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THE FUTURE OF INCENTIVES
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June 2010 • Volume 3 • Number 6
In It Together
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR IN CHIEF David R. Basler, dbasler@mpiweb.org
MANAGING EDITOR Blair Potter, bpotter@mpiweb.org
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michael Pinchera, mpinchera@mpiweb.org
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jason Hensel, jhensel@mpiweb.org
ASSISTANT EDITOR Jessie States, jstates@mpiweb.org
Think Beyond the Carrot
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
DESIGN AND PREPRESS Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
COVER DESIGN Jason Judy, jjudy@mpiweb.org
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
Denise Autorino, dautorino@mpiweb.org, Phone: (407) 233-7305
(FL, GA, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America)
INCENTIVES ARE CHANGING. The average employee isn’t happy with money,
Cheri DeLand, cdeland@mpiweb.org, Phone: (410) 822-4810
(AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA)
and productivity and morale aren’t as easy as leading with a carrot on a stick. The
goal of incentives hasn’t changed—we’re all looking for better success. But the
means in getting to that success is shifting as we redefine what constitutes a valuable incentive for our employees, businesses and clients.
In recent books, such as Management Rewired by Charles Jacobs and The
2020 Workplace by Jeanne Meister and Karie Willyerd, the message is the same:
The way we manage must change or we forfeit success. Parts of that change are
the incentives we offer our employees, and as meeting professionals we have an
equally high duty to help our clients understand this new continuum.
In a recent TED Conference speech, Daniel Pink describes the future of successful incentives as “intrinsic motivation” or “the desire to do things because
they matter, because we like it, because they’re interesting, because they’re part of
something important.”
He argues that the new norm is to not entice with a sweeter carrot, and I
couldn’t agree more. People want to be rewarded, sure, but the value in today’s
rewards is less money-money-money and more value in other forms.
Pink says incentives must support our “urge to direct our own lives,” help us
“get better and better at something that matters” and fulfill our “yearning to do
what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.”
He uses the example of Google and its “20 Percent Time” plan in which employees are given the opportunity to spend 20 percent of their work time on anything
they want. Contrary to what you’re thinking, Google employees spend that time
thinking of creative ways to improve what they do, and they are happier and more
productive because of it, which directly translates into Google’s success.
Pink makes a sstrong argument for redefining incentives that
industries, and much of what he presented in his
translates to all ind
being successfully integrated into business modTED speech is be
els at some of the world’s largest, most successful and innovative
companies.
see in our cover story, “Re-Inventing Incentives,”
As you’ll se
companies in our industry already following this
there are com
mantra—giving clients and employees more than just the
mantra—
luxury trip or bonus paycheck. They’re getting creative and listening to what is important to the people
they reward.
The
T answer for our industry is to figure out ways
to help
h businesses (our clients) meet their incentive
goals.
Easier said than done? Maybe. But it starts
go
by
b simply reviewing how we define incentives
and
a taking the lead on making incentives more
valuable for everyone involved. That’s the definition of finding success in the shift.
Antonio Ducceschi, Director of Sales/Partnership Development-EMEA,
aducceschi@mpiweb.org, Phone: + 352 26 87 66 63
(Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Katri Laurimaa, klaurimaa@mpiweb.org, Phone: (817) 251-9891
(AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OK,
SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WY)
Sandy Lavery, sandylavery@mpiweb.org, Phone: (301) 254-2423
(CT, DC, DE, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WI, WV)
Carolyn Nyquist, Manager of Client Services, cnyquist@mpiweb.org,
Phone: (972) 702-3002
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Bruce M. MacMillan, C.A., President and CEO
Jeff Busch, Vice President of Strategic Communications
Meg Fasy, Vice President of Sales and Marketplace
Vicki Hawarden, CMP, Vice President of Knowledge Management
Diane Hawkins, SPHR, Director of People and Performance
Greg Lohrentz, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer
Sandra Riggins, Chief of Staff
Didier Scaillet, Chief Development Officer
Junior Tauvaa, Vice President of Member Services and Chapter Business
Management
INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairwoman of the Board
Ann Godi, CMP, Benchmarc360 Inc.
Chairman-elect
Eric Rozenberg, CMP, CMM, Swantegy
Vice Chairman of Finance
Craig Ardis, CMM, Mannatech Inc.
Vice Chairman
Kevin Kirby, Hard Rock International
Vice Chairman
Sebastien Tondeur, MCI Group Holding SA
Immediate Past Chairman
Larry Luteran, Hilton Hotels Corp.
BOARD MEMBERS
Chuck Bowling, MGM MIRAGE
Matt Brody, CHSP, JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa
Paul Cunningham, IIMC International Information Management Corporation
Cindy D’Aoust, Maxvantage
Luca Favetta, SAP SA
Chris Gasbarro, C3 llc
Caroline Hill, Eventful Solutions
Kevin Hinton, hinton+grusich
Issa Jouaneh, PENG MBA, American Express
Patty Reger, CMM, Johnson & Johnson Sales and Logistics Company LLC
David Scypinski, ConferenceDirect
Carl Winston, San Diego State University
Margaret Moynihan, CMP (MPI Foundation Board Representative), Deloitte
Jonathan T. Howe, Esq. (Legal Counsel), Howe & Hutton Ltd.
POSTMASTER: One+ (Print ISSN: 1943-1864, Digital Edition ISSN: 1947-6930)
is published monthly 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. © 2010, Meeting
Professionals International, Printed by RR Donnelley
REPRINTS: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form
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CONTACT ONE+: Contact us online at www.mpioneplus.org or e-mail us at
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at www.mpioneplus.org.
MPI VISION: Build a rich global meeting industry community
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS:
Dallas, TX
DAVID R. 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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The body of One+ is printed on 30 percent post-consumer-waste
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Please recycle this magazine or pass it along to a co-worker when
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ISSUE
ISS
SUE
06
10
Re-inventing Incentives +54
Unique challenges are forcing
change upon the current incentives
business—and designing its future.
Still Rising +60
MPI Proudly Presents the 2010 RISE
Award - Community Category Winners
Wingeing It +64
Unconference co-founder Sara Winge
creates success with relaxed settings,
interesting people and little structure.
Leading Means Letting Go +68
+54
You wouldn’t think it, but embracing
the rules of improv is the quickest
way to building trust.
+68
+44
+64
Game On +44
Vancouver played host to the 2009 World
Police and Fire Games, the largest event in
the organization’s history.
Zoo Story +48
Three associations dealing with animals
follow their instincts and successfully have
a combined meeting in Milwaukee.
+60
+48
mpiweb.org
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ISSUE
06
10
CONVERSATION
In It Together +2
Editor’s note
The Energy of Many +12
Global update from MPI
Impressions +14
Letters to One+
Overheard +16
Rumblings from the industry
Irrelevant +36
IGNITION
Get Excited +37
Steve Kemble
A Dose of Sass
All Your Brains Are
Belong to Us +38
Douglas Rushkoff
High-tech Humanity
See the Punch Coming +40
Tim Sanders
Transform the World
Suey, suey, suey
It’s a Flexitarian World +42
INNOVATION
Katja Morgenstern, CMP
One Bite at a Time
Agenda +19
Where to go, in person
and online
Art of Travel +30
The latest in transportable
technology
+34
RECOGNITION
Top Spots +20
New venues + re-openings
Focus On +22
+22
Marilyn Murphy puts the WOW
in travel
SoundOff +23
Career changes and fresh
perspectives
Your Community +32
WEC hosted buyers, Meetings
Matter series, CSR standards,
Got a Minute?
Meet Where? +80
Wow us with your knowledge
SPECIAL SECTION
Gourmet Gone Green +71
Emerging Markets +77
CO-CREATION
Hot Buzz +24
Voice of business, tech marketing,
Heathrow run-away, business
travel spend, war for talent,
Emirates Group, UK events,
liquid carry on, Skype for a visa,
Business Barometer, On the Job,
CSR works, Thoughts+Leaders
+20
Making a Difference +33
Jumeirah and the Future of
Meetings, MPI Foundation @ WEC
Connections +34
Healthcare company + CVB
mpiweb.org
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0610
www.mpioneplus.org
online
lts
su
e
r
vey
Sur re IN.
a
Editor in Chief David Basler talks
about your reader survey feedback
and what it means for One+.
Southwest FunnyFest
Meet professional comedienne Dana Goldberg, whose
annual comedy showcase acts as fundraiser for New
Mexico AIDS Services.
+
Talk and Learn
Learn to work the networking
event like a pro and leave with
great connections with One+
columnist Dawn Rasmussen.
Complete issues of One+
are available in PDF format!
Be sure to check out
Together Through Tech,
Gourmet Gone Green and
Emerging Markets supplements at the back of this
month’s issue.
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Contributors
A fan of the Indy 500, ILONA KAUREMSZKY had no qualms visiting the Racing
Capital of the World. Besides filing case studies for One+, Kauremszky is a weekly travel
columnist and co-producer of mycompass.ca
and has worked with numerous tourism
offices across North America. She’s currently
the first vice-chair of the Society of American
Travel Writers’ Canadian Chapter. Follow
her latest news on Twitter and YouTube
@mycompasstv.
QUINN NORTON embarked
on a life of gainful unemployment as a freelance journalist
and photographer three years
ago. Before
that, she tried
her hand as a
systems administrator, a waitress, a stand-up comic, a school
teacher, a Web designer, a technical writer and
a few other things best forgotten. So far, writing
has lasted the longest.
These days, Norton writes about copyright,
computer security, killer robots, body modification and other things that strike her fancy. She is
interested in the field of human enhancement and
regularly speaks on the subject of body hacking,
the practice of employing medicine and technology
to augment natural abilities.
Norton’s work has appeared in Wired News
and Make; she has been featured on U.S.
National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and
in The Guardian.
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DALIA FAHMY has been writing
about business for more than a
decade. Currently, she covers
entrepreneurship, investing and
philanthropy for publications such
as The New York Times, Financial
Times and Inc.
Fahmy began her career as
a wire service correspondent in
Frankfurt, where she covered European economic affairs for KnightRidder Financial News and has
been a freelancer for seven years.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Fahmy has
also lived in Belgium, Bulgaria and
Spain. She now resides in Brooklyn,
N.Y., with her husband and two
young children.
LISA RADEMAKERS is an award-winning business
feature writer and a technical writer for annual
NASA publication Spinoff. She previously wrote for
an energy and environmental consulting firm near
Washington, D.C., and was editor for an environmental magazine. In her free time, she enjoys
playing with her two dogs, traveling, camping and
photography.
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The Energy of Many
Connecting to the
Meaningful Outside
BY THE TIME THIS COLUMN HITS YOUR DESK OR
SCREEN, your chapter leaders—and those of us supporting them in Dallas—will be wrapping up perhaps
the most complicated planning and budgeting cycle this
association executive has ever participated in.
As we all know too well, the annual planning ritual
in which every business owner and enterprise leader
immerses themselves runs the full emotional gamut—
going from frustration to exhilaration—eventually ending up at place of professional self-actualization
where
self ac
the feeling of completion is akin to solving
a Rubik’s
so
Cube. (I never did solve that damned multicolored piece
of plastic.)
The juice that powers a typical organizational
plano
ning process—data, both internal and
an external—has
never been as accessible to an enterprise
as it is today.
enterp
At MPI, we have never had as much data to support our chapter leaders as we do now:
member and
n
chapter satisfaction data, financial performance
data
p
and, of course, industry economic data
da starting with
our own bi-monthly American Express
Business Barometer.
We have fuel
Barom
for endless spreadsheets
and
s
presentation
presentatio decks.
But maybe
it’s in the
m
depth and
an breadth of our
insatiable
insatia desire for a
data equivalent of a
Rosetta
Stone for
Ro
today’s
unstable
tod
environment
that
en
we actually overengineer
the planning
en
process
and inhibit
pro
ourselves
from getting
our
the actual job at
to th
hand—leading, managhand—
After all, how can
ing. Af
you ever have enough data
to be ready for a volcanic eruption, yet another national
financial bailout, a catastrophic oil spill or an emerging
political coup? All of which hit the global enterprise
planning radar screen over the past two months.
I’m not saying discard your attention to data by any
means. You do that at your peril. But what I am saying
is that in looking at your business, your department or
your portfolio of clients or events, don’t let an ocean of
data drown you from crystallizing your own perspective
The juice that powers
a typical organizational
planning process—data, both
internal and external—has
never been as accessible to
an enterprise as it is today.
at the expense of undertaking your own personal explorations. Data informs decisions. It’s human connections
that inspire action.
Last year, I viewed a great May 2009 Harvard Business Review video (“What Only the CEO Can Do”)
by former Proctor and Gamble Chairman A.G. Lafley,
who explained that the primary role of an organizational leader is to be connected to “the Meaningful
Outside.” As rich as all the data leaders currently have
at their disposal is, nothing is as valuable today as the
experience and insight gained from the human connections to that “Meaningful Outside.” It’s there that leaders find the inspiration for the performance results our
stakeholders desire. It’s an ironic paradox that the more
you personally connect to the chaos that surrounds
the meaningful outside that are our businesses these
days, the more likely you’ll find a breakthrough idea or
insight that will make sense of it all.
And don’t you just love it when a plan comes
together?
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
You’ve Got Mail
[Re: The Uncivil Age, PlusPoint blog] This article is a
good reminder. We all get tempted to check e-mail and
such during meetings. When we’re distracted, though, it
makes it even less likely we’ll actually learn something.
I like your suggestions about adding more intermittent
breaks, so people can check their electronic devices and
making everyone aware of the “ground rules” at the very
beginning of a program.
—Michele Rubino
SpeakersOffice Inc.
MPI San Diego Chapter
Too Distracted
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
How is your organization
committing to the local
community? Tell us about it.
Send an e-mail to editor@
mpiweb.org.
[Re: The Uncivil Age, PlusPoint
blog] I’ve witnessed it time and
time again: senior-level figures
checking out of a roundtable
meeting by taking out their blackberries and checking in to their
e-mail.
It is rude, shows poor manners and is disrespectful to the
speaker and the group as a
whole. A person should have to
leave his/her portable devices in
a bin at the door to pick up after
the meeting.
—Jacqueline R. Lane
Canadian Cardiovascular Society
MPI Ottawa Chapter
You Need a Pro
[Re: Rise of the Amateur, May
2010] Beautifully presented thesis and excellent strategies for
promoting professionalism. As a
video producer, I know too well
the challenges that arise from a
rise in amateurs with a camera.
I saw the writing on the wall
six years ago when I developed
an instructional DVD called, “How
to Keep Your Do-It-Yourself Video
From Looking Like You Did It
Yourself.” (If you can’t beat ‘em,
join ‘em.)
Lately, I’ve been trying to
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employ this analogy: “You
wouldn’t want to choose the selftaught, amateur surgeon as your
doctor, so why go with less-thanpro for (fill in the blank) services?”
Then our job becomes a matter
of educating potential clients
about the importance of quality in
what we offer them.
—Jim Staylor
Staylor-Made Communications Inc.
MPI San Diego Chapter
Your Frontline
[Re: Improve Your Business
Writing, PlusPoint blog] I’m not
a planner or a marketer, but I
am a writer. In addition to writing magazine articles for the
meeting/conference/incentive
travel industry, I facilitate the
@FAMTripTV Twitter feed for
host/producer/planner Jennifer
Wood. Although I read flashes
of brilliance from planners and
marketers, regurgitation is a
problem.
To be fair, though, I think Twitter festers the problem with its
RT feature, so there’s a flip side
to the benefits of mirroring the
comments of others. Still, there’s
always room for improvement—
for all of us. And ultimately, it
comes down to what you say and
how you say it; as you’ve quoted,
writing is “your frontline.”
—Sherryll Sobie
Sherryllsobie.com
Re-view the Review
[Re: Let’s Kill Performance
Reviews, PlusPoint blog] If you
manage people, you’ve probably
heard that the “new” trend is
coaching rather than just goal
management.
One good resource on this
trend is Masterful Coaching by
Robert Hargrove. To have effective coaching, you need dialogue
around behavioral transformation, rather than just about
project-specific goals.
In many companies, that only
happens when there is a formal
review. Our company has every
manager conduct a quarterly
review with each associate,
and the process is designed to
encourage an exchange of ideas,
not just to have the manager
download his/her views.
The company also encourages an ongoing dialogue. Based
on that, I don’t think a review has
to be a negative experience.
—Leslie Selby, CMP, CMM
Carlson Marketing Ltd.
MPI Toronto Chapter
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Overheard
Runaway Runway
“From the start, we argued that building a third runway
at a time when we are battling to reduce our carbon emissions made no sense. This is a huge victory in the fight for
genuine action against catastrophic climate change—a recognition of the impact aviation is having on our climate.”
—Greenpeace UK on the coalition government’s decision to scrap plans for a
third Heathrow Airport runway
Jobs Crisis
Arizona
BoycottSustainable Jobs
BritsTravel
Abroad
“It is inappropriate to punish
the men and women of our
industry who have done no
harm to others. The situation
in Arizona further highlights
the need for federal action
on immigration reform. The
longer Congress delays action
on this issue, the greater the
likelihood for divisive and detrimental policies.”
—Roger Dow, president
and CEO of the U.S. Travel
Association
“The city is taking this action
to demonstrate our opposition to Arizona’s new policy
to require documentation for
persons suspected of being in
that state without official status. Such a policy is contrary
to Boulder’s commitment to
diversity and is a violation of
our community’s core values.”
—Jane Brautigam, city
manager for Boulder, Colo.,
on the suspension of all citysponsored travel to Arizona
“Using travel boycotts as a
political weapon only hurts
the local community and the
200,000 workers that benefit
from the meeting industry. It
also frustrates growth and
innovation at a time when it’s
never been needed more.
We encourage options for
dialogue that don’t sacrifice
a US$7 billion Arizona event
industry in the middle of an
economic recovery.”
—Bruce MacMillan, CA,
president and CEO for MPI
Eco Plight
“This conference comes at
a pivotal time. Together, we
must fight as one voice, one
people, one region. We owe
it to ourselves, our people
and our visitors. Individually
our respective destinations
have strengths, together we
become a powerhouse.”
—John Maginley, chairman for the
Caribbean Tourism Organization
and minister of tourism for
Antigua and Barbuda, during the
2010 Caribbean Conference on
Sustainable Tourism Development
Best of the Blogs
You Tell ‘Em
Posted by Ira M. Kerns
GuideStar Research and MeetingMetrics
I have been measuring ROI for more than
20 years for companies that have turned
around sales forces, increased dealer network
investments and lifted the spirits of entire
employee populations in a matter of hours or
days—meetings that have turned around companies, built competitive spirit and converted
employees who produced markedly better
impacts after a meeting than before. These
are the messages, the stories and the proofs
we should be telling as an industry to meeting
owners.
COP16 Moon Palace
Posted by Jessie States
One+
It’s finally official. Moon Palace in Cancún will
play host to eco-conference COP16, presented last year as COP15 in Copenhagen. COP15
was largely panned by critics, but did precipitate an invaluable event sustainability report.
Moon Palace will have to work hard to match
the success of Copenhagen’s Bella Centre,
but after this year’s MPI MeetDifferent, we
have no doubt in the venue’s capabilities.
Cautious Cutting
Posted by Ann Godi
Benchmarc360 Inc.
This week, Roger Yu from USA Today wrote
an article on how meeting planners are
cutting back on hotel costs. And while costcutting measures are certainly important and
professionals in our industry know the importance of tightening the belt in lean times, what
we do and the strategies we employ are much
more than shaving down a catering menu. We
keep the big picture in mind aimed at creating
meetings and events that produce positive
results for our businesses.
Find out what the editors of One+ think at www.mpiweb.org/
pluspoint, and check out official MPI blog, Engage, at
www.mpiweb.org/engage.
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Agenda
JULY 24-27 World Education Congress
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
MPI’s annual conference serves as a forum where ideas, marketplaces and
people intersect to explore concepts and share perspectives. With an expected attendance of more than 3,000 meeting professionals, tap into the
energy of the meeting industry’s decision-makers. Visit www.mpiweb.org/
wec. (See page 68.)
AUG. 8-11 NBTA Convention & Expo
HOUSTON
Preview the newest industry tools, learn the latest trends, network with more
than 5,500 colleagues and peers and meet with more than 400 companies
on the expo floor. Keynotes include former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza
Rice, Virgin Group President Richard Branson and cycling world champion
Lance Armstrong. Visit www2.nbta.org.
AUG. 21- 24 ASAE Annual Meeting and Exhibition
LOS ANGELES
Discover and implement ideas that deliver results during this American Society of
Association Executives event. Keynotes Bill George of Harvard Business School
and executive coach Marshall Goldsmith will discuss “How to Get It, How to Keep
It, How to Get it Back if You Lose It,” while more than 120 learning lab sessions
present hands-on educational materials. Visit www.asaeannualmeeting.org.
AUG. 31- SEPT. 2 CIBTM
BEIJING, CHINA
The China Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition dedicates three
days to the rapidly expanding and developing Chinese outbound market, offering an expanded hosted buyer program, extensive education and unrivalled
networking opportunities. The event also kicks off China Meetings Week (Aug.
30-Sept. 3). Visit www.cibtm.com.
Connected
TOUS LES JOURS
PASS PROTECTED
LISTEN CAREFULLY
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If you have the same password for
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Your passwords are so well protected,
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them. Only you can.
Prepare for your next business trip at
Librophile.com. This beta site provides
a simple interface for finding audio
books online. Using free tools, Librophile allows users to scroll through
books in various archives. Browse,
search by keyword or choose by genre.
Then listen to chapters online, download whole books, play a sample or
subscribe using iTunes.
mpiweb.org
p019 Agenda 0610.indd 19
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Hotel Moscow
This November, the all-inclusive,
80-suite Casa Velas Hotel Boutique
in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, opens
a new, 3,663-square-foot
conference center adjacent to
the resorts’ garden area and the
Marina Vallarta 18-hole golf course.
Accommodating up to 300, the
Casa Velas Conference Center can
be sub-divided into four separate
rooms ranging in size up to 1,566
square feet.
The 506-room Radisson Royal Hotel
Moscow recently opened in the
renovated former Hotel Ukraina.
The hotel features five restaurants
and lounges, two private executive
floors and flexible meeting and event
facilities that can accommodate
more than 1,000 guests. The hotel’s
six meeting rooms range from
100 square feet to 1,500 square
feet and are complemented by a
1,500-square-foot ballroom and a
conference hall that can seat up to
250 guests.
2. Holiday Inn Berlin
International Airport
The Holiday Inn Berlin International
Airport, located at the future
Airport Berlin-Brandenburg
International, offers its guests even
more starting this month. Following
a comprehensive refurbishment, the
hotel now boasts 299 guest rooms,
a conference center spanning
36,597 square feet and the SKY
Panorama roof terrace.
4. Robot Land
A robot-themed park is set to break
ground this November in the Incheon
Free Economic Zone in South Korea
and is expected to open in 2012.
The park will feature several
attractions such as entertainment
facilities, exhibition halls, research
and development centers, education buildings and industrial support
facilities.
2.
3.
5
1
6
20
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06.10
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5. Washington Hilton
4.
5.
4.
The Washington (D.C.) Hilton
recently completed a US$150
million renovation encompassing
all guest rooms, common areas,
the ballroom complex and exhibition spaces. The hotel’s renewed
110,000-square-foot function space
now features the 30,000-squarefoot, multipurpose Columbia Hall.
Also new: the Heights Executive
Meeting Center, which includes nine
meeting rooms.
6. Hyatt Regency
Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa
and Marina
The 350-room Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina
recently opened in the south Caribbean. The luxury resort features
uninterrupted water views on
three sides; white-sand beaches;
the full-service Atabei Spa; a 24hour fitness center; three outdoor
pools; a dive-and-water sport facility;
an 18-hole, Pete Dye-designed golf
course; and 38,000 square feet of
indoor and outdoor meeting space.
6.
2
3
4
mpiweb.org
pg020-021 Top Spots 0610.indd 21
21
5/28/10 8:19:09 AM
Focus On...
Incentive planner turned
part-time tour operator?
Not likely. But as Max says
in The Producers, “When
you’ve got it, flaunt it.
Flaunt it!”
Marilyn Murphy
Creative queen and CEO for Creative Travel
Planners Inc. and The WOW! Travel Club
Five Things to Know About
Incentive Planning
1. It’s a job (but it’s the greatest job in the world)!
2. It’s never, ever the same.
3. Envisioning and creating a program is almost as fulfilling
as the actual event.
4. It requires masterful juggling—left/right brain tasks,
both minutiae as well as outrageous imagining, skillful
communication at many levels, destination/current events
knowledge.
5. We pray a lot: that the flights will depart on time, that
the luggage will arrive, that there won’t be a strike/hurricane/earthquake/volcano/terrorist act.
22
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Marilyn Murphy joined Creative
Travel Planners (CTP) in 1981
with a flair for unique events and
a penchant for travel. (She longed
to be a commercial pilot as a child,
but she thought she couldn’t—
what with being a girl and all.)
Here in the fast-paced world of
incentive planning, Murphy was
able to make a quick name for
herself and, when CTP’s founder
retired, he sold the company to his
protégé.
That was more than 20 years
ago. And while Murphy still
thrives on preparing incentives,
her personal goals have evolved.
It’s less luxury and fine foods—
though these are still important.
Murphy sees her job now more as
mentor, taking North Americans
out of their comfort zones and
molding them into ambassadors
for the world.
In 2006, Murphy formed
The WOW! Travel Club, which
allows her to embrace her inner
bohemian and create experiential
trips for small groups. The first
few comprised mainly friends and
family. But word of her outfit has
spread, and a more diverse group
of people has taken advantage of
her ability to eke out the true (and
sometimes gritty) routine of her
destinations.
“It’s a labor of love,” Murphy
says of the club, which isn’t necessarily pulling in the big bucks just
yet. And each experience is less
about razzle-destination-dazzle,
and more about visiting Indian
children at their schoolhouse, arts
and crafts with locals in the Peruvian Andes or attending a class at
the Abel Santamaria School for
the Blind in Cúba.
Murphy fell in love with cultural travel in her youth. After college graduation, she made plans to
travel the world with a girlfriend
who was a Peace Corps volunteer
in the Philippines. After flying to
Manila, plans went awry (as they
so often do), but Murphy didn’t
head home for another eight
months and eight countries (when
her money finally ran out) and she
had resolved on a career in travel.
Now, Murphy shares that love
of foreign culture in her own artistic ways, drumming up adventures
with the ease of an incentive planner and the heart of an explorer. It
may not always be luxurious, but
if you want a real scent of your
next destination, she might be the
right person to call.
—JESSIE STATES
06.10
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SoundOff
Career Changes & Fresh Perspectives
How has the way you do business changed since the
global financial crisis (GFC) began?
“Like everyone, we
are just a little more
cautious about business decisions and
spending, making
sure we do our due
diligence on partnerships and vendor relationships in terms of
their financial health
and stability. It’s not
that we didn’t do
those things before;
it’s more of a focus
now. This factor
extends the decisionmaking time out from
initial contact to actually pulling the trigger.
That’s probably not a
bad thing.”
“In the long run the
crisis has forced more
or less all of us to
rethink our concepts,
strategies, costs and
processes. Both now
and in the future,
the situation will be
marked by a greater
sensitivity toward
costs, greater pressure
to justify our actions
and demand for ROI
monitoring. There
has been a paradigmatic change in the
way we treat our
customers, partners
and service providers,
which offers great
new opportunities.”
Karen Kotowski,
CAE, CMP, new CEO
for the Convention
Industry Council
Matthias Schultze,
New managing director for GCB German
Convention Bureau
“Our approach is
to work together,
to lend a hand, to
look out for each
other and get on
with what needs to
be done. That’s the
approach we’re taking in the wake of
the GFC, bringing
all our bureaus and
centers together with
the Australian government in a new
whole-of-country
approach to attracting association
events.”
Julie Sheather,
New association
business director for
Tourism Australia
“A bad economy will
expose a poor selling
effort. As salespeople
in the middle of the
GFC, we cannot be
order-takers; we must
aggressively pursue
business and effectively communicate
what differentiates us
from the competition.
We have turned our
focus to sharpening our skills and
strengthening our existing relationships so
that when our clients
are ready to buy, we
are first in line to receive their business.”
Jeremy Marquard,
New sales director for
the Sheraton Puerto
Rico Hotel & Casino
“The slower economy has caused us
to work harder than
ever for business.
Our hotel sales team
wants to ensure that
we get in front of
as many customers
as often as possible,
and trade shows are
one of the best opportunities for us to
do that.”
Scott Blalock,
New vice president
and general manager
for the JW Marriott
Indianapolis
mpiweb.org
pg023 SoundOff 0610.indd 23
23
6/1/10 9:05:18 AM
HOT BUZZ
The Voice of
Business
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has emerged as a
champion for business events.
The organization’s CEO Thomas
J. Donohue has declared that
“if Congress is looking for an
industry that can spur the
economy and create jobs, they
need look no further than travel and tourism.”
The remarks came in front
of a crowd of 5,000 international industry executives at the
U.S. Travel Association International Pow Wow. Donohue also
suggested areas in which the
government, business and
travel communities can achieve
economic growth and job creation. He implored the groups
to improve infrastructure, mitigate security hassles and aggressively advocate the importance of travel to the U.S.
economy.
24
one+
+
06.10
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5/27/10 1:46:47 PM
+
No, No,
Heathrow
Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
in the UK agree. There will be no
third runway at Heathrow Airport.
The new coalition government issued
the decree in a statement of understanding between the parties on a
range of issues including civil liberties, the environment and the national deficit.
In order to fulfill joint ambitions for
a low-carbon and eco-friendly economy, the parties agreed to cancel
Labour plans for the third Heathrow
runway and scrap similar plans for
runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
Opponents of the Heathrow project
won a judicial review in late March
when a judge declared its public
consultation process invalid. The judgment, however, did not rule out the
runway itself. After that review, airport operator BAA issued the following statement.
“Permission to build a third runway at Heathrow is an important
decision for the country, which demands extensive consultation. This
judgment was about the process of
consultation, not the arguments for
or against a third runway, which we
believe remain strongly in favor of
new capacity at the UK’s only hub
airport. As we produce more detailed
proposals, those will be open to full
public scrutiny.”
+
Back in Business
Business travel spending is
beginning to stabilize. In
fact, a majority of executives (57 percent) plan to
maintain or increase business travel spending compared to last year, according to the third annual
American Express/CFO
Research Global Business & Spending
Monitor, a
survey of
479 global
finance
executives.
The research
shows that
27 percent of CFOs plan to
loosen travel policies to
meet with new clients or
for business development.
Just 34 percent of finance
execs plan to restrict travel
for staff meetings or internal business, compared to
81 percent in 2009, and
only 35 percent plan to
restrict travel to
conferences
and events,
compared
to 79 percent in
2009.
Tech Marketing Plans
44%
Plan to
decrease
spending on
physical
conferences
for lead
generation
in 2010
40%
40%
25%
Plan to
increase
spending on
physical
conferences
for lead
generation
in 2010
Cited virtual
events as
one of
the top
emerging
channels
for lead
generation
Plan to
increase
resources
for virtual
events
—Unisfair Marketing Survey
It’s Baaaack…
The Europe Union is planning for a massive shortage in talent in the coming
decades, according to
parliament members in
late April. Curriculum reforms and investment in
higher education are needed to meet educational
and societal demands
based on a new report by
the Culture and Education
Committee. Now MEPs
(members of the European
Parliament) advocate
boosting computer literacy,
strengthening educationbusiness links, fostering
mobility, facilitating lifelong
learning and tackling social
exclusion in education.
MEPs called on member states and businesses to invest in education
and training as “an essential precondition for
emerging from the [global
financial] crisis.” To teach
the skills that society
needs, they advocate
measures to ensure that
at least 40 percent of
people between the ages
of 30 and 34 have a
university education. The
leaders also consider it
essential to increase
digital and media literacy
and teach new technologies at all levels of education and training.
The report calls on
member states “to modernize the agenda of
higher education and, in
particular, coordinate
curricula with the demands of the labor market.” It also urges member states to encourage
partnerships between
higher education and the
business world and to
expand work-based learning and apprenticeships.
mpiweb.org
pg024-028 Hot Buzz 0610.indd 25
25
6/1/10 10:19:07 AM
HOT BUZZ
Profitable in the Air
Active Pursuit
England’s tourism chiefs have
renewed efforts to lure business events, following a recent
study by the Strategic Framework for English Tourism that
identified the meeting industry
as a key area of potential
growth. A new Business Visits
and Events Action Group now
includes representatives from
across England’s business tourism industry, each with expertise in the specialist sector.
Chaired by Bob Cotton, chief
executive of the British Hospitality Association and the London
Business Tourism Steering
Group, the task force will create a 10-year vision and shortterm sales and marketing plan.
The core strategy will focus on
exhibitions and trade shows
and corporate and association
meetings, while identifying opportunities for more sporting
and cultural events. The strategy will launch at the International CONFEX in London in
early 2011.
The outlook for large airlines this past year has
been bleak. Capacity cuts.
Record losses. Not so for
Emirates Group, which
posted record profits during the last fiscal year—an
increase of 248 percent to
AED$4.2 billion (US$1.1
billion). Emirates welcomed
some 27.5 million passen-
gers during that period,
4.7 million more than in
the previous fiscal year—
this in spite of reports by
the International Air Transport Association that airline
financial losses worldwide
reached US$9.4 billion in
2009 accompanied by the
largest demand drop in air
history.
Water Logged
EU airports must install
new technology that can
detect liquid explosives
by 2013, ending the
ban on carry-on liquids. Indeed, the
U.S. Transportation Security
Administration
has begun discussions with
software companies to upgrade
existing screening
equipment so
that it can detect
liquid explosives.
The EU has
said the plan will
harmonize and
simplify airport
security screening
procedures that have
been a source of confusion and delay for millions
of travelers. Many countries introduced the restrictions on liquids and
gels after British authori-
26
one+
ties uncovered a plot to
bomb U.S.-bound passenger planes using liquid
explosives in 2006.
Nearly four
years later, the
ban, which allows
liquids only in
amounts below
three ounces (100
milliliters), remains
a source of frustration at airport
security checkpoints, where passengers are forced
to jettison drink
containers, toothpaste and skin
creams (even jars
of marmalade!)
before boarding
planes. Often, bottles of
liquor or perfume purchased in airport duty-free
shops are confiscated
from passengers transferring through European
airports to third countries.
Visa Via Skype
Legislation before the
U.S. Senate calls for a
videoconferencing pilot
program for visa applications. New technology
could help the nation
attract millions of new
visitors by providing greater access to tourist visas
and is a potential boon for
the U.S. economy and
jobs. According to Roger
Dow of the U.S. Travel
Association, the average
international traveler
spends US$4,000 per
visit. A lack of consular
offices overseas means
that often tour groups
and families must travel
hundreds of miles to apply
for a visa.
The U.S. only has four
consulates in Brazil, which
means that a family in
Manaus (which offers
non-stop service to the
U.S.) would have to travel
1,335 miles to the nearest consulate to be interviewed for a U.S. visa.
Similarly, China offers
enormous potential for
growth in outbound travel
to the U.S. but only three
cities in the Asian nation
have a U.S. Consulate
that offers visa interviews
for tour groups. The cost,
planning and effort associated with traveling hundreds of miles to the
nearest U.S. Consulate
deters legitimate travelers
from applying for U.S.
visas.
06.10
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5/28/10 9:33:34 AM
How’s Business?
Current business conditions are
better than they were a year
ago—at least that’s what 57 percent of respondents told MPI in
the most recent Business Barometer, and another 64 percent predicted a bright outlook in
the future. For many (41 percent), the domestic corporate
meetings sector demonstrates
the greatest activity increase, up
from just 20 percent in October.
But the industry is still
plagued by short lead times due
to greater budget and contract
scrutiny, uncertainty regarding
the speed of economic recovery
and the reintroduction of postponed meetings and events.
Visit www.mpiweb.org/
education/research.aspx for
the full report.
Keeping It Green
CSR pays off, according to
a survey by Buck Consultants. Greening of the
American Workplace
shows that the number of
U.S. employers with formal
green workplace programs
rose significantly last year,
and many of those organizations report cost savings
from reduced use of paper
and electricity. More than
half (53 percent) of respondents have green programs in place, an increase from 43 percent
last year. Among the organizations that have formal
green programs, more
than half have implemented
the following.
• Recycling and paper
reduction (95 percent)
• Web and/or teleconferencing (85 percent)
• Healthy living and wellness (80 percent)
• Internal green communication programs (78
percent)
• Online HR communications (72 percent)
• Green Website via organizational intranet (58
percent)
• Online Summary Plan
Descriptions (57 percent)
• Telecommuting (57
percent)
• Rideshare (52 percent)
While 94 percent of
survey respondents list
cost savings as the most
desired ROI from green
programs, 82 percent
cited community goodwill
and 59 percent mentioned
improved stakeholder perception as additional ROI
measures.
A critical factor of success for green initiatives in
the workplace is leadership.
The survey found that 80
percent of employers with
green programs include
the CEO in development
and communications, while
86 percent of respondents
appointed dedicated leaders for their green efforts.
Among employers who
provide incentives to encourage green behaviors,
31 percent provide special
employee recognition, 24
percent give prizes and 9
percent provide a monetary
reward.
Well Done
A majority of U.S. workers
(56 percent) say that
aside from compensation
and benefits, being appreciated motivates them to
remain in their current
positions—even more so
than opportunities to advance their careers (46
percent).
And more women (62
percent) than men (50
percent) feel that, aside
from money and benefits,
being appreciated makes
them want to stay put.
Yet, 54 percent of working Americans say that
their colleagues appreciate them more than their
supervisors or
company executives.
The survey
of 584 U.S.
workers conducted by
Kelton Research and
sponsored
by talent
manage-
ment firm Cornerstone
OnDemand reveals that
employers overlook simple
solutions to improve employee morale and loyalty—which could reduce
the risk of losing employees as the economy improves. Other
findings from the
survey include the
following.
• 68 percent
of workers gripe
that they haven’t
received useful
feedback from their supervisors
• 82 percent of workers have not established
career goals with their
superiors
• 53 percent of workers don’t feel they have a
clear understanding of
how their roles contribute
to company objectives
• 25 percent of workers have been given new
duties or responsibilities
that are outside of their
skill sets
mpiweb.org
pg024-028 Hot Buzz 0610.indd 27
27
6/1/10 8:58:48 AM
HOT BUZZ
Thoughts+Leaders
How do you calculate ROI for
incentive programs?
Hugo Slimbrouck
+
Director of global sales and strategic partnerships
Ovation Global DMC
We as an industry have an obligation to position events as an
essential part of marketing. Corporate executives (=budget owners) will not part with cash for motivational events unless they
can prove the financial benefits to their companies. Some brand
experiences might not be seen again because they were largely
acts of vanity, but as companies recruit and unemployment subsides we will see clients revisit recognition events.
What is the value that incentives and motivational programs
generate in terms of professional development, knowledge transfer, motivation and investment generation? Meetings, incentives,
conventions and exhibitions are primary engines of both economic
and professional development. They are key vehicles not just for
sharing information but building the kind of understanding, relationships and confidence that can only
be achieved on a face-to–face basis.
Elling Hamso
Managing Partner
European Event ROI Institute
Meetings and events create value by influencing the
behavior of participants; this is the only known mechanism for generating ROI. We usually aim to influence
participant behavior after the event, but incentives are
different, as the behavioral change happens before the
meeting takes place. When the best salespeople win an
incentive reward, the increased sales account for most of the value.
It is not enough to just measure the increase in sales and profit and subtract the
incentive costs. What exactly do they do when they sell more? Are there any negative
side effects that need to be subtracted? Is the higher level of sales sustainable or will
it drop when the incentive is over? Is the sales increase only due to the incentive, or
are you running an advertising campaign at the same time? Incentives can be effective, but take care, the ROI is not always what it seems at first sight.
28
one+
Lain I. Hensley
COO and co-owner
Odyssey Teams Inc.
Most of the ROI of an incentive
program can be calculated before
the trip or reward is given. You
simply need to determine the goals
the candidates need to achieve to
deserve the incentive and be sure
the P&L [profits and loss] justify the
reward. In some cases you might
need to calculate turnover rates,
engagement surveys or job satisfaction to measure the performance.
For sales staff or sales managers it
is simple. Set the high bar and let
the games begin. If the incentives
are good enough the internal buzz
will drive performance and inspire
the entire team to higher levels of
output, even if only a select few get
to enjoy the spoils of their labors. It
is true that the best performers are
internally motivated, but internal
motivation does not stand alone. The
perfect blend of external rewards,
peer acknowledgements and internal
drive will compel the best to exceed
goals and the mediocre to their full
potential.
06.10
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0610_029.indd 29
6/1/10 9:03:13 AM
ART
of Travel
Bring Your
Pup Along
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Travel with your
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This CeCe Kent
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o
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can pop his head out.
(
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New Drink
Holder Stops
the Juggling
Stop worrying about
spilling coffee on your
laptop case
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its unique design
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a
level. Easily
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and remove
rremoved, tugo
collapses to fit in your
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ry-on lu
carry-on
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(Go
oodtug
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US
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Sleep Easy
with Satin
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Get your beauty rest,
even when you’re
traveling, with a Satin
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e enity T
er
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ing on a satin
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Arrive at your
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30
one+
06.10
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0610_031.indd 31
5/20/10 11:56:06 AM
Your Community
Meetings Matter
If you’re not sure how to convince your boss that spending money
on events will drive business growth, you probably haven’t been to
MPIWeb.org lately. Several months ago, the MPI Foundation and
trade show AIBTM (a Reed Travel Exhibitions event) commissioned a
white paper that consolidates all the industry research you need to
prove the business case for your events. (See http://tinyurl.com/
meetingsdeliver.)
Don’t have time to read through the doc? Attend a Meetings Deliver
webinar at noon EST July 8 as part of the MPI Foundation’s focus on
the appreciable business value of meetings. Presenter and industry vet
Roger Rickard will play host as you receive quick-hits from the white paper and a list of industry resources that will help you explain meetings
to the masses—and your senior executives.
Carry on the conversation at the World Education Congress in
Vancouver, which will offer sessions on the value of meetings. The Value
of Meetings Initiative will culminate with the AIBTM event, scheduled for
June 2011 in Baltimore. See you there.
Got a Minute?
One+ has its own online blog, where you can
find late-breaking news, insightful opinions,
new business techniques and even some fun.
Join the conversation at www.mpiweb.org/
pluspoint.
CSR Standards
Fully Hosted
Want to attend the MPI World Education Congress this
summer but lack the funds? The hosted buyer program
is back by popular demand, offering complimentary hotel
and registration to qualified planners. Receive the benefits of one-on-one appointments with the industry suppliers you need to create superior events, and attend the
educational sessions you need to advance your career.
Meanwhile, suppliers: Get their undivided attention. Meet
with planners who are already interested in your area of
expertise through a series of scheduled appointments
over three days.
32
one+
As U.K. green meetings standard BS 8901
continues its journey to internationalization as
ISO 20121, MPI makes its presence known on
the world stage as one of just a handful of organizations to act as expert consultants. MPI
joins the Green Meetings Industry Council, the
Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
and more than 30 countries in developing the
standard.
It’s really nothing new for MPI, which
produced the first-ever BS 8901 event with its
2008 European Meetings & Events Conference. The organization has since embraced
the standard as routine for its conference
portfolio.
Like its British predecessor, the new ISO
measure will require identification of key sustainability opportunities such as venue selection, procurement and transport. ISO 20121
should be finalized in 2012 to coincide with the
London Olympics.
06.10
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6/1/10 9:04:06 AM
Making a Difference
Did You Know?
A Jumeirah Welcome
MPI and the MPI Foundation have inked a significant
financial deal with hotel giant
Jumeirah Group in exchange
for access to the former’s
education, research and
marketing opportunities. The
deal was announced May 25
at the IMEX trade show in
Frankfurt.
The agreement aligns
with MPI’s plans to create
the global meeting industry’s
greatest knowledge base
and provides funding for its
Future of Meetings initiative.
Jumeirah joins trade show
AIBTM (Reed Travel Exhibi-
tions) and IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), which
support MPI’s Value of
Meetings and CSR initiatives,
respectively.
This newest three-year
agreement commits MPI
to train Jumeirah event
professionals in preparation
for obtaining CMP credentials. The hotel company
also gains access to multiple
marketplace opportunities
that leverage exposure to
MPI members’ US$16.4
billion buying power. To date,
Jumeirah’s portfolio includes
award-winning hotel properties and a team of more
than 11,500 people of 100
nationalities.
The MPI Foundation has big events in store for
delegates at the World Education Congress this
summer. You won’t want to miss it.
FOCUS ON FOUNDATION
April 2010 Contributors
The MPI Foundation thanks the following organizations and individuals for their generous support.
U.S. CORPORATE
Platinum
AT&T Park
AIBTM Reed
Carlson Hotels
Dallas CVB
Detroit Metro CVB
Fairmont Hotels
Hilton Worldwide
Hyatt Hotels
IHG
Las Vegas CVA
Loews Hotels
Omni Hotels
Universal Orlando Resorts
Wyndham Hotels
Gold
American Express
AV Concepts
Bloomington CVB
Encore Productions
Freeman
HelmsBriscoe
Maritz
MGM Mirage
ProActive
San Antonio CVB
Swank Audio Visuals
Silver
Aimbridge Hospitality
Atlanta CVB
Fort Worth CVB
Global Hotel Alliance
hinton+grusich
LXR
Millennium Hotels & Resorts
Philadelphia CVB
Pier 94
PRA
Salt Lake City CVB
The Greenbrier
Weil & Associates
Bronze
Accor Hospitality
Associated Luxury Hotels
Benchmark Hospitality
Conference Direct
Destination Hotels & Resorts
Dolce International
Experient
Hard Rock International
Hello USA!
Seattle CVB
Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin
Walt Disney World Resorts
Wynn
Small Business
4th Wall Events
Attendee Management Incorporated
Best Meetings Inc.
Creative Meetings & Events, LLC
Kinsley and Associates
Meeting Site Resources
One Smooth Stone
OnTrack Communications
Seasite
Site Solutions Worldwide
Song Division
Swantegy
SYNAXIS Meetings & Events Inc.
Special Donors
BBJ Linen
Boca Resorts
Cvent
Folio Fine Wine Partners
Jet Blue
KSL Resorts
Little Rock CVB
Passadena CVB
Passkey
Production Plus Inc.
SAS Institute
Visit Charlotte
Visit Raleigh
Friends
7th Wave Communications
Balance Design
CACBSO
Gaylord Palms
Gaylord Texan
Hattie Hill Enterprises
Interactive Visuals
Land O’ Lakes
Leadership Synergies
National Speakers Bureau
Strategic Marketings Inc.
CANADA CORPORATE
Platinum
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Starwood
Gold
AVW-Telav Audio Visual
Caesars Windsor
Convention Centers of Canada
Delta Hotels
IHG
Silver
AV-Canada
Calgary Telus Convention Centre
Coast Hotels
Evolution
Hilton Canada
IHG
Marriott Hotels & Resorts Canada
Ottawa Tourism
The Stronco Group of Companies
Tourism Calgary
Tourism Toronoto
Tourisme Quebec
Via Rail Canada
Bronze
D.E. Systems LTD
Destination Halifax
Direct Energy Centre
IncentiveWorks
Niagara CCC
The Conference Publishers
THE PLANNER
Tourisme Montréal
Special Donor
Accucom Corporate Communications Inc.
ADMAR Promotions
Centre Mont-Royal
Exposoft Solutions
Fletcher Wright Associates
Galgary Exhibition & Stampede
Gelber Conference Center
Greenfield Services Inc.
Group Germain Hotels
Investors Group
Naylor Publishers
The Great West Life Company
SMALL BUSINESS
aNd Logistix
EMEA CORPORATE
Heritage
AIBTM
IMEX
Diamond
mci
Platinum Key
BTC
Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Gold Key
Fairmont Raffles Swissotel
IHG
Malaga CC
Vancouver CC
Silver Key
ExpoForce
RefTech
Bronze Key
Visit London
Hotels van Oranje
CHAPTERS
Arizona Sunbelt
Atlantic Canada
British Columbia
Calgary
Carolinas
Chicago Area
Dallas/Fort Worth
Georgia
Greater Edmonton
Greater New York
Gulf States
Heartland
Houston
Indiana
Japan
Kansas City
Kentucky Bluegrass
Manitoba
Minnesota
New Jersey
Northeast New York
Ohio
Oregon
Ottawa
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Potomac
Rocky Mountain
Southern California
Tennessee
Texas Hill Country
Toronto
Virginia
Washington
Westfield
Wisconsin Chapter
INDIVIDUALS
Alan Pini
Allison Kinsley
Ann Godi
Anna Lee Chabot
Anne Clarke
Barbara Cummins
Beverly W Kinkade, CMP, CMM
Bill Boyd
Bradley Martin
Brian Stevens
Brian Reaver
C. James Trombino, CAE
Carl Winston
Carla Benckert
Carol Krugman, CMP, CMM
Carol Muldoon
Charles Bowling
Cheryl Renzenbrink
Chris Gabaldon
Chris Meyer
Christine Duffy
Christopher Chung
David DuBois, CMP, CMM
Dave Gabri
Dave Johnson
Dave Scypinski
Diane Schneiderman
Didier Scaillet
Doug Bolger
Evelyn Laxgang
George P. Johnson
Gus Vonderheide
Hattie Hill, CMM
Heather Milliken
Helen Van Dongen, CMP, CMM
Herb Zeilinger
Ivan Carlson
Janet Victor
Jeff Wagoner
Jennifer Brown
Jerry Wayne
Joe Nishi
JodieAnn Cady
John Meissner
Jonathan Howe, Esq.
Joseph Lipman
Katie Callahan-Giobbi
Ken Sanders
Kevin Olsen
Kevin Kirby
Kristen Robertson Mackenna
Lawrence Luteran
Linda Swago
Lisa Baadsvik
Mamiko Hayashi/Michael K. Stein
Marianne Demko Lange, CMP, CMM
Margaret Moynihan
Mariela McIlwraith
Mark Komine
Mark Sirangelo
Matthew Schermerhorn
Melanie Cook
Mendelssohn Livingston
Melvin Tennant
Michael Massari
Mike Deitemeyer
Mike Beardsley
Mike Stawiarski
Mitchell Beer, CMM
Moon Civetz
Paul Fogarty
Ping Liu
Richard Harper
Rick Smith
Rob Scypinski
Robert Payne
Robin Lokerman
Robyn Byrd Powell
Ron Guitar
Sandra Riggins
Sara Torrence
Sebastien Tondeur
Steve Kemble
Susan Buntjer
Terri Fisher
Theda Jackson
Tim Brown
Tony Lorenz
Unni Soelberg-Claridge
Vito Curalli
William Gilchrist
mpiweb.org
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5/28/10 4:00:58 PM
WHO:
Connections
Mary Rose Wild
Senior director for Medco
Health Solution’s Center
for Learning &
Organization Effectiveness
Healthcare Company + CVB
The exhibit-hall floor was pristine.
No telling stains of conferencegone-by. No scuffs or scratches.
Each booth faultlessly aligned. It
was quite literally perfect.
But, the true beauty of this Medco Health
Solutions event was not its precision, rather
its accessibility. The 2009 market group conference had gone virtual, offering entrée to
headquarters staff in Franklin Lakes, N.J, as
well as satellite personnel at home offices and
outpost centers across the States. Medco’s
account management team logged on and
tuned in to high-level content, three hours a
day for five days.
The global economic crisis hit most sectors of U.S. industry—including healthcare.
Execs at Medco had some tough choices to
make. In January 2009, the senior leadership
team canceled annual sales conferences for
account management—affecting some 800
employees dispersed across the country. Corporate leaders then tasked Mary Rose Wild
and her internal team with creating an online
conference to replace several live events at
a fraction of the cost. She had a span of 14
weeks to accomplish it.
“In Quarter 1 of 2009, we were tightening our belts and being very diligent with our
dollars,” Wild said. “Holding those meetings would have cost us millions of dollars,
and we just didn’t want to take a risk at the
time.”
The challenge for Wild: deliver an interactive, engaging online experience encompassing more than 30 products and capabilities
via more than 40 product owners and subject
matter experts. And no one was allowed to
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Joerg Rathenberg
Senior director of
marketing for Unisfair
EVENT:
2009 Market Group
World Event
April 2009
Online
travel. The company was looking to save
US$2 million, and it was up to Wild to make
it happen.
Wild contacted Unisfair on recommendation from a colleague at Agilent. There,
she found an ideal virtual world for her
event, one that offered real-time interaction
between speakers, exhibitors and staffers;
easy to access documents and presentations;
and live and on-demand conference sessions.
Wild’s team began collecting and uploading
content: various literature and learning materials, case studies, PowerPoints, video profiles
of experts, ROI assessments.
Staff needed to exit the virtual event able
to differentiate Medco in the marketplace, leverage success stories from their peers, create
compelling messages for clients and articulate
the clinical and financial value of the company’s Therapeutic Resource Centers.
Wild meted out her conference space into
different rooms for live conference sessions,
an exhibit floor and professional networking.
Employees entered booths to discuss products with internal experts, shared comments
on speakers with colleagues, even dialogued
with execs in threaded discussions. They also
downloaded content into their virtual briefcases, received up-to-the-minute announcements and relaxed in the lounge.
Wild had initial concerns with the lack of
synchronized equipment at Medco’s various
locations. Some home offices didn’t house
06.10
p034-035 Connections 0610.indd 34
5/27/10 9:49:48 AM
the same computer technology as others.
She worried that the Unisfair experience
wouldn’t register the same everywhere.
But Wild’s employees loved it, based
on Unisfair data. According to Joerg Rathenberg, the company’s senior marketing
director, Unisfair provides detailed reports
on attendee behavior, poll responses and
surveys. The firm compared how many
people registered versus attended, how long
delegates stayed in the environment, what
brochures they downloaded and what sessions they attended.
Nearly 90 percent of respondents to a
post-event survey rated the experience valuable, very valuable or extremely valuable. In
addition, 95 percent of delegates reported
high-level confidence in their abilities to position the Therapeutic Resource Centers relative to competitors, and 81 percent said they
now had the new tools needed to describe
Medco’s capabilities for drug and disease
management.
Goals achieved, Wild looked at the costs.
A typical three-day offsite sales conference
carried an average cost of approximately
$2,000-$3,000 per person. The per-person
cost for delivering via Unisfair was $62.41.
The virtual event generated a total savings of
approximately $1.5 million-$2.3 million.
—JESSIE STATES
Read a full case study of the
Medco event online at www.
mpioneplus.org.
mpiweb.org
p034-035 Connections 0610.indd 35
35
5/27/10 9:49:55 AM
IRRELEVANT
Embrace the Impossible
Take flight into the bright, fluffy clouds of fantasy with these Flying
Pig Sunglasses. No one will ever be able to refuse you with pigs flying in front of your eyes. From now on, the impossible is the only
possibility. (Stupid.com, US$7.99)
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Irrelevant 0610.indd 36
06.10
5/25/10 11:44:22 AM
Steve
Kemble
A Dose of Sass
Get Excited
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
IMPLEMENTED CHANGE AS HIS OVERALL CAMPAIGN THEME, and it has very
BIO
much become the theme of his administration. Now it seems the word change also
applies to what is happening with incentive
programs.
I believe strongly in the value and benefits of incentive programs; however, with
the current recession, many of us have had
to change the methods and modify the ways
in which we implement these programs and
the way such programs and rewards are
perceived.
The bottom line is this: Employees and
clients alike are still motivated by incentives,
we should continue to embrace their value.
When you reward individuals for reaching
goals, this means they helped the company
reach its goal. Incentives can make people
appreciate and participate within the company which distributes them. I have found
that employees and customers get excited
about participating in incentive programs
because they take great pride in being a part
of the company’s success. It is the incentive
program itself that drives them to help the
company achieve its goals.
What one has to determine in this new
economy is what is perceived as appropriate. I feel that giving options for incentives
helps one determine what is appropriate.
For example, I have heard many employees
and customers say they consider cash to be
an inappropriate incentive today. Not only
pg037 A Dose of Sass 0610.indd 37
does cash not give the recipients any type of
“trophy” to show for their work, distributing cash in today’s world simply has the
perception of being frivolous. Cash could
still be an option but not the only option.
I believe in the value of giving namebrand products as incentive options. People
want something they could not normally
obtain or have on their own, and in many
cases, a name brand provides just this.
Many times, by not providing a name brand
as the incentive, you will have an unsuccessful program. Thus, you do the opposite of
your goal, which was to excite and entice
employees and customers to do more for the
company.
I can’t think of any industry
that has grasped and handled
change more than ours, and I
consider this simply one more
aspect of the new meeting
and event world.
Incentives given in various options still
provide great value as a tool within our
industry. As with so many aspects of our
society, we must be willing to make and
adapt and modify to change in order to
keep the programs a valuable part of our
culture. I can’t think of any industry that
has grasped and handled change more than
ours, and I consider this simply one more
aspect of the new meeting and event world.
STEVE KEMBLE has been the magic behind countless international events
for more than 20 years, from celebrating NFL players’ accomplishments
to organizing parties for two presidents. Follow him at www.adoseofsass.
com or on Twitter @stevekemblechat.
mpiweb.org
37
5/25/10 11:52:03 AM
Douglas
Rushkoff
High-Tech Humanity
All Your Brains
Are Belong to Us
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p038-039 High-Tech Humanity 0610.indd 38
BIO
I just agreed to come speak at the MPI
World Education Congress this summer
in Vancouver, and now that I’ve got my
topic set I can’t resist but share it using
print media to promote live media. Call me
old school, but I value live, human contact
above all other kinds. I’ll do whatever it
takes to connect with the people on the
other side of this ink.
So while, for me, this specific column
is about getting you to engage with me in
July, for you it may as well be about learning what it is I’m going to share in case you
can’t make it. (See, we both get something
out of this.)
My working title for the session is “All
Your Brains Are Belong to Us: A Crash
Course in Applied Memetics.” And in
case that leaves you dumbfounded, let me
explain. The first part of the title is a slightly
mutated media virus (see sidebar); the second, my explanation of how and why media
viruses function.
Media viruses are just potent ideas
wrapped in media shells. The Rodney King
tape was one of the first great interactive-era
media viruses. The camcorder tape served
as the shell, and the racial violence served
as the potent idea. Just as the sticky protein
shell of a biological virus lets it attach to
cells in the human body, the sticky, media
shell of a camcorder being used to capture
police violence forced cable news channels
to spread the Rodney King tape around the
world overnight.
It was only then that the ideas, or
“memes,” inside the virus were allowed into
our homes. And just as the genes inside a
biological virus invade our cells and exploit
our weaknesses in order to replicate, the
memes inside a media virus exploit our own
faulty or incomplete cultural code in order
to replicate, too. So our society, which never
fully addressed its own racial fears, was
incapable of fighting off the memes within
the Rodney King virus. And so it became a
cultural epidemic, eventually leading to rioting in more than a dozen U.S. and Canadian
cities.
Viral media isn’t just word of mouth.
That’s just the superficial way a few marketers interpreted the concept. No, viral
media is a way of treating the entire cultural
space as, well, a culture. A living entity. And
instead of studying people, the way market
researchers do, you study stuff and ideas: the
actual things and concepts that people either
relate to or don’t.
What makes viral media so important
right now, however, is that we are emerging from a mediaspace based on cosmetics
to one based in memetics. Branding, as we
know it, is obsolete. It’s an artifact of a very
old culture—600 years old, in fact—when
the real relationships between people and
their producers were being replaced by
artificial relationships between people and
companies very far away. Instead of buying
a piece of fish from the monger down the
DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF is the author, most recently, of Life Inc: How the world
became a corporation and how to take it back. He teaches media studies at
The New School in New York, and can be contacted at rushkoff@rushkoff.com.
5/28/10 8:35:16 AM
lane, we were buying a can from a company
Lord-knows-where. The label—and the
brand mythology it represented—meant to
substitute for the human relationship we
enjoyed before.
For many of us, this was a superior
arrangement. Cleaner, anyway, and less
complicated. Less personal. We didn’t have
to worry about offending anyone like the
Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” and jeopardize our
access to products we wanted. And what
we lost in human engagement we made up
for in convenience. Eventually, as industrial
age processes made all products more or less
equivalent, the only thing left for differentiation was brand mythology. Do you want
your cookies baked by the cute Nabisco
“cookie man” or by Keebler’s elves in a hollow tree?
Interactive media—what we’ve begun
to call social media—finally breaks all this
down. We’re no longer engaging exclusively
with the mythologies of broadcast media;
we are interacting with one another. And
while there are places for us to tell stories to
each other online, the real bias of these peerto-peer technologies is toward facts. Where
is the best party tonight? Where is the best
pizza? What was your experience with that
phone company? Who are you going to vote
for? What the heck is Obamacare?
Look at the effect this has had even on
television scheduling: All anybody talks
about anymore are reality shows. Even
today’s most successful dramas—such as
Lost—feel a bit like dramatic incarnations of
reality shows such as Survivor.
But the most important effect of this shift
to reality is on those competing for mindshare. The only way to attract and retain
attention is by actually doing something.
Apple gets more publicity by releasing a
new piece of hardware than it could ever
purchase in ads. (The video of Steve Jobs
demonstrating the iPad—an unofficial, lowquality video capture, actually—served as
the initial viral shell for this new tech meme.)
In other words, in a non-fiction mediaspace, what you do replaces what you say.
This doesn’t obviate the
need for a communicaThe original “all your base are
tions strategy, but requires
belong to us” is a badly translated
you to develop a new kind
line from the 1991 Japanese
altogether. How do you
video game Zero Wing, which
get your facts in the stream
became something of a cultural
of ideas that are passing
icon for its combination of hubris
through the tweets and
and bad grammar. Check out this
original footage online at http://
blogs and Facebook walls
tinyurl.com/AllYourRushkoff.
of the world? And how
can they be wrapped in
such a way as to replicate?
The answer to the first question is easy:
Make great things. Do a genuinely good job,
answer a new need, innovate mercilessly
and your ideas will replicate. The second—
developing the appropriate language and
context—is a bit tougher to answer. Only by
understanding the memetic landscape can
you predict how people are going to interpret
and transmit your ideas once they receive
them. And this means understanding, even
embodying your culture from the inside out.
More on that next time.
Catch Douglas Rushkoff
live at WEC next month
in Vancouver. Visit
www.mpiweb.org/wec.
mpiweb.org
p038-039 High-Tech Humanity 0610.indd 39
39
5/28/10 10:13:37 AM
Tim
Sanders
Transform the World
See the
Punch Coming
SUCCESS COMES DOWN TO EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS. Internally, meet-
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06.10
p040-041 Transform World 0610.indd 40
BIO
ing managers make them to sell the value
of meetings and later deliver their results.
Externally, suppliers need to capture more
business with fewer sales presentation
opportunities.
You know this, too, and spend more
time than ever meeting about presentations—then fastidiously researching and
designing the slideshow. While all these
busy-work steps are important to the final
presentation, do they really get you ready
for the big moment?
Nothing prepares you for the real thing
like a good rehearsal (or two). I’m not talking about a run through, where you click
through your slides, moving your lips as
you read bullet points. A rehearsal is a
practice session in anticipation of a public
performance. It’s doing the thing in the
“as-if” mode.
To have a great rehearsal requires two
things from you: full commitment and a
vivid imagination. While this sounds hard
for you now, it likely came easy to you as
a kid. Children are naturally committed
to their games, recitals and make-believe
moments. They see themselves in high
definition.
My uncle Jim, for example, left me a
stack of records in the late 1960s when he
shipped out to Vietnam. Meet The Beatles
was my favorite, and I rehearsed to it often.
I’d put the album on in the living room and
sing along at the top of my lungs, using our
Hoover vacuum cleaner handle as a microphone. I could see myself on stage, playing
with the band at Dodger Stadium. I could
hear the crowd’s roar after each track. I
bowed.
My grandmother hid around the corner,
watching me act a fool and smiling to herself. She credits those make-believe concerts
to my lack of fear when it came to performing for crowds, such as the hundred or so
kids at my summer camp in 1972.
As children, we have no problem playing
make-believe, but as adults, we pull back
and limit our rehearsals to quick mental run
throughs without any imagery or drama.
It’s a shame, too, because these full-contact
exercises can boost our confidence and sense
of preparation more than anything else—
especially when we have trepidations about
the situation.
You can have a mental rehearsal no matter where you are. In this case, you must
conjure up the images of the situation where
you’ll perform—the place, audience, ambience, your appearance, everything. The more
vividly you see the images in your mind, the
more familiar they will be later. In the world
of sports, visualizations are a critical
part of preparation as coaches and
trainers realize the confidence-building power of imagery.
Make sure you include hurdles in
your rehearsal. This is where it gets
“grown up.” As kids, when we play
make-believe, it always turns out
TIM SANDERS, a top-rated speaker on the lecture circuit, is the
author of Saving the World at Work: What Companies and Individuals Can Do to
Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference (Doubleday, September 2008).
Check out his Web site at www.timsanders.com.
5/28/10 8:39:49 AM
great. When I gave my pretend rock concerts, I had the crowd at “hello.” This won’t
prepare you for the real world of objections,
distractions and constraints.
A study released in the Journal of Sports
Sciences made a breakthrough discovery:
Teens that mentally rehearsed overcoming adverse competitive situations were the
most confident and prepared during games.
This technique is called Motivation Specific
Mastery (MS-Mastery). In this case, you
visualize yourself mastering a challenging
situation, not just running through it with
a good outcome. Stretch your imagination
to identify things that could go wrong and
objections that will be launched your way.
Imagine how you’ll overcome them calmly,
then move on to your big finish.
While mental rehearsals have merit,
nothing beats a full contact dress rehearsal.
If your upcoming performance is a conversation or a presentation, you need to give it
out loud—from the beginning to the end! I
always get up early the day of my convention speeches to give my talk into a mirror,
making eye contact with myself. I’ve learned
that if I can face myself and like my own
words, then my audience will, too.
The closer you can come to a simulation
of the exact physical experience the better. If
you are going to rehearse a work presentation, rehearse in the actual room you’ll later
use. Set up your visual aids and use them,
just as you will live. Recruit a few volunteers to be your audience. Bring a clock, so
you can also rehearse your timing. You’ll
get great practice at dealing with distracted
people, ringing cell phones, ticking clocks
and gadgets that don’t work on command.
In some cases, you’ll realize that you need
to make some technical or content adjustments, which is yet another benefit from real
rehearsals.
By including challenges during your
rehearsal, they won’t fluster you when they
happen during the actual presentation. As
they pop up, you’ll be in a familiar place
where you’ll internally smile and think, “I
knew you were coming!” Mike Tyson, the
world-champion boxer, once said, “You get
knocked out by the
element of surprise,
This article is an excerpt from Tim
that’s what drops you
Sanders’ upcoming book, Today We
to the canvas. If you
Are Rich: Principles for Confident
see the punch coming,
Living (Tyndale House, March
you can survive it.”
2011). For more information, visit
After a good
www.timsanders.com.
rehearsal, celebrate
with child-like enthusiasm. Clap for yourself, do the victory
dance and store this feeling in your subconscious. In the book Psycho-Cybernetics,
author Maxwell Maltz argues that our
subconscious mind is easily tricked by our
imagination. It doesn’t know the difference
between a rehearsal and a real performance.
It just knows you’ve done this before and
done it very well.
During your all-important presentation, you’ll be able to draw upon this success experience to overcome any fears or
anxieties. You’ll look forward to your performance instead of dreading it. Your wellrehearsed level of preparation will eliminate
the fear of the unknown, replacing it with a
Catch Tim Sanders live
at WEC next month in
been-there-rocked-that attitude.
Vancouver. Visit www.
mpiweb.org/wec.
mpiweb.org
p040-041 Transform World 0610.indd 41
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5/28/10 10:24:06 AM
Katja
Morgenstern
One Bite at a Time
It’s a Flexitarian
World
THE NIGHTMARE UNFOLDED IN FRONT
OF ME as every person going through
the buffet lines scooped up some of the
beautiful vegetarian dishes along with the
fish, chicken and beef. My inside voice
screamed, “NOOOO! Put it down. You
don’t get the vegetarian; you’re supposed
to eat the ‘normal’ food.” I was running
out and still had 40 minutes left for lunch.
As the minutes ticked by and attendees
loaded their plates, I realized I had made
a serious mistake. This seasoned planner
learned a hard lesson.
When planning a buffet,
it is generally best to do a
50/50 split—50 percent
vegetarian main dish and 50
percent meat dish.
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BIO
The conference day began as the previous
one had—breakfast rush for 6,000 people,
served and completed by 8 a.m. It was looking
to be another good conference day.
And the previous night’s opening reception
had gone well; it was heavily attended, and
the new vegetarian appetizers were a big hit.
During this particularly fateful conference, we
decided to fully incorporate vegetarian meals
into the conference menu. The full lunch buffet would include 70 percent protein (chicken,
beef, etc.) and 30 percent chef-inspired vegetarian meals. I was pleased and looking forward
to being able to accommodate the 2 percent of
attendees who listed themselves as vegetarians.
As lunchtime approached, I began to walk
the meal hall, knowing that I would make
attendees happy by giving them something
healthy to eat. The chef did an amazing job
putting together a week of vegetarian dishes
such as Portobello mushroom lasagna, kumquat salads and lentil soups. All the vegetarian
dishes were beautiful complements to the
grilled chicken, beef and fish dishes on the rest
of the buffet.
I was feeling good about the lunches, but I
had made a mistake. I underestimated the pull
of healthy eating. I underestimated the number
of “flexitarians” in attendance. Lesson learned:
When planning a buffet, it is generally best to
do a 50/50 split—50 percent vegetarian main
dish and 50 percent meat dish.
These days we must find ways to incorporate vegetarian meals, as the taste profiles of
attendees change over time. At my event, even
though only 2 percent of the attendees (less
than 150 people) said they were vegetarian,
many more selected the meatless option when
it was available.
I have worked with the Mandalay Bay
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for several
years. One of my favorite basic lunch buffets
from Mandalay is the Build Your Own Burger
Bar. I like this buffet, because it allows attendees to make their own burgers using chicken,
beef, Portobello mushrooms or turkey. The
buffet offers something for every delegate, but
it’s affordable and is not a custom menu.
Lunches and receptions are often the most
difficult areas to incorporate full-flavored
KATJA MORGENSTERN, CMP, is a senior project manager for Meeting
Consultants Inc. She is an active MPI member, speaker and industry
veteran. She can be reached at kmorgenstern@meetingconsultants.com.
5/25/10 12:01:29 PM
vegetarian meals—and it’s even harder if your
conference spans several days with multiple
meal functions. Long gone are the days when
you can serve iceberg salad and marinara pasta
to your vegetarian attendees every day.
Here are some of my favorite budgetfriendly vegetarian options.
Lunch
1. Mexican Buffet: make your own quesadillas, fajitas or assorted burritos; avocado
tacos
2. Soup and Salad Buffet: citrus salads with
fresh oranges, grapefruits, arugula and
mint; beet and nut salad; kumquat salad
with mixed baby greens; creamy butternut
squash soup; asparagus soup; wild mushroom soup; spinach potage
3. Pasta Bar: roasted garlic alfredo; roasted
vegetables with angel hair pasta; pesto arugula; Greek pasta with tomatoes, feta and
white beans; pumpkin ravioli
Reception Appetizers
1. Bruschetta Station: assorted sun-dried
2.
3.
4.
5.
tomatoes, olive tapenades; roasted beets and
goat cheese; cannellini beans and rosemary
Deviled eggs with truffles
Assorted Pâtés: mushroom; red lentil and
red pepper; green bean; strawberry and
rhubarb
Assorted Strudels: mushroom stuffed with
onion marmalade; goat cheese and fig
Fondue Station with assorted cheeses,
breads and fruits
Most of these options work well for mixed
groups, particularly non-vegetarian attendees.
My new rule of thumb: incorporate a higher
percentage of vegetarian options into lunch and
reception menus. Non-vegetarian attendees are
likely to eat the vegetarian options, but vegetarian attendees are limited by their diets to eat
only meatless options.
And if you can’t remember my rule of
thumb, remember your mom’s: eat your
vegetables.
Catch Katja Morgenstern
live at WEC next month
in Vancouver. Visit www.
mpiweb.org/wec.
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Game On
Vancouver played host to the 2009 World Police and Fire
Games, the largest event in the organization’s history.
+
BY ILONA KAUREMSZKY
VANCOUVER’S STREETS PLAYED HOST
TO A MINI-OLYMPICS when the 2009 World
Police and Fire Games (WPFG) came to town
last summer and appropriately lit a flame at
its opening ceremony.
For local firefighters Jeff Clark and Miles
Ritchie (co-chairman and vice-chairman,
respectively, of the Vancouver WPFG), it was
a dream come true. The two masterminds
of the event were no strangers to the annual
summer events. They forayed into this gladiator sports realm in 1995 in Melbourne, playing soccer and winning gold, only to repeat
the win in 1997 in Calgary.
“We always wanted to have these games
in Vancouver,” Clark said of the world’s
third-largest sporting event. The process
turned serious in Indianapolis, home city
for the 2001 WPFG, when the two decided
What’s
New in
Vancouver
The 20-story Coast Coal
Vancouver should be next. “We were the
only bidders to meet the first deadline when
we submitted an expression of interest.”
It turns out the competition was slow to
meet the application deadline, giving the Vancouver contingent the advantage.
“As such, we were given ‘first right of
refusal’ and if the federation felt that we
were not capable, then they would consider
two other destinations that had expressed
interest, but did not meet the first deadline,”
said Matthew Coyne, director for the 2009
WPFG.
The Vancouver bid committee next invited
the WPFG site inspectors for salmon lunch at
the fire hall.
“We couldn’t do anything really fancy, but
we’ve got some of the best cooks on the job
cooking for us,” Clark said. “We just wanted
Harbour Hotel opened
in January adjacent to
the Vancouver Convention
Centre. The hotel features
include a 5,000-squarefoot ballroom, six meeting
rooms and a full-service
business center.
The 400-room Fairmont
Pacific Rim opposite from
the new West Building of
the Vancouver Convention
Centre opened in January
and has 15,000 square
feet of meeting space,
three ballrooms, two
boardrooms, three
meeting rooms and a
multimedia theater.
The Vancouver Convention Centre recently
completed a five-year, multimillion-dollar expansion
that includes the country’s
largest living green roof,
Canada’s largest convention center ballroom, a
new West Building built
to LEED standards and a
refurbished East Building.
ALL PHOTOS MILES RITCHIE/VANCOUVER WPFG
44
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to show them how good we were and how
well we can work together. This is who we
are. If they didn’t like what they saw, then
they could consider the two late entries.”
By spring 2003, a bunch of heavyweights
including John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, were present for the final
bid presentation. Furlong delivered an emotional closing speech that still rivets Clark.
“The WPFG committee asked him if he
wanted a job after that speech,” he said.
Soon after, the WPFG announced Vancouver as the home city for its complex multivenue event. From July 31 to Aug. 9, 10,571
amateur athletes from police forces and fire
departments in 55 countries descended on
Canada’s West Coast to compete in 64 sporting events in 40-plus venues with an estimated 15,000 spectators to inevitably watch
2,100 gold medals won.
“Fortunately for us, we didn’t have any
capital projects for the event,” Coyne said.
“We used existing facilities within metro
Vancouver. That was one of the real advantages to hosting this event.”
But Plan B’s are always necessary.
“You have to predict what might go wrong
and develop contingencies to mitigate these,”
Coyne said. “Using tennis as an example, if
weather prevented us from completing this
event outside, we had alternative indoor facilities ready and willing to accommodate our
event. Not only that, we had communication
strategies in place to make athletes aware
of any changes, and of course, the ability to
handle any scheduling or bracketing conflicts
if necessary.”
The weather turned out favorably, but one
of the facilities, the Vancouver Convention
Centre, was undergoing a major multimillion-dollar overhaul when the bid was won.
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+
Fun Facts
Vancouver is the birthplace
of Greenpeace, one of the
world’s largest environmental
organizations.
Jimi Hendrix used to
summer at the home
of his grandmother—a
Vancouverite.
The Vancouver International
Airport is the secondlargest international
passenger gateway on
North America’s West
Coast.
MPI will host its 2010 World
Education Congress July
24-27 in Vancouver. Visit
www.mpiweb.org/wec for
details.
46
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“We would have had to use an outdoor
facility with tented pavilions for the Games
Village if the convention center wasn’t available,” said Stuart Ballantyne, the event producer and former CEO of the 2009 WPFG.
“We worked closely with [the center’s personnel] to monitor their progress and ensure
we would be able to use the facility and that
it would work for the games’ needs.”
In the end, the convention center was
open for business.
“The Vancouver Convention Centre was
used for registration and administration,”
said Larry Scribner, client services manager for the Vancouver Convention Centre.
“Our facility was also the Vancouver hub
for nightly entertainment with bands on
our ballroom terrace attracting large groups
coming down during the games.”
Staging such a massive event requires
safety and security plans as well as
volunteers.
“We hired police for security and had
more than 2,700 volunteers,” said Clark,
who noted there were no major incidents
reported.
Meanwhile the volunteer forces represented one of the largest numbers of volunteer hosts for a sporting event in British
Columbia prior to the 2010 Winter Olympic
Games.
Considered a volunteer guru for her
experience in organizing an army of people
willing to give their time—most recently
the Molson Canadian Hockey House at the
2010 Winter Olympics—Christine Nicholls
was the event workforce specialist who engineered the volunteer host program.
Some of her recruiting strategies involved
timing.
“Start early, set your requirements, age,
the number of service hours required, types
of positions available and provide information on the volunteer package,” Nicholls
said. “Talk to community groups, service
organizations, sponsors, corporate volunteer
programs—everything is fair game—just talk
about the opportunity to as many people as
you can get in front of and encourage everyone to get involved.”
Coyne further noted how timing is
one of the most critical issues in volunteer
recruitment.
“If you start too early, you may lose interest, and of course if you leave it too late, you
may not secure enough,” he said. “We were
actively collecting expressions of interest for
volunteers two years out from the games;
however, it probably wasn’t until 12 months
out when we launched an aggressive recruitment campaign.”
One planner tip Nicholls offers is to
ensure a solid budget for food, clothing,
training, recruitment, recognition and appreciation and contingency.
“Be friendly and fun as an organization
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in how you engage volunteers, create a great
work environment with a solid volunteer
management team and always be appreciative for their efforts,” she said.
Communication is vital and needs to be
upbeat, consistent and relevant in volunteer
management.
“Scheduling is always a huge undertaking and a clear strategy needs to be in place
and lots of follow-up to see if the process is
efficient and working for both the event and
the volunteers,” Nicholls said.
There are always challenges when dealing with such a large workforce. Motivation,
training and commitment are all issues, but if
planned well, these can all be managed.
“One strategy is to ensure that your volunteer team leaders are very experienced—
they regularly volunteer, have strong leadership skills and can motivate their team
members,” Coyne said. “From a budget
perspective, volunteers are an expense and
should be treated as one. In other words,
organizations need to invest in their volunteers. You need to ensure they are properly
uniformed, well looked after and also to
ensure there is proper recognition for them
following the event.”
You cannot deliver major world-class
events without the support of the community through the deployment of volunteers.
The groundswell of their enthusiasm, energy
and skills are second to none, says event
producer Ballantyne.
Another challenge facing planners
involved housing. For delegates, proximity
to the venues was crucial, as was housing
cost.
“Sports groups as a rule don’t book high
echelon, especially if they are bringing families,” said Carol Mackenzie, CMP, whose
company Advance Group, a Vancouverbased PCO, was the event’s partner and
organizer for accommodations. “These delegates are on the cost-conscious side, so as
always, we negotiated for good group room
rates.”
Unfortunately, the organizers did not
realize the budgeted revenue from this. The
global economic crisis and the weak U.S.
dollar relative to the strong Canadian dollar
contributed to athlete reservations occurring
outside the block as they typically tried to
find the best deal.
Despite the challenges faced during a
down economy, the WPFG managed to
attract the largest number of athletes with the
biggest spectator viewing yet. And to date,
the Vancouver 2009 WPFG event was the
most successful in the history of the World
Police and Fire Games Federation.
+
Transportation
Tips
Vancouver is a walkable city
and the Vancouver Convention
Centre is located on the
waterfront in close proximity
to hotels, restaurants and
attractions.
A new rapid public transit
called the Canada Line opened
in August and has routes from
the Vancouver International
Airport to the city center and
connects directly with the
SkyTrain light rail system.
You can take shuttle buses
aboard the Vancouver
Airporter Bus that stops at all
the major downtown hotels.
ILONA KAUREMSZKY is the former editor
of Corporate Meetings & Events and a co-producer of mycompass.ca.
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AAV
Zoo Story
Three associations dealing with animals follow their instincts
and successfully have a combined meeting in Milwaukee.
BY LISA RADEMAKERS
VETERINARIANS ARE OF A SPECIAL
BREED. They not only care for animals, they
VISIT MILWAUKEE
48
one+
care for people. And when 750 exotic animal veterinarians, technicians and students
got together for a week-long meeting, they
brought their families, including their birds,
amphibians and reptiles.
And planning for animals wasn’t the only
twist to the 30th annual Association of Avian
Veterinarians (AAV) Convention and Expo
in Milwaukee, Wis.—it also marked the first
time that the group combined its annual event
with the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians and the Association of Reptilian
and Amphibian Veterinarians.
Debbie Cowen, CMP, conference director
for the AAV and president of Summit Meetings Inc., has planned the AAV conference for
years. When thinking about the 30th annual
event, the AAV Board envisioned inviting two
other groups to join its conference.
“Many of the attendees have memberships in multiple associations, and we wanted
to allow them to obtain their entire exotic
animal continuing education credits at one
meeting. Instead of traveling to three conferences during the year, they could come to
one,” Cowen said.
At the time, about five years ago, the economy had not yet begun to falter. But as planning became more focused, Cowen realized
that the conference’s location was going to be
more important than ever. She needed a city
that delivered more “bang for the buck.”
Many attendees bring their families and
make the conference a vacation, so Summit wanted a solution with wallet-friendly
activities.
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+
Milwaukee’s Potawatomi
Bingo Casino recently
unveiled a US$240 million
expansion project including
two new restaurants, a
food court, a lounge/bar
area and an additional
1,500 slot machines.
A recent renovation has
transformed a 100-yearold warehouse into a
modern, 102-room
boutique called the Iron
Horse Hotel. Opened
in 2008, the hotel is
geared toward business
and leisure travelers and
motorcycle enthusiasts.
The Hyatt Regency
Milwaukee just completed
a more than $19 million
facelift with fully renovated
guest rooms, an elevator
modernization, a new
front entrance and guest
registration desk and a
new first-floor restaurant
and lounge.
Fun Facts
VISIT MILWAUKEE
What’s
New in
Milwaukee
+
The Algonkian Indians had a special name for the
Milwaukee area: Millioki, which means “gathering
place by the waters.” The Indians may have picked
the name because they observed how the Menomonee,
Kinnickinnic and Milwaukee rivers met before flowing into
Lake Michigan.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records,
Milwaukee is home to the world’s largest music
festival. Summerfest is an 11-day event featuring 10
stages and a 23,000-seat amphitheater.
AAV
“Each year this conference is quite challenging, because it is full of different education sessions, networking events and leisure
activities,” Cowen said. “We always want a
place where attendees and their families have
a variety of things to do during the week. And
we decided Milwaukee was perfect.”
Cowen quickly discovered many incentives for holding the event in the “Jewel of
the Great Lakes.” Milwaukee has inexpensive meal options and various free destinations, such as Lake Michigan, public parks
and the MillerCoors Brewery. In the summer, Lake Michigan offers fun for the whole
group, with swimming, boating, jet skiing,
sailing and freshwater surfing. Plus, Milwaukee boasts miles of walking or jogging trails
just steps from the heart of the city, as well as
an abundant 15,000 acres of parkland.
Meanwhile, VISIT Milwaukee was helpful in planning the conference.
“The CVB sent out my RFP to hotels and
put me in touch with the proper convention
center contacts; they also offered the group a
rebate to offset expenses,” Cowen said.
As part of her research and planning—and
with assistance from the CVB—she made a
site visit to Milwaukee.
“This was an absolute must,” Cowen
said. “Any place can look great on paper,
but realistically may not work best for your
group.”
During this visit, Cowen had a chance
to get a feel for Milwaukee, and Christine
Celley, sales manager for VISIT Milwaukee, gained the opportunity to learn about
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+
VISIT MILWAUKEE (3)
Transportation
Tips
Milwaukee’s downtown trolley
offers free service with several
loops connecting hotels,
attractions, shopping districts
and festival grounds during the
summer.
General Mitchell International
Airport, Wisconsin’s largest
airport, has 13 airlines offering
roughly 235 daily departures and
arrivals with approximately 90
cities served nonstop or direct.
Amtrak offers daily departures
to Chicago—just one hour and
20 minutes away—from the
Milwaukee Intermodal Station.
50
one+
the attendees.
“She told me the group is like a family
and they are dedicated to their work,” Celley
said. “They look forward to this conference
as a welcomed break. When she described
how they like to get together and reconnect
in small groups, I knew they would like the
RiverWalk, Water Street and the Third Ward,
where there are quaint cafes, bars and restaurants where people can comfortably walk in,
grab a table, visit and enjoy the city at the
same time.”
With numerous reasons to hold the conference in Milwaukee, Summit Meetings Inc.
had just as many reasons for choosing the
Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.
“For this conference, it is important that
the hotel be a destination people want to go
to for a week,” Cowen said. “We look for
things within walking distance, how far the
airport is and what condition the space is
in.”
While the hotel was open to accommodating 750 people, it was also open to accommodating the group’s exotic animal guests.
Aaron Kraemer, senior convention service
manager at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee,
says the staff simply added some extra steps
in planning for amphibians, reptiles and birds
during the educational sessions and labs.
“We needed to lay down plastic in the
meeting rooms where the animals would be,”
he said. “We also stayed conscientious about
which animals were in what rooms, because a
bird could react to the smells from the animal
previously in the room. We made sure that
certain animals were spaced apart and that
there was a comfortable way to move the animals around.”
In addition to managing the needs of particular species, Kraemer says it was important
to keep the staff and other guests away from
the animals.
“We made sure the staff was well aware
of where the animals were located,” he said.
“We also had to be on hand if anything happened and stay on top of things to accommodate any needs right away.”
In the end, Kraemer says things went
smoothly—for the animals and for the
people.
“Sometimes you have hiccups, because
one group is used to this and another group
is used to that, but this went very well.”
Cowen says she was pleasantly surprised
by the the attendance and profit numbers.
“I attribute much of that to the fact that
attendees could come to one conference and
earn continuing education credits in different
categories, the planning by the committees
and the location,” she said. “Originally, Milwaukee wasn’t on my radar, but I sure am
glad it is now. I plan to take more clients to
Milwaukee that are looking for a great value,
easy access, a fun city and honest and kind
Midwestern people.”
LISA RADEMAKERS is a freelance writer
based in Maryland.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Seattle CVB
www.visitseattle.org
Ample meeting space and quality accommodations are the key ingredients for a
successful meeting or convention. Seattle
delivers these elements amid a thriving
city center that is surrounded by pristine wilderness and unparalleled natural
beauty.
In July, the Washington State Convention Center will open The Conference Center, its newest meeting and event facility.
Located at the corner of Eighth Avenue
and Pike Street, The Conference Center
features 71,000 square feet of high-end
configurable space that easily connects
to 205,000 more, a 20,000-pound capacity freight elevator to facilitate move in/
move out and the ultimate in connectivity and convenience. With award-winning catering services, a commitment to
sustainability and an eco-friendly design,
The Conference Center will be Seattle’s
most exciting place to meet.
Complementing the addition of The
Conference Center to Seattle’s convention facilities is the city’s new hotel construction and expansion projects.
Courtyard by Marriott unveiled a new
hotel in an historic building in the heart
of Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood
in May 2010. The 1904 Alaska Building
originated as a bank to accommodate
gold prospectors flocking to Seattle and
is now The Courtyard Seattle Downtown
Pioneer Square Hotel, with 262 newly
designed guest rooms, a restaurant with
a full-service bar and more than 4,600
square feet of meeting space.
March 2010 marked the opening of
The Maxwell Hotel, an independent,
140-room property located at the base
of Queen Anne Hill, adjacent to Seattle
Center and the Space Needle. Groups
staying at the hotel will find 1,600 square
feet of meeting space, an exercise facility
and an indoor pool.
The new, US$185 million tower at the
Hyatt Regency Bellevue officially opened
to the public in July 2009. The tower features 351 new guest rooms, a new stateof-the-art 17,745-square-foot Grand Ballroom, the 13,755-square-foot Evergreen
Ballroom and a 135-seat auditorium. The
property now features 733 total guest
rooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Hyatt brand expanded its presence in downtown Seattle with the opening of Hyatt at Olive 8 in January 2009,
located just two blocks north from the
convention center. The hotel is Seattle’s
first LEED Silver-certified hotel, featuring
346 hotel rooms and 11,000 square feet
of meeting space.
Not to be outdone by the area’s current development, MTM Luxury Lodging has announced that it will manage
the Bellevue Park Hotel, a new property
being developed in nearby Bellevue by
Hydra Developments, LLC. The 100-room
hotel is expected to open in spring 2012.
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 06.10
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5/26/10 12:27:13 PM
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06.10
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Fun and luxury.
Those two words once defined most
of the incentive events organized by
Arabian Adventures. Frédéric Bardin,
senior vice president of the Dubaibased company, says clients from the
U.S., Europe and Asia rewarded their
employees by buying them as many
thrills as possible. Now, burned by
backlash against lavish events in the
wake of the financial crisis, companies want to buy more educational
incentives that have a deeper purpose.
Organizations are demanding incentive events that either relate to
business objectives or promote social
responsibility—a more meaningful
experience, Bardin says.
Unique challenges are forcing
change upon the current incentives
business—and designing its future.
BY DALIA FAHMY
As a result, Arabian Adventures
recently introduced a safari program
in which participants visit a wildlife
conservancy, donate to the park’s
upkeep and learn to read animal
tracks.
This change in mood has affected
the way vendors in Dubai’s event
industry do business. Bardin puts it
bluntly: “We used to be a ‘bling bling’
destination—now we are not.”
This shift isn’t limited to Dubai.
Incentive professionals around the
world are rethinking their strategies
along similar lines, and that is forming a significant shift in the look and
feel of incentive programs.
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More Consistency, Buy-In
Behind the scenes, a similarly important change is taking place:
companies—and with them vendors—revamping their incentives
strategies to make them better integrated into an organization’s fiber. This requires more consistency
and more buy-in.
Consistency may have been a
goal in the past, but it was often
poorly implemented. In the days
when money was no object, com-
“If there’s one benefit
to this downturn,
it’s that it has allowed
us to pull together
data that proves the
case for the value
of meetings.”
– David Gabri
President and CEO,
Associated Luxury Hotels
International
panies often had several incentive
programs running parallel without
much thought to how they worked
together. In the future, companies
will focus on coordinating efforts.
“Once companies started to
pare down out of financial necessity and integrate their programs,
56
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they started asking questions about
why they were doing each program,” said Michelle Smith, CPIM,
vice president of business development at corporate incentives vendor O.C. Tanner.
The result has been a better understanding of how different elements of an incentives program fit
together.
“It helped them connect the dots
and realize that you have to have
consistency,” she said.
Buy-in is another trend that has
often been talked about but is now
finally poised to take off. With less
money to spend and more demand
for meaningful programs, companies are looking for ways to better
design their programs and deliver
them with a passion that doesn’t
ring hollow.
As a result, event planners are
involving human resource departments, division administrators and
direct supervisors in order to find
ways to customize programs for
particular individuals. Part of this
effort involves educating employees who usually aren’t touched by
incentive programs and explaining
to them how programs contribute
to the company’s bottom line. This
helps make programs more effective
and removes some of the stigma associated with sending employees on
a “fun” trip while everyone else is
stuck in the office.
“If you have departments that
don’t really understand what the
incentive does for revenue generation, they are going to be much
more willing to criticize,” according
to David Ryder, managing director
and principal of Veer Consulting in
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Scottsdale, Ariz. “It’s easier to have
effective incentives if the constituent
pool is larger.”
Navigate the New Normal
To make themselves useful even
when companies can’t pay for programs, vendors have been focused
on building their relationships with
clients through guidance.
Advising shell-shocked clients
has been one of the cornerstones
of strategy for David Gabri, presi-
dent and CEO of Associated Luxury
Hotels International (ALHI), a company that acts as a sales agent for
thousands of independent hotels.
The firm has been busy compiling
data about the value of incentives
and sharing it with clients, so they
are prepared to defend their budgets
in the next round of negotiations
with corporate decision makers.
“We try to be of value,” he said.
“If there’s one benefit to this downturn, it’s that it has allowed us to pull
“Companies who want
to recruit and retain
top talent are going
to be people-centric
organizations—they are
concerned with their
employees’ well being
on many levels.”
– Karen Renk, CAE
Executive Director, Incentive
Marketing Association
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together data that proves the case
for the value of meetings.” (See
the January 2010 issue of One+,
Page 76, for complete details.)
O.C. Tanner’s Smith says the
firm has been helping clients remember why they implemented
incentive programs in the first
place.
“We are holding the line with
our clients and making sure they
know they need talented people
more than ever,” she said. “You
can’t control economic factors
in the marketplace, but you can
control, to some degree, your employees’ performance.”
No Future Without ROI
As demand begins to build up, incentive professionals are becoming more optimistic about the
future. Professionals expect 2010
sales to exceed 2009, with a return to pre-crisis levels expected
by 2012. The FutureWatch 2010
survey found a 2.8 percent expected growth industrywide for
this year.
As volumes slowly return to
pre-crisis levels, the types of incentives offered are changing
considerably. Clients and vendors are actively redesigning
their incentives strategy in order
to guard against criticisms of the
past while taking advantage of
emerging trends.
Foremost on everyone’s mind
58
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“We are holding the
line with our clients
and making sure they
know they need talented people more than
ever. You can’t control
economic factors
in the marketplace,
but you can control,
to some degree, your
executives want to know how the
employees’ perforprogram fits into the company’s
overall ROI strategy.
mance.”
– Michelle Smith, CPIM
Vice President of Business
Development, O.C. Tanner
is ROI. A buzzword before the
crisis, ROI is now a headline leading every conversation about the
future of incentives. In fact, incentive professionals who didn’t
believe in measuring results before the crisis learned their lesson
the hard way.
“As an industry we have always measured ROI, but many
clients pushed pack,” O.C. Tanner’s Smith said. “What we all
discovered during the crisis was
that if you couldn’t justify the
value of your incentives, there
was a likelihood [the events] were
going to get cut substantially.”
Innovative incentive vendors
understand it’s not enough simply to design a program and hope
that the metrics fall into place.
In fact, incentive planners are
increasingly designing programs
with specific outcomes in mind, in
order to facilitate measurement.
By the same token, companies are
no longer content simply measuring an incentive program’s ROI
as a standalone item, and senior
“We’re moving away from a
time when programs came as part
of an overall engagement strategy to a time when these incentive programs are part of a total
ROI strategy,” said Melissa Van
Dyke, president of the Incentive
Research Foundation.
And vendors will have to adjust accordingly.
“Being able to put together a
program is not as valued as it was
in the past if you can’t also provide the ROI,” Van Dyke said.
Smart CSR
Another big shift in strategy is
the addition of more corporate
social responsibility. Companies
can’t lose sight of the fact that
they’re trying to reward top performers with valuable perks, but
the good incentive designer finds
ways to combine those perks with
a meaningful message.
“A smart incentive will keep
the company in good stead in
the court of public opinion while
doing something really worthwhile,” Veer’s Ryder said. “It has
to be something that’s perceived
as benefiting the greater good.”
A day-trip of team-building
exercises, for example, might focus on providing some kind of
community service. Ryder has no
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“We’re moving away
from a time when
programs came as
part of an overall
engagement strategy
to a time when these
incentive programs
are part of a total
ROI strategy.”
– Melissa Van Dyke
President, Incentive
Research Foundation
doubts that such incentives, if designed well, can be especially appealing to the younger generation
of employees.
“The millennial generation is
very plugged into the green movement and CSR,” he said.
In addition, as long as the
economy continues to suffer,
companies will try to spend their
incentive budgets domestically in
order to show that they are supporting the U.S. economy.
Enrichment as Incentive
Offering young employees the
opportunity to plant trees ties
into another trend: personal development.
Broadly speaking, personal
enrichment, or personal development, refers to incentives that
identify the personal interests or
ambitions of individual employees, and gives them a chance to
pursue those interests.
A top salesperson who loves
car racing, for example, might
feel more rewarded with a training session at the Indianapolis
500 than a pricey trip to Paris.
Especially for highly paid employees, companies are focusing
more on creating unique experiences than spending lavishly on
perks that the employees can buy
for themselves.
“The concept of employee
enrichment takes engagement to
the next level,” said Karen Renk,
CAE, executive director of the
Incentive Marketing Association.
“Companies who want to recruit
and retain top talent are going to
be people-centric organizations,
meaning they are concerned with
their employees’ well being on
many levels. Experiential rewards
tie well into that.”
Personal development can
also refer to offering employees
a better work-life balance, by
giving them more time to spend
with their families, paid time at
work to pursue pet projects or
offering wellness programs. Wellness programs can easily be justified as a necessary expense to
keep workers healthy and bring
down healthcare costs, and they
are becoming more popular with
employees, resulting in a happier,
more productive and more loyal
workforce.
It’s not a coincidence that personal enrichment has emerged as
one of the most powerful trends
in the wake of the economic
crisis. Experts say it’s a natural
complement to another sweeping
trend: more attention to personal
interactions. Incentive professionals are adding a personal touch to
many of their programs, in order
to make participants feel more
appreciated without adding significantly to costs.
Whereas in the past incentive
participants may have simply
been flown to an expensive resort
and spoiled with an expensive
package of activities and meals,
they might now have a chance to
spend time with the company’s
CEO instead.
“I’m not saying the personal
interactions weren’t real before,
but they were overshadowed by
the extravagance,” ALHI’s Gabri
said.
DALIA FAHMY is a regular contributor to One+ as well as other
business publications.
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Still
Rising
Two MPI chapters have notably enhanced
the collective intelligence of their local
M P I P R O U D LY P R E S E N T S T H E
and the global meeting and event industry. The MPI Minnesota Chapter and the
MPI Arizona Sunbelt Chapter will be
honored with MPI’s Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) - ComCommunity Category Winners
munity awards at the World Education
Congress in Vancouver next month.
The MPI Minnesota Chapter accepts the RISE Award for
BY ELAINE POFELDT
Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas for its
Mentoring: Power of 2 program. This award recognizes
groups for making rich human connections through knowledge and ideas while displaying innovation in the development, planning and execution of groundbreaking initiatives.
For its Global Community Challenge, the MPI Arizona
Sunbelt Chapter accepts the RISE Award for Community
Achievement in Marketplace Excellence. This award recognizes groups for providing member business opportunities
and displayed creativity in the effective delivery of these
opportunities between community members.
2010 RISE Award
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Community Achievement
in Knowledge and Ideas
W
“We wanted to
focus on people
who were getting
into the industry or
looking to improve
their skill sets.”
ith more professionals turning to
forums on social networking websites such as LinkedIn for business
advice, it’s easy to miss out on the
deeper mentoring relationships that
come with face-to-face networking. The MPI Minnesota Chapter
came up with a solution. In 2008,
it launched Mentoring: Power of 2
as a follow up to its popular Mentor Next Door program, an educational panel discussion featuring
industry leaders.
“We wanted to focus on people
who were getting into the industry
or looking to improve their skill
sets,” said program chairwoman
Devie Hagen, an industry veteran
and owner of Élan Speakers Agency
in Minneapolis.
The premise behind Mentoring:
Power of 2 is simple—a mentor and
mentee from the chapter meet up to
four times per month for an hour
to establish the mentee’s goals and
a process for achieving them. The
chapter makes pairings three times
a year, giving members a chance
to volunteer as mentors for three
months at a time on its website.
“Everyone in our industry is
overwhelmed time-wise,” Hagen
said. “We realized we needed to
be sensitive to people’s time. That
is why we focused on making the
program simple and unobtrusive
for the mentor and mentee.”
Mentoring: Power of 2 started
with 13 successful pairings in its
first year; it is on target for 20
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matches in 2010. To make sure
the program succeeded, organizers set some ground rules. Participants were asked to keep their
conversations confidential, for
instance, to allow for candid idea
exchange.
“It should be a safe environment for the mentor and mentee,” Hagen said.
And to jumpstart the pairings,
the chapter asked the mentees
to contact the mentors to plan
meetings and follow ups. Participants report on the productivity
achieved for both parties after
each three-month mentoring
period. The feedback has been
positive.
“Once they’ve experienced the
process, some mentees become
mentors,” Hagen said.
One of the program organizers, Tera Fox, tried the program
herself as a mentee—and found
that it gave her access to a professional perspective that deepened
her knowledge of the industry.
Fox, a sales manager for The
Saint Paul Hotel with 10 years
of experience, paired with Julie
Anne Schmidt, managing partner of Lithium Logistics Group,
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one+
who was also a mentor to several
chapter members.
“We could have a nonthreatening conversation between a
supplier and a planner,” Fox said.
“I could get her side of the story,
and she could get my perspective.
That in itself was very valuable.”
The program has faced a few
challenges, but none overwhelming. Some mentors and mentees
have gotten so much out of the
program that they’ve wanted to
continue their parings for more
than three months.
“We had one pairing that went on for
a year and a half,”
Hagen said.
While that’s obviously a ringing endorsement, it took the
pair out of the running for matches with
other members. To
find more participants, the organizers
turned to Twitter and
LinkedIn.
With word spreading about the program, the founders
of Power of 2 have
found themselves in
demand. Hagen, for
instance, has advised the MPI
New Jersey and MPI Toronto
chapters on how to set up such
a program—and she’s led a seminar about it at an event outside
of the meeting and event industry. The chapter is also planning
to expand its own program.
“We want to give our members opportunities to improve, so
they want to continue with MPI
and [become] leaders,” Fox said.
For this commitment, the
500-member-plus chapter has
received the RISE Award - Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas.
Community
Achievement
in Marketplace
Excellence
I
t’s no secret that it’s been tough
to make deals in the meeting
industry during the past couple
of years. To make it easier—and
more fun—for members to network their ways to more sales, the
MPI Arizona Sunbelt Chapter launched
the 2008 Global Community Challenge
(GCC), a 10-month networking and referral contest, and then decided to continue
it into 2009. As a valuable member tool, it
has earned the RISE Award - Community
Achievement in Marketplace Excellence.
The program appealed to many members who wanted to network but weren’t
getting around to it, according to Beth
Longnaker, a site selection specialist with
Hospitality Performance Network and the
chapter’s vice president of membership.
“People said, ‘I don’t have the time to
meet with people,’” she recalled.
So the GCC encouraged members to
build a global professional community
one “brick” (or MPI member) at a time.
Each time participants scheduled a face-toface meeting with a member to learn more
about his or her business, they received
a “Certificate of Occupancy.” When
they had eight such meetings, they got a
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“Building Permit” and were honored at
the next monthly chapter meeting.
The program fostered referrals by giving members who sent business to other
members “Good Neighbor Reports.”
After achieving eight referrals, participants earned a “Community Awareness
Award.” Members seeking to pass along
business leads could contact the organizers online or call the chapter’s “Citizen
911” hotline for help. At the end of
the program, all participants received
a brick engraved with their names; one
got a Good Citizen Award for earning the most Good Neighbor Reports,
another received a Pillar of the Community Award for getting the most Building Permits and Community Awareness
Awards.
A good ice-breaker, sure, the program
has actually sparked business, Longnaker says. In 19 months, 36 members
participated actively, resulting in 87 lead
referrals and more than US$1.3 million
in sales.
Longnaker organized the program
after more than 50 percent of chapter
members requested more networking opportunities in monthly meeting
evaluations in 2007. The chapter decided
to build on the successful 2008 launch
the following year, after 69 percent of
chapter members requested more business connections and networking opportunities through MPI.
Despite the demand, it took some
persuading to get chapter members
involved, because they feared the time
commitment, Longnaker says. As a
result, the chapter modified the program
Stay Tuned: The recipient of the
RISE Awards - Organization
category will be recognized in
the July issue of One+.
so that telephone meetings counted.
Gradually, however, participants really
started to see the value in old-fashioned
face time.
“People felt they got so much more
out of those in-person meetings,” she
said. “Especially if you go to someone’s
office and see what’s going on, you get
to know them on a different level than
when you are talking on the phone.”
That often translated to better
business results.
“The people who were the most successful in referring business and getting
business were the people who met faceto-face,” she said.
Another obstacle was that some
chapter members balked at the idea of
meeting with someone whom they did
not view as a potential customer or
supplier.
“Among the people who did not
participate, a lot of them felt, ‘Why do I
want to meet with XYZ when they’re a
competitor?’” she said.
While doubters opted out, participants found that they often got referrals
from unexpected sources.
“You never know where your next
piece of business is going to come from,”
she added.
And, as the “builders” in this contest
discovered, in a slow-starting economic
recovery, having plenty of allies in your
corner can go a long way toward more
sales.
ELAINE POFELDT is a regular
contributor to One+ and other business
publications.
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Wingeing It
Unconference co-founder Sa
ara Wiinge
creates success with relaxed settings,
interesting people and little structure.
Seven years ago, Sara Winge, a VP
at publishing and conference company O’Reilly Media, had a worldchanging idea that was neither wholly
original, nor simple. The company
was well connected in the technology
world, and Winge suggested that their
friends in that world come visit the
headquarters for a big camp out.
The technology community took
a hit in the dotcom bust of the early
2000s, and O’Reilly Media found itself with a surfeit of space at its new
headquarters in Sebastopol, Calif.
“We were in this nice new building, we had extra space,” Winge said.
“Everyone else was depressed. We actually had a company goal in 2003 to
inject hope into the industry.”
She suggested a weekend campus
camp out of creative collaboration,
and founder Tim O’Reilly gave it a
shot. Winge called it Foo (Friends of
O’Reilly), a programmer’s pun: Foo
and Bar are code fill-in words such as
“John Doe.”
O’Reilly Media had been running
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one+
conferences for six years, but Winge
was proposing something very different: an unconference in which no
one was in charge. Participants would
self-organize the weekend. O’Reilly
Media would provide the space, the
food and Internet connectivity, but
no agenda, no specific goal, not even
topics beyond whatever participants
were interested in.
The Resident Grown Up
The daughter of an LBJ-era senate
staffer, a teenage Winge grew up in the
suburbs of Washington, D.C. Feeling
stifled by the formality of Washington
life, she bided her time to go west.
“I wanted to go to California,
where I knew my people would be,”
Winge says. “My picture of California has to some degree come true. You
had more choices about who to be,
and that was very appealing to me.”
Her first stop was about as west as
you can get, philosophically.
“I went to the University of California, Santa Cruz and found out
there was this thing called a feminist,
and I wasn’t the only one on the planet,” Winge says.
Winge got a degree in women’s
studies and worked small jobs around
the hills of Northern California, before
returning to school for her master’s.
“The program I was in at Sonoma
State has since morphed into an MBA.
There are plenty of jokes and rolled
eyes about cookie cutter MBAs; you
couldn’t be cookie cutter in the program I was doing because you had to
shape it yourself,” she says.
Winge is a continual presence at
O’Reilly Media events. She is a tall,
almost imposing woman with dark,
short hair. In rooms full of funny Tshirt-wearing technologists, greasestained inventors and disheveled
geeks, her business casual attire makes
her seem like the resident grown up of
O’Reilly. In many ways, she is.
“[Sara] speaks for customers, partners, employees, readers and technologists as human beings with egos and
feelings,” says Nat Torkington, who
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PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SCOTT BERMAN
BY JENNA SCHNUER
“I’’ve always
been happier
in
n situ
uations
where I have
to
o take
re
esponsib
bilitty
fo
or makin
ng
itt up as I go
alo
ong. Itt’s
more real.”
”
business that takes time to tell me I’ve done
a good job,” O’Reilly says. “It shows she
doesn’t take it for granted.”
Start of Something Great
worked at O’Reilly Media and launched
the first Kiwi Foo Camp in New Zealand
three years ago. “She reminds us that people are social creatures; we evolved to tell
stories and respond to them.”
To the question of Winge’s job title,
Brady Forrest, chairman of O’Reilly Media’s Where 2.0 event, explains: “Tech
evangelist, I guess.” Titles don’t mean a
lot at the company—it values creativity
and the willingness to follow through on
that creativity over just about anything
else. Winge has been a vital part of that
culture.
“As a manager, she’s the ultimate enabler. [She would ask,] ‘Really? You think
that’s a good idea? Well, why are you
talking to me? You should go do it,’” Forrest says.
That empowering style goes for her
boss as well.
“She’s one of the only people in the
Winge’s faith in the unconference idea
goes back to the early 1980s and California’s Sonoma State University as she was
getting her master’s in management.
“It was called Granola State back
then,” she says. “You had a lot of discretion about how you defined management
and what you could convince your professors it was.”
It was through a Sonoma State professor that she was introduced to Harrison
Owen’s Open Space Technology (OST).
The idea was to create open, freeform
gatherings, with a strong emphasis on participation over passive listening and selforganization over facilitation. OST is often
used for institutions in crisis and emphasizes equality for problem solving. Winge’s
idea was to apply the same techniques to
create an exuberant creative space.
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“Sara trusted
in interesting
people to be able
to make it work.
It’s taken me
many years to
get comfortable
with that, but she
was down with it
from the start.”
— Nat Torkington
On a Friday evening, the first
Foo Camp gathered in Sebastopol, and O’Reilly welcomed
attendees while explaining how
the weekend would work. Wallsized poster-boards with a schedule of rooms and times were
centrally placed along a main
hall. After the introduction anyone could walk up to the boards
and write their names and the
topic they wanted to talk about
in any empty time slot. They
didn’t have to be experts, just interested. The hosts weren’t even
going to check that the sessions
happened. That was up to the
participants. Introductions were
simple, no matter who you were:
your name, affiliation and three
words. Winge brought in a brass
gong from her private instrument collection. If you tried to
go on too long, you got gonged.
What made the idea world
changing was its escape from
O’Reilly Media. The original
2003 Foo Camp welcomed
about 150 people. By 2005, the
event’s popularity had grown
such that tech players not invited to Foo Camp organized a simultaneous open event with the
same format in the nearby Bay
Area. As it complimented Foo
Camp they called it BarCamp. It
was a huge success, and people
realized that it was easy and
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one+
cheap to organize such gatherings, which have since sprung up
all over the world, and applied
to every topic under the sun. To
the ideas of OST and Foo Camp,
BarCamp added a public wiki
and a guide on how to do it.
In the last five years, thousands of camps have cropped up
in most countries of the world.
Not all “camps” involve camping, but the informality that
came from the first Foo Camp
is what made it clear that nearly
anyone, anywhere could organize a BarCamp.
Owen sees these variations
on OST as part of a natural
truth about how people relate.
“There’s no such thing as
a non-self organizing system,
there are just a few deluded people who think they organized
it,” Owen says.
Not everyone was quite so
sure.
“I was initially really skeptical,” Torkington says. “[Winge]
trusted in interesting people to
be able to make it work. It’s taken me many years to get comfortable with that, but she was
down with it from the start.”
He emphasizes that inviting
people to Foo Camp who will be
comfortable in an unstructured
environment is vital. Winge really understands what makes
Foo Camp and BarCamp work:
unstructured situations, coupled
with passionate people and high
expectations drives creativity.
“I’ve always been happier in
situations where I have to take
responsibility for making it up
as I go along. It’s more real,”
Winge says.
In her personal life, Winge has
been a musician and instrument
collector for years. Her musical
style exemplifies the qualities
that make her good at her job.
Thirty years of solid practice on
the guitar and playing in bands,
she also has an impressive collection of rare, experimental and
antique instruments, which she
plays as well. She plays the waterphone, a haunting instrument
featured in the Matrix soundtrack. Her favorite is her spring
guiro, a hybrid instrument that
seems like something for a tribal
one-man band.
“Her day job takes her into
the pragmatic money-making
future, but she balances it with
a love of the quirky beautiful
past,” Torkington says.
What Have You
Done Lately?
These days Winge is working
to promote two new formats.
The first is Ignite, a speaking
series spontaneously organized
around the world based on Pecha Kucha, a presentation style
from a Tokyo-based architectural firm. (See the May 2009 issue of One+, page 83, for more
on Pecha Kucha.) Bre Pettis,
founder of Makerbot and hacker extraordinaire, and O’Reilly
Media’s Forrest modified that
style to five minutes, 20 slides,
15 seconds a slide, Winge says.
The topic is anything the
speaker cares about, and the
format is notoriously tough to
prepare for since the speaker
can’t control when the slides
advance. But the results have
been tight, informative and en-
tertaining talks, presented under
the motto “Enlighten us, but
make it quick.” O’Reilly Media
sponsored a Global Ignite Week
in March, and created a central
video repository for hundreds of
the five-minute talks.
Winge is also involved in
Maker Faire, launched to accompany O’Reilly Media’s Make
magazine, which focuses on
instructions for the extreme doit-yourself (DIY) scene. Usually
filling up a county fairground,
the fairs are held annually in
California, Rhode Island, Texas
and the U.K., and there’s even
an
unaffiliated-but-authorized
Maker Faire Africa. They are full
of robots and Tesla coils, people
demonstrating solar-powered inventions and homemade musical
instruments. It is by far the biggest O’Reilly Media event, with
the broadest reach.
The common ethos between
these events goes back to Winge’s
days deciding for herself what
management meant.
“We tend to be so defined
by our title or our expertise. But
those three things—Foo Camp,
Ignite, Maker Faire—they are all
forums in which you can bring
that unexpected part of yourself
to the world,” she says. “It feels
really good to people. They love
to be a whole person.”
As O’Reilly Media Author
Schuyler Earle tells it, he and
Foo Camp alum Mikel Maron
were road-tripping from Pune to
Mumbai along the expressway
in India. They stopped to get
gas and stretch their legs. Maron
was wearing his Foo Camp Tshirt and two young Indian men
approached them, excited.
“Foo Camp!” one said. “Is
that anything like BarCamp?”
QUINN NORTON is a regular contributor to One+.
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Leading
Means Letting Go
YOU WOULDN’T THINK IT,
BUT EMBRACING THE RULES
OF IMPROV IS THE QUICKEST
WAY TO BUILDING TRUST.
Remembering to say
yes is the
hardest part.
That
small
word
should
be on the top of
my tongue, eager to be
heard. But here I am
saying no again, and the
scene crumbles like a collapsible toy.
Improv’s first rule is to
say yes. It is the foundation for all that happens
in a scene. Saying no kills
the scene and stymies the
creative process. There’s
more than yes, though;
you have to add “and”
to it—show that you’re
really listening and help
build on what was said.
“The concept of ‘yes,
and’ is very effective and
easily
implemented,”
said Izzy Gesell, CSP, a
presentation coach, professional facilitator and
68
one+
workshop leader. “It
highlights the differences
between acceptance of
another person’s point of
view and agreement with
that perspective; it allows
folks to disagree without
becoming disagreeable;
it helps people become
more active listeners and
it diffuses tensions caused
by ‘Yes...But.’”
LISTENING IS AN
EQUALLY
important
Improv rule, and some-
thing that great leaders
do the most. The art of
listening, though, means
that you have to give up
control. If you walk out
on stage with a preconceived idea, trying to
steer the scene a certain
way, you’re not really listening. You have to be
comfortable giving up a
certain amount of control in order to reach the
scene’s fullest potential.
“There are many reasons why leaders tend
to like to have control.
Comfort and assurance
it will be done as they
planned are probably the
most prominent,” said
Clay Barton, an improv
instructor and co-owner
of the Dallas Comedy
Improv @ WEC
Don’t miss Izzy Gesell, CSP,
presenting “Practiced Spontaneity:
Cultivating the Leader Within
Through Improv Theater Skills”
at MPI’s World Education
Congress in July!
House. “In improv, if you
do not trust, you will not
be trusted and you will
fail. It’s as simple as that.
We are making things up
as we go, together. Unless
you listen and trust your
scene partners, you will
be alone while they stand
there confused. It is paramount that you trust and
support your partners
and believe that they
will help you through
this process. You cannot
plan what is happening, because you cannot
control the other people.
You have no choice but
to let go.”
Effective leaders know
how and when to act on
things they can control
and let go of things they
cannot, says Gesell, who
will be presenting “Practiced Spontaneity: Cultivating the Leader Within
Through Improv Theater
Skills” at MPI’s World
Education Congress next
month.
“Because improv games
involve more than one
person, and because it is
impossible to predict or
direct the exact direction
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N
O
of any game, a leader
who tries to control the
game will soon find that
it is futile,” Gesell said.
“By recognizing when, in
the games, she or he is
trying to control things
that are not controllable,
the person learns about
how to recognize when
to go with the flow and
let go of the control illusion. So first, improv is
about realizing that you
are trying to control
something that is not
controllable, and then
improv offers ways to
relinquish that control.”
ONE WAY TO RELINQUISH that control is to
treat everyone like they’re
geniuses. Consider how
great the world would be
if everyone was treated
like they were the world’s
smartest people. Treat
everyone like they’re
geniuses and they may
start to become them.
No one wants to do an
improv scene where one
partner is treating the
others like they’re stupid,
just like no one wants to
work with anyone who
treats them the same
E
Y
W
ER
A
Y
EV
T
O
AT
R
RE
ELI
OT
N
Q
U
ISH CONTROL IS T
BY JASON HENSEL
way.
“ Yo u
are taught
in improv
to support
each other no
matter what
and learn that
you will be supported no matter
what,” Barton said.
“That group support
creates an environment
where
confidence
is
bestowed upon you.”
And with confidence
comes innovation and
engagement, two qualities that great leaders
need in order to succeed.
“Improv training fosters a climate of connection, creation and ability
to work through problems,” Gesell said. “Company employees are more
creative and involved,
which helps in recruitment, retention, stress
management and change
management. They also
are able to work through
challenges
with
less
blame.”
Great improvisers all
exhibit qualities that great
leaders have, too: willingness to experience new
O
NE
LIK
ET
things,
HE
Y’RE
self awareGENIUSES.
ness, openness
to other viewpoints,
willing to take risks, presence and trust.
AND BARTON SAYS
GROUPS that play to
each others’ strengths, as
opposed to looking out
for themselves, always
have better end results.
“Those that are successful are those that let
improv and its principles
affect their lives outside
of the theater,” he said.
“Improv teaches you to
listen and react honestly
and allows you, in a safe
environment, to remove
all of the filters that have
been developed over
time—filters that hide
your true responses. Once
those filters are removed,
your true self is revealed.
Once the discomfort
of that has passed, you
come out a more confident individual knowing that your reactions
to what life brings you
are truly yours and not
what outside influences
have made you believe.”
JASON HENSEL is
associate editor of One+.
mpiweb.org
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An advertiser supported supplement to One+.
Gourmet Gone Green
PAGES 72-73
MGM GRAND DETROIT
PAGES 74 -75
MAUI VISITORS BUREAU
S
ustainable meal
planning is a
vital component
of any planner’s
green initiative.
The United Nations World
Commission on Environment
and Development (WCED)
defines sustainability as “that
which meets the needs of the
present without compromising
the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.” In
his book Food Matters, Mark
Bittman has a chapter called
“Sane Eating” about eliminating or limiting certain food
groups for the health of a
person and the environment.
If you utilize regional and
seasonal foods in menu planning, you are creating a meal
that has a lower environmental
impact. In order to plan a sus-
tainable menu for your meeting, first research what foods
are available regionally and will
be in season during the time
of your event. You can then
approach the venue’s chef to
discuss menu options.
Do not fall prey to the myth
that planning a sustainable
menu costs more—it doesn’t
have to when planned carefully.
There is the possibility that
you may need to serve smaller
portions, but we could all use
smaller meal portions.
Many hotels, resorts and
convention centers are updating and creating menus that offer local, seasonal and organic
options. If you ask the right
questions, more often than not
they will work with you to create
a sustainable and affordable
menu for your attendees.
By Katja Morgenstern. See her F&B column on Page 42.
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Gourmet Gone Green
| 2010
MGM Grand Detroit
www.mgmgranddetroit.com
and its dedicated Event Specialists will help you
plan and execute your next great meeting or event.
Whether a large corporate gathering or intimate
black tie affair, you’ll find more than 30,000
square feet of event space, including three meeting rooms and two executive boardrooms with
wireless Internet, video conferencing and more.
The 14,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom can also
be divided into four individual salons, and our five
lounges and three signature restaurants are available for private events as well.
Touch the Lion and you experience the world as
you want it. You’ll see that everywhere at MGM
Grand Detroit. With unparalleled accommodations,
business facilities, restaurants, lounges and gaming, we’ve created the Midwest’s premier meeting
destination.
Touch Luxury
With marble showers, pillow-top beds with plush
down comforters, 42-inch HD Plasma TVs and wireless Internet access, your hotel stay will be one
you’ll always remember. It’s Detroit’s only hotel to
receive “Four Stars” from the Forbes Travel Guide
and AAA’s coveted “Four Diamond” award, and
every one of our 400 oversized rooms promises
luxury. Enjoy “you time” in Immerse spa, awarded
“Four Stars” by the Forbes Travel Guide. You’ll find
nine luxurious treatment rooms for massages,
facials and body treatments, a Vichy shower, a Passive Zone with indoor infinity edge pool and oasis
beds, and an Active Zone featuring TechnoGym
equipment. Then relax with a visit to our salon,
boasting hair design by highly trained stylists.
Touch Variety
Delights abound in signature restaurants like
celebrity Chef Michael Mina’s seafood bastion
Saltwater, which has received AAA’s coveted “Four
Diamond” award and now boasts a more casual
menu, and Bourbon Steak, Mina’s red-meat paradise. Acclaimed Chef Wolfgang Puck’s Wolfgang
Puck Grille offers a modern twist on the classic
“bar & grill,” featuring casual and sophisticated
dining. A delightful variety of casual dining choices
are also available at Palette Dining Studio and
Breeze Dining Court.
Touch the Entertainment
Here, fun is unlimited. The 100,000-square-foot
casino is open 24 hours and features Detroit’s
premier poker room, more than 90 table games,
plus more than 4,000 of the latest, hottest slots
and video poker. No wonder MGM Grand Detroit
has been voted as having the “Best Players Club,”
“Best Cash Back” and “Best Casino.” Feel like
clubbing it in style? You can party like a star in
V Nightclub. Or enjoy the unique atmosphere of
Ignite Sushi Bar & Lounge, Agua Rum & Tequila
Bar, INT ICE, U•Me•Drink and more.
Touch Convenience
Located in the heart of the downtown Detroit
Touch Success
As the proud recipient of the 2009 Pinnacle Award entertainment district, MGM Grand Detroit is just
and 2009 Gold Key Award, MGM Grand Detroit 18 miles from Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport.
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| 2010
Maui Visitors Bureau
www.visitmaui.com
Following tourism, agriculture is Maui Nui’s
(Maui, Moloka‘i and Läna‘i) most important
industry, and “Edible Maui!” focuses on the islands’ cuisine, local products, agricultural history
and agricultural tourism offerings. The initiative
highlights the relationship between tourism and
agriculture by focusing on:
The availability of locally grown produce and
farm raised are commonly found in Maui Nui’s
restaurants and grocery stores.
Attractions that allow visitors to learn, firsthand, about our islands’ agricultural practices,
history and lifestyle.
Agriculture’s contribution to Maui Nui’s beautiful scenery and breathtaking landscape.
Approximately 55 percent of Maui Nui—
260,000 acres—is agricultural land, and diversified agriculture accounts for about 70 percent
of farm revenue. Annual Agricultural sales top
$124.5 million.
Sugar, once the most influential crop in the
daily lives of Maui’s residents, present day this
no longer the case. However, it is among the leading economic contributors for the State of Hawaii,
both as a leading agricultural crop and as fuel for
steam-driven electrical generators.
Hawai‘i’s “king of fruits” is the subject of
Maui’s Hawaiian Pineapple Plantation Tour. Led
by plantation workers, the tour provides facts
about Hawai‘i’s most famous fruit.
Hawai‘i is also the only state in the U.S. with
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a climate conducive for growing
coffee. The combination of rich
volcanic soil, warm temperatures
and abundant rainfall offers an
ideal environment. Hawaiian coffee
was traditionally grown on small
independent farms, but recently,
relatively large plantations have
been supplying the bulk of the crop.
Maui Community College’s
Pä‘ina Building may best be described as the culinary crossroads
of the island, where students,
instructors, farmers, producers, chefs and restaurateurs converge. This award-winning culinary arts
program produces talented young chefs, servers
and managers to staff the island’s restaurants
and operates a fine dining lunch restaurant and
a food court that spotlights local product. The
program provides externships with restaurants
throughout Maui Nui and partners with local
companies to research, test and market gourmet
products.
Locals love sweets, especially those baked
fresh from the ovens of family-owned bakeries. In
Wailuku, Home Maid Bakery is generally acknowledged as having the best malassadas (Portuguese donuts) and is well known for Japanese
pastries. Makawao is home to what is arguably
Maui’s best-known and best-loved bakery, Komoda’s. The donuts and the skewers of donut holes
known to locals as “sticks” are, many think, the
best in the world.
“Dining is such an important part of the
visitor experience, and Maui offers a bounty
of local products—from land and ocean—for
visitors to enjoy,” said Terryl Vencl, executive
director of the Maui Visitors Bureau. “From the
tables of world-class restaurants to treasured
hole-in-the-wall eateries and the bins of local
grocery stores, agriculture, cuisine and true Hawaiian hospitality converge on Maui to produce
one of the most memorable visitor experiences
anywhere.”
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An advertiser supported supplement to One+.
Emerging Markets
PAGE 78
LOUISVILLE CVB
PAGE 79
COLORADO SPRINGS
an something as
large and complex
as a city “emerge?”
And what, exactly,
does that mean? How
can a small-ish community—or
even an entire country—that is
unknown or possibly overlooked
by some planners compete with
larger and possibly more wellestablished meeting locales?
It begins with desire—the
desire of an area and its citizens
to create not only the infrastructure needed to attract groups but
also a vibrant, livable community
of which the citizens are proud
and visitors want to experience.
Natural beauty doesn’t hurt, but
local fl avor is essential. And val-
C
ue is a given—the laws of supply
and demand dictate this.
Once it’s built, will meeting
groups come? Not without the
right message and the right marketing. Having a world-class convention facility is meaningless
if planners don’t know it exists.
Burgeoning meeting communities
must be as adept at messaging
as they are at building.
Savvy planners can save money, support growing communities
and expose their groups to new
and exciting venues by keeping
an eye on emerging destinations.
As more communities recognize
the power of meetings, more cities around the globe will emerge
as meeting destinations.
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Emerging Markets
| 2010
Louisville CVB
www.gotolouisville.com
Welcome to a city
with two worldclass convention
centers, a new
22,708-seat
downtown Arena,
17,000 hotel
rooms and a
variety of entertainment opportunities
that make it easy
to come early or
stay late. It’s a city where you’re greeted with
more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space
at the Kentucky Exposition Center, just minutes
from the airport. A city whose downtown boasts
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300,000 square feet of meeting space, 4,000
hotel rooms (2,300 of which are skywalk and pedway accessible from the Kentucky International
Convention Center) plus Condé Naste Traveler’s
Readers’ Choice No. 1 hotel in the country, 21c
Museum Hotel. It’s a place where attending the
convention is only half the fun. After the meeting, head down to Fourth Street Live!, the city’s
premier entertainment district, take a casual walk
through history down Museum Row on Main or
raise a glass along the Urban Bourbon Trail. Add
in the fact that we are listed as the fourth-most
affordable tradeshow destination in the U.S, and
within a day’s drive of 50 percent of the U.S.
population, it’s a place to work hard, and play
even harder—It’s Possible Here.
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Emerging Markets
| 2010
Colorado Springs
www.visitcos.com
Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second largest city, and the surrounding Pikes Peak region, is rich with
natural beauty, culture, heritage
and activities. This year offers even
more with brand new attractions
such as a flashlight tour through
the caverns of Cave of the Winds,
mule trail rides along the rim of
the grandiose Royal Gorge, a mild
float adventure on the waters of the
Arkansas River or gazing with wonder on the strange, yet adorable
naked mole rats at America’s only
mountain zoo, Cheyenne Mountain
Zoo. Some of the area’s must-sees
include the Olympic Training Center,
Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods
Park and the United States Air
Force Academy.
The art scene is bursting at the
seams with the Colorado Springs
Fine Arts Center, local galleries
such as Smokebrush, the annual
Art on the Street pieces scattered
throughout downtown and performances at the Pikes Peak Center
or World Arena.
This mountain metropolis
shines with 300 annual days of
sun, a temperate climate and
unique event venues. There are
many choices for attendees with
13,900 guest rooms ranging from
dude ranches to four- and five-diamond full-service resorts. Whether
flying one of the eight non-stops
directly into the Colorado Springs
Airport or hopping in the car for a
short 70 miles south of Denver, it
is so easy to get to this gorgeous
area of Colorado.
This mountain metropolis shines with 300 annual days
of sun, a temperate climate and unique event venues.
There are many choices for attendees with 13,900
guest rooms ranging from dude ranches to four- and
five-diamond full-service resorts.
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Meet Where?
S UB HEAD ?
CONTEST!
Correctly identify this venue and its location and you could win an iPod
Shuffle. One winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.
Submit entries to jhensel@mpiweb.org by July 1, and find out the
answer and winner online at www.mpiweb.org/pluspoint.
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