, I have
seen many changes in how we plan
and carry out meetings and how the
directives from the government have
impacted the meeting industry. We,
too, have been instructed to make
use of federal facilities whenever
possible, cut down on the money
that is spent on food and beverage
and use teleconferencing and video
conferencing to reduce travel costs.
Whereas seven years ago there
would be 70 delegates at a meeting,
there are now about 40.
I am trying to do my part (as
just one government meeting planner) to educate my supplier contacts
about what the changes mean to
their industry. Twice a year, I send
my contacts the approved rates for
food and beverage. Since becoming
aware of these rates, many hotels
across the country have asked
their chefs to create “government”
menus so the food and beverage
costs fall within the guidelines I am
required to follow. When sending an
RFP to potential venues, I put the
food and beverage per diems right
into the RFP so the venue knows
my restrictions. While I have had
hotels decline to prepare a proposal
because they consider my food and
beverage per diems to be too low,
thankfully the majority of the private
venues I work with across Canada
are able to meet the restrictions. I
think communication is the key to
building successful relationships
between government meeting planners and the meeting industry suppliers. This article goes a long way
to explain important changes that
impact the entire industry.
—Lisa Holmes
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18
Online
Scan this tag with your smartphone to watch Stuart Diamond’s
Leading@Google lecture on “getting more.”
Additionally, visit the Pulitzer
Prize-winning journalist’s blog at
www.gettingmore.com/blog.
19
Get More in Person
20
21
23
16
one+
June Buzz.indd 16
Dr. Stuart Diamond reveals new negotiation tools during his session at the 2012 World Education Congress
(WEC), July 28-31 in St. Louis. These tools originate from his course at The Wharton School (the institution’s
most popular) and his New York Times-bestseller Getting More.
Throughout his session “Getting More: How to Negotiate for Greater Success in Work and Life,” Diamond will elaborate on what he calls the “12 invisible strategies” that have been utilized by more than
30,000 CEOs, lawIn Print
yers, heads of state,
2012
Read Stuart Diaparents, administramond’s New York
World Education Congress
tive assistants and evJuly 28-31 • St. Louis, Missouri
Times bestseller
eryday people to save
Getting More: How
billions of dollars, imto Negotiate to
prove relationships and get their kids to brush their teeth
Achieve Your Goals
and go to bed on time.
in the Real World,
So impressed was Google with Diamond’s new model
and learn about his
of human interaction, the search giant has chosen it as the
process that was
basis of a training initiative for its worldwide enterprise.
used successfully to Now it’s your turn to experience this innovative thought
resolve the 2008
leader in-person during his three-hour WEC session.
Hollywood writers’
Visit www.mpiweb.org/wec to register for and learn
strike!
more about the 2012 WEC.
06.12
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AIBTM
June 19-21
Baltimore, Maryland
AIBTM is a leading global exhibition
for the U.S. meeting and event industry.
Each June, professionals from around
the world come together in Baltimore for
three days of focused business. Meet with
more than 300 leading suppliers to the
meeting industry.
MedPi Iberia
June 5-7
Valencia, Spain
MedPi is the only event in Spain comprehensively devoted to the consumer
distribution of new technologies and is
a business meeting exclusively reserved
for consumer IT and electronics suppliers
and distributors. It is fully geared toward
creating business opportunities and valid
contacts in order for all those present to
maximize the return on their investment.
Gaming Technology Summit
June 11-13
Las Vegas, Nevada
The summit, celebrating its 10-year anniversary, is the gaming industry’s hottest
conference, full of hands-on technology
updates, insights and strategies that will
address real-world technology challenges
and solutions for all segments of the
gaming industry. This year, some of the
industry’s brightest stars will share their
knowledge in an exciting conference
lineup that will feature new topics as well
as returning favorites.
18
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June Buzz.indd 18
Markex 2012
June 12-14
Johannesburg, South Africa
Now in its 26th year, Markex World of
Events continues to bring together buyers
and sellers of the very best corporate
clothing, promotional gifts, conference/
exhibition venues, design/décor and much
more. With more than 10,000 visitors
and two halls filled with outstanding
innovations and ideas, Markex is sure to
help set your company apart and leave a
lasting impression with your customers.
International Travel Expo
June 14-17
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong’s only travel fair also covering China, ITE & ITE MICE has impressive profiles of international exhibitors,
buyers and regional trade visitors. More
than 80 percent of the 650 exhibitors
from more than 50 countries and regions
will be on hand for the more than 12,000
buyers and trade visitors. ITE convers
both leisure and MICE/corporate travel
and highlights trendy themes such as
cruise, wellness and medical tourism.
BTC International
June 21-22
Rimini, Italy
BTC is the marketplace where event,
meeting, conference and incentive travel
organizers meet a wide range of industry suppliers. It is also the main event
for networking and professional education for the Italian meeting and event
industry community. BTC offers a series
of networking opportunities intended
to generate new contacts and foster
personal relationships with clients,
suppliers, peers and competitors.
The Bar and Restaurant Show
June 26-27
New York, New York
This is the essential industry event for onpremise food and beverage professionals.
It is the culmination of the finest products
and services available in the marketplace
today and the largest show of its kind.
The show will feature new products and
innovations, established brands, products/services for industry professionals,
show-floor demonstrations, an education
program and drink competitions.
06.12
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SOUNDOFF
How do you know when
you’ve reached a successful
return on investment for
live events and meetings?
MPI Powers Smart
Monday at IMEX
America
Following the successful launch of a global meetings, incentive travel and events industry
trade show IMEX America last October in Las Vegas, organizers have announced updates to
the format and content of “Smart Monday,” the pre-show, one-day educational event (Monday,
October 8).
The free, pre-show day of professional education has been developed to become Smart
Monday, “Powered by MPI.” MPI is IMEX America’s strategic partner and premier educational
provider. This new name demonstrates MPI’s crucial role in providing the majority of content
on Monday, while also signaling the combined involvement and educational contribution of
other important and influential associations, including ASAE, ACTE, ISES, ICCA, PCMA, Site and
IAEE, who will be holding a CEM program.
Smart Monday, “Powered by MPI” will include a morning keynote and all day sessions that
will cover topics such as strategic meetings management, social media, leadership, sustainability, personal development, incentive travel, technology trends and international meetings
management.
“We had such a positive response to Smart Monday last year with more than 1,200 people
attending, which has really inspired us in our planning for this year’s event,” said Carina Bauer,
CEO of the IMEX Group. “This year, Smart Monday, ‘Powered by MPI’ really does offer exceptional value and diversity of education, and there will be something for everyone, regardless of
job title or association membership.
“MPI’s 12 educational sessions are a key part of the day—the backbone if you like—but
we are also emphasizing the incredible scope and quality of all the education and networking
on offer by other participating associations,” she continued. “Last year, industry professionals
were delighted—and perhaps a little surprised—when they realized how strong the education
program was. Now that the concept is well established and we have proven there is strong
demand, we are really excited to be planning for 2012 and taking steps to develop it even
further.”
Alongside innovative and inspiring education from MPI (which will be open to members
and non-members), Smart Monday, “Powered by MPI” will offer specialist education sessions
from many other associations. All of it will be provided free of charge to both buyers and suppliers regardless of their association membership or status.
The first thing
that I would
do, in the beginning stages
of the meeting
process, is to
create my goals
and key performance indicators (KPI). If
you don’t know
what you are measuring, how will you
know if you have achieved it? During
the meeting, I would measure those
KPIs and compare them with the original numbers. Then there are numbers
to back up the ROI. They can be reported out and hopefully celebrated.
—Amanda Gourgue, CMP, LEED AP,
chief meeting revolutionist for Meeting
Revolution
A successful
return on investment has
been achieved
for live events
and meetings
when we compare our measurable goals
and objectives
set during the
pre-planning stage against the actual
outcomes from the live event and meeting. If we achieved or exceeded our
agreed to base lines for measurements,
we have achieved successful return
on investment for the live event and
meeting.
—Larissa Schultz, CMP, owner and
meeting planner of LJS Meeting
Strategies
Read more blog articles at MPIWeb.org.
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2012
World Education Congress
July 28-31 • St. Louis, Missouri
Shining Bright
New RISE Awards Recipients Honored for Exceptional Achievements
MPI recently announced the 2012 Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Awards winners. Six recipients will be recognized
for exceptional achievements related to individual, community and organizational initiatives. These winners will be acknowledged at the
RISE Awards presentation and lunch on July 29 during MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC) in St. Louis, Missouri. Recipients are
recognized for innovation, influence, global transferability and impact within the meeting and event industry.
“Each year the RISE Awards offer a glimpse at the possible,” said Brian Palmer, CMM, chair of the RISE Awards Judging Panel.
“MPI articulates what these people and organizations have done in ways that inspire our members and the industry to new heights.”
RISE AWARD FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT
Presented to Jillian Schroeder for her
leadership and encouragement of student
involvement in industry-related programs.
Schroeder led the way in gaining student
participation, helping develop the “MENTOR
Me” program and creating the “Student
Involvement” website for the MPI Wisconsin
Chapter. She actively speaks at her alma
mater on student-life topics and serves on the
Madison College Alumni Advisory Board,
providing input on the direction of the college.
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RISE AWARD FOR MEETING INDUSTRY
LEADERSHIP
Presented to Ray Bloom, CMM, pioneer
of the hosted buyer program in the late
1980s, for his lasting impact in changing
the way the meeting and event industry
conducts business at trade shows. With the
development and launch of three successful
shows—EIBTM, IMEX in Frankfurt and
IMEX America—Bloom has changed the
way in which trade shows generate and
engage business. He also focuses on the
future of the industry through the Future
Leaders Forum, which has engaged 5,000
student participants since its launch in 2003.
RISE AWARD FOR MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Presented to Amanda Cecil, Ph.D., CMP, for
her volunteer leadership in the creation of
the Meeting and Business Event Competency
Standards (MBECS). Cecil chaired the MPI
Body of Knowledge Task Force that was
responsible for creating the MBECS, the
first occupational standard for the meeting
and event profession and adopted by the
Convention Industry Council to be used in
updating the CMP job analysis and exam
blueprint. She has served on the MPI Indiana
Chapter Board of Directors and volunteered
on international committees and task forces
focused on students and knowledge.
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>>
Paul Bridle
Asks the
Experts
RISE AWARD FOR COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT IN KNOWLEDGE
AND IDEAS
Presented to the MPI Tennessee Chapter for the “Let MPI Rock
Your World Road Trip.” Taking place over three days and touring
440 miles of the state, chapter leaders collaborated with supplier
members to host duplicate events for the purpose of advocating its
“One State, One Chapter” philosophy. The events incorporated live
entertainment with progressive education and business networking
opportunities. The impact of these events includes ongoing
recruitment, increased attendance at regional events and growing
engagement in social media. The program is now considered an MPI
Chapter Best Practice and has been translated into five languages.
RISE AWARD FOR COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT IN MARKETPLACE
EXCELLENCE
Presented to the MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter for its “Connections
Campaign” implemented in 2010-11 as an avenue for members to
share and quantify member-to-member business connections proving
the value of MPI. This ongoing campaign created more than 260
connections in its first year with a value of more than US$6 million
of member-to-member business within the chapter. The program
exceeded goals and is credited with increasing member satisfaction in
the chapter.
RISE AWARD FOR ORGANIZATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
Presented to Royal DSM for its strategic and successful use of
meetings and events to launch its new brand identity, “Bright
Science. Brighter Living.” in February 2011. To engage stakeholders,
specifically internal, the company created the “Bright Launch” event.
This took place worldwide and comprised a total of 149 events
in two days. Success metrics were validated following the event,
as employees were able to explain the vision and direction of the
company and its new brand. Based on survey results of the past four
years, Royal DSM employees are more engaged and proud to work
for the company. The leadership within Royal DSM has grown its
corporate meetings and events capability to advance strategy, drive
engagement and enable change.
How can I network more effectively as part of marketing my
business?
This question has repeatedly come up, and so I asked
Andy Lopata (www.lopata.co.uk),
networking coach and author
of Recommended, How to sell
through Networking and Referrals, for his insights into how to
go about networking effectively.
“Networking needs to be approached in the same strategic
manner as any other route to
market,” he said. “Networking
isn’t sales. People don’t like to
be sold to at a networking event
Andy Lopata
or by people in their network
unless they have clearly demonstrated a need for those services. The fact that most people network to
sell rather than to buy shows they are not going to be receptive to your
pitch.”
That makes sense, but what is networking then?
“Networking is about collaboration—building trusted contacts and
sharing experience, expertise, connections and ideas to help everyone
achieve more than they could on their own. Events and social networks
help you to build and develop relationships with that network.”
Lopata went on to list three areas in which networks can help both
parties.
“We can help each other to become better known, better equipped
and better connected. In marketing terms, that means that your network
can talk about and recommend you, give you valuable information on
your prospects’ needs and also refer you. If you understand where your
needs lie, you can develop the right networks and ask for the right help,
making it easier for them to support your objectives.”
So how can we facilitate more effective networking at meetings and
events? Lopata said planners need to think about how they can make it
comfortable for delegates to meet new people, and technology is providing a host of apps and devices that enable searching of attendee lists in
advance and make it easier to arrange meetings (even notifying us when
someone we want to meet with walks past).
Lopata also suggested arranging exercises where delegates need to
break out and meet new people—during breakout sessions, plenary sessions or at any feasible time.
Having a strategy for networking requires planning and forethought.
Anything planners can do to encourage and make networking easy for
people, the higher the effectiveness. Training sessions that help people
plan and develop effective networking skills can also be a great help.
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@paulbridle.com.
More to Come
Starting next month, we’ll offer more in-depth profiles of each
of the RISE Awards winners in the pages of One+. Stay tuned!
mpiweb.org
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Most Memorable MPI Moments
BY STEPHEN PETERS
Carol Krugman, CMP, CMM
Director of meeting and business event management for Metropolitan State College of Denver
When we were actually able to develop and deliver a body of knowledge for our
profession—which is now the foundation of what’s really going to make this
recognized as a profession—that was one of those moments where I felt like I could
die tomorrow and it would be OK, because I had accomplished something with my
colleagues in the industry that was really important.
Stephen Powell
Senior vice president of worldwide sales for InterContinental Hotels Group
We worked very hard on putting together the CMP. I remember when the CMP was
launched—many of us had worked very hard on developing the program, developing
the processes as well as even the testing materials. And I remember the first graduating
class of CMPs—that was a very proud moment. I never really expected it to go as far
as it has. So I’m really still proud of that.
Kathleen Ratcliffe
President of the St. Louis CVC
It began the very first time I spoke at a chapter level—at some chapter I was attending
and speaking as president—a young woman came up and introduced herself to me
and said that I inspired her. It was not about me, it was the fact that there was a
woman in that role at MPI, and there had been very few before me.
Mark Andrew, CMP, CHA
Regional vice president and general manager for The Fairmont Washington, D.C.
I’ll never forget the one fateful evening in Minneapolis when, on the stage, they talked
about the power of this thing called email, and everybody is going to have an email
address. That was only in 1994, and here it is a few years later—17 or so—email, the
Internet, Facebook and websites have changed the face of our industry.
Memorable Moments
Relive MPI’s first 40 years via this interactive timeline:
www.mpiweb.org/about/mpi40th.
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Scan these tags with your
smartphone to take a stroll
down memory lane with
these meeting professionals.
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HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT
JobPoacher.com lets you make yourself available
to recruiters, without exposing your identity or
giving up your email address. The purpose of
the site is strictly to help job poachers find you.
The website sets you up with an anonymous
email address that you control, though it’s recommended that you exercise your best judgment on
any messages you receive.
WOMEN IN THE BUSINESS WORLD
TheJaneDough.com is the go-to site for news,
insight and commentary on women in the
business world. Exploring the corporate world
through the female prism, the website celebrates women who have found success, dissects
how powerful women are treated in the media
and applauds forward-thinking companies—it’s
a new approach to business coverage.
FILL THE GAP
While still in beta, TheFit.com attempts to fill the
gap between job descriptions and résumés by
gathering authentic information from employees
about key aspects of company culture. If you
love your job and hate the idea of a misfit joining
your team, chime in about what your company is
really like and help attract people who fit.
SAY WHAT?
People hear phrases they do not know the meaning of all the time. We need a tool where we can
find example uses of these phrases to learn their
proper applications. FrazeIt.com is a search engine
for phrases and sentences and precisely the tool
people need. You can use the site to easily search
for phrases that are used in everyday language.
It supports two types of phrases—generic and famous quotes (English only)—with more to come.
WEC: A Focus on
Hybrid and Virtual
Events
Planning and executing successful events will be a key
focus of education sessions at MPI’s World Education Congress, July 28-31 in St. Louis. Here’s a look at some of the
related sessions.
“Meeting Pros Are from Mars, Attendees Are from
Venus: Techniques for Creating a Remarkable Hybrid
Event.” When it comes to “Creating the New Connectivity”
through hybrid events, it seems that meeting organizers
and attendees may hail from two entirely different planets.
Indeed, the phrase “going hybrid” is becoming increasingly
common in the meeting and event industry, but meeting
professionals and attendees typically interpret it differently,
with conflicting meanings, criteria and expectations. To
complicate matters, there hasn’t been a data-driven roadmap for the successful development of hybrid-event strategies, goals and objectives—until now. The MPI Foundation,
in partnership
with Mediasite
Events, recently
completed the
most comprehensive study
ever conducted
on hybrid
meetings. This
session will reveal key insights gained from this study
and help participants understand how the most common
obstacles to executing a successful hybrid event are often
the result of differing expectations between organizer and
attendee.
“The Underserved Audience: How Virtual Events Can
Connect Even the Largest Groups.” Participate in an indepth discussion examining the efforts of a Fortune 100
company to “Create a New Connectivity” for its constituents, who had been underserved by traditional meeting
methods. This dynamic session will provide practical learning and demonstrate effective strategies for developing
virtual and hybrid alternatives to face-to-face meetings. By
employing unique and substantive changes to their traditional meeting strategies, the professionals at this top-tier
corporation made a positive impact in the productivity and
connectivity of remote and disparate team members.
Read more blog articles at MPIWeb.org.
mpiweb.org
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TOP
Spots
Jumeirah Port Soller
Hotel & Spa
In late April, Jumeirah opened its first
European resort in Mallorca, Spain.
The hotel occupies the cliff side of the
port and offers guests views of the Mallorcan coast. The property features 120
guest rooms and suites, all with a private terrace or balcony, is surrounded
by lush gardens featuring native plants
and trees and offers 360-degree views of
the sea and Tramuntana mountain
range.
The resort also houses four separate
meeting and event spaces, totaling more
than 3,630 square feet. The Jumeirah
Ballroom is a 2,300-square-foot room
with natural light and floor-to-ceiling
windows that overlook the port, which
is an ideal venue for celebrations and
exclusive banquets of up to 120 guests.
It can also be set up for meetings of up
to 180 people. The 645-square-foot
Soller Meeting Room features large
windows and its own terrace for coffee
breaks and after-meeting drinks. The
Fornalutx Meeting Room is 389 square
feet and can be connected to the Deia
Meeting Room, which is the smallest
room at 247 square feet and is ideal for
small board meetings.
Moscone Center
In mid-March, San Francisco’s Moscone Center entered the final phase of a two-year,
US$56 million renovation, set on re-creating the North and South buildings. The renovation will give the center a combined 1.2 million square feet of function space. A $4.5 million wireless system has been installed, providing high-speed service to as many as 60,000
devices at one time. Building users can use their smartphones, tablets, laptops and other
devices simultaneously with limited to no interruption of service. It has also been designed
to meet LEED Gold green building standards.
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Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi Resort
St. Regis Shenzhen
As the world’s tallest St. Regis hotel
and the tallest building in Shenzhen,
Guangdong, China, officially opened
in January, following recent St. Regis
openings in Bangkok, Tianjin and Sanya Yalong Bay. The new hotel, which
occupies the top 28 floors of the
100-story Kingkey 100 building, offers
257 guest rooms and 40 suites with
views of the city. The hotel is poised to
become the city’s leading venue for corporate gatherings, offering more than
22,600 square feet of meeting and
function space with state-of-the-art
amenities.
A Four Points by Sheraton featuring 214 guest rooms and amenities including wireless high-speed Internet access recently opened in Langkawi,
Malaysia. The hotel offers more than 5,900 square feet of flexible meeting
space. The 4,165-square-foot ballroom features glass walls and overlooks
Langkawi’s largest infinity pool and the property’s private white-sand
beach. The space holds up to 400 for conferences and banquets, or 260
for weddings. A meeting room can accommodate up to 90 in a theater
style or 45 in a classroom setup.
Towson University
Marriott Conference
Hotel
Cleveland Medical
Mart and Convention
Center
Located off of York Road, Towson University Marriott Conference Hotel is in
the heart of downtown Baltimore,
Maryland. The hotel has 20 multipurpose meeting rooms that can be combined to create more than 14,000
square feet of flexible meeting space.
The newly renovated private dining
room adds more than 2,500 square feet
of new social event space to go along
with the refreshed, 1,800-square-foot
Stoneleigh Ballroom. Wired and wireless capabilities are available in public
areas and the 192 guest rooms.
The 1.1-million-square-foot Cleveland (Ohio) Medical Mart and Convention Center campus is on track to
open in the summer of 2013. The
235,000-square-foot Medical Mart
will house permanent showrooms,
and the conference center features
approximately 90,000 square feet of
high-tech, flexible meeting rooms of
varying sizes to accommodate keynote sessions, seminars and panel
discussions.
mpiweb.org
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> CONNECTIONS
>
53 Story Fight
WHO:
American Lung Association
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
Dallas area firefighters
EVENT:
Fight for Air Climb Dallas
Renaissance Hotel Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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BY STEPHEN PETERS
FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS, SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE,
formally known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation,
has been the measuring stick for how an organization puts together
an event that helps raise awareness and money for its cause. Each
year, hundreds of thousands of people don pink ribbons, hats, shirts,
shorts, socks and shoes to help boost that awareness. It’s been the
grassroots movement and organic growth of the event that has made
the Race for the Cure series the world’s largest and most successful
education and fundraising event for breast cancer.
The American Cancer Society (ACA) has an overnight event,
Relay for Life, where teams gather at schools, fairgrounds or parks
and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at
least one member on the track at all times. Relay for Life was started by a doctor in Tacoma, Washington, who wanted to enhance the
income of his local ACA office and show support for his patients
who had battled cancer. The doctor spent 24 grueling hours circling
the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound.
It’s those unique, yet monumental moments and the passion of
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those involved that the American Lung Association
(ALA) is trying to replicate with its own nationwide
event called the Fight for Air Climb. The climbs usually happen in prominent skyscrapers, stadiums or
arenas.
Stair climbs are emerging athletic competitions
that take participants beyond the average run/walk
event. These “vertical marathons” are growing in
popularity, and Dallas is leading the way by hosting
this one-of-a-kind event.
Sometimes called a “vertical road race,” teams
and individual participants often use the events as a
fitness target or practice, as a race that gives you the
opportunity to challenge yourself or other people.
The climbs have also served as a great way to be active and meet new friends.
“They’re the perfect event to parallel with our
mission to fight for better air,” said Amanda Frederick, Plains-Gulf Region development manager for the
ALA. “This is our signature event for North Texas
and, really, across the country.”
The mission of the organization is to save lives by
improving lung health and preventing lung disease
through education, advocacy and research—and public support is helping the organization “fight for air.”
For the fourth year running, a Fight for Air Climb
was held in the stairwell of the 53-story Renaissance
Dallas Hotel near downtown on Saturday, February
18. More than 600 participants competed in the event,
with more than 150 volunteers from across the Metroplex lending a hand. Volunteers range from employees at corporations to Girls Scout troops and everything in between.
Frederick says since the Fight for Air Climb’s in-
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Each year, more and more show up for
the event in full firefighter gear and
march up 53 flights of stairs. This
year, more than 100 showed up—and
the hope is that the number will
double next year.
ception in Dallas, the event has helped foster a great
relationship with area firefighters. Each year, more
and more show up for the event in full firefighter gear
and march up 53 flights of stairs. This year, more
than 100 showed up—and the hope is that the number will double next year.
“We are very excited to see the momentum this
event has gained since our inaugural climb,” said Michelle Bernth, vice president of marketing, communications and volunteer development for the ALA.
One by one at five-second intervals, all 600 participants began their trek from the bottom floor to
the 53rd floor—walk or run. All participants had
their time calculated through an electronic chip-timing system. According to Frederick, the average time
per person is between 10 to 15 minutes. The fastest
Dallas time was in the 7-minute range, the slowest
being 45 minutes. In all, the event takes just two to
two-and-a-half hours to complete with an awards
ceremony afterward on the top floor.
During the event, teams had the ability to start the
race together and support one another during the
climb, and water stations and rest floors were available periodically.
“The 53rd floor is completely vacant,” Frederick
said. So after everyone finished, there was a “huge
after party with massage therapists and food from
My Fit Foods and Potbelly Sandwich Shop. We had
FC Dallas there, painters and
clowns for the kids.”
Frederick says this year’s
event was a huge success, as it
helped raised more than
$140,000 for the ALA that goes
back to the community and supports education for schools and
research.
“We’re in the very early planning stages for next year, but
we’re hoping to reach a goal of
$200,000,”
Frederick
said.
“We’re also looking to try and
make it more fun.”
Some intriguing facts about
lung disease:
• Third leading cause of death in
the United States. One in seven
Americans will die from lung
disease.
• The single deadliest cancer—
killing more women than breast and ovarian cancer
combined.
• Each year, 392,000 people die from tobacco-caused
disease, making it the leading cause of preventable
death in the United States.
• Asthma is the No. 1 chronic reason that children
miss school—resulting in 14 million missed school
days each year.
“Nearly everyone knows someone who has been
affected by some form of lung disease,” Bernth said.
“Whether you’ve been touched by asthma, emphysema, lung cancer or tobacco addiction, The Fight for
Air Climb is a great, fun way to help bring us one
step closer to achieving our mission.”
STEPHEN PETERS is a reporter for One+.
mpiweb.org
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T
N
A
V
E
L
E
R
R
I
You Spin Me Round
Hand-crafted vinyl record clocks and art. (etsy.com/shop/NotByLaser, US$55)
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> > H I G H -T E C H H U M A N I T Y
Douglas Rushkoff
is a speaker at
DON’T IGNORE THE GROUND
BY DOUGLAS R U SHKOFF <<
EVERYTHING IS MEDIA, NOT JUST
PRINT, RADIO, TELEVISION AND
THE NET. Not just the stuff we
watch and listen to. Everything.
When my top is buttoned, my arms
are folded and my eyes roll, I am
using shirt, body and face—all
media—to communicate something,
intentionally or not.
But it’s more than that. Everything between us—the air, the floor,
the wires, the Skype window, the
clouds, the sounds, the Wi-Fi, our
flesh—is all media through which
we attempt to connect, share, influence, gain approval and find meaning. Humans are little consciousnesses floating around in media,
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trying to find and connect with one
another. Even our DNA is just a
medium we use in our attempt to
record a blueprint of biology and
pass it down through time.
I like to stress how live meetings
pose opportunities for media-free
engagement: no Twitter, no Wi-Fi,
no PowerPoint. But even when we
let go of many of the technologies
we use to communicate, we’re still
absolutely and totally immersed in
media environments. These media,
as philosopher Marshall McLuhan’s
aphorism goes, really are the
message.
Back when McLuhan wrote
about media, the word wasn’t gen-
erally associated with radio or TV,
but with the culture in which bacteria
might grow or an artist’s substance of
choice: agar (the stuff in petri dishes),
clay, the air. By bringing our attention to media, McLuhan tried to help
us differentiate between the “subject” and the “ground.” We, in the
West especially, are obsessed with the
subject, but are also often completely
ignorant of the ground. We see a
picture of a cow and miss the field.
The ground is just as—or even
more—important than the things
standing on it. It’s the environment,
assumptions and limitations that underlie everything else. Stockbrokers
are competitive because they play a
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zero-sum game with money. People
move rhythmically in a dance club
because the environment is music.
The environment defines the culture
in which all “subjects” and “messages” actually emerge.
That’s why the content of an
event matters less than the medium.
At most of the conferences I attend,
I’m not a core member of the community; I’m a guest speaker. That
gives me a unique vantage point, and
one I suggest people try on more often. Instead of focusing on the conversation, I look at the way people
interact. When I take the pulse of an
industry—particularly one I’m about
to speak to—I consider conversation
style, body language, the depth of
discussion and people’s willingness
to let new participants enter their
interactions.
At the height of the dot-com
bubble, I got an eerie sense as I
walked through a mingling crowd
of venture capitalists at a Silicon
Valley conference. It was as if I
were in a movie: the way their eyes
jumped about nervously, the way
they brushed sweat off their foreheads, the way they laughed a bit
too forcefully. When I started my
keynote—which I ended up completely ad-libbing—I opened with
the line, “Please don’t take this the
wrong way, but I can smell your
fear.” And I proceeded to use what I
had just learned from their interactions to explain why their bubble
was doomed to pop. They tried to
laugh it off; the bubble popped three
months later.
Once we accept events as media
environments, we can consider what
kinds of media should define the
culture of our meetings. Academics are book people. That’s why
their conferences generally consist
of people standing up at podiums
reading papers to interest groups.
Their subjects and interests are predetermined. Business people live in a
world of forecasts and sales pitches;
they’re comfortable using PowerPoint as a medium of expression,
and want to reach even more people
via Livestream and Twitter. Spiritual
people want to reconnect with the
earth and subtle energies, so their
media style harkens to the story
circle. Their subjects are developed
in real time, collaboratively.
Digital professionals exist in an
environment of transparency and
choice; they want to participate actively in the creation of subjects and
agendas, through an unconference
medium using open-space technology. Delegates create session topics,
and then pick a time and place for
them to happen.
There are hundreds of cultures,
from car mechanics to police officers, for which different media
environments create that natural
and productive ground McLuhan
wrote about. When we remember
that every conference is just a medium, we stand a chance of getting
the message.
DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF
is the author, most
recently, of Program or
be Programmed: Ten
Commands for a Digital
Age and is speaking at
MPI’s World Education
Congress in St. Louis
next month. He can be
contacted at www.
rushkoff.com.
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>> ON THE JOB
SCHOOL’S OUT,
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT’S IN
BY D A W N R A S M U SS E N , C M P < <
I REMEMBER MY LAST DAY OF
COLLEGE. I walked outside the building that housed my final, final exam,
stepped into the sun and felt release
and freedom. My whole life up to that
point had focused on one thing—learning. My first reaction: Yay! I don’t have
to learn anymore!
Silly, silly me.
By now, most of you know that
learning doesn’t stop when school ends
(you are the professionals who plan
professional development programs,
after all). Job-specific knowledge
can make your career in today’s job
marketplace.
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Employers hire subject matter
experts wherever and whenever they
can. From their perspective, it’s still
a buyer’s market. They can afford to
hire people that they couldn’t five years
ago. So, from a business standpoint,
they want to recruit the highest quality
people to improve their organizations.
So, what are you doing to establish
your subject-matter expertise?
You need to be proactively planning
your attendance at classes, workshops,
trainings, conventions, conferences,
trade shows, webinars and industry
certifications. You need to up the ante
for potential internal promotions and
outdistance your competitors for other
jobs. These professional development
opportunities can and will make the
difference.
So, ask yourself these questions.
• Do I have any skills gaps that I can
close by learning a new concept?
• Do I need to brush up on any skills
that have become dated?
• Could I benefit from finding out
about emerging trends?
• Would my workplace benefit from
having someone who understands
____ (skill) better?
• Would a particular skill set or
understanding help me establish
internal best practices to enhance
overall operations and/or
profitability?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you have your work cut out
for you.
You’re actually pretty lucky. MPI is an
incredible resource for professional development through its online webinars and
research, its magazine, its blogs and its
international, regional and chapter events.
I’ve been attending the World Education Congress (WEC) for four years now,
and each time, the depth of educational
tracks blows me away. Attending events
delivers on virtually every question asked
above.
So if you’re on the fence, you need to
jump off of it. There should be no question about whether or not to make the
investment.
School may be over, but professional
development must continue, and registering for the WEC and other MPI educational events in the coming year will
propel your career forward.
DAWN RASMUSSEN, CMP,
is the president of Portland,
Ore.-based Pathfinder
Writing and Careers, which
specializes in hospitality/
meeting professional
résumés. She has been
a meeting planner for
more than 15 years and
an MPI member since 2001.
Contact Rasmussen at www.
pathfindercareers.com.
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> > TRANSFORM THE WORLD
FOLLOW YOUR PURPOSE
BY TIM SANDERS <<
A COLLECTIVE SENSE OF PURPOSE
IS EITHER THE SECRET INGREDIENT
OR THE MISSING ONE. If organizations have it, there’s urgency and
unity. If they don’t, there’s lethargy.
I recently attended a corporate
meeting whose purpose was to
install a paradigm shift, to show
managers that their employees
were the company’s most cherished
assets. The event professionals and
executive sponsors beamed at dinner the night before the first session
when they shared this with me.
They could envision the impact their
meeting would have on employees,
their families and even the company’s bottom line. It was a win/win/
36
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win. Over the next few days, they
saw a transformation in the company’s culture, from leader down to
supervisor.
Stanford professor William Damon defines higher purpose as “an
intention to accomplish something
that is at the same time meaningful
to the self and consequential for
the world beyond self.” Because the
event managers intended to help attendees as well as the company, the
purpose was truly elevated. That’s
why it worked.
One of the easiest ways to identify a meeting’s higher purpose is to
take into account the state of the
union and what your leaders are
focused on accomplishing in the near
future. Find the strategic initiative,
and you’ll find the purpose of your
meeting.
In the case of my people-first
client, the purpose resonated with
the CEO’s commitment to increase
engagement and retention and the
stronger business results that stem
from that (customer satisfaction and
product and service innovations).
Turnover was high, morale was low
and he realized that there needed to
be a change in the collective mindset.
He talked about it during meetings,
on investor conference calls and even
at manager orientation sessions. This
is what the meeting owners focused
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on and used as a framework for
their meeting.
It won’t always be so obvious.
There may not be anything that
necessitates a paradigm shift, and
you’ll need to align with the ongoing
purpose of your organization or
association. (Hint: Making money
or growing membership isn’t the
purpose; it’s the means to the end.)
In his book, Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies,
Nikos Mourkogiannis writes that
every organization has one of four
purposes: discovery, excellence,
altruism or heroism. He offers an
online tool, a purpose-finder that
begins with you, and then leads to
the slotting of your organization at
http://tinyurl.com/PurposeTool.
Once you’ve identified a higher
purpose for your meeting, it’s time
to employ it like the tool it is.
Create a purpose statement that
declares a measurable accomplishment.
For example, the YMCA falls in
the altruism bucket when it comes
to organizational type of purpose. At its 2011 North American
YMCA Development Officer annual conference, meeting managers
wanted to motivate attendees to
volunteer even more of their time
to community events. This purpose
was important to the YMCA’s objectives as a volunteer-led organization and gave meeting managers
guidance on design from logistics to
content.
On the first day of the conference, they staged a community
service event close to the convention center, in which dozens of
delegates renovated an elderly
woman’s home. She had volunteered in neighborhood efforts her
whole life, and now people were
helping her. Delegates swung hammers, hauled off trash and did light
painting over a long, hot afternoon.
I was signing books that evening at
the trade show opening. The volunteers streamed in, still in their work
clothes with smiles on their faces
and touching stories to share.
It was such a hit that event
managers decided to make it a
permanent fixture of their annual
meeting, as the purpose (promote
volunteerism by example) would
always be relevant to the YMCA.
It’s a new ingredient that energizes
the event.
When choosing an event theme,
let the event’s higher purpose act as
a guide. I attended a recent retail
furnishings annual association
event with the higher purpose of
promoting success in each member,
regardless of size or stature. Retailers For Retailers was an effective
theme that not only defined the
event, but the organization’s website and collateral.
Leverage the higher purpose to
recruit people into contributing to
the event. Share it with executives
when asking for their participation.
Tie sponsorships to it. During the
event, use housekeeping announcements and marketing materials to
share the purpose with everyone.
When you buy a pair of shoes
at Toms Shoes, you also put a pair
of shoes on a child in need in the
developing world. Founder Blake
Mycoskie calls this buy-one-giveone, and it’s the secret ingredient to
engagement with his brand. If your
event is pursuing a higher purpose
(creating a greener company and
a greener world), then make sure
everyone knows what kind of difference they’ll make when they
participate in programs or give of
themselves.
After the event, measure outcomes related to the meeting’s purpose. One company I worked with
last year reported on new product
ideas that came out of the annual
offsite and how they contributed to
the company’s overarching desire to
“unleash innovation on the world’s
energy problems.” This closes the
loop, giving event stakeholders an
understanding of what they accomplished during just a few days.
When we feel like we’re making
a difference, we find meaning in our
lives and in our work. Our meetings
have an opportunity to offer this
to everyone, and in turn, help them
become part of something bigger
than themselves. Helen Keller once
wrote, “Many persons have a wrong
idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through selfgratification, but through fidelity to
a worthy purpose.”
TIM SANDERS is the
author of Today We are
Rich: Harnessing The
Power Of Total Confidence, a portion of which
appears here. Visit
www.twar.com to read an
excerpt, buy the book or
connect with Sanders on
Facebook. When he isn’t
giving advice about
speakers, books or places
to visit, Sanders blogs at
www.SandersSays.com.
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BY JON BRADSHAW <<
> > R E B OO T Y O U R B R A I N
HAVEN’T WE BEEN
HERE BEFORE?
KEN WAS OBVIOUSLY IMMUNE TO
HOW HE WAS COMING ACROSS.
Undeniably knowledgeable and passionate about IT services, this rookie
sales rep simply didn’t have an “off”
button, and he was oblivious to the
sideways glances that I shared with
my two…wait…what?
Maybe you feel like you’ve read
this before. Heck, I feel like I wrote
this before. And we’re both right.
That was the intro to last month’s
38
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column.
Sometimes, though, it’s not a
repeat; sometimes we do just feel
like we’re experiencing something
again. It’s that disturbing sense of
déjà vu.
My most powerful déjà vu experience occurred at MPI’s 2010
World Education Congress in Vancouver. I was on my way to a session, and—as often happens in this
industry—I spotted a familiar face
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Anecdotal evidence suggests that just thinking about
déjà vu can make you more prone to it.
walking toward me. I immediately
got that slightly panicky feeling we
all get when we recognize someone,
make eye contact and smile in recognition without the slightest idea of
the person’s name.
But my familiar face did not respond. In fact, she looked confused.
She bumped into a colleague and began to chat, all the while, casting a
wary look in my direction. She put
her black pocketbook down, and
the sunlight caught her face casting
a shadow on the wall…all of which I
felt had happened before. I expected
the tap on the shoulder from my
colleague Simon, who later told me
that I looked like I’d seen a ghost as
I babbled incoherently about what
was happening.
And then it was over. That familiar face and I met, and deduced
that we didn’t know each other.
She seemed mildly amused, but to
this day, I still wonder whether she
thought it was some cheap pick-up
line.
The incident did, however, incite
my interest in the phenomenon of
déjà vu, which science has found
surprisingly uninteresting until relatively recently.
If we put aside speculation about
past lives and telepathy, an early
explanation of déjà vu, mental diplopia, was based on the theory that
two sensory signals in the brain
(possibly one from each eye or each
hemisphere) were received out of
synch, so that people have the experience of reliving the same event
instantaneously. The logic seems
reasonable, but there’s little evidence
to support it.
Neuroscience tells us that information from our eyes mixes early
in the visual process, even before we
have time to perceive the scene we’re
seeing. Furthermore, Chris Moulin,
a psychologist at the University of
Leeds, claims that déjà vu can occur
in blind people, too. And mental diplopia was the cause, people who have
had their two cortical hemispheres
surgically separated (in an attempt to
relieve epilepsy) should have permanent déjà vu—and they don’t.
A second explanation is some sort
of distortion in time perception. Incoming signals get misinterpreted
and labeled with an inaccurate time
stamp, making the experience seem
old as well as current. Think of the
brain’s memory system as a tape recorder, and the recording head and
playback head engage at the same
time. But, while it’s an interesting
theory, it too doesn’t appear to have
any anatomical basis.
More recently, however, another
theory has begun to gain credibility,
based on the possibility that déjà vu
feels like reliving a past experience
because we actually are. Psychologist Anne Cleary of Colorado State
University wanted to explain why
we sometimes feel as though something is “on the tip of our tongues,”
or why we can recognize a face but
not place it. And she started looking
for parallels with déjà vu. “One particular theory of déjà vu is that it may
be a memory process,” she told New
Scientist. “Features of a new situation may be familiar from some prior
situation.”
Cleary’s experiments have largely
supported this idea; she has been able
to induce familiarity for images, celebrity faces or well-known places
even when the viewer can’t place the
image. But, she acknowledges that
this can’t be the whole story. “Déjà
vu is unique in that it is not just another instance of familiarity, it actually feels wrong,” she said.
A consensus is difficult to find.
Moulin for one is not convinced of
the familiarity theory. In research he
conducted with Akira O’Connor, déjà
vu auras lasted long enough to conduct
an experiment during them. They reason that if familiarity is the basis of déjà
vu, then distraction should cause it to
stop—and it doesn’t.
A source for that eerie feeling may
be the huge dichotomy between the experience and logic. The brain is telling
us that we’ve experienced something
before, and that that is impossible. This
juxtaposition itself may be enough to
make the experience unnerving.
Scientists will probably conduct a lot
more research before they understand
what is dream, real, imagined or experienced. But anecdotal evidence suggests
that just thinking about déjà vu can
make you more prone to it—I’m keen
to hear from anyone who gets déjà vu
about getting déjà vu.
Maybe you’re wondering why I
chose this topic. A few months ago, a
friend of mine told me that every time
he goes to a meeting, he feels like he has
been there before, such is the monotony
and replication of the environment, experience and content.
So, I’ll finish with a challenge: Create, innovate and push the design of
your next event so that it becomes a
déjà vu-free zone.
JONATHAN BRADSHAW
speaks, writes and consults
on maximizing attendee
performance at meetings.
His work with behavioral
psychologists, coupled with
his experience in extreme
sports performance, has led
him to launch Meetings
Mindset and the Meetology
Research Institute. He
can be contacted at jon@
meetingsmindset.com.
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> > CO M P E T I T I V E E D G E
DEBORAH GARDNER, CMP < <
OLYMPIC
COUNTDOWN
THE OLYMPIC GAMES OFFER ONE OF
THE MOST EFFECTIVE MARKETING
PLATFORMS IN THE WORLD, REACHING BILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN MORE
THAN 200 COUNTRIES.
In a few weeks, hundreds of
companies will be giving the athletes
everything from footwear to power
bars in hopes of winning the gold—in
business. But small business owners often feel like they’ve got to have
green before even thinking of gold,
according to the CBS Interactive Business Network Resource Library.
Not so, according to Roaring
Spring Bottling Co. of Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania.
At the height of bottled water’s
popularity, Evian spent US$3 million
on the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Roaring Spring Bottling Co. could
only dream of that budget. That didn’t
mean it couldn’t catch the Olympic
spirit and win.
For an investment of about
40
one+
$10,000, Roaring Spring sponsored a
bicycling event. It hung banners and
distributed free samples along the bike
trails. Roaring Spring even sponsored
hometown favorite, Darren Baker, for
exposure and community support.
“Our strategy helped us reach our
customers. And it made us feel good
about being part of America’s Olympic
effort,” says Scott Hoover, Roaring
Spring general manager.
This summer in London, total
sponsorships are expected to exceed $5
billion, more than double the amount
spent during the 2008 Games. And, a lot
of that is coming from small businesses
that have learned the five Ps: Properly
promoted patriotism produces profits.
What many companies don’t know:
There are dozens of competitions all
year that gear up for the Olympics,
some of which businesses can sponsor for amounts as low as five figures.
White-water canoeing and kayaking
have become popular with major TV-
viewing audiences. Power Food Inc.,
the Berkeley, Calif., manufacturer of
PowerBars, handed out thousands of
nutritional products, strung up advertising banners and gave out T-shirts for
paddlers to wear during a recent
competition.
“I saw canoe-kayak as a way to reach
the market we’re trying to attract,” says
Laurel Lynch, Power Food promotions
executive. “These are high-endurance
athletes who require a lot of fuel for
training. And what better way to show
that the bars are waterproof?”
Lynch says Power Food hopes that
canoeists and kayakers “will trend-set
from Olympic athletes down to outdoor
recreationalists.”
If done right, Olympic sponsorships
can be an effective way to impress
customers and clients, says Jim Crimmins, director of strategic planning and
research for the DDB Needham Worldwide advertising agency.
“Many Americans feel it’s their
patriotic duty to buy from Olympic
sponsors. More than 61 percent of the
respondents to a poll said they felt that
buying the products of Olympic sponsors enabled them to help the Olympic
effort.”
What does this mean to you and your
company? It’s an exciting opportunity
to better employee morale and generate
increased sales. Roaring Spring Bottling
Co. received huge business recognition
from its efforts. Now you have that
chance. The Summer Olympics are fast
approaching. Contact your local Olympic supporters and sponsor an event, an
athlete or a charity.
Let the games begin! Properly promoted patriotism produces profits.
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.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Visit Phoenix
visitphoenix.com
Phoenix offers meeting planners everything under the sun. The compact footprint
of the convention center, the biomedical
campus and entertainment options make
the city a natural for medical meetings.
Phoenix always has been a memorable place
to hold a meeting. Hotels and resorts bask
in near-perpetual sunshine, natural beauty
manifests itself in every direction and cameraworthy sunsets illuminate the desert sky on a
nightly basis.
There’s a reason more than 16 million visitors flock to Greater Phoenix each year, and
that same reason translates to high attendance
at meetings and conventions.
Now, thanks to a metamorphosis in Phoenix’s urban core, America’s sixth-largest city
packs more value than ever—especially for
medical meetings.
Downtown
Phoenix’s
metamorphosis
includes a beautiful convention center, a cutting-edge biomedical campus, a light-rail transit system, a new dining-and-entertainment district and new hotels of both the boutique and
business sort.
And all of this is located not in the Rust
Belt or Snow Belt or some other “belt” that
people plan trips away from instead of to, but
in a famously sunny metropolis called home by
major healthcare players such as Mayo Clinic,
Dignity Health and Banner Healthcare.
If you haven’t visited Phoenix lately, you’re
in for a pleasant surprise. If you haven’t considered Phoenix lately, it’s time to start.
PHOENIX BIOMEDICAL CAMPUS
Located in the heart of downtown, the 28-acre
Phoenix Biomedical Campus is a natural extension of the learning environment provided by
the Phoenix Convention Center. Its various classrooms and laboratories—all aesthetically striking, technologically sophisticated and designed
for environmental sustainability—offer smart
options for offsite meetings and tours.
Nine tenants make the biomedical campus
home, including the Translational Genomics Research Institute, International Genomics Consortium, National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, University
of Arizona College of Medicine and Phoenix
Union Bioscience High School.
The campus also contains the Arizona Biomedical Collaborative, a $31 million research
facility shared by Arizona State University and
the University of Arizona. With an eye toward
collaboration and flexibility, the wet and dry
laboratories within this LEED Gold-certified
building are supplemented with offices, interaction spaces and glass-walled conference
rooms.
This scientific collective gives medical-meeting planners access to speakers who are experts
in education, research, technology and patient
care. Another advantage: The students and
researchers who populate the biomedical campus double as potential conference registrants.
PHOENIX CONVENTION CENTER
In some cities, a giant concrete box still passes
for a convention center. Not in Phoenix. The
Phoenix Convention Center isn’t a characterless
cavern but a glass-and-stone architectural marvel inspired by the turquoise waterways and
red-rock walls of the Grand Canyon.
Bathed in natural light and adorned with
public art, the convention center’s campus
includes three ballrooms (two at street level),
99 meeting rooms, an IACC-certified Executive
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 06.12
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Conference Center and an adjoining performance hall.
Thoughtful touches include air-conditioned
loading bays, exhibit halls with pre-scored
floors and outdoor meeting areas that capitalize on Phoenix’s sunny weather. The LEED-certified facility features solar panels and a waterharvesting garden, and the catering staff can
feed 360 people every eight minutes.
The Phoenix Convention Center’s combination of beauty and sophistication recently
landed it at No. 7 on Business Review USA’s list
of the “Top Ten Convention Centers in the U.S.”
DOWNTOWN HOTELS
Nine of downtown Phoenix’s hotels are located
within a short stroll of the convention center.
The biggest of them, the Sheraton Phoenix
Downtown, has 1,000 guest rooms, making it
the largest hotel in the entire Grand Canyon
State. The newest of them (for now) is the Westin Phoenix Downtown, which features 242
super-spacious guest rooms designed to meet
the needs of the upscale business traveler.
Set to open this summer is the Hotel Palomar,
a 242-room boutique property by Kimpton. It
anchors the east end of a dining and entertainment district called CityScape. The hotel meets
Kimpton’s standards for green building, and its
energy efficiency and use of recycled materials
qualifies it for LEED certification.
The Sheraton, Westin and Kimpton join the
Hyatt Regency Phoenix and the Marriott Renaissance Phoenix Downtown—each of which are
fresh from multimillion-dollar renovations—to
give downtown five respected hotel brands
and 3,000 rooms in its urban core.
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT
The latest addition to downtown Phoenix is
CityScape, a two-story, two-block concentration
of restaurants, bars and fashion retailers within
easy walking distance of the Phoenix Convention Center. CityScape is home to Lucky Strike
Lanes (an urban-chic bowling alley) and Stand
Up Live (a comedy theater and supper club with
rentable meeting space), and it’s bordered on
three sides by Phoenix’s light-rail transit system.
For those meeting attendees who prefer to
discover a restaurant rather than have it thrust
upon them, downtown Phoenix is a treasure
trove. Independent eateries are tucked into
historic neighborhoods and Victorian houses,
and lunch can be had among locals inside the
downtown public market or within a wagon
circle of food trucks.
A surprisingly well-kept secret: Two James
Beard Award-winning chefs ply their trade—
one at a world-famous pizzeria, the other in
a locally renowned Asian tapas house—just a
block from the convention center in historic
Heritage Square.
After-dinner fun takes many shapes, from
sports pubs near Chase Field and US Airways
Center to independent cinema and art galleries in funky Roosevelt Row. Live music is always
afoot at venues such as Copper Blues and Crescent Ballroom, and nearly every downtown
establishment has an outdoor patio to make
the most of Phoenix’s pleasant desert nights.
GETTING HERE & AROUND
It’s easy to get to Phoenix. It’s easy to be in
Phoenix.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is
one of the nation’s busiest and friendliest airports. It is a hub for two low-cost carriers, features free WiFi throughout every terminal and
is located only three miles from the city’s center.
The trip from the airport to downtown costs
about $20 in a taxi or a mere $1.75 via light rail.
Light rail’s sleek, air-conditioned trains allow
meeting attendees to navigate downtown
Phoenix (and beyond) more easily and affordably than ever. This environmentally sensible
network links downtown to a nearby corridor
of independent restaurants and nightlife, as
well as to the lively Mill Avenue entertainment
district in Tempe.
An all-day pass for the light rail costs only
$3.50, and stations are located at the Phoenix
Convention Center, Heard Museum, Phoenix
Art Museum, CityScape, US Airways Center and
Chase Field.
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 06.12
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ALL PHOTOS: NAAA
Landing a Deal
Allowing crop duster planes to land near the pro shop of the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort
& Spa turned out to be a great barometer of the historic Georgia city’s eagerness to play host to
the National Agricultural Aviation Association’s 2,000-attendee convention.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
IN THE CONVENTION INDUSTRY, DESTINATIONS ARE CHOSEN AND FACILITY
CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED FOR A LOT OF
UNUSUAL REASONS, but none can be considered more outside the mainstream than
the selection criteria for the 2010 annual
convention of the National Agricultural
Aviation Association (NAAA). The lynchpin question turned out to be: “Would the
hotel next to the convention center allow
us to use its golf course as a landing strip
for small aircraft?”
The answer to that question was “yes,”
says Randy Hardy, president of Hardy
44
one+
Aviation Insurance of Wichita, Kansas,
a long-time member of the NAAA board
and planner of the group’s 2010 national
convention and trade show.
“We are all about crop dusters,” Hardy
said. “The ability to display the aircraft
themselves at the convention center is
extremely attractive to our group. But if
you start to look for a list of convention
centers that have an airstrip next to them,
and then narrow that down to a list of
centers that have a nearby runaway and
are in an affordable price range, well, that
list gets really, really short.”
In fact, Hardy says, the ability to put
the deal together that allowed crop dusters to land near the pro shop of the Westin
Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa—located next door to the 330,000-squarefoot Savannah International Trade and
Convention Center—turned out to be a
great barometer of the community’s eagerness to work with the NAAA to bring
the 2,000-attendee convention to the historic Georgia city.
“Certainly when you are looking for
the right destination for a convention, the
idea that the community really wants you
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there becomes a huge factor, and in this
case, the actions of Visit Savannah (which
worked out the impromptu landing strip
arrangements) certainly made us aware of
just how much they wanted to make us
feel welcome,” Hardy said.
Geography and facility planning also
played a big part in the equation, Hardy
says.
In a way, the planning started more
than two centuries ago when James
Oglethorpe, Georgia’s first colonial governor and founder of the colony itself, laid
out the town of Savannah and made it the
capital of Georgia, with the town center
being on the bank of the Savannah River—immediately across the river (and now
a short water-taxi ride) from the convention center and its next door neighbor, the
Westin.
The hotel’s planners and designers also
deserve credit, Hardy says, because just
behind the 403-room property they laid
out a championship, Robert Cupp/Sam
Snead-designed golf course. And the final
piece of the puzzle is that the golf course
happens to have a paved road racecourse
running around its perimeter.
“The planes did not actually land on
the fairways themselves, of course, but
along the straight-away of the track,
which just happens to run past the golf
course pro shop,” said Jeff Hewitt, vice
president of business development for
Visit Savannah. “I think the fact that we
were able to make that specific detail happen for the group made it obvious to them
that when we say we want to meet every
group’s specific needs, we are not kidding.”
With the landing permission secured,
all the NAAA convention staff had to do
was wheel the airplanes next door to the
parking area in front of the convention
center and immediately have a compelling
display that more or less “puts our name
on the place,” Hardy says.
And when the NAAA convention returns in December, the group will be able
to do more than just line the crop dusters
up outside the convention center—they
will be able to roll the planes right onto
the center’s 100,000-square-foot exhibit
hall floor.
As a result of a post-convention meeting, Hewitt says, the convention center
and the NAAA agreed that the group
would return if the convention center
could install hangar-style doors large
enough to accommodate small aircraft,
which is being done in time for the December convention.
“When we looked at the cost versus
the benefit of having this group return, it
was certainly a no-brainer for us,” Hewitt
said.
Not only has the NAAA agreed to return with its convention in 2012 and
2015, two other small aircraft-related
conventions have booked events in the
city.
“In this case, our experience seems to
show that listening closely to what your
group clientele needs can really pay off,”
Hewitt said.
And the fact that there’s simply no such
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thing as a report titled Convention Centers Where You Can Land Small Aircraft
at a Hotel Next Door is representative of
the more-or-less serendipitous manner in
which Hardy discovered Savannah as a fit
for his group.
By his own account, Hardy had no clue
that Savannah had sufficient convention
center and hotel space to host a 2,000-attendee convention—much less the aforementioned, next-door landing strip—until
he made a chance visit to the city.
“Because of our space and room inventory requirements, we go to destinations
such as Las Vegas and Orlando fairly often,” Hardy said.
Hardy’s initial discovery of Savannah
was not the result of a formal site visit.
“I was actually just going there a couple of years back to visit my daughter,
who is in the Navy, and upon visiting Savannah, I really feel in love the with place
as a destination,” he said. “And the more
I looked around the place, the more I liked
it as a potential convention destination.
One thing I like is that it has plenty of
things to see and do, but not so much that
the attractions are pulling your attendees
away from your meeting sessions. It’s just
right.”
The biggest attraction near the convention center, and one that can truly be
described as 250 years is the making, is
downtown Savannah itself. The downtown streets are still the same cobblestone
boulevards that Oglethrope himself designed and had constructed in the 1830s.
(An interesting trivia fact is that the stones
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that make up those streets today are the
same stones that were laid when they were
taken from the ballast of sailing ships taking cotton from the American colonies to
England in the 18th century. The ships
were so heavy with cotton bales that they
had to remove the stone ballast from their
keels.)
Those cobblestone streets in the central
business district are replete with historic
buildings from colonial days that are now
a grand collection of restaurants, bars,
galleries and museums for visitors with an
appreciation for colonial America—not a
re-creation of a colonial city, but a real colonial city that has survived the centuries
as a result of painstaking preservation.
“That historic touch alone is enough
to attract a lot of groups,” Hardy said.
“What worked out particularly for our
group is that there is a really good inventory of high-quality hotel rooms within
close proximity to the convention center.
In fact, our experience there changed our
perception going forward as to what is
necessary in terms of a room block that
can make our convention a success.”
Hardy explained that before the Savannah convention, the NAAA normally
liked to have one convention hotel capable of housing all of the attendees. But
with 2,000 in attendance, Savannah does
not have such a hotel at this point, although there is discussion of constructing
a larger hotel in the near future.
But what the city does have in place
now is approximately 4,500 guest rooms
in the downtown area, which includes a
group of first-class hotels that collectively
offer up to 1,600 committable rooms near
the convention center. Visit Savannah
has a large-convention-friendly transportation policy, which includes free hotel
shuttle service for all groups that consume
650 rooms or more on peak nights. And
that shuttle system worked perfectly for
Hardy’s event.
And there is discussion of constructing
another major hotel, a 500-room property next door to the convention center (on
the opposite side from the existing Westin,
which is under debate for taxpayer-supported financing). Currently under way
are three privately financed hotels in the
historic district that would offer another
350 rooms collectively.
In addition to the “runway” alongside the Westin’s golf course, the NAAA
also found another spot near the convention center for its small planes to make a
splash—in this case, literally.
The convention center also happens to
overlook the Savannah River. And in one
of the NAAA event’s signature moments,
a small plane capable of flying along the
surface and scooping up water (that it
can later dump on fires) swept down as
attendees assembled to watch the demonstration.
“It was a memorable event,” Hardy
said. “And that can also describe the convention itself.”
ROWLAND STITELER is a frequent One+
contributor who resides in Florida.
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AIBTM
It’s a Beautiful Day
Much of the meeting industry descended on the streets of Baltimore last June for the highly
anticipated travel and incentive show, AIBTM.
BY I LO N A K AU R E MSZ KY
FIND A MEETINGS HUB IN THE NORTHEAST, MAXIMIZE THE RELATIONSHIPS FROM VARIOUS KEY STAKEHOLDER ASSOCIATIONS, create an
exclusive week for meetings and maybe just maybe, if one of the
world’s biggest music acts is in town, then why not get attendees
in on the thrill?
That’s what happened at The Americas Meetings & Events Exhibition (AIBTM) last June.
During America Meetings Week, an event created by Reed
Travel Exhibitions (a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions), the starry
night above Baltimore in June couldn’t have been finer. But still
the stakes were high. One of the biggest musical groups today,
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U2, was ready to rock the city, too.
The Convention Industry Council Hall of Leaders Gala and
the PCMA Education Conference co-located to Baltimore,
and MPI released its 18-month study on the Business Value of
Meetings.
So, much of the meeting industry descended on the streets of
Baltimore for the highly anticipated travel and incentive show.
International exhibitors from six continents and the four quadrants of America gathered at the Baltimore Convention Center,
many of them displaying out-of-this world booths to dazzle and
woo an elite group of planners for their business.
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AIBTM
MPI ADDS TO THE EDUCATION
TRACK AT AIBTM
The Americas Meetings & Events Exhibition
(AIBTM) recently announced the addition of three
educational sessions presented by MPI that will help
redefine how to make meetings measurable as well
as a more consistent and responsive meeting experience for all.
“Following the launch of the first ever international study on the Business Value of Meetings at
AIBTM last year, the industry continues to grapple
with the greatest challenge of effectively communicating the value of meetings and events,” said Erica
Keogan, Reed Travel Exhibitions IBTM Portfolio
Education Content Manager. “This year, we have
secured some top-line evidence and speakers to deliver their views and findings.”
The following three sessions presented by MPI on
Tuesday, June 19, will focus on “The Practitioner Series: Determine the Business Value of Meetings and
Events” and will be led by Bill Voegeli, president of
Significant Research LLC, and John Nawn from the
Meetings Support Institute.
• The Case for Measurement - This session will
present a discussion that will consider ways in
which industry leaders can make a business case
for measurement and what barriers must be overcome to successfully achieve this.
VISIT BALTIMORE
• Measuring What Matters - Many meeting professionals are not aware of the wide variety of
financial and non-financial metrics that can be
used to determine value. This interactive discussion on determining objectives and the corresponding metrics and measures that can be
utilized for a meeting or event will show how
leading companies are using simple processes and
tools to determine the value of their meetings and
events.
Yet, months earlier, Tom Noonan, Visit Baltimore president and
CEO, managed to orchestrate a solution to this perceived conflict
between this scheduled concert and the upcoming AIBTM show.
Ever the think-outside-the-box hosts, Visit Baltimore organizers
not only ensured 2,000 tickets were available, but in grand style.
A police motorcade escorted a fleet of buses with AIBTM’s lucky
concert ticket holders to the packed M&T Bank Stadium ready to
watch an unforgettable concert.
AIBTM’s welcome reception to its two-day trade exhibition was
a night to remember.
• Communicating the Value of Your Meeting or
Event - One of the greatest challenges in determining the value of meetings and events is properly interpreting the data and effectively communicating
results to all stakeholders. This session will support participants in distinguishing value in chosen
methods of analysis and outline an effective communication strategy to support this.
Please visit www.aibtm.com to register and for more
information.
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Ever the thinkoutside-the-box
hosts, Visit Baltimore
organizers not only
ensured 2,000 tickets
were available, but
in grand style. A
police motorcade
escorted a fleet of
buses with AIBTM’s
lucky concert ticket
holders to the packed
M&T Bank Stadium
ready to watch
an unforgettable
concert.
“Lots of people who haven’t come to
see us in the past 10 years don’t know
about the new Baltimore,” Noonan said.
The city has shined up its edges, smoothened out the rough patches, and is busy
catering to leisure and business tourism,
with its hotel inventory exceeding 9,400
rooms, many of them with harbor views.
“We have 2,500 new guest rooms,
museums and attractions, and we’re the
sixth-most-populated city in America that
lives downtown,” Noonan said.
There’s a US$100 million BWI Mar-
shall Airport expansion alongside a major
urban business development program that
has transformed the Inner Harbor into a
pedestrian-friendly, attractions-laden hub
filled with the entertainment and dining
district, Power Plant Live.
“I always tell people 30 years ago when
you sailed into the Inner Harbor there
were fish markets and fruit stands, but
now when you sail in there is the Four Seasons Hotel on the right and on the left it’s
The Ritz-Carlton,” Noonan said. “That’s
the kind of mind shift that’s taken place
EYES ON BALTIMORE
When the economy was at its lowest point,
many companies including Reed Travel Exhibitions were on the prowl searching for opportunities, i.e. the next emerging show hub.
In 2008, AIBTM heavyweights got brainstorming on the next new destinations to hit.
“We put a lot of thought into this,” said
Steve Knight, AIBTM’s project manager.
“Trade shows and hosted buyer shows aren’t
new in America but there hasn’t really been
one this size for this specific industry.”
A feasibility study was commissioned, and
after a couple of grueling years, the birth of
AIBTM happened.
“I think it was just sheer thirst that contributed to the success,” Knight said.
All eyes were on Baltimore. The city outbid major first-tier destinations along the east
coast of North America. Organizers offer a
list of reasons.
“It’s accessible, has two international airports, is 30 minutes to Washington, a twohour train ride to New York—so it’s an easy
place to get to,” Knight said. “Plus, it’s got
such a huge meeting planning community
around it.”
In 2010, travel website Shermans Travel
pegged Baltimore among the most under-rated U.S. cities. But still the city had an image
problem.
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AIBTM
VISIT BALTIMORE
in the city. And so we wanted to show off
to the meeting industry around the world
how much Baltimore has changed.”
The new Baltimore has been a 10-year
epic in the works that’s had its bumps
along the way. Noonan says when the
convention center hotel, the Marriott Waterfront, was built it was constructed 10
blocks from the center, along a stretch of
industrial harbor wasteland.
“A headquarters hotel 10 blocks away
from the center? What happened is it
spurred a whole new district called Harbour East,” Noonan said. “Now it’s a
hot new destination that didn’t exist
10 years ago. It’s the hip, trendy part of
Baltimore.”
In hindsight, the location was one of
the best-engineered prophecies. Up to six
million square feet of waterfront has been
transformed into office space, condo, retail and corporate headquarters, and this
area is expected to expand to 10 million
to 15 million square feet once completed.
“Our mandate was to wow them,”
Noonan said about the quality of product,
service and accessibility the CVB’s meeting
and convention team wished to showcase
to AIBTM attendees.
The next twist to this success story is
the design and partnerships. Knight says
having PCMA and CIC hold their events
in Baltimore at the same time was purely
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by design. In 2012, the relationships have
broadened.
“We’re expanding the relationship with
PCMA, and we have a new agreement
with the Association of Corporate Travel
Executives,” Knight said. “We have a new
partnership with the Society of Incentive
Travel Executives. And we have some
more up our sleeve. This collaboration
is definitely by design. I don’t believe we
should be doing anything in isolation. We
need to be working together with the industry, and that’s what makes this so compelling.”
Now throw in 60 CEOs from sought-
after institutions, collected at a CEO Summit during AIBTM.
“It was a great way to get them to meet
and mingle,” Knight said, emphasizing
how AIBTM’s mandate is to help businesses achieve results. “We are here to
facilitate meetings between planners and
exhibitors. That’s why we exist.”
ILONA KAUREMSZKY is an award-winning
travel journalist and a regular One+ contributor. Follow her pursuits on Twitter and YouTube
@mycompasstv.
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ALL PHOTOS: RTE
Capturing the World’s Attention
The China Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM) is the torch bearer
for bringing Beijing and China’s meeting industry to a global audience, and the 2011 event
was the biggest to date.
BY R O B COTT E R
THE FINAL FEW HOURS OF THE GREGORIAN
CALENDAR IS THE GREEN LIGHT FOR PARTY
TIME ACROSS THE PLANET, the 10-second
countdown to the New Year sparking the
annual pyrotechnic pageant. From New
Zealand’s Christchurch to Canada’s Vancouver, across every time zone major cities
vie for the title of most extravagant celebration. London, New York, Sydney and
Paris regularly grab the headlines. Conspicuously absent from international festivities transforming the New Year’s Eve
night sky into a kaleidoscope, however,
has been the country that gave fireworks
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to the world: China. Until 2011, that is.
While China’s own New Year celebration is set by their lunisolar calendar and
generally falls between the end of January and mid-February, Beijing’s first official New Year’s Eve outdoor celebration
for the slide from 2011 into 2012 saw the
Chinese capital join the global party. With
a stunning laser and light show projected
onto the Temple of Heaven—one of the
city’s many cultural treasures—it was Beijing’s largest marketing coup since hosting
the 2008 Olympic Summer Games.
“After the Olympics, we know we can
put together a big event,” said Sun Weijia, vice chairman of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development
(BTD). “It’s about time, too.”
Perhaps it was about time that Beijing
was again capturing the world’s attention, yet the city’s 2008 Olympic Games
linger in the collective memory. Its opening ceremony, a portent of just how well
organized and impressive the event would
be, is widely regarded as the greatest of
all time. Performed in front of more than
100 heads of state (the largest in Olympic history) and to a global TV audience,
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its grandeur and creativity dazzled spectators, with then British Prime Minister
Tony Blair hailing it as “the spectacular
to end all spectaculars and can probably
never be bettered.”
Equally spectacular has been the speed
with which China, in just three decades,
has risen from slumbering giant to one
of the world’s economic powerhouses.
Since their first Olympic participation in
1980, two years after major economic restructuring initiatives allowed for foreign
investment and privatization, 30 years of
unprecedented growth allowed the state
to allocate US$15 billion directly to the
games. And up to an additional $200 billion have been invested in Beijing’s infrastructure, bestowing upon it an enormous
and wide-ranging legacy.
Adjacent to the Olympic Green precinct’s iconic Bird’s Nest stadium, the
media center has become an important
strand of this legacy for the meeting industry. Closed post-games for a retrofit,
the building re-opened in November 2009
in its new guise—the China National
Convention Center (CNCC). Revamped
to implement a broad range of environmental features and meet best practice
standards, today it boasts a plenary hall
for up to 5,700 delegates, a ballroom for
4,200 people, an auditorium for up to
350 delegates, more than 247,000 square
feet of convention space and 430,000
square feet of exhibition space within a
capacious, 2.9 million-square-foot facility—all of which make it the largest of its
kind in Asia.
The center’s first full year of operation
welcomed more than 700,000 visitors to
more than 600 events, including 14 international exhibitions and 54 international
conferences. One event now hosted at
CNCC is especially apt, replacing broadcasts on new Olympic records with those
on China’s meeting and event industry.
The China Incentive, Business Travel and
Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM), a calendar
highlight, is the torch bearer for bringing
Beijing and China’s meeting industry to a
global audience; the 2011 event, the sixth
since its 2005 launch, was the biggest to
date. Almost 400 exhibitors and more
than 300 hosted buyers equaled a 20 percent increase for each on 2010 figures, the
7,000 pre-scheduled appointments also a
sharp rise on 2010, statistics that reflect a
signal of intent for Beijing’s future role in
the industry, one that is clearly aiming for
a gold medal and nothing less.
“We will strive to make CIBTM the
top event for the MICE industry in the
Asia-Pacific region within five years,” Sun
Weijia said. “It is important to remember
that Beijing has unique advantages for
MICE resources: transport, infrastructure
and education are all in place for the acceleration of the MICE industry. Beijing
also has 778 star-rated hotels, more than
any other city in the world, amounting to
223,000 beds and with all the major hotel
chains present.”
These unique advantages are constantly
being increased and improved. The city is
in the process of building a new airport,
Beijing Daxing International, set to become the world’s busiest when completed
in 2015, by which time the underground
system will have grown from 205 miles
to 279 miles, two new lines being added
annually. New hotels are appearing seemingly weekly, accelerating toward the
quarter-million bed mark. In addition to
the vast CNCC complex, there are several
more large-scale facilities throughout the
city, including the 828,000-square-foot
Beijing International Convention Center,
the China World Trade Center with its recently opened China World Summit Wing
and, more recently, the New China International Exhibition Center, a 1.07 million-square-foot facility with exhibition
space, a shopping mall, hotels and event
space. And the supply pipeline promises
much more to come.
“Facilities will be improved further,”
Sun Weijia said. “There will be an even
bigger exhibition center to host major
exhibitions. We have the CNCC and two
other major exhibition centers, but the
space is just not enough.”
CIBTM 2011 responded to industry demands by focusing on education as a pillar of its sustainable growth, with a popular three-day program including SITE and
ICCA events.
“It is shown in the thirst for knowledge
that accreditation has become an important issue,” said Jeffrey Xu, CIBTM project manager.
He adds that the event’s accredited sessions and education focus are part of a
much broader initiative.
“Education, training and certification
are priorities for us and we have plans to
work with the colleges and universities
offering tourism, travel and leisure,” Sun
Weijia said. “We want to align certification with international standards, so, for
bidding, clients will know they can make
use of global standards using the same
benchmarks.
“MICE is part of the education system
and programs, and there is specialization
in MICE management,” he continued.
“From the university side, they are excited
to work with us for support, not only financially. They are always keen to adapt
the program to the reality of the industry.
With the development in Beijing, the demand for talent is there.”
While these broad education initiatives
will be needed to meet the high demands
of a startling scale of development, the
speed with which CIBTM and Beijing are
aiming to become Asia’s top event and
leading international destination respectively is also posing several pertinent challenges.
“I call these the ‘Great Walls’ of
China, and they cover politics, mentality, language barriers, education, global
awareness and other issues,” said Daniel
Tschudy, a global tourism and meeting inmpiweb.org
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dustry specialist on China. “The question
is on which side of the walls you stand…
[and] how to overcome them.
“Last year, China had 1.61 billion domestic trips operated by 12,000 domestic
travel agents and hosted by some 300,000
hotels and guest houses,” Tschudy continued. “These figures are huge and also
squeeze every international aspect way
down the line; growth of tourism and
the still-young meeting industry is based
mostly on domestic needs. At the same
time, outbound tourism in 2010 grew to
56 million, and analysts see the 100-million mark being reached before 2020. China’s future is not based on Western needs,
but on their own. On the saying, ‘If you
can’t beat them, join them,’ this will mean
doing business—in their way.”
In Beijing itself, domestic visitor numbers in 2010 recorded in excess of a staggering 180 million, far exceeding the
nearest global competitor for tourism destination by volume.
“There is a huge domestic demand, and
the international event is only a small part
of business,” Sun Weijia said. “Beijing is
a special place in China, because it’s the
capital city, saw the Olympic Games,
its history and its culture. It is the No. 1
destination.”
Acknowledging the domestic impact on
the Chinese market and that international
event presence is at the seedling stage,
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Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), organizers of CIBTM, have been keen to get an
early foothold in Beijing to address some
of the market’s challenges and idiosyncrasies in order to better understand how to
unlock its international meeting potential.
Despite the recognized extent of domestic demand against the efforts required for
an international market that will remain a
minority of total meetings business, China
and Beijing’s unequivocal commitment is
to set itself on an international platform,
with CIBTM supported by BTD strategies
pivotal to achieving this.
“There are three strands to the BTD
MICE industry strategy, one of which
is promotion policies,” Sun Weijia said.
“Alongside the incentive and preferential policies to encourage development of
the local MICE industry, we are also encouraging international associations and
companies to be installed in Beijing and to
work from the city.”
One vital tool for being able to propel
the international MICE industry forward
in a city as large and complex as Beijing
has been lacking—a CVB. An industry
discussion topic for some time already,
it now appears to have been taken to the
next stage.
“By the end of the year, the policy will
be done and the CVB will be set up,” Sun
Weijia said. “We will establish it with a
group of people there to assist profession-
al companies bringing events to Beijing. It
will come under Beijing Tourism Organization management with a specific MICE
department.”
More than four years since the Olympics brought the world to Beijing and Beijing to the world, all the pieces have now
been put in place for the world to return
for new events in the city. BTD Organizers at the New Year’s Eve light and laser
show could reflect on a successful year
and sit back to enjoy another stunning
event, one that had overcome its own set
of challenges.
“Beaming images on the curved surfaces of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest
(the Temple of Heaven centerpiece) wasn’t
easy,” said Ren Jianghao, meeting and incentive director of BTD. “It took more
careful calibration than if we were working on flat surfaces. But we pulled it off.”
For the development of CIBTM and
Beijing’s meeting industry, there will be
curved surfaces ahead that will also need
calibration to make them more workable.
Faced with a set of major challenges, Beijing has already shown the world what it
can do—the outcome, once again, promises to be something utterly spectacular.
ROB COTTER is a frequent contributor to One+
and a freelance writer residing Berlin, Germany.
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IS YOUR
MEETING
WORTH IT
If you don’t know the business value of
your event, you’re not alone. That doesn’t
mean it isn’t time to start measuring.
?
B Y J E S S I E S TAT E S
Once again, the U.S. government is questioning
the need for conferences and events, this time in the
wake of a General Services Administration (GSA) meetings
scandal that saw sushi nights, mind readers and a musical
talent award showcase.
Not that fun isn’t acceptable—it is, when it meets
clearly defined objectives that can then be measured and analyzed. And if GSA’s planners had these, they certainly weren’t
mentioned in a scathing April auditor’s report. Nor did they
come out in the media carnage that followed it.
If the AIG meetings fiasco in 2008 (and subsequent slashing of corporate travel and event budgets) didn’t prove the
need to measure the value of your meetings, maybe the GSA
controversy will.
And this time, you’ll have the tools you need to get started.
It’s with great timeliness that MPI unveils its Business
Value of Meetings toolkit, supported by the MPI Foundation
and AIBTM. The toolkit walks meeting professionals through
the five steps of event measurement from addressing the “why”
to addressing the future. And given the breadth of intelligence
beyond this, MPI will soon launch its massive Strategic Meetings
Management initiative for advanced executives. But for now…
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
MPI’s 2011 Business Value of Meetings
research revealed great disparity among
industry professionals about measuring event
value. Many practitioners want to communicate the value of their meetings and events,
but they don’t understand the techniques
for capturing and communicating it well.
Perceived complexity and cost cause many
planners to avoid the practice entirely.
But the research also unearthed two truths.
1. Many corporate cultures embrace measures of value other than traditional ROI. They
are keen to know if a meeting accomplished
its stated goals and objectives, because doing
so implies a business value, even though that
value is not reduced to a monetary quantity.
Most corporate cultures don’t see a need to
determine the traditional ROI of their meetings or events.
2. The organizations that successfully
measure the business value of their meetings
actually focus on only a few key elements,
making the process much less intimidating
and much more targeted than conducting
an exhaustive study. So, the actual costs of
measurement are much lower than most
meeting professionals think, and the results
much greater.
With the research, MPI also unveiled five
white papers, each communicating a step in
the event measurement process:
1. Determining the ROI of measurement,
2. Gaining stakeholder engagement,
3. Defining objectives,
4. Creating meaningful measures and
5. Analyzing and reporting results.
But the white papers weren’t enough.
They didn’t provide tools meeting professionals could use to successfully measure
value. Knowing this, MPI commissioned its
researcher, Association Insights, and meeting
design firm The Perfect Meeting to create
tools around each white paper that could help
industry practitioners navigate the steps and
ultimately launch business value of meetings
measurement programs for their own events.
Here’s a preview of what’s available
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1
PERCEPTION
VS. REALITY
Companies that successfully measure the business value of their meetings report that the
measurement process has changed greatly over time. Early measures centered on accomplishing objectives, but the understanding of those objectives and the ability to measure them
has improved to the point that they now provide a good understanding of the ROI of a meeting. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misperceptions regarding the case for measurement.
PERCEPTION: Meeting profession-
PERCEPTION: Understanding and
als must determine the ROI of every
element of a meeting or event. The
expected complexity, tools, time, personnel and training needed to live up
to this expectation comes with big
costs and “career risk.”
REALITY: Organizations that successfully measure the business value of
their events start off measuring just
one or two key elements. ROI is seldom the actual measure, because the
successful accomplishment of a meeting’s purpose is more actionable.
implementing ways to measure, analyze, report and act upon the business
value of events is time consuming,
and there are inadequate resources to
accomplish the process effectually.
REALITY: Because measurement
strategies can be implemented incrementally, meeting professionals can
start with as little or as much time as
they have available. Those who have
successfully implemented measurement strategies indicate that the actual time needed to start the process
can be as little as 10 hours over the
course of an entire event.
PERCEPTION: Determining the real
purpose of meetings and events is
nearly impossible, because the purposes and goals are unknown. Few
people can agree on a specific purpose
for the event, and there are too many
items to measure.
REALITY: Events often have numerous, vague and/or conflicting purposes, but only a few of these usually
matter business-wise, such as increases in knowledge levels, growth in sales
or sales opportunities, new plans or
programs or service improvements.
PERCEPTION: Measurement is cost-
prohibitive, time consuming and difficult. Proper implementation could
even require consultants, in addition
to new software and materials.
REALITY: The cost of implementing
an effective measurement strategy is
controllable, because meeting professionals decide the speed and type of
implementation in advance. Meeting
professionals make progress in understanding the value of their meetings simply by having candid, no-cost
discussions about precise expected
outcomes and objectives.
Meanwhile, a well-implemented business value of meetings measurement
strategy provides stakeholders with
the following benefits.
Clarification of purpose: By clearly
understanding the measurable outcomes, meeting professionals can
make their meetings more cost
efficient and align their activities, content and setting with clear objectives.
DOWNLOAD
Perception Vs. Reality, the first installment in the Business Value of
Meetings white paper series, at WWW.MPIWEB.ORG/BVOM.
TOOL TIME: Here are some of the tools to
help you better understand why you need
to measure the value of your meetings.
All toolkit items can be accessed by downloading the BVOM white papers.
WEBINAR:
What’s at Stake
Learn the business case for
measuring the value of your
meetings, and identify organizational barriers to measuring
your success.
TUTORIAL:
Measuring What Matters
Two meeting scenarios prove
the importance of measurement and assessment to
engaging attendee experiences.
SUPPLEMENT:
Make Smart Changes
Study three models that smart
businesses use to implement
change. You’ll need to use one
when you launch event measurement practices.
Quantification of success: Meeting
professionals and the organizations
they serve learn just how much needs
to be done to accomplish their goals by
creating, deploying and reporting on
measures of meeting success. This allows them to establish budgets, make
strategic decisions about meeting logistics and design, set future goals and
establish realistic expectations.
Identification of strengths and weaknesses: By understanding a meeting’s
strengths and weaknesses, meeting professionals and stakeholders can better
concentrate resources where they are
needed most and leverage their assets.
Improved meetings: Successful strategies for understanding the business
value of meetings lead to a process
for improving meetings. As meetings
become “better,” they become more
clearly aligned with objectives, and
therefore more efficient.
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2
STAKEHOLDER
COMMITMENT
Once meeting professionals decide to measure the business value of their events, they often have
difficulty gaining the full commitment and support of all stakeholders, such as department managers,
company executives, colleagues and/or attendees. The reasons?
TOOL TIME: Here are some of the tools to
• Past failures at gaining support, due to a poor presentation of
help you better understand why you need to
measure the value of your meetings.
the purpose, or a missed opportunity to engage the stakeholders
All toolkit items can be accessed by download• A presumption that stakeholders are too busy to be involved
ing the BVOM white papers.
• Concern that stakeholders will see it as a performance measure
ARTICLE:
(which could expose failures)
The Case for Change
• Belief that stakeholders do not see the usefulness of measuring
John Nawn breaks the barriers
the business value of events
organizations often face when
trying to implement change
• Lack of confidence that the measurement can be explained adinitiatives (such as a business
equately, resulting in a negative perception of the meeting and its
value of meetings measurement
program).
planner
As a result, meeting professionals often
limit measurement to feedback on logistics or attendee satisfaction. These generally provide some guidance as to the
mood and/or experience of delegates,
and therefore pass as sufficient tools for
measuring a meeting or event. But the
actual measures of greatest importance
should be determined by the meeting’s
objectives.
While best practices vary widely,
meeting professionals who have successfully implemented measurement
processes share common characteristics:
they define the purpose of their meetings, they measure them appropriately
and they use those results to improve.
They understand that business value of
meetings measurement is part of a larger
overall organizational performance process, wherein the contribution of meetings and events is integral to the larger,
overall organizational strategy. Meetings and events are important elements
of strategic planning, because they represent the structured times when people
come together for the expressed purpose of creating change. These meeting
professionals also share a willingness
to start slowly and limit objectives to
a few key measures. By limiting objectives to the few key objectives needing
measurement, meeting professionals
are able to focus their resources for the
most effective outcome.
TIME: Meeting planners share con-
cerns over the amount of time needed
to properly measure the business value
of meetings. However, meeting professionals who have successfully implemented these measurements did so by
starting small. By focusing on expected
outcomes and limiting the scope of their
measures, these planners demonstrated
the value of the process and expanded it
accordingly. And by limiting the initial
scope, meeting professionals have been
able to successfully begin measuring the
business value of their meetings with
stakeholder support.
MONEY: The need for additional funds
for a business value of meetings measurement and reporting system seems
daunting, especially when the scope and
processes are undefined. By limiting the
initial scope, meeting professionals have
successfully minimized budgets.
Meeting professionals who have successfully implemented measurements
have used existing internal reports, free
software tools (such as Survey Monkey or analytic software tools) and
onsite resources—though
successful strategies do
eventually require fundStakeholder Commitment, the second installment
ing in order to be properly
in the Business Value of Meetings white paper
implemented.
series, at WWW.MPIWEB.ORG/BVOM.
After five years, budgets
for business value of meet-
DOWNLOAD
60
one+
TUTORIAL:
Stakeholder
Question Bank
Learn how to talk to your
stakeholders about the business value of events, and ask
the right questions for creating
meaningful measurements.
TUTORIAL:
Financial Glossary
Use this vocabulary as a
starting point for engaging
with your C-suite and determining the business value of
meetings.
ings measurement strategies can grow
as large as 5 percent for budgets under
US$1 million, 3 percent for budgets between $1 million and $3 million and 1
percent for budgets of more than $3 million. Early efforts to a) understand the
real purposes of a meeting, b) measure
the outcomes against those purposes and
c) establish next steps can be executed
successfully with minimal cost. These
“pilot projects” allow stakeholders to
see the possible results without significant budget commitment.
OUTCOMES: Stakeholders hesitate
to support initiatives that don’t have
clearly defined outcomes. The particular
measures of outcomes for a meeting or
event will be defined after stakeholders
have bought in. So, stakeholders must
be made aware of what to expect before
actual measurement begins. Meeting
professionals can rely upon a long list
of general stakeholder benefits to help
them understand what to expect, and
why it is worth the time and effort to
try a new measurement strategy. Even
when stakeholder expectations vary, the
expected benefits are often compelling.
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THE CHALLENGES
Clearly defining objectives is absolutely
necessary to understanding the business
value of meetings. Without clearly defined
and expressed objectives, there is no standard against which to determine the value
of a meeting’s performance. While most
organizational cultures rely on intuitive
standards to assess their meetings, organizations that measure the actual business value of their meetings always adopt
objective, documented and measurable
standards to understand the value of their
events.
Defining meeting objectives isn’t easy,
however. Objectives must be expressed in
terms of measurable outcomes. Whether
objectives are tangible or intangible, meeting professionals must devise ways to
measure and calculate meeting outcomes
over time as a way to understand actual
meeting performance and to take the next
steps to better understanding the business
value of their meetings.
Gaining consensus from stakeholders
about objectives is even more challenging for larger events with multiple (and
sometimes competing) objectives.
THE SOLUTIONS
Gaining stakeholder consensus is not
as critical as gaining stakeholder commitment and support. Rather than
assessing which objective is the most
important, meeting professionals can
establish several relevant measures,
when needed, in order to satisfy multiple stakeholders’ needs for measurement. As long as they are supportive
and committed, the meeting professional can proceed.
Stakeholder commitment to this
process begins once meeting professionals define measurable outcomes. With
stakeholder support, there are effective
techniques in helping meeting professionals discover what their true meeting
objectives are and how they contribute
to the overall objectives of their organizations.
STEP 1: DEFINE WHAT LED
TO THE CREATION OF YOUR
MEETING.
In most cases, meetings and events result
from the need to address an opportunity
(to make profit, to improve products
or services, to grow professionally, to
create efficiencies, to correct errors or
problems, to improve performance).
There are challenges. In cases where a
meeting has been held repeatedly for
a long time, the original purpose may
have become convoluted. In the cases of
younger events, the stated goals and objectives may not have been documented
or quantified.
STEP 2: DEFINE HOW THE MEETING HAS CHANGED OVER TIME.
As time passes, stakeholders make
changes to meetings in order to address
their own needs or new market conditions. These changes can undermine or
enhance the original meeting purpose.
The challenge: Determine the reason for
these changes and frame them in the
3
DEFINING YOUR
OBJECTIVES
context of measurable outcomes.
It’s the job of the meeting professionTo successfully calculate the business value of your meeting, you have
al to assess if the meeting still meets its
to understand its goals and objectives, which are often undefined—
original purposes and if any (or all) of
until you challenge your stakeholders to explain them.
the changes are still relevant.
TOOL TIME: Here are some of the tools to
help you better understand why you need
to measure the value of your meetings.
All toolkit items can be accessed by downloading the BVOM white papers.
STEP 3: DEFINE STAKEHOLDER
EXPECTATIONS.
One of the best ways to establish meaningful measures is to understand the
expectations of stakeholders, including
meeting owner(s), attendees, suppliers,
media, sponsors, exhibitors and affected departments. Every event needs
well-defined and documented expected
outcomes. Sponsors may want exposure
to 2,000 qualified buyers, delegates may
want state-of-the-art products, sales
may want content so compelling that
the event grows by 10 percent each year,
meeting owners may want to be seen as
innovators.
ARTICLE:
Show Me the Value
John Nawn shows why there
is no singular task that is
more important to determining the success (i.e. true
value) of your meetings than
defining your objectives.
TUTORIAL:
Good Objectives are
S.M.A.R.T. Objectives
Use this worksheet to help
determine meeting and
learner objectives using the
S.M.A.R.T. or Stem methodologies.
STEP 4: DOCUMENT EXPECTED
OUTCOMES.
TUTORIAL:
Establishing Your
Meeting Objectives
Learn how to create measureable objectives by identifying
your needs and goals and
establishing the hard and
soft data you need to collect.
DOWNLOAD
Defining Your Objectives,
the third installment in the
Business Value of Meetings
white paper series, at WWW.
MPIWEB.ORG/BVOM.
Whether expected outcomes are simple
or complex, documenting them is crucial to the success of your measurements, making it easy to identify which
can be measured and which cannot, and
which expected outcomes are probably
unrealistic and which are not.
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4
MEANINGFUL
MEASURES
There are a variety of measures and tools available to help you understand
the performance of your meetings compared to expected outcomes.
These tools vary in price and complexity.
The majority of meeting professionals who measure event outcomes
gauge delegate satisfaction through online survey services using a fivepoint scale. But many planners are dissatisfied with the lack of utility and
relevance in the data they receive from these efforts. Determining which
method of measurement is best suited for a specific outcome is very important to the reliability of results.
The right measurement will ensure understandable and accurate findings. The subject of measurement is scientific in nature, and meeting
professionals may go through a period of trial and error to determine which
measurement method is best for their particular needs.
EXISTING RESOURCES
Existing resources are tools that meeting
professionals can access already in order
to determine the business value of their
meetings. These resources may be internal reports and data sources or external
publications or tools.
Internal resources may include:
• Customer satisfaction reports
• Delivery reports
• Employee satisfaction reports
• Expense reports
• HR department staff
• Marketing department staff
• Profit/loss reports
• Sales reports
External resources may include:
• Consultants
• Customer Relationship
Management software providers
• Interactive technology providers
• Online survey systems
• Research companies
• Third-party research (such as One+)
Quantitative measures are usually used
to learn amounts, differences, degrees
and ranks. Examples of quantitative
measures are satisfaction scales, preferences among a set of choices, priority
scales, levels of agreement and test scores.
• Group discussions (panels, focus
groups)
• Individual conversations (personal
interviews)
• Intercepted comments (social
networks)
• Open-ended responses (surveys)
• Qualitative measures (comments and
conversations)
• Solicited comments (a request for
opinions)
• Unsolicited comments (emails)
Qualitative measures are usually used
to learn reasons, motivations, solutions,
causes, experiences, reactions and ideas.
It often provides guidance for making
improvements, avoiding mistakes and
increasing value. Examples of qualitative
measures generally include interviews,
comments and discussions.
MEASUREMENT TYPES
In addition, meeting professionals need
to decide what measurements they need
to supplement existing resources. These
are generally categorized into two types:
quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative measures (numbers):
• Counts (number of companies
represented)
• Frequencies (how often a resource is used)
• Numeric averages (satisfaction
ratings)
• Percentages (how many employees
passed a test)
• Sums (total amount earned)
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BEST PRACTICES
Meeting professionals report success
in beginning the measurement process
using quantitative measures, and then
adding measures as needed to better
understand results over time. Qualitative results are ultimately important
for many meeting professionals
because they provide rich information
about motivations, preferences and unforeseen experiences and expectations.
When reliable internal sources for
information can be used, they are preferred, because internal reports already
exist and will not add new work pro-
DOWNLOAD
Meaningful Measures, the fourth
installment in the Business Value
of Meetings white paper series, at
WWW.MPIWEB.ORG/BVOM.
TOOL TIME: Here are some of the tools to
help you better understand why you need
to measure the value of your meetings.
All toolkit items can be accessed by downloading the BVOM white papers.
ARTICLE:
Measuring What Matters
John Nawn explains why bad data
lead to bad decisions—which is
why you have to make sure you’re
measuring what matters, and using the right tools to do it.
TUTORIAL:
Business and Meeting
Metrics Checklist
Identify business and meeting KPIs,
prioritize those with key stakeholders and design your meeting to
have the greatest impact.
SUPPLEMENT:
What’s in a Metric?
Calculating Success
Learn how to define, identify and
determine the best metrics for your
meetings—and your business.
cesses. You may need to ask for minor
modifications, such as time period or
department breakdowns. When the purpose of a meeting is to make a profit, internal reports are often the only reports
needed, unless profits fall significantly, in
which case qualitative measures should
be employed (such as discussions with
salespeople) to discover why. Meanwhile, survey questions should be succinct, universally understood and relevant to respondents.
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THE CHALLENGES
The majority of meeting professionals who measure the business value
of their meetings don’t use the sum of
their efforts to guide improvements.
They say that their time and internal
resources are too limited to allow for
effective examination of results and
communication to stakeholders. They
speak of “piles” of data that are too
overwhelming to work with.
Many meeting professionals use
qualitative, open-ended comments
(qualitative data) to help guide them
in understanding the success of their
meetings, but then find the amount
of data overwhelming or the quality
questionable. Meeting professionals
also express concern about the accuracy of their overall analyses, and, therefore, the reliability of their reporting.
DATA ANALYSIS
The analysis of data takes several
forms, mainly visual, subjective and
statistical.
Visual analysis is the most common form of analysis among meeting professionals—quantitative data,
summarized with associated charts
and graphs. This form of analysis is
intuitive and accessible, making it the
most popular form of data evaluation. Unfortunately, visual analysis
can be misleading when used in isolation, because relationships between
numeric values are generally assumed
to be either significant or insignificant
depending on whether they appear
to be similar or dissimilar in size or
shape. Note: The conclusion from visual analysis describes a symptom of a
problem but does not offer a solution.
Subjective analysis involves looking at entire response groups, and
both qualitative and quantitative
data. Subjective analysis takes more
time than visual analysis, and is
therefore less popular. The advantage
to this form of analysis is the added
richness of reporting, resulting from
implied or clearly stated cause and
effect and revelations of unexpected
results. The disadvantages: time and
misinterpretation.
Statistical analysis is the least-favored form of analysis among meeting professionals overall, but the
preferred method for meeting professionals who measure the business
value of their meetings. It employs
the use of various mathematical
models and formulae on quantitative data to estimate relationships
between data points, predict future values and describe response
sets. Statistical analysis generally
requires special software and the
training to use it. It can be time consuming to set up, because data must
be properly coded and formatted to
ensure proper interpretation. Statistical analysis is a powerful means
of understanding quantitative data,
but usually involves the use of outside resources such as research companies or consultants.
REPORTING
5
ANALYSIS AND
REPORTING
Ultimately, prolonged use of a business value of meetings program
requires action, which is generally motivated by a compelling understanding of opportunities revealed through insightful analysis and
effective reporting.
TOOL TIME: Here are some of the tools to
help you better understand why you need
to measure the value of your meetings.
All toolkit items can be accessed by downloading the BVOM white papers.
ARTICLE:
Analyze and Report
John Nawn explains why reporting is crucial to the process of measuring the value
of meetings and events.
WORKSHEET:
Reporting Results
of Data Analysis
Learn about the major types
of analysis you can conduct
using your meeting data.
WEBINAR:
DOWNLOAD
Analysis and Reporting, the fifth
installment in the Business Value
of Meetings white paper series, at
WWW.MPIWEB.ORG/BVOM.
Developing Effective
Meeting Measurement
Learn how to make the
business case for your meetings and identify the right
goals and objectives. Align
those goals with the right
metrics and conduct proper
analysis and reporting.
Reporting is the final step in the process of measuring the business value of
meetings. Reports must be delivered
in usable formats that contain a call
to action and must be delivered using
channels that are accessible and meaningful to recipients.
1. Usable reports. Present your data
in multiple ways (textual descriptions,
visual representations, etc.) and know
your audience’s preference.
2. Call to action. Reports should reveal a compelling argument for readers to take action, even if those actions
are the conscious decisions to make no
changes. This call to action does not
need to be overt to be compelling—but
it does need to be clear and consistent.
Make each call to action clear and support it with data. Spell out next steps.
3. Delivery channels. Stakeholders
may need access to reports through a
variety of channels (live events, webinars, downloadable documents, handouts, magazine articles, third-party
sources). Meeting professionals generally do not need to prepare more than
one version of an event report early
on, but as popularity for the process
grows, demand will increase, as will
the delivery channels.
JESSIE STATES is editor, meeting industry,
for One+.
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The
Path Less
Traveled
Emerging destinations
aren’t just charming;
they actually help
draw more attendees.
BY TARA SWORDS
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Major meeting and convention spots such as Las Vegas and
Orlando are accessible to everything you need to pull off a
world-class event: international airports, bountiful hotels, reliable ground transportation and a tried-and-true infrastructure. But if there’s another thing you could say about such
locales, it might be this: been there, done that.
Sometimes your event calls for a destination where everything is familiar: the culture, the facilities, the routes and the
routines. But other times, looking further afield to emerging
destinations can be worth the extra time and energy. In fact,
holding events in such spots could actually contribute to an
organization’s bottom line.
ON THE CUSP
In this context, an “emerging” destination is a place that
hasn’t previously attracted much business group travel but is
starting to experience—or will soon experience—an uptick.
Beyond that, variation is enormous. Up-and-coming spots
might have brand-new facilities designed
to attract convention traffic, or they might
lack useful infrastructure. They might have
the official backing of a local government
that sees the revenue potential of meetings
and conventions, or they might have few
local people who understand the massive
ground game required to organize and host
an event.
These destinations don’t typically pop
up out of nowhere; they tend to move
through a maturation cycle.
“What we find is that destinations often merge into the incentive travel world
first because incentive travel is about seeing
the destination,” said Carina Bauer, CEO
of IMEX Group. “The first step [for destinations] is to get professional organizers—DMCs—who are
able to manage groups.”
Here’s why emerging destinations might be ideal for your
next event.
“Normally when you go on safari in other parts of Africa,
you just meet tourists,” Behrend said. “But in Uganda, you
also meet local people who are there for a business meeting. I
use it as a selling point.”
CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
In some up-and-coming spots, the lack of infrastructure might
mean less distraction for your event attendees. Kerry Prince,
vice president of Reed Exhibitions, says Reed’s aim to promote networking and relationship building at events directs
the company’s location choices.
“Because our events are very business focused, we tend
to actually keep them outside of the main cities,” Prince said.
“We try to keep our groups encapsulated.”
The benefit of relative isolation is that you’ll have the
opportunity to schedule more of your attendees’ time the
way you want them to spend it. That translates into more
time for you or your client to deliver a message and cement
relationships.
People are more
interested in
things they’ve
never heard of
or have only read
in a book. It’s
exciting because
it’s different.
THE DRAW OF ADVENTURE
Emerging destinations, by definition, entail more adventure
than well-trodden ground. Behroz Daroga, CMP, owner of
MEC USA, has organized outbound meetings in far-flung locations such as Kenya, Barcelona and Taormina, Italy. She’s
currently organizing an event in Belgrade.
“People are more interested to see things they’ve never
heard of or have only read in a book,” Daroga said. “It’s exciting because it’s different.”
That can translate into increased interest in your event—
particularly if your attendees can take advantage of the region
to tack a personal vacation on to the beginning or end.
Jane Behrend, who helps boutique travel organizations
market their offerings to North American audiences, says
it’s not uncommon for business travelers to Uganda—home
to one of her clients—to turn business meetings into
opportunities for adventure.
EXPOSURE TO NEW MARKETS
Many organizations host events in emerging destinations for exposure to new
markets—whether the organization is
promoting a product, a service or simply
an idea.
Cathy Ryan, senior director of global
meetings at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
(HIMSS), has spent the last few years helping her organization expand into Europe,
Asia and the Middle East. HIMSS works
to promote the adoption of technology
in healthcare as a means to provide better care—and thus better outcomes—to
patients. The universal nature of this mission makes HIMSS
relevant in nearly any region of the world. And by being open
to emerging markets, Ryan says HIMSS can both respond to
demand and attract interest.
“[In the Middle East], they’re really thirsty for the education and the information,” Ryan said. “Our president and
CEO was hearing the need, and it was clear after we got organized in Europe and Asia, there was no question that the
Middle East was going to be the next place that we went.”
Ryan has already helped HIMSS spread its cause in Bahrain, Oman, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
ACCESS TO NEW FACILITIES
When an emerging destination reaches a certain point, local
governments take note and begin to invest. And when facilities
are built from scratch, they can utilize the latest technologies
and even be more advanced than those in established locales.
“Some of the facilities are very impressive, especially if
you look at South Korea,” Bauer said. “They’ve grown so fast
and their facilities are so fantastic. They have that benefit because it’s from scratch.”
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State-of-the-art facilities often go hand in hand with development in the rest of the infrastructure, such as hotels, local organizers
and ground transportation. That means a more predictable, easily
managed event and a better chance of pricing suited to your needs.
FLEXIBILITY
Where there’s less of an established system, there’s also less rigidity.
“Emerging destinations often are willing or able to give cost-effective proposals,” Bauer said, citing new models of pricing that may
better fit an organization’s budget.
Ryan says she found flexibility when planning events in the
Middle East, Europe and Asia—particularly in making arrangements
with hotels.
“Everything outside of the U.S. is less contractual and less stringent,” she said. “We’re not at the point where we’re shaking hands
and making a deal, but it’s not the level of intensity that you find
when you’re in the U.S.”
PLANNER BEWARE
As with any locale, emerging destinations come with their own set
of caveats. Planning contingencies for those caveats will help ensure
that your organization or client can make the event a profitable one.
For example, the flexibility that you might find on the path less
traveled has an obvious downside: It’s hard to get guarantees without
a contract.
Also, less-developed spots can be prone to political turmoil and
poor execution where risk management is concerned. Daroga says
she would be hesitant to hold a meeting in Kenya today because of
the political situation. No matter where she goes, she insists on hav-
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DESTINATIONS
ON THE RISE
Looking to wow your attendees with
an unexpected spot? Here are some
destinations that are on their way up.
EASTERN EUROPE
Over the last 10 years, Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group,
has noted significant growth in Eastern European countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Croatia and Poland. In fact, Budva in Montenegro and Jurmala in Latvia
were 2011 winners of the IMEX Wild Card, which awards
emerging destinations that it feels have demonstrated
commitment to handling new business.
Behroz Daroga, CMP, owner of MEC USA, has had
good experiences planning events in Belgrade.
“Even though they are not experienced, they want to
learn,” she said. “They are very aggressive and dynamic
in doing things the right way.”
INDIA
India’s relatively new status as a hotbed of business and
technology has quickly put it on the map for international
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meetings and conventions. Daroga, for example, is currently
planning a 2014 meeting in Hyderabad, which has a state-ofthe-art convention center, she says.
PUERTO RICO
“Puerto Rico is drawing quite a few events,” Daroga said,
and its location close to the U.S. makes it a good candidate
for North American organizations.
DUBAI
“Dubai has a very good convention and visitors bureau,”
Cathy Ryan, senior director of global meeings at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, said.
Bauer also notes recent growth in Dubai.
OVERLOOKED U.S. CITIES
Daroga is happy to see planners checking out some gems
in the U.S., typically mid-sized cities that are accessible to
regional audiences and have plenty of infrastructure and
local charm. Her favorites include Newport and Providence in
Rhode Island and San Luis Obispo on the central coast of
California.
“In all countries, there are things you don’t know about at
all,” she said. “Because it’s Providence or Newport, we sometimes don’t even take it into consideration. But I’m glad that
we did it because it was one of the best meetings we’ve had.”
ing a local DMC and a documented, mutually agreed-upon riskmanagement plan.
“I always convince my clients [of this]. I tell them the truth,”
she said. “If you don’t want a local DMC, I’m not the meeting
company for you.”
If the cultural differences between your attendees’ home
country and the destination country are significant, you may want
to spend extra time preparing attendees. When in Saudi Arabia,
Ryan donned an abaya—essentially a loose-fitting robe over her
clothing—and covered her head, and local custom dictates that
she could not touch or hug any male friends or co-workers in
public. She says it took some getting used to.
“We try and do research on the city or the country and provide that to our staff before they travel to the site,” Ryan said.
“It’s advisable to give that to staff beforehand so they’re aware of
the dos and don’ts.”
But after you’ve gotten a feel for the place, enjoy it.
There’s magic to be found off the beaten path. When Daroga organized a Barcelona event for a major medical group,
she also arranged an excursion to nearby Valencia—an
unexpected delight.
“I found this little monastery about 40 minutes from Valencia where we did the gala event. Everything we ate was local,”
Daroga said. “Valencia is so beautiful. It has the flavor and influence of Morocco.”
TARA SWORDS specializes in business, technology and travel topics for
One+ and other international publications.
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JORDAN MAKAROF
BY TARA SWORDS
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I
n the mid-90s, Nicholas Christakis, MD, Ph.D., was
a hospice doctor on the south side of Chicago. It
was just as important and depressing of a job as you
might imagine: He visited terminally ill patients who
had chosen to die at home and helped them through
the final months, weeks and days of life.
At the time, his lab at the University of Chicago
was studying the so-called “widowhood effect”—the increased
probability of a person to die after his or her partner has died
(his interest in caring for the sick had roots in his own life).
As he told The Harvard Crimson last year, his mother suffered
from cancer from the time he was six until she died when he was
25 years old. Christakis knew firsthand the stress that illness
puts on family members.
One day he noticed that the daughter of a patient was exhausted from caring for her dying mother. Then he learned that
the daughter’s husband had also become run-down and sick.
Finally, on his way home from a family visit, he received a call
from the husband’s friend—a total stranger to Christakis and
only loosely connected to the sick woman. The man was growing worried about his friend.
“I just suddenly realized that the widowhood effect wasn’t
confined to husbands and wives,” Christakis says. “It could affect parents and children or other sorts of pairs—and frankly it
wasn’t even confined to pairs of people.”
Suddenly, he was wondering about the other ways in which
humans affect one another. It was a “eureka” moment—and
none too soon, if you’d asked his wife, Erika.
“About 10 or 15 years ago, my wife just got fed up and
asked, ‘Could you study birth? Why do you have to study death
if you’re going to study demographic phenomena?’”
And so a new path for Christakis was born: Rather than
focus on the mysterious ways in which death affects pairs, he
would focus on the ways the living affect each other. He would
study social networks.
No doubt you’re already thinking it: Facebook. But this
was long before the term was co-opted by the website and the
Aaron Sorkin movie. In fact, Christakis’ interest was in face-toface networks, which are a sociological phenomenon that date
to pre-history.
“Humans have been making networks for tens of thousands of years, ever since we emerged onto the African Savannah,” Christakis says. “There’s something very deep and fundamental and very beautiful, actually, about these networks that
we make.”
It was a natural shift for Christakis, who is not only a physician but also a sociologist and public health specialist (that’s
three advanced degrees, if you’re counting). His new area of
study combined all of his disciplines into a single focus that
seemed ripe for exploration.
Don’t miss bestselling author Nicholas Christakis
as the closing keynote speaker at MPI’s 2012
World Education Congress (July 28-31 in St.
Louis)! Please visit www.mpiweb.org/wec to
register and for more information.
2012
World Education Congress
July 28-31 • St. Louis, Missouri
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(CC) NOKTON
“HUMAN NETWORKS ACT AS A
MEDIU
UM FOR THE TRA
ANSMISSIO
ON
OF FAR MORE THAN JUST GERMS
OF IN
NFORMATIO
ON.”
”
And it was. Since teaming up in 2001,
Christakis and his research partner James
Fowler have discovered that human networks act as a medium for the transmission of far more than just germs or information. When viewed in the context of a
social network, many things—violence,
money, certain types of drug use, seatbelt
use, kindness, joy, sadness, depression, unhealthy eating, loneliness and smoking—
are literally contagious.
“We were very surprised at the extent
to which a lot of non-obvious factors do
actually spread in networks,” Christakis
says. “Our findings regarding obesity and
the extent to which your weight may depend upon the weight of people who are
strangers to you—your friends’ friends or
friends’ friends’ friends—this was surprising to us.”
Christakis likens human networks to
ant colonies, where members work collectively toward a common goal. The same
could be said of human networks at a
high level: They aim to spread wellbeing
among their members, but they end up
spreading lots of other things, too.
“When I’m kind to you, this kindness
ripples in a kind of pay-it-forward way,
and the benefits to the group are much
greater than the benefits that accrue just
from my kindness to you,” he says. “So
the network kind of magnifies my contribution. Now, it also magnifies evil, so
there’s a complex balance that’s taken
place over the eons whereby we have
come to have the kind of network that’s
really optimized, overall, for the propaga-
tion of desirable properties.”
The obesity research in particular yielded some attention-grabbing
headlines. It was based on Christakis
and Fowler’s examination of 32 years’
worth of data and the finding that obesity spreads through social networks. In
fact, Christakis and Fowler found that
having a friend who becomes obese
made a person 57 percent more likely
to become obese themselves. Even more
surprising, an increased likelihood persisted even when it was a friend of a
friend who became obese—or even a
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(CC) GATES FOUNDATION
BY APPLYIN
NG WHAT CHRISTAKIS
HAS UNCOVERED ABOUT SOCIAL
NETWORKS, ORGANIZ
ZATIONS CAN
GAIN
N USEFUL—AND PROFITABL
LE—
IN
NSIGHTS INTO THE BEHAVIOR OF
THEIR EMPLOYEES, CUSTOMER
RS
AND PARTNERS.
friend of a friend of a friend.
When the pair’s book—Connected:
The Surprising Power of Our Social
Networks and How They Shape Our
Lives—came out in 2009, it pulled
Christakis’ work from the strata of academic journals and into the world of
pop-science. It got the thumbs up from
The New York Times, Wired and even
Oprah. It also put Christakis on the
map as an influencer himself; in 2009,
he appeared on Time magazine’s list of
100 most influential people in the world,
and Foreign Policy magazine named him
to its list of top 100 global thinkers in
2009 and 2010.
Today, Christakis is also a best-selling
author and a renowned speaker who has
given talks all over the world, including at
TED conferences. And if people are fascinated by what he has found, then the
business world is doubly fascinated. After
all, the implications for organizations are
astounding: By applying what Christakis
has uncovered about the mechanics of
social networks, organizations could gain
useful—and profitable—insights into the
behavior of their employees, customers
and partners.
Christakis, with three colleagues,
founded Activate Networks, a company
that aims to help organizations harness
the power of social networks by mapping
those networks. Imagine that a company
is getting dinged for workplace safety violations; if it can determine who the main
influencers are, getting those few people
to adopt certain safety practices can
cause those practices to spread throughout the plant like fire. Smoking cessation
programs could work the same way.
Such knowledge could also help meeting and event professionals increase their
revenue. In the past, Christakis says, companies thought the most valuable custom-
er was the one who bought the most. But
imagine another customer who doesn’t
buy much product but whose opinion can
cause others to buy lots of product or take
their business elsewhere.
“The second customer is more valuable, but you have no way of knowing
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Scan this tag with your smartphone to
watch Christakis’ groundbreaking TED talk
on the hidden influence of social networks.
that unless you map the network of interaction,” he says.
Despite all of the fascinating implications of Christakis’ research, he seems
content to let others apply them. His
main love, he says, is working in the lab,
with its potential for thrilling discovery.
He also loves talking about his research,
which he gets to regularly as a professor
at Harvard, where his “Sociology 190:
Life and Death in the U.S.A.” is consistently popular.
There’s something fitting about the
fact that Christakis is now not merely
teaching at Harvard—birthplace of the
ultimate social network—but actually
living inside its student community. He’s
in his third year as master of Pforzheimer
House, one of 12 houses into which undergraduate students spend their college
years. (It was also the undergraduate
home to Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss
and Divya Narendra, who famously sued
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for
allegedly stealing the idea upon which
Facebook is based.)
In fact, Christakis and his wife
are co-masters, which officially means
they’re responsible for the intellectual,
moral and social tone of the house. They
get involved in everything—arranging
speakers, officiating events, signing and
handing out diplomas and helping students sort out problems and celebrate
successes. Christakis has approximately
400 students in his care, and that has resulted in an interesting expansion of his
own social network.
“I noticed recently, since I’m Facebook friends with lots of these students,
that I get information,” he says. “These
undergrads will clue me into something,
and then a month later my brother or sister will [say], ‘Hey, did you see this viral
video?’”
So how does he view the rise of the
virtual social network in light of his research on in-person relationships? You
might expect him to decry the degradation of the face-to-face network, but he
doesn’t. In fact, he seems to view online
networks entirely without judgment or
even a hint of naysaying.
“These types of modern communication technologies, including online social
networks, are grafted onto a very ancient
apparatus,” he says. “It’s not the technology that structures our social interactions.”
Ask your grandmother how many
friends she had when she was 10 years old,
he suggests. She’ll probably say she had
one or two best friends, plus a group of
four or five girls who spent time together.
Now ask Christakis’ 10-year-old daughter
and she’ll give the same response, he says,
despite having an iPhone in her pocket.
Sure, the technology is new. But it hasn’t
changed the fundamental nature of the
network.
What may change, though, is the
way we view our own social networks
and our place within them. And that
could be largely due to Christakis’
groundbreaking research that helps us
understand the tiny plays we act out
daily and how they intimately affect
people we may never even meet. It’s already happening for Christakis, and he
need look no further than his own life,
where he now has a bit more incentive to behave altruistically. If he does,
it may benefit his friends, his friends’
friends and those people’s friends—and
on and on and on as the effect ripples
throughout all of those networks.
“It’s reinforcing. It’s like when you
take a positive step in your life, it has
all these additional benefits, so it kind of
makes it a little bit better,” he says. “I’m
aware of the fact that if I eat too much, it
affects others. Or if I’m happy, it affects
others. Or if I’m kind to others, it affects
others. This is a basic, almost trivial observation, but I kind of feel it much more
now than I ever did.”
TARA SWORDS specializes in business, technology and travel topics. She profiled Global
Giving’s Mari Kuraishi in the July 2010 One+.
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Learning
FROM THE
REGULATED
Due to the challenges of managing increasing optics,
medical and pharma meeting pros are at the forefront
of industry regulation.
BY ELAINE POFELDT
On the hunt for exciting new growth opportunities,
the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) started an
initiative two years ago to focus on booking events for industries
that were thriving—from renewable energy to education. Noticing
growth in the medical industry, the CVB also targeted gatherings in
this field.
That’s turned out to be a sweet spot.
As of March, the ACVB counted 215,000 room nights booked for
medical meetings in 2012—more than twice the figure from 2011.
This year, such gatherings will bring more than 70,000 convention attendees, such as the 23,000-attendee, 100-year-anniversary
Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting (in March) and the 17,000-person American Urological Association annual meeting (in May).
Coming up are Medtrade—a 10,000-attendee gathering for those
in the home medical equipment field in October—followed by the
American Society of Hematology annual meeting in December. Such
meetings will have a combined economic impact of US$110 million
this year, by the ACVB’s estimates.
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“This is a very good year for us,” said
Mark Sussman, director of trade show sales
for the ACVB.
As the bureau’s
experience is evident, opportunity is brewing
in the medical and pharmaceutical meeting
field—but capitalizing on those opportunities means staying on top of the fast-changing
needs of organizers and attendees.
Many key players are doing business
against a backdrop of relatively new and
often confusing regulatory requirements that
are constantly evolving. In January 2009,
for instance, members of Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA) ushered in voluntary guidelines
to avoid ethical problems and conflicts of
interest. In the so-called PhRMA guidelines,
research-oriented pharmaceutical and biotech firms set standards governing entertainment, resulting in more modest meals
and experiences and phasing out old-school
practices such as treating doctors to pricey or
high-profile entertainment options (professional sports events, concerts, etc.).
On top of this, the U.S. Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act of 2009—“Obamacare”—ushered in the Physician Payment
Sunshine Act. The goal was to bring more
transparency to the relationships that pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and
medical device suppliers have with doctors.
It mandates that pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical device makers must report
gifts and meals for physicians that cumulatively total at least $10 in a year.
Originally, the law was to take effect in
January, with many companies and meeting
professionals scrambling to keep pace. But
this spring, after receiving a mountain of
comments, the federal Center for Medicare
and Medicaid Services announced that it was
postponing this requirement. The agency
reportedly began assembling a workgroup to
assist in coming up with a final rule by the
end of 2012. Manufacturers are expected to
have to start collecting this data in January
2013.
Realizing that the ramp-up time will be
significant, many companies are already setting up companywide systems for keeping
track of spending covered under the Sunshine
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Pharma 101 at WEC
D
on’t miss our “Pharmaceutical Meeting Planning 101” session at the
World Education Congress, July 28-31 in St. Louis. To learn more
about the event, visit mpiweb.org/events/wec2012.
Pharmaceutical meetings are highly regulated, so whether you are new to
the planning side or the supplier side of this complex industry, this introductory session is a must for you. Planners will learn the importance of compliance
with company and government regulations and the ramifications of non-compliance. Suppliers will recognize that pharmaceutical planners are not being
difficult to work with “just because”—in fact, they are under strict guidelines
regarding how meetings are planned, hotels are utilized and funds are spent
on healthcare providers. And, in the U.S., these regulations will likely become
even more restrictive under pending implementation of the federal Sunshine
Act.
This session will connect planners and suppliers and give insights into how
to successfully navigate the unique world of pharmaceutical meeting planning.
Act and grappling with the implications of
the heightened disclosure. Virtual meeting
provider MedPoint Digital is one such company. According to MedPoint President and
Founder Bill Cooney, the federal government
must, under the law, publish the physician
payments on an easy-to-use website in 2013,
making the data searchable and downloadable—which will have potentially huge
implications for meetings.
“Everyone is going to see things like, ‘Dr.
Smith got a meal, valued at $80 from Ruth’s
Chris, by going to a meeting,’” he said.
Such expenses
might
look more lavish to politicians or to the general public than to meeting planners who
know the going rate for catered meals, he
notes, so that will undoubtedly be a factor
considered in meeting planning.
While many companies and organizations have resumed holding meetings that
were canceled in the recession, they’re still
being more frugal in planning them—guarding their budgets and attendees’ time. That
means more virtual meetings, as well as
events that are being condensed into shorter
time periods and held in locations such as airport hotels, not resorts.
“Pharmaceutical and medical companies
are taking their teams out into the field for
less time,” said Scott Cullather, founder and
managing partner at inVNT, a New Yorkbased events agency. “[Yet], the expectations
for learning are pretty much the same, if not
more.”
Attracting meetings to a city or venue
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in this climate takes creative thinking. For
instance, with many large organizations due
to rotate their meetings this year into the
southeastern U.S., the ACVB knew there
would be increased regional competition
from other cities. So the group promoted its
strong infrastructure to help Atlanta stand
out.
“We’re able to secure up to 10,000 guest
rooms within walking distance of the convention center,” Sussman said.
Sussman and his
team have also emphasized a planned expansion of the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport—which will bring 12
additional international gates to the facility—
when recruiting international groups such as
the American Urological Association, which
will be one of the first to have access when
the new gates open.
Meeting planners also need to find economical ways to keep meetings engaging—
and useful. When inVNT works with client
80
one+
Not everyone in the medical sphere is feeling the
pinch of regulation, so
some CVBs and meeting
planners are staying alert
to opportunities to serve
those who still have
healthy budgets.
Genentech to plan sales meetings these days,
time is tighter than ever. To help his client make
the most out of shorter educational gatherings,
Cullather provides certain materials ahead of
time. For instance, if a product launch targets
patients with a particular disease, Cullather
says, “Maybe we would introduce the patient
through a video campaign or email blast prior
to the meeting.” Such advance prep work frees
time for participants to decompress between
sessions.
“If you take up the entire time cramming
[participants] full of knowledge, how effective
is that?” he asked. “There’s a learning curve
that starts to diminish over a period of time.”
Cullather and his team also constantly
look for high-impact, cost-effective ways to
enhance what is learned at a meeting. For one
client’s sales meeting this past spring, inVNT
created a visual device that helped attendees
understand the suffering of people with glaucoma. The glasses he brought to the meeting
reduced participants’ ability to see—the same
way glaucoma impairs vision. The salespeople were asked to try the specs on and to then
type a text message.
“We took the glasses off and let them read
it,” he recalled. “The emotional response we
elicited was really incredible. They were able
to, in a visceral way, experience what it was
like to be a patient suffering from glaucoma.”
Not everyone in the medical sphere is feeling the pinch of regulation, so some CVBs
and meeting planners are staying alert to
opportunities to serve those who still have
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healthy budgets.
“The Sunshine Act is more geared
toward the pharmaceutical companies and
their spending money,” Sussman said.
Many top doctors travel to medical conventions from around the world for continuing education, and they expect a highquality event.
“The doctors are allowed to spend
money on themselves,” Sussman said.
Many doctors bring their families with
them to conferences, so the ACVB
promotes local tourist attractions
near the convention center, such as
the Georgia Aquarium and other
options within walking distance.
Dental groups, though sensitive
to budgetary concerns, also fall outside the reach of laws such as the
Sunshine Act, offering meeting planners some room for creativity. The
750-member Hinman Dental Society of Atlanta hosts 55 meetings a
year—including the massive annual
convention it just held. Known for
keeping members up to date on professional topics such as bleaching
teeth, the organization also brings in
high-profile speakers who share the
nonprofit’s focus on education, such
as recent keynote former First Lady
Laura Bush.
their lectures,” said Sylvia Ratchford, the
group’s executive director.
While gestures like this add to the ambiance, Ratchford knows that they, alone,
aren’t enough to keep participants coming
back. The society, which runs a trade show
at its annual meeting, has rolled out a
spate of new opportunities for members to
increase their presence, such as ads on its
social networking pages. Ratchford says
the days of coming up with a marketing
plan at the beginning of the year and sticking with it are over.
“It’s constantly evolving,” she said.
And, like others in this space, she’s hoping to keep pace.
ELAINE POFELDT is a former senior editor for
FORTUNE Small Business and a regular contributor
to One+.
To attract foot
traffic to its exhibit hall, which
housed approximately 850 booths,
the society planned attention grabbers such as the daily giveaway of
a diamond pendant. The group also
hired models to dress in attire reflective of the time in which the organization was founded. Those who
submitted tickets to the couple—
who walked the show floor—were
entered into a contest to win $100.
Recognizing that the group’s Southern hospitality has been a powerful
draw since Dr. Thomas Hinman, a
dentist, founded the group, the association taps volunteer members to
make the event welcoming to all.
“We assign hosts to every
speaker to go out to the airport,
greet them on arrival, escort them
to their hotel room, take them to
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>
YOUR COMMUNITY
Canada Celebrates the Meetings Industry
Canada’s National Meetings Industry Day (NMID)
was marked on April 19, 2012, in Calgary, Edmonton,
Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and
Winnipeg. This homegrown initiative celebrated its
16th anniversary this year, with the primary goal of
raising awareness of the meeting industry in Canada
and to communicate the value of the industry to the
broader business community.
This NMID—working under the theme of engagement—attracted 1,000 attendees to various chapter
events across the country. The diversity of the chapters is one of MPI’s enduring strengths in Canada,
and a signature purpose of NMID is to celebrate and
acknowledge the different paths we pursue toward
a common goal. Having all Canadian chapters’ NMID
activities culminate on one day of unity is a powerful
statement.
The Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honorable Stephen Harper, also had declared April 19 as
National Meetings Industry Day, stating, “This special
day of activities offers a wonderful opportunity to
raise the profile of the industry and highlight the
many benefits it generates. Business meetings and
events bring new knowledge, visitors and learning
to our doorsteps, in turn enhancing the well-being of
our communities and our nation as a whole.”
Part of the ongoing strategic vision within the Canadian MPI chapters is to build a rich global meeting
industry community, and Canada has been the leader
in creating economic impact studies that show how
the meeting industry growth can impact a country.
In 2008, the meeting industry in Canada generated
CAD$35 billion in GDP, which significantly impacts the
entire economy of more than 34 million people. With
the help of the MPI Foundation Canada, data will be
collected this year for an updated Canadian Economic
Impact Study (CEIS) in time for National Meetings
Industry Day 2013.
In addition to the day’s celebration, an annual
NMID Influence Award has been bestowed for the last
four years to recognize someone in a chapter’s local
community who has made a significant impact on the
industry.
This year’s award winners were
as follows.
• Atlantic Canada Chapter — Ambassatours
• British Columbia Chapter — QuickMobile
• Greater Calgary Chapter — His Worship, Naheed
Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
• Greater Edmonton Chapter — The Enjoy Centre
• Manitoba Chapter — Kenny Boyce, Manager of
Film & Special Events, City of Winnipeg
• Montréal & Québec Chapter — Palais des
Congrés de Montréal
• Ottawa Chapter — The Shenkman Corporation
• Toronto Chapter — Doug Bolger, iLearn2 Inc.
A Party So Big, It Covers the Entire Country
MPI Foundation presents Canada Rocks, the official opening night of
IncentiveWorks. Don’t miss an extraordinary night of networking, live
entertainment, food and host bar at the industry party of the year, set
for 7:30 p.m. on August 20 at Maison on Mercer in Toronto.
Live entertainment will feature a private concert by nationally
known Newfoundland celebrity Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea and comedian Mark Critch, writer for This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The emcee
for the night is Seamus O’Regan, former co-host of CTV’s Canada AM
national morning show. Enjoy Delta Hotels and Resorts’ hospitality and chill out in the Caesars Windsor rooftop luxury lounge.
“Canada Rocks the Newfoundland way with Destination St. John’s” is brought to you by MPI Foundation Canada, Destination St. John’s, Delta Hotels and Resorts, Caesars Windsor and AV Canada.
To experience why “THE ROCK” rocks, visit meetingscanada.com/incentiveworks/canadarocks.
Tickets are only CAD$85. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Ron Guitar at rguitar@mpiweb.org.
Can’t-Miss Webinars in June
A can’t-miss slate of MPI webinars begins on May 30 with a focus on the
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the quest for standards-based reporting to achieve sustainable events. The GRI webinar (a recording from May
15) provides an overview of features and tools, and is also available for
member viewing via Professional Development on Demand (mpiweb.org/
Portal/OnDemand).
Next up is a relevant and comprehensive mobile app webinar—“The Why, What
and How of Mobile”—on June 6. The team from QuickMobile will share hot tools for
events that will help you build brand awareness and improve attendee engagement.
TBD in June we will learn about the latest CSR findings from the talented team
at Leeds Metropolitan University in “CSR Drivers Now and in the Future,” and June
will also feature at least one session on the ever-popular Meeting Design topic and
a career-advancement session—“How to Make Yourself More Marketable”—brought
to us by the Global Emerging Leaders group. Finally, Wharton professor Dr. Stuart
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Diamond will discuss some of the newest and most powerful negotiation techniques for “Getting More.”
It is a tremendous privilege to bring so many excellent speakers and such
timely topics to our members, and the MPI Webinar June calendar is practically
overflowing with information that will continue to help you raise the bar for your
events and for your careers. Please check back often at mpiweb.org/Education/
Online to see sessions we add during the month and for a preview of July.
0 6.12
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>>
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
He’s Kind of a Big Deal
In 2011 at the World Education Congress (WEC) in Orlando, timing and opportunity met at the right time for Eli
Gorin, CMP, CMM. Gorin walked away from the poker
table with a free seat (valued at US$10,000) to the 2012
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event—all thanks to
the MPI Foundation’s The Big Deal, which is free to planners and offers everything from a real poker tourney to fun
card play.
Gorin is scheduled to play with the crème de la crème of
poker
pok
er p
players
pla
laye
aye
yyer
ers on Saturday, July 7, just before he defends
his
h
is B
Big Deal championship at WEC 2012. One+
ccaught
aug up with Gorin to see how he’s preparing.
One+: How long have you been playing?
On
El
Eli: Two years, recreationally. Five minutes
be
before I start the WSOP will be my introduction professionally.
tio
One+: What was the most unexpected
O
outcome of winning?
Eli: The fact that I won. To be honest, when I went to the
event, I wasn’t really planning on going. I was going to stay
for about half an hour. Three-and-a-half hours later, I won
the tournament.
One+: How are you training for the WSOP tournament?
Eli: I’m not. I really haven’t. I’m playing on my cell phone.
If I can, I try to get in a game with my friends.
One+: Are you ready for the WSOP tournament?
Eli: Yeah, I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I joke with people
that I’m going to go in there with a three-piece suite. Actually, I’ll go in a tuxedo. I’m going to enjoy it; I’m not going to
take myself too seriously. But if I end up winning anything,
I’ll give 10 percent of my winnings back to the Foundation.
To read more on Eli or to get your tickets to this year’s
The Big Deal, visit mpiweb.org/wec2012/thebigdeal.
SEMT 2.0: Elevate Your Sustainability Credentials
MPI and the MPI Foundation have made a substantial upgrade to the Sustainable
Event Measurement Tool (SEMT), which now resides on the evolution platform. The
enhanced functionality of SEMT 2.0 will help meeting and event professionals save
money, reduce resources and elevate their sustainability credentials.
The groundbreaking tool provides unique measurement capabilities that allow
planners and suppliers to track—and take steps to reduce—their environmental
impact. It also answers the hospitality industry’s demand for a common disclosure
platform and aligned reporting.
The overhauled tool, developed by the Triple Bottom Line Alliance for MPI,
enables planners and suppliers to tailor the system to their individual requirements
and scale.
The tool is free for MPI planners, and
non-members and MPI suppliers have
complimentary access to the tool until
October 31, 2012.
Among the enhancements in SEMT
2.0, users will have access to the most
comprehensive set of CO2e databases
in the world, totaling 150 countries,
and users will adopt the methodology approved
sm Partnership and the World
and delivered by the International Tourism
Travel & Tourism Council Carbon Measurement Working Group.
Your Brand Needs WEC
CONTRIBUTORS The MPI Foundation thanks the following
organizations and individuals for their generous support.
THOUGHT LEADER
AIBTM
Freeman AV
Gaylord
Entertainment
IHG
IMEX
Jumeirah
Marriott
International
Omni Hotels
PSAV
Increase your exposure and give back to the industry you love
with these sponsorship opportunities at the 2012 Word Education
Congress (WEC), July 28-31 in St. Louis. Plus, you’ll have the
satisfaction of knowing that you have made a major contribution
to industry research, education and scholarships. Contact Tony
Fundaro at tfundaro@mpiweb.org to learn more or to get involved.
The Big Deal
ACCC - Exhibit Hall 5
Planners get in free, so there’s
really “no limit” to how much
visibility your brand will receive.
And while there’s so much more
to the evening than playing cards,
one lucky player will win a seat
at the 2013 World Series of Poker
Main Event and a chance to win
millions.
Rendezvous
City Museum
Demonstrate your leadership role
while you network and dance
at the hottest party in St. Louis.
Maximize your brand exposure and
find direct marketing opportunities
while in the City Museum—like a
playground where the imagination runs wild, housed in the
600,000-square-foot former
International Shoe Company.
MPI Foundation Silent Auction
Shine in front of your target market by donating a fabulous package to the MPI Foundation Silent
Auction—brought to you by Swank
Audio Visuals. You’ll contribute
to a great cause while generating
exposure for your brand online, in
print and on signage.
INNOVATOR
Caesars
Entertainment
Dallas CVB
Hyatt Hotels
Las Vegas Sands
Corp.
Rosen Hotels and
Resorts
San Francisco
Travel
Wyndham Hotel
Group
ADVOCATE
Abu Dhabi Tourism
Authority
AT&T Park
AVT Event
Technologies
Caesars Windsor
Canadian Tourism
Commission
Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts
IHG Canada
Mediasite by Sonic
Foundry
Swank Audio Visual
Universal Orlando
Resorts
GATEKEEPER
AVW Telav Audio
Visual Solutions
CLIA
Maxvantage
MGM Resorts
International
ASSOCIATE
ExCel
Fairmont Raffles
and Swissotel
Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels &
Resorts
CONTRIBUTOR
Fletcher Wright
Associates
Greenfield Services
Inc
SECC
CHAPTERS
Aloha
Arizona Sunbelt
Atlantic Canada
British Columbia
Chicago Area
Dallas/Fort Worth
Greater Edmonton
Indiana
Kentucky Bluegrass
Middle
Pennsylvania
Montréal & Quebec
New England
New Jersey
Northern California
Oklahoma
Orange County
Oregon
Ottawa
Philadelphia Area
Sacramento/Sierra
Nevada
South Florida
Southern California
St. Louis Area
Tampa Bay Area
Texas Hill Country
Toronto
Virginia
Washington State
WestField
Wisconsin
mpiweb.org
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
CASE STUDY:
A Sustainable,
Sustainable Event
A central CSR strategy and one crucial meeting helped KPMG outshine its competition.
B Y J E S S I E S TA T E S
A
s U.N. leaders prepare for sustainable development
conference Rio+20, KPMG International realized a
unique customer-facing opportunity.
The audit, tax and advisory services firm had made serious inroads in climate change and sustainability (CC&S)
consultancy and wanted to prove its commitment to the
triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) to clients and
prospects while seeking to address their very real concerns
of regional and international “green” regulation. Firm
leaders determined that only a face-to-face, in-person, live
meeting would get the job done. But they wanted it done
sustainably.
Ensued a rare gathering of more than 600 multinational
CEOs, senior business leaders and key policymakers (including U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon) for a series
of frank discussions (the future of sustainable transit,
energy independence, government regulation) designed to
inform a series of recommendations KPMG will present at
Rio+20, offering a business perspective on social responsibility to the world’s leaders.
And not a bit of it would have been possible (and most
especially sustainably) without KPMG’s top-down, bottomup corporate climate of responsible business and an organization-wide, multinational CSR strategy that involves the
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company’s 145,000 employees.
Find out how KPMG made this happen. MPI’s most
recent case CSR study—supported by the MPI Foundation
and IHG—gives a detailed look at KPMG’s sustainable
initiatives and how they informed the development and
implementation of a sustainable, sustainable event. Read
the study at www.mpiweb.org/Portal/CSR/CSRTools.
What’s Inside
In addition to the case study, readers will receive access
to the following information and tools.
• KPMG’s onsite sustainable initiatives
• KPMG’s green meeting guidelines
• KPMG’s hotel environmental questionnaire
• KPMG’s 2011 Global Compact report
• KPMG’s 2012 research into the changing corporate
environment
KPMG was recently honored with an IMEX Green
Meeting Award for its Climate Change and Sustainability
Global Summit. Visit imex-frankfurt.com to learn more.
06.12
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SPECIAL SECTION
Arkansas
PAGE 86
The Peabody Little Rock
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ARKANSAS SPECIAL SECTION
The Peabody Little Rock
peabodylittlerock.com
Little Rock’s value, accessibility and
Southern hospitality make it the perfect
place for your next meeting, and when
it comes to meetings in Little Rock,
Arkansas’s first and only Four-Star hotel
has you covered. The Peabody Little
Rock has a variety of flexible meeting
spaces, plus complete banquet and
catering services are available, making
any meeting a breeze to plan. With an
interior connection to the Statehouse
Convention Center’s 200,000 square
feet, you don’t have to leave the hotel
for the city’s largest events.
The Peabody Little Rock is conveniently located in the bustling downtown River Market District and within
walking distance of many of the city’s
best restaurants, shops and attractions,
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The Peabody Little Rock
has a variety of flexible
meeting spaces, plus
complete banquet and
catering services are
available, making any
meeting a breeze to plan.
including the following.
• William J. Clinton Presidential
Center & Park
• Arkansas Museum of Discovery
• Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas
Nature Center
• Central Arkansas Library
• Heifer International Headquarters
and Heifer Village
• Historic Arkansas Museum
• Arkansas River Trail System
• River Front Park
The hotel has wired and wireless high-speed Internet, a free guest
shuttle to and from Little Rock National
Airport, onsite restaurants and bars and
the world-famous Peabody Duck March.
Check out the 2012 incentives for group
bookings on peabodylittlerock.com/
meetings-and-conventions.
For more information, email events@
peabodylittlerock.com, call (501) 399-8050,
or visit peabodylittlerock.com.
06.12
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MPI’s 2012 Meeting Guide To
CALIFORNIA
Pages 88-89
Team San Jose
Pages 90-91
San Francisco Travel Association
Pages 92-93
Monterey County
Page 94
Anaheim Convention Center
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2012
Team San Jose
sanjose.org
One Team Plans All Your Event Needs
More and more meeting planners—tired of dealing
with multiple organizations—are finding their way to
Team San Jose, where they can get all their event needs
serviced in one stop. Between their renowned service
and San Jose’s exciting and walkable downtown, it’s no
wonder that 97 percent of planners say they’d return.
Team San Jose manages the San Jose Convention
Center, which is undergoing a $120 million expansion
and renovation, slated for completion in fall 2013. To
celebrate the state-of-the-art transformation of the
center, which currently offers 143,000 square feet
of exhibit space and 39,000 square feet of breakout
space, Team San Jose is offering free convention center
rental for qualified groups through 2014.
From the center, which remains fully operational
through the project, meetings can radiate seamlessly to
Team San Jose’s nearby arts and entertainment venues,
such as the California Theatre (home to the opera and
symphony), the Center for the Performing Arts (home
to Broadway and ballet), the Civic Auditorium, Montgomery Theater (home to Children’s Musical Theater),
Parkside Hall and South Hall.
To continue streamlining service and value, Team
San Jose offers an in-house culinary team who serve
up customized menus. Their unconventionally good
cuisine features local, often organic ingredients. With
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their entertainment partner Nederlander Organization, they can produce concerts (often customizable!).
Planners looking to host a green meeting will find extensive environmentally friendly services and practices,
including one of the few west coast centers to offer
composting.
Fun, Convenient Destination
The center is located within walking distance of more
than 2,100 hotel rooms, with 3,000 more within a
short rail ride. It’s also just 5 minutes from our environmentally friendly airport and a short stroll to many
diversions, from hip restaurants and nightclubs to
galleries and intriguing museums, such as the San Jose
Museum of Art, The Tech Museum and the Children’s
Discovery Museum. As one of the safest big cities in
the nation, delegates can enjoy San Jose after dark.
A short cab ride away is trendy Santana Row, filled
with al fresco eateries, lounges and upscale boutiques,
which is across the street from the world-famous and
reputedly haunted Winchester Mystery House, which
has been featured on many television shows around
the world. All this, plus San Jose’s central access to
Santa Cruz beaches and wineries, Monterey and San
Francisco, is great for those who stay and play.
What are you waiting for? Call (800) SAN-JOSE or
visit www.sanjose.org.
SUPPLEMENT
California Supplement 0612.indd 88
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2012
San Francisco Travel Association
sanfrancisco.travel
an extra 49 hours. We know you’re here to get some
work done, but you know what they say about all
work and no play.
And MPI members—we’re looking forward to seeing you in 2015! But don’t wait that long.
San Francisco is often defined by
the buzz words of change: “cutting
edge,” “out-of-the-box.” Recently
elected Mayor Edwin Lee has
taken to calling it the “capital of
innovation.”
2013 isn’t too far off, and you might say that as San
Francisco enters this “teen” year, it’s going to be
experiencing some similar symptoms—a growth spurt
and lots of experimentation. San Francisco is often defined by the buzz words of change: “cutting edge,”
“out-of-the-box.” Recently elected Mayor Edwin Lee
has taken to calling it the “capital of innovation.”
It is certainly all these things. It is also that rare
combination of classic sights and scenery—the
Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and hills. Add to that
a $56 million Moscone Center renovation, top hotels,
world-class food, diversity and a rich history.
Yes, it’s mostly amazing with a chance of anything
when you meet in San Francisco. And plan on staying
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Coming Up in 2013*
• 1.13: The $60 million SFJAZZ Center built
specifically for jazz music and audiences alike
will be the first concert hall of its kind in the
western United States.
• Spring 2013: Just in advance of the America’s
Cup, the Exploratorium will be moving to its
new waterfront home at Pier 15.
• 9.13: The America’s Cup Finals will take place
Sept. 7-22, 2013, and will pit the winner of the
Louis Vuitton Cup against the Cup’s Defender—
the U.S.’ own ORACLE Racing.
• 2013: Treasure Island redevelopment begins construction. The most environmentally
sustainable large development project in U.S.
history will give the manmade island a mix of
residential, retail, overnight accommodations, a
marina, restaurants, entertainment venues and
300 acres of parks and open space.
SF Travel works with planners to produce memorable San Francisco meetings of all sizes. Experienced
sales professionals can research availability and help
meeting planners with Moscone Center bookings as
well as self-contained hotel meetings.
SF Travel’s Web-based MeetingMarketer at www.
sanfrancisco.travel allows planners to search for
hotels and event space, order the 2012 San Francisco
Meeting and Event Planner’s Guide, utilize e-marketing tools and make overflow housing reservations via
aRes and www.WelcometoSF.com.
Contact us at San Francisco Travel Association,
201 Third St., Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103,
(415) 974-6900.
*Dates subject to change.
SUPPLEMENT
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2012
Monterey County
meetinmonterey.com
Recognized around the world for
our unparalleled scenery and
natural resources, your attendees
won’t want to miss your event in
Monterey County.
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With so many options for your meetings and conventions, why not choose a destination that will increase
attendance, inspire your participants and make your
work easier? Monterey County offers meeting planners all of those benefits.
Recognized around the world for our unparalleled
scenery and natural resources, your attendees won’t
want to miss your event in Monterey County. Located on the Central California Coast, Monterey is a
convenient drive within Northern California. We’ve
made getting here even easier by adding new flights
to our local airport between San Diego and Monterey
starting June 4 on Alaska Airlines. Monterey County
offers the diversity of the destination and a variety
of meeting accommodations to fit every budget and
expectation. Monterey’s mild temperate climate allows the region to provide bountiful produce, which
translates into fresh menu options. With an average
temperature of 65 degrees year-round, you can plan
your program with confidence that weather will
cooperate. Hold a team-building activity along the Big
Sur coastline, offer an incentive trip that includes racing cars at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca or plan your
offsite dinner at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch (and
he may just show up to play piano).
The Monterey County Convention & Visitors
Bureau is a one-stop shop for all your meeting needs.
Call us at (800) 555-6290 or email us at sales@mccvb.
org to discuss your upcoming program requirements.
We are ready to brainstorm unique ideas and send
your request for proposal to the appropriate hotels
and member venues for bids. Or peruse the planner
section of our website, MeetInMonterey.com, for
venue and meeting facilities that will accommodate
groups from 10 to 3,000 and discover the many
ways your delegates can enjoy Monterey outside the
boardroom. Your attendees will appreciate the diverse
activities the Monterey region offers. From a relaxing
day at the spa to wine tasting and a round of golf
with co-workers, your group will feel re-energized
and ready to work even harder. And you can rest easy
with the Monterey County Convention & Visitors
Bureau being your destination expert and meetings
partner, leaving you with one job: enjoy the beauty of
Monterey with your team.
SUPPLEMENT
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2012
Anaheim Convention Center
anaheimoc.org/outside
Meet Under the Sun or the Stars in Anaheim
The 1.6 million-square-foot, LEED-certified Anaheim
Convention Center’s new Grand Plaza breaks ground
this May and is scheduled for completion in January 2013. This new outdoor venue will add 100,000
square feet of flexible space for meetings, receptions
and special events. Spanning from the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC) to the Hilton Anaheim and Anaheim Marriott hotels, the multi-functional plaza will
accommodate up to 10,000 for meetings and 6,500
for sit-down dining events. The plaza’s palm tree-studded walkways, fountains and ambient lighting will
create a relaxed atmosphere for daytime or evening
events. In addition, the dramatic entryway and landscaping will create a powerful sense of arrival.
The ACC offers additional outdoor event spaces, including the Arena Fountain area and Palm
California Supplement 0612.indd 94
The plaza’s palm tree-studded
walkways, fountains and ambient
lighting will create a relaxed
atmosphere.
Court—both excellent venues for a variety of outdoor
events, from concerts to themed cocktail receptions
and game pavilions.
The Anaheim Convention Center now offers
free Wi-Fi to all visitors to the center, including the
outdoor areas. Providing standard 128K-upload and
256K-download capacity throughout the entire facility, the ACC is the only convention center in the Western region of the U.S. to offer free Wi-Fi.
5/24/12 3:05 PM
MPI STRATEGIC PARTNERS
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
GLOBAL PARTNERS
MPI MARKETSMART BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
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MarketSmart Business Solutions is the first fully integrated program designed to heighten your reach and provide optimal visibility
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mpiweb.org
Sponsors 0612.indd 95
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>
>
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
“
Social networks are these
intricate things of beauty, and they’re
so elaborate and so complex and so
ubiquitous that one has to ask what
purpose they serve.”
Go to Page 68 to read the One+ feature profile of
WEC 2012 keynote speaker Nicholas Christakis and
his thoughts about the importance of seemingly
trivial behaviors.
Source: TED
PHOTO: PAUL SCHNAITTACHER
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