ISSUE
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09
THE FOOTPRINT OF MEETINGS
+
GREEN TECH INNOVATIONS
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September 2009 • Volume 2 • Number 9
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
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
DESIGN AND PREPRESS Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
Something You May
Not Know About Me
On June 26, 2007, at an event held just south of Stuttgart, Germany, 1,802
Germans entered the Guinness Book of World Records by simultaneously
playing Deep Purple’s 1972 hit “Smoke on the Water.”
An impressive record and one that, as an avid guitar picker myself, puts a
smile on my face. So earlier this summer when I learned that a U.S. group was
going to attempt to break the record set in 2007 and that it was only a short
drive away, I knew I had to sign up.
On the morning of August 23, I—along with my wife, daughter and
father-in-law—hopped in the family car at around 6 a.m. to embark on the
five-hour drive from our suburban Dallas neighborhood to the “little town”
where “everybody’s somebody” in the hill country of central Texas: Luckenbach (pop. 3).
When we arrived, the town general store, nestled in a grove of oak trees,
was surrounded by close to 2,000 people all searching for a spot in the shade.
It was hot and dusty and as we overheard while walking through the crowd,
there apparently wasn’t enough deodorant in the world to make your nose
adjust to the natural aroma of 2,000-plus, most of whom had been baking in
the sun for most of the morning. But that didn’t stop everyone from having
fun. Groups gathered ttogether in circles on the ground with others
fu
they had never met to play songs. Out one ear you could hear
Hank Williams and the other Ozzy Osbourne. It was truly an
eclectic group.
By 2:30 p.m., the announcement came over the loud
speaker: assemble and
a prepare to break the record. The official count was at 1,859 guitar players, and boy was it a
beautiful sound when the first G-chord of “Luckenbach, Texas
(Back to the Basics)” was played. Six
T
minutes
minut later, we had done it. The record was
ours.
ours I was picker No. 652, my wife, Amanda,
was No. 653 and my father-in-law, Jim, was
No.
No 654.
Talk about being “in it together.” It was a
very
ve memorable event. And it’s just another
great
example of the positive power of
g
meetings and events.
COVER DESIGN Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
Dan Broze, dbroze@mpiweb.org, Phone: (702) 834-6847
(AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA)
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)
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)
Mary Lynn Novelli, mnovelli@mpiweb.org, Phone: (214) 390-8858
(FL, GA, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America)
Carolyn Nyquist, Manager of Client Services,
cnyquist@mpiweb.org, Phone: (972) 702-3002
Kathryn Welzenbach, Publications Coordinator, kwelzenbach@mpiweb.org
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Bruce M. MacMillan, C.A., President and CEO
Jeff Busch, Vice President of Strategic Communications
Katie Callahan-Giobbi, Executive Vice President, MPI Foundation;
MPI Chief Business Architect
Meg Fasy, Vice President of Sales and Marketplace Performance
Trey Feiler, Chief Operating Officer
Vicki Hawarden, Vice President of Knowledge and Events
Diane Hawkins, SPHR, Director of People and Performance
Greg Lohrentz, Chief Financial Officer
Sandra Riggins, Director of Governance and Chief of Staff
Didier Scaillet, Vice President of Global Development
Junior Tauvaa, Vice President of Member Care 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, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Matt Brody, CHSP, JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa
Paul Cunningham, IIMC International Information Management Corporation
Cindy D’Aoust, Maritz Travel Company
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. © 2009, Meeting
Professionals International, Printed by RR Donnelley
REPRINTS: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form
without written permission. To order reprints, call Wright’s Reprints toll free at
(877) 652 5295 or visit www.wrightsreprints.com.
CONTACT ONE+: Contact us online at www.mpioneplus.org or e-mail us at
editor@mpiweb.org. View our advertising, editorial and reprint policies online
at www.mpioneplus.org.
MPI VISION: Build a rich global meeting industry community
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS:
Dallas, TX
DAVID 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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REGIONAL OFFICES:
Doha, Qatar
Ontario, Canada
Luxembourg
Singapore
The body of One+ is printed on 30 percent post-consumer-waste
recycled content and is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified.
Please recycle this magazine or pass it along to a co-worker when
you’re finished reading.
One+ is a proud member of
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ISSUE
09
09
Are We Doing Enough? +66
It’s neither quick nor easy to turn
a giant ship. Yet, the meeting and
event industry is coming to terms
with its environmental impact
and moving forward with globally
significant changes.
+66
Green Tech +78
A look at innovative green technologies
shaping the industry’s future.
The Wrap Star +80
Syd Mandelbaum is smashing poverty
and hunger one concert, ballgame or
special event at a time.
Government Lemonade +86
Government contracts may satiate
your thirst for work when traditional
business heads south.
+60
+78
+80
Essentially NoLa +52
The ESSENCE Music Festival and
the city of New Orleans have designed an
inextricably entwined brand and style.
+86
Breaking 300 +56
Tracy Kwiker brought Southern
California’s most competitive cutthroat
players together for a three-day
meeting that was more about
problem solving than peacocking.
Cool Capital +60
Visit London’s recent marketing
campaign aims to attract
chic-seeking groups.
+56
+60
+52
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ISSUE
09
09
CONVERSATION
IGNITION
In It Together +2
In Their Minds +44
Editor’s note
Richard John
Global View
The Energy of Many +12
Global update from MPI
Impressions +14
Letters to One+
Overheard +16
Rumblings from the industry
Irrelevant +40
Clocky
I Know What You’re
Thinking +46
Jon Bradshaw
Reboot Your Brain
Fabulous Frugal Ideas
for Your Next Event +48
Steve Kemble
A Doss of Sass
Emerging Leaders +50
INNOVATION
Margaret Chopp
On Campus
Agenda +19
Where to go, in person and online
Art of Travel +34
The latest in transportable
technology
+24
+38
RECOGNITION
Top Spots +22
New venues + re-openings
Focus On +24
Patrick Hermon hangs off the boat
Spotlight +26
Industry leaders announce job
advancements
Your Community +36
Italia Chapter music,
CMP at MeetDifferent,
WEC call for speakers, Ellen
Beckert, Got a Minute?
Meet Where? +92
Wow us with your knowledge
CO-CREATION
Hot Buzz +28
Meet Now Promise, Tweet
elite, Turkey online, green at
CityCenter, Panama tourism,
Thoughts+Leaders, green industry
standards, grassroots campaign,
St. Louis highlights, green
investments, room without a bed,
ConferenceBike, BAA Terminal 2
+22
Making a Difference +37
Individual scholarships help
members grow their careers
Connections +38
CVA + Fire Department
mpiweb.org
7
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www.mpioneplus.org
online
Keep the
In
Innovation
Coming
Read about additional mind-blowing,
Re
R
impactful green technologies.
Mutually
Beneficial
+
+
MPI Tennessee Chapter
members make a beneficial connection that
got one a new business
entryway and the other a
new business opportunity,
as told by Jim Sheridan.
The New York of South America
São Paulo—the continent’s largest and richest city—is as
well designed for meetings as it is for entertainment.
By Hunter Holcombe
Join a conversation about the
meeting and event industry with
the editors of One+ on their
blog, PlusPoint.
Complete issues of One+
are available in digital
flipbook and PDF formats!
Be sure to check out the
Renovations & Expansions
supplement at the back
of this month’s issue.
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Contributors
AMY CORTESE’s writing on
food, wine, travel, business and
environmental issues has appeared in
publications such as The New York
Times and Business Week.
While working on this article, the
U.S. East Coast was experiencing
an unusually wet and cool summer,
stunting her rooftop garden and
underscoring the consequences of
global climate change.
ELAINE POFELDT is a journalist with
20 years of experience. As a senior
editor at FORTUNE Small Business,
where she worked for eight years,
she founded and ran the magazine’s
annual business plan competition and
was twice nominated for the National
Magazine Award for her features.
Now an independent journalist, she
writes a column on small business
for Crain’s New York Business. Her
work has appeared in Inc., Success,
Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire,
Registered Rep, Working Mother and
other publications. She lives in Jersey
City, N.J., with her family.
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STEVE KEMBLE, “America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru,” is an award-winning veteran international planner
and has even organized events for
two U.S. presidents. He has represented the event industry through
guest and starring appearances
on countless TV shows including
the CBS Early Show, Countdown to
the Oscars, Married by the In-Laws
and Extreme Makeover: Wedding
Edition.
Owner of one of the world’s largest couture collections, Kemble has
amassed more than 1,000 pieces
including pieces from his favorite
designers and fashion houses such
as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom
Ford for Gucci and Prada.
Follow Kemble at www.adose
ofsass.com or on Twitter
@stevekemblechat.
Writing about Syd Mandelbaum gave New Yorkbased writer JENNA SCHNUER a great chance
to consider all the ways the pieces of one person’s
life can add up to something much bigger. Mandelbaum’s inspiring story has Schnuer thinking about
what came before in her own life—and where she
wants to take her future. Along with writing about
travel, food and business, Schnuer co-writes Flyover
America (www.readflyoveramerica.com), an
online magazine covering untold stories from the
50 states. For more Schnuer, visit www.jenna
schnuer.com.
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The Energy of Many
The Forgotten Part of CSR
unprecedented challenges facing the U.S. economy. The
Fed’s role is to set and manage U.S. economic policy,
effects of the economy. But one SHIFT that was well
and these are the people charged with making the tough
under way before the Great Recession was the increascalls. This requires the latest data and collaborative
ing focus of business and governments on sustainability development of short and long-term strategies that
or corporate social responsibility (CSR). Why should
could literally change the world. The solution to the
you care? Because according to a 2007 study by GoldFed’s current challenges does not currently exist, and I
man Sachs, “Companies that are considered leaders in
highly doubt these economic gurus will find the solution
environmental, social and governance policies are also
in a windowless meeting room in a D.C. office buildleading the pack in stock performance—by an average
ing. For my money, I want these ladies and gentlemen
of 25 percent since 2005.” CSR commitment and perworking together, motivated and bursting with ideas to
formance sustainability are symbiotic in today’s shifting fix the economy.
marketplace.
Another aspect is measurement against identified
equate the sustainability goals or standards. It’s impressive to see how meeting
In our space, we’ve come to equat
or “Green Meetshift with the environmental aspect o
professionals are focusing on measuring the environoffer, the environings.” As this issue of One+ will off
mental impact of their meetings. Standards are under
only one piece along
mental aspect of CSR (planet) is on
development through the Convention Industry Counwith people and profit. Even though business is a
cil’s (CIC) APEX initiative, and the MPI Foundation is
economic situation,
convenient scapegoat for today’s ec
considering an investment in a CSR measurement tool
without profit
it’s important to keep in mind that w
for widespread industry distribution. But our focus
sustainability, the people and planet aspects of CSR
on performance measurement for meetings and events
when we look at the
become a bigger challenge. So whe
beyond attendance and cost savings is limited. Jack
aspect of our meetsustainability aspe
Phillips’ ROI methodology is one performance meaimperative that we first
ings, it’s imper
surement approach. Strategic Meetings Management
look at their performance
(SMM) is also getting considerable play in the procuresustainability.
sustainabil
ment world, but it primarily focuses on structured cost
Performance sustainPerfor
management (inputs) and needs to be expanded to conability ffor meetings starts
sider performance results (outputs) from the perspecdesigning the event tive of the attendee. Sustainability is not about being
with d
generate results
to ge
the least expensive—it is about ensuring the ongoing
that align with the
tha
delivery of strategic performance results, such as profits,
mission and role of
mi
or in the case of the Federal Reserve, ideas to save the
the organization. For U.S. economy.
th
their recent retreat,
th
As we consider the importance of the sustainability
the leaders of the U.S. imperative in designing our meetings, let us not forget
Federal Reserve chose that a focus on performance is essential to making a
Fed
Jackson Hole, Wyo.— sustainable difference for our people and our planet.
Jack
awe-inspiring, mindan aw
clearing
clearin resort (blacklist
damned)—to tackle the
be dam
SO MUCH OF OUR INDUSTRY THESE DAYS IS
FOCUSED ON THE SHIFTS being accelerated by the
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
APEX Green Standards
After a full year’s effort by an entirely volunteer group, the
first draft of the APEX standards for green meetings and
events is now available for your review and input. The City
Discussion Group registrations are open. Please sign up to
join one near you today. There will also be a virtual discussion group available for those without a physical meeting
place. You can sign up to participate and learn more on the
APEX site at http://bit.ly/KCDl. Thanks in advance for your
participation in making this happen.
—Midori Connolly
Pulse Staging and Events
MPI San Diego Chapter
Boost Your Sales
EDITOR’S NOTE: We appreciate
the feedback on MPI and your
magazine, One+. Your ideas
and thoughts are important to
us. Let us know what you think.
E-mail the editorial team at
editor@mpiweb.org.
You Tell Us
What do emerging destinations
need to do in order for you to
seriously consider business in
the region? Send us an e-mail
at editor@mpiweb.org.
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[RE: “Seven Simple Sales-Boosting Strategies,” August 2009]
Getting back to basics. That
has been my code this year. It
worked for us a long time ago,
and we’re still here. It’s working
now, too. Thanks for the great
article.
—Missy Weld
Speakers Network Worldwide
MPI Carolinas Chapter
Why I MPI
I recently joined the MPI Arizona
Sunbelt Chapter after a short
absence. At my very first meeting back, I happened to run into
an MPI professional in the elevator of the hotel on the way to
the meeting room. After introductions and her eagerness to
recruit me into joining a committee, I joined her for lunch
and happened to spend some
quality time with this person discussing business and our industry. Ironically enough, she
had a client that had some
unique audiovisual needs for
an upcoming show in Atlanta.
She asked if I might be able
to step in and find a solution
that could be a win-win for
everyone. To make a long story
short, I received the signed
contract for a quality piece of
business all because I said to
myself I needed to get back into
MPI. Membership truly has its
rewards! The irony to all of this
is I almost took the stairs that
day—sometimes it just pays
to be slightly lazy. Thanks MPI
member, you know who you
are and your business is truly
appreciated!
—Kamal Daraiseh
AV One Group
MPI Arizona Sunbelt Chapter
Strategic Meetings
[Re: “Living the Language of
Business,” August 2009] This
was one of the most comprehensive articles on the
role and value of corporate
events in today’s environment. Thank you.
—Danielle Rion-Bass
LB Entertainment LLC
[Re: “Living the Language of
Business,” August 2009] Thank
you for a very good article that
motivates us who already work
with strategic meetings and
events.
Growing Up Meeting
My name is Karin and I’m a
24-year-old student from Sweden with a goal to learn as
much as possible about meetings and events. When I began
at higher vocational school
Travel Education Centre last
year, I could never imagine
that the meeting industry
was so big, and during my
first year I’ve learned about the
industry and been educated in
subjects such as project management and marketing. I’ve visited EIBTM and meetings@TUR,
and with an MPI scholarship,
I attended both the European
Meetings & Events Conference
and IMEX 2009. As a student
at the project management
program, the doors to the real
world open, and with only one
year left I’m ready for new challenges during my final internship that will take place in January 2010. (Please let me know
if you have any suggestions of a
suitable company!)
—Karin Forsgren Pettersson
MPI Sweden Chapter
—Christian Middelthon
Middelthon
MPI Norway Chapter
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Overheard
Cultivate Talent
“Nurturing talent plays an important role in achieving
corporate success. The development of leadership skills at
a personal level contributes to the growth of the company
as well. The global economic turmoil offers an excellent
opportunity for this emerging generation of corporate executives to study and understand the complexities of crisis
management and decision-making.”
—Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Dubai World chairman,
on the company’s Dubai Leaders Program
Leaving Las Vegas
Lead By Example
High-Speed Rail
“It’s one thing if an agency
decides a conference should
be canceled to save taxpayers’ money given the bad
economy; it’s another thing if
it’s legitimate travel and you
then avoid certain cities just
because of where they are.”
—U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
on reports that some government agencies avoid meeting
in resort/entertainment cities
“The Obama Administration is
leading by example, and the
business community, media
and policymakers should take
note. During difficult economic
times, all expenses should be
reviewed, but beneficial travel
and meetings must continue.”
—Roger Dow, U.S. Travel
Association president and
CEO, on a staff retreat held by
U.S. President Barack Obama
“For reasons of carbon reduction and wider environmental
benefits, it is manifestly in the
public interest that we systematically replace short-haul
aviation with high-speed rail.
But we would have to have,
of course, the high-speed network before we can do it.”
—U.K. Transport Secretary
Lord Adonis on plans for a
new, high-speed rail line
Feeling Confident
“If business leaders feel confident, they’re going to book
meetings and plan travel.
If consumers feel confident
about their jobs and their
incomes, they’ll go on vacations, even if it is just a
weekend getaway.”
—Bill Marriott on the
current economy
Best of the Blogs
Language of Business
Posted by Samuel J. Smith
Shockfish SA
We need to speak the language of business
to fight for our share of the limited resources
that exist in corporate budgets. The people
who get these resources do the best job of
demonstrating why their projects are (1) great
uses of company resources and (2) better
uses of resources than other projects being
considered. If we cannot frame meetings in
business terms, then it will be very hard to
defend good meetings.
Customer Service
Posted by Eric Tompkins
Tompkins Consulting Group
When research methods indicate a majority of
satisfied customers, 80 percent of business
owners will accept the results and pat themselves on the back. The one truly dedicated to
keeping customers, beating the competition
and delivering the highest quality customer
service will refuse to accept accolades and
will continue digging for more information and
pushing to provide better service.
Cooperative Venture
Posted by Kevin Iwamoto
StarCite
Good strategic management of meetings calls
for smart sourcing practices—including finding
and making the best decisions possible, even
at resorts and vacation destinations. If you
have smart practices and reporting behind
your decisions you’ll change the discussion
from where you’re meeting to how much
you’re saving on your program overall.
Find out what the editors of One+ think about the industry’s
hot trends and late-breaking news on the One+ blog,
PlusPoint. Share your thoughts at www.mpioneplus.org.
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Agenda
NOV. 7-11 ICCA Congress & Exhibition
FLORENCE
Find a mix of speakers from corporate and association meeting clients to
international business leaders to a selection of experienced members at the
International Congress & Convention Association’s annual event. For a flavor
of the quality and breadth of content, find video clips and session notes from
the 2008 congress at www.iccaworld.com.
NOV. 9-12 World Travel Market
LONDON
Staged annually in London, the World Travel Market is a vibrant, business-tobusiness event with a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors for
U.K. and international travel professionals. Gain a competitive advantage for
your business and stay abreast of the industry’s latest developments. Visit
www.wtmlondon.com.
NOV. 18-19 MITM - Americas
HAVANA
Make connections with the Latin American market at the Meetings and Incentive Travel Market, where buyers and suppliers conduct business during prearranged appointments. U.S. hosted buyers will not do business with Cuban
suppliers to ensure compliance with current U.S. law, but may legally visit with
the bevy of other industry organizations. Visit www.mitmamericas.com.
NOV. 25-27 CSAE 2009 National Conference
TORONTO
Network and learn alongside members of the Canadian Society of Association
Executives, as renowned association consultant Glenn Tecker keynotes the organization’s annual conference. Scholarships are available for CSAE members who
are new to the organization. The annual trade show has already sold out. Visit
www.csae.com.
Connected
EVENT 1001
GREEN DIRECTORY
THE WORKBOOK
Whether a planner in Prague, a florist
in Spain or a caterer in New York,
Event1001.com offers international
supplier profiles for the events industry—all online. Clients from abroad
who want to organize an event in your
country can find you any time without
the intervention of an intermediary.
Organizing an event, especially beyond
the border, just became a whole lot
simpler.
The Green Meeting Industry
Council has teamed with Web
portal PlannerWire to present
the Green Meetings Directory,
showcasing member organizations
around the world that offer environmentally responsible practices.
GreenMeetingsDirectory.com offers
video and text listings, product
and service offerings and contact
information.
After 15 years, global industry directory The Workbook by I&MI Media is
now available online at I-MI.com, allowing MICE buyers to assemble custom
directories of data-rich PDF pages of
hotels, destinations, congress centers
and DMCs and download them in a single document. Add personalized notes
and information and create a workbook
for each of your meeting destinations.
mpiweb.org
p019 Agenda 0909.indd 19
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Meet in Budapest, at the heart of Europe
This world class city now offers top-notch hotels
in renovated palaces with state-of-the art A/V and
convention facilities. It is not only breath-takingly
beautiful, it is also hospitable, hip and exciting.
Budapest and Hungary is the place where
meetings and traditions, serious conferencing and
casual evening entertainment go hand in hand.
• Easy access from US cities by Delta or oneworld
partner carriers
• Abundant deluxe hotel space in historic settings
• State-of-the-art, on-site convention facilities
• EU-member: yes. Euro: not yet. Great value for
the money!
• Professionalism and hospitality
Your one stop information source:
Hungarian National
Tourist Office
Peter Gomori, director
tel:
(212) 695-1221, ex 23
e-mail:
gomori@gotohungary.com
web:
www.gotohungary.com
Hungarian
Convention Bureau
Dora Kiss, director
tel:
(36) 1 488 8643
e-mail:
kissd@itthon.hu
web:
www.hcb.hu
Planning a
meeting in
Europe?
With offices in
the United States,
European
countries are within
easy reach for
A renowned international destination on
the majestic Mediterranean, with extensive
meeting facilities, world-class service and
accommodations, modern infrastructure
and accessibility, the Principality of
Monaco is ideal for corporations seeking
a sophisticated venue.
“One-Stop Shopping”
Its unparalleled amenities and US$
guaranteed packages for corporate
events and meetings, ensure an
affordable, yet unforgettable journey
to the “gem of the Riviera”.
(800) 753-9696
www.visitmonaco.com
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Top Spots
N E W VEN U ES + RE-O P ENING S
1.
1. The Oasis Hotel
The Oasis Hotel is scheduled to open
at VictoryLand Greyhound Park in
Shorter, Ala., in November. Located
18 miles east of downtown Montgomery, the state-of-the-art property
will feature 300 guest rooms and
suites, fine-dining restaurant Whitfield’s Steakhouse, O’s Lobby Bar and
the O Brew cafe. An 80,000-squarefoot conference center for groups
will open in late 2010. Guests
will only have to walk a few steps
to watch live greyhound and
simulcast races or play one of the
more than 6,000 bingo games at
Quincy’s Triple Seven Bingo.
2. Fairmont Le Château
Montebello
The Fairmont Le Château Montebello
in Québec opened a new conference
facility in August, adding 6,000
square feet of function space. In
keeping with Fairmont Le Château
Montebello’s style and ambiance,
the new facility was carefully planned
with architects from ARCOP in
Montréal to highlight the unique
wood exterior that is a signature
piece of the resort. The meeting
space layout offers planners versatility, and options vary, allowing for one
ballroom that accommodates up to
320 or two equally divided rooms
for smaller events. Another notable
feature is the terrace that offers
Ottawa River views.
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3. The China National
Convention Center
The China National Convention Center (CNCC) is China’s
newest and largest international
conference venue. Located in
the heart of Beijing Olympic Green,
the convention center stands
next to the Bird Nest, the Water
Cube and the National Indoor
Stadium. The center features
a 6,000-seat plenary hall, a
3,500-capacity grand ballroom and
258,334 square feet of exhibition
space. Additionally, there are nearly
100 meeting rooms of various sizes
throughout the venue. The CNCC
Grand Hotel, a four-star hotel with
443 guest rooms, is adjacent to the
convention center, and the CNCC
complex includes two office buildings, shopping and food outlets.
2.
2.
3.
4. Island Hotel Newport
Beach
The Island Hotel Newport Beach
in California completed a two-year
renovation in June encompassing all
guest rooms, meeting facilities and
public spaces. The most recently
completed portion of the hotel’s
transformation spans more than
20,000 square feet of meeting
space, including the expansive,
6,000-square-foot ballroom, as
well as five meeting rooms and five
additional meeting suites. In 2007,
the Island Hotel completed extensive
refurbishment of 11 suites, the
lobby lounge area and its signature
restaurant. The new restaurant
and lounge has been renamed the
Palm Terrace Restaurant & Lounge
and remains under the direction of
Executive Chef Bill Bracken.
2
4
1
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4.
.
4.
5. Mamilla Hotel Jerusalem
Located in Jerusalem’s new shopping and entertainment experience,
the Alrov Mamilla Avenue—with
its views of the Old City walls, the
Tower of David and Jaffa Gate—the
Mamilla Hotel Jerusalem opened
this summer in the very heart of
the city’s rich cultural heritage
and bustling daily life. In addition
to its 194 guest rooms, the hotel
features several restaurants, cafes,
bars, an indoor swimming pool, a
400-capacity ballroom and three
conference rooms. A holistic wellbeing center will open later this year.
5.
6. Verdura Golf & Spa
Resort
6.
The Rocco Forte Collection’s Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Sicily is
now open, signaling the company’s
entry into the luxury resort sector.
The resort—complete with a
private coastline, two 18-hole
golf courses, one nine-hole golf
course, a spa, four restaurants
and 10 meeting rooms—is situated in Southwest Sicily, a one-hour
drive from Palermo. Families will
also be well looked after with a Verdura’s Kids Club and Teenagers Club
as well as land and sea activities,
including tennis, sailing, windsurfing
and a two-tiered swimming pool.
6
5
3
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8/25/09 4:35:50 PM
Focus On...
At 6 foot 4 inches, Patrick
Hermon was far too tall
for the Sunfish, his feet
dangling off the side of the
boat as he tried to steer.
It was one helluva way to
learn to sail.
Patrick Hermon
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas
“Patrick grew up
on St. Thomas and
knows the ins and
outs of the islands
and all the local
folklore. During
each sail, he shares
his knowledge and
stories with an
infectious smile and
a great Caribbean
accent that charms
everyone onboard.”
—Debbie Noonan
White, Lady Lynsey
crew member
“I always enjoy
watching Patrick
lead his team
through the precise
maneuvers of
the Lady Lynsey
while engaging our
guests and creating
unforgettable
memories. Patrick
is a true star
and a fantastic
representative of
genuine Caribbean
hospitality. We are
proud to have him
on the team.”
—Marc Langevin,
general manager of
The Ritz-Carlton,
St. Thomas
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“When he would tack, he had
to spin his whole body around so
he wouldn’t hit his head. It was
really funny to watch,” recalls
Bobby Adams, his friend and
co-worker at The Ritz-Carlton,
St. Thomas. It was Adams who
taught him to sail, and now, several years later, Hermon serves as
resident captain of ye sturdy Lady
Lynsey, the hotel’s 53-foot-long
catamaran.
Hermon is every bit the island
native, his father a local Army
officer, his mother a transplant
from Raleigh, N.C. He grew up in
the sea and sun of the U.S. Virgin
Islands, where he learned hospitality at a young age as a bus boy
and waiter for local tourist stops.
After a year abroad as a merchant
marine, Hermon returned to his
sunny seaside home and enlisted
as a pool attendant at the island’s
new Ritz-Carlton.
The post was far from his
greatest ambition. Advancing
the ranks in outdoor activities,
Hermon worked in beach setup,
sailing instruction and—upon
certification—windsurf training.
“I am not the type of person
who likes being in the office,” he
says. It seems he is fated to the
out-of-doors. “I asked if I could
work on the boat part-time. I did
one trip and was ready to work
onboard forever.”
Capt. Michael “Micky”
Lawler took over Hermon’s training—which lasted a total of three
years. Hermon swore his instructor was picking on him.
“You know those looks your
father gave you when you weren’t
trying hard enough? I got a lot of
those,” he recalls. Now, Hermon
sees that Lawler was pushing him
to be a better sailor, to observe
his surroundings, to be an honest
person.
“He told me, ‘I don’t trust
anyone to drive this boat but
you,’” Hermon says. Lawler
stepped down from the captain’s
role to see his protégé excel. “My
dreams have come true,” Hermon
says. “My grandfather was a boat
captain, and now I am the one to
follow in his footsteps.”
Mostly, Hermon enjoys the
camaraderie between crew and
guests. “It is my job to make sure
everyone has a good time. I look
forward to that every day.”
—JESSIE STATES
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Spotlight
David Ogilvie accepts the role of
sales and marketing vice president for
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Canada. He
previously held the position of general
manager at The Westin Harbour Castle
in downtown Toronto. Ogilvie studied hotel
management at Thameside University in
London, where he also worked for
the world-renowned Savoy Hotel
Co. Ogilvie was recently named
chairman of Tourism Toronto’s
board of directors, and he has
also been active in leadership
with the Association
of Corporate Travel
Executives, the Institute
of Business Travel
Management and MPI.
Maktoob Research welcomes
Jigar Mehta as its new Dubaibased business development
manager. Prior to joining
Maktoob, Mehta worked
with one the world’s largest
market research offshore
solutions companies, where
he developed and managed
clients in North America. Mehta
holds a bachelor’s degree in
management studies and a
master’s degree in marketing
from Mumbai University.
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PRA Destination Management
Chicago appoints Lauren
Banks as national sales manager. Banks brings several
years of account management
experience from her tenure
with an advertising and event
planning agency, where she
coordinated multiple client accounts including private sector
businesses, law firms, financial
institutions and state and city
governments.
Krista Rogers joins The Westin
Reston (Va.) Heights as its new
sales manager. Rogers spent
seven years with MPI, holding
various positions including exhibits
manager, trade show planner
and strategic events coordinator. In her most recent position
as chapter business manager,
Rogers oversaw the success of
14 Northeastern U.S. chapters.
Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree
in business administration from
Radford University.
Tourism and convention bureau
Destination DC names Elliott
Ferguson president and CEO.
Ferguson succeeds Bill Hanbury,
who left Destination DC after
eight years to run United Way
of the National Capital Area.
Ferguson, who recently served
as senior vice president of
convention sales and services
for Destination DC, was selected
through a national search
process.
Visit the careers blog at www.mpiweb.org by
selecting “community” and then “blogs”
to tell MPI about your recent job change.
09.09
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HOT BUZZ
+
Meet Now
To combat dipping traffic
due to the economic slowdown, a handful of North
Texas meeting and hospitality industries have set aside
regional competition to support each other as part of
the new DFW Meet Now
Promise co-op. The group
offers no-attrition room
contracts to groups that
book and complete their
meetings before Dec. 31 in
addition to discounts on
ground and air transport.
“By eliminating the fear
factor of attrition, we’ve
eliminated the potential for
pain for the meeting and
reinforced the gain,” said
Maura Gast (pictured), executive director of the Irving
CVB.
The program also includes the CVBs of Arlington, Dallas and Fort Worth
as well as the Hotel Association of North Texas at
DFW International Airport,
headquarters of program
participant American Airlines. At Dfwpromise.com,
planners can submit an RFP
to participating organizations and receive guaranteed offers by deadline.
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09.09
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+
Tweet Elite
Onsite Wonders
Experience the wonders of Turkey by ballooning over
the historical Cappadocia ruins, dining and shopping in
the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul and relaxing in the Turkish hot springs of Pamukkale—at least by proxy.
Plan your next meeting by visiting the newly created
YouTube Channel of the Turkish Culture & Tourism
Office at www.youtube.com/user/TurkeyTourism
Office. Playlists include destination spotlights of seven
tourism regions in Turkey as well as sports activities
such as rafting, golfing, skiing and sailing.
Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, San Francisco and Tampa Bay are the top U.S. destinations to
market their cities via Twitter.com. A study by destination marketing firm Development Counsellors International shows how CVBs leverage Twitter to market their
communities and create dialogue with potential visitors.
Some 300 U.S. CVBs have Twitter accounts.
Marketing effectiveness goes beyond the amount of
followers or updates a CVB makes, the firm asserts.
While the Tweet Elite did have large numbers of followers and updates, they also ranked highest in connecting
with potential visitors, community partners and other
constituents. Additional findings include the types of
tweets each destination marketer uses and the percentage of Twitter activity each category consumes.
The types of tweets most often used include a) news
and events announcements at 54 percent, b) social
comments at 28 percent, c) replies to followers at 20
percent, d) travel and other deals at 17 percent and d)
re-tweets from community partners at 13 percent.
Green Commitment
The forthcoming CityCenter project in Las
Vegas will be one of the world’s largest sustainable developments, according to Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM MIRAGE,
who says the 18 million-square-foot development will achieve gold and silver LEED ratings
by the U.S. Green Building Council. Following,
find key sustainable highlights from the
development.
• An 8.5 megawatt natural-gas co-generation plant that provides efficient electricity,
reduces emissions and uses “waste heat” to
provide all domestic hot water
• Water conservation technology that will
save as much as 40 percent of projected
usage inside and 60 percent outside
• A fleet of stretch limos powered by cleanburning compressed natural gas
• Slot machine bases that serve as floor
air-conditioning units, cooling guests from the
ground up, rather than from the ceiling
• A large-scale recycling operation that
enabled the recycling or reuse of more than
230,000 tons of construction waste, including 80 percent of the imploded Boardwalk
Hotel
Think Panama
Panama’s tourism arrivals have more than doubled in the past six
years and revenue therein has more than tripled, according to a
new study by the nation’s tourism authority. Leaders say the
growth has initiated massive investment in the country
and is funding infrastructure improvements for power
plants, telecom projects, overpasses, roads, highways and bridges. In fact, the governments of
Panama and Costa Rica recently announced
plans to build a bridge over the Sixaola River
to increase connectivity between the countries. One of the most notable improvements is the US$5.25 billion Panama
Canal expansion project, which will
double the canal’s capacity.
mpiweb.org
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8/28/09 9:53:09 AM
HOT BUZZ
Thoughts+Leaders
+
What can hotels and
catering staffs remove from
their menus to make them
more environmentally friendly
or sustainable?
Philippe Haddad
Director of F&B and Executive Chef
The Reefs, Bermuda
As an island destination, it is challenging to get
access to sustainable food. To the degree possible,
I have brought eco-friendly concepts to The Reefs
from my experience in Atlanta. We can make a
significant impact by reducing our dependence on
imported meats and vegetables and promoting
local resources. At The Reefs, we focus on procuring seafood from a local fisherman and fruits,
vegetables and herbs grown on Bermuda farms.
Since joining the resort in June, I have re-created our menus to reflect items that are in-season
and from local suppliers. For groups, menus are
now custom-designed around the group’s needs
and what food items are available, including sustainable options such as free-range chicken. The
results are fresher menu items for guests, greater
support for local businesses and
contributing to an overall positive
impact on the environment.
Ed Lake
Regional Executive Chef
ARAMARK Sports, Entertainment &
Conventions
One of the most effective ways to make
menus more sustainable is to use local
ingredients. Many of our culinary teams
at convention centers work closely with
local suppliers and purveyors to source
locally grown and seasonal produce,
meat, dairy and wine. Incorporating local
products into menus not only reduces the environmental footprint,
but supports and showcases the region and develops meaningful
relationships with local businesses.
ARAMARK’s convention center catering environmental program
also includes using earth-friendly service ware such as biodegradable cups and plates made from bamboo, recycling, reducing the
use of individual serving size condiment packages and composting
organic waste.
30
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Steven
Peterson
Corporate Chef
- Americas
Hilton Hotels
Corp.
I would like to
see hotels eliminate the procurement of products that are grown
and cultivated with the applications of herbicides,
pesticides and fungicides as well as composting
methods that are not natural in their development
or application. With the rising cost of health care
in the U.S. and the increase in cancer and diabetes and diseases of the liver, kidneys and heart all
directly correlated to the way we farm today in
America, it is vital that we address these issues
in the way we harvest agriculture and livestock. It
will be a mission of ours to support local and
immigrant farming as well as organizations that
have such practices that allow our customers to
consume the most wholesome and nutritionally
optimal foods that we can procure.
09.09
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Get Heard
Hospitality sales firm hinton+grusich and event
production company One Smooth Stone will
launch a grassroots campaign to help industry
leaders “find their voices” in defense of
meetings and events during the last week of
September at The Motivation Show/IT&ME in
Chicago. The effort is part of a yearlong collaboration to provide support for the
U.S.Travel Industry Association’s “Meetings Mean Business” campaign. The two
companies have already collaborated on a series of webinars and live panel
discussions.
Green Industry
Standards
The Convention Industry Council has
unveiled final draft standards for green
meetings and events and now invites
comments by industry practitioners.
The organization’s Accepted Practices
Exchange (APEX) Panel on Green Meeting and Event Practices developed the
standards in coordination with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and
the Green Meeting Industry Council.
The draft has also been submitted to
standards development organization
ASTM International to ensure final
accreditation.
The standard encompasses nine
topic areas including accommodations,
audiovisual, communication, exhibits,
food and
beverage,
onsite
office,
destinations,
meeting
venue and
transportation.
APEX will
hold City Discussion Groups early this
month (register at www.apexsolution.
com), and a blog on the Web site can
also be used for public comment.
All comments, whether by City Discussion Group or by blog, are due Sept.
11 in order to be considered before
the standards are submitted to ASTM
in final format. It is anticipated that the
final standards will be approved by both
ASTM and the APEX commission by
year-end.
Artistic Gateway
In St. Louis, even the airport has joined in
the effort to promote tourism and business travel options. Lambert-St. Louis
International invited six area arts and cultural destinations to share their stories
with visitors as part of the “Windows on
St. Louis” exhibit in the Main Terminal
Baggage Claim. The airport donated “windowed” gallery space to each organization.
Scheduled to run through December, the
six exhibits include the following projects.
The Gateway Arch. Migrate through a
digital tour of the arch grounds—and for
fun, travelers can direct their own fireworks shows over the landmark structure.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
Uncover the art and history behind one of
the world’s largest mosaic collections.
The Loop. Find the many personalities of
“The Loop,” and honor some of St. Louis’
hometown greats (such as musician Chuck
Berry) on the Walk of Fame.
Laumeier Sculpture Park. See photos
and art from some of the city’s greatest
artists—such as Tobias Putrih’s “Studio at
Laumeier 2006.”
The Contemporary Art Museum St.
Louis. View a selection of images from the
renowned museum’s many galleries.
The Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. Find uniforms and other memorabilia
from this downtown St. Louis museum.
mpiweb.org
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8/26/09 8:13:44 AM
HOT BUZZ
Invest Wisely
Green investments are no longer a
luxury but a legal responsibility, according to the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). In a 120-page
publication, the organization argues that
if investment consultants do not incorporate environmental, social and governance considerations into their services,
they face “a very real risk that they will
be sued for negligence.” The report
also stressed the central role that the
world’s largest institutional investors—
including pension funds, insurance
companies, sovereign wealth funds
and mutual funds—have in easing the
transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient green economy.
Fiduciary Responsibility: Legal and
Practical Aspects of Integrating Environmental, Social and Governance
Issues into Institutional Investment
launched on the eve of the annual Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
event July 16-17 in Sydney, Australia.
The conference is the world’s largest
responsible investment initiative for an
ConferenceBike
T general gist: Seat seven people in a circle on a specially made
The
ttricycle and start meeting. One person steers, and everyone else
pedals. Away you go to the land of innovation. According to Confer
p
encebike.com, the CoBi-7 lowers inhibitions and encourages cone
vversation. The transport is being used for city tours in Berlin and
corporate team building in London and as a bike for the visually
c
iimpaired in Dublin. Photos on the site show staff members from
tthe Waynesboro (Va.) Department of Public Works, the Dallas Fire
Department and the Citadel in Charleston, S.C., using the trike, as
D
well as a group of trick-or-treaters, students from the State Univerw
sity of New York and even former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Terminal 2
BAA Heathrow Airport in London unveiled plans for its £1 billion Terminal 2
in mid-August. The terminal will become the new home of Star Alliance
airlines, will serve an estimated 20
million annual passengers and is part
of a £4.8 billion airport-wide investment.
Terminal 2 will produce 40 percent
less carbon than the buildings it replaces. Large north-facing windows in the
roof will flood the building with natural
light, reducing the need for artificial
lighting without generating uncomfortable levels of heat in the building. Solar
panels on the roof will further reduce
the dependency on energy supplies, and
a new energy center, partially fuelled by
renewable resources, will provide heating and cooling for the building.
To minimize disruption to passengers, construction will take place in two
phases. The first stage will see the
32
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organization that represents almost 600
institutions and more than US$18 trillion in global assets. PRI is a joint effort
between the U.N. Global Compact and
the UNEP Finance Initiative, which produced the report.
Survivor Package
The luxury Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf
Resort & Spa in San Diego asks,
“How low will you go?” with its nameyour-price Survivor Package. The
package includes deluxe accommodations and breakfast for two for
US$219 a night or a tiered menu of
options for a stay as low as $19.
Needless to say, some options have
limited availability.
• $199 without breakfast
• $179 without honor bar
• $159 without A/C or heat
• $139 without pillows
• $109 without sheets
• $89 without lights
• $59 without linens
• $39 without toiletries
• $19 without bed
creation of a terminal building on the
site of the existing Terminal 2 and
Queen’s Building, both of which will be
demolished later this year. Construction
on Phase 1 is due for completion in
2013. Phase 2 is scheduled to run
consecutively and will extend the new
Terminal 2 into the existing Terminal 1
site. This phase, which includes the
construction of a second satellite building, is set to increase the capacity of
Terminal 2 to 30 million passengers a
year. Terminal 1 will close when Phase
2 is complete in 2019, however it will
remain open throughout construction.
09.09
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AAA Eco
AAA will assign eco icons in its TourBook guides and at
AAA.com for lodgings that are eco-certified by designated government and private programs beginning in
December. AAA will not evaluate the properties, it will
simply report their eco status as determined by a host
of other organizations. Visit the Web site for more information and a list of approved certifications.
RevPAR Recovery
Revenue per available room (RevPAR) will not
start to recover until at least the second half of
2010 or after, according to more than 50 percent of attendees surveyed at STR Global’s inaugural Hotel Data Conference in early August. A similar
number of respondents believe it will take three to five
years to reach January 2008 rates, followed by 24.1
percent who believe it will take six to eight years.
Boomer Upstarts
The U.S. may be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship
boom—not in spite of an aging population but because of it,
according to The Coming Entrepreneurship Boom, a study
by the Kauffman Foundation. It turns out that during the
past decade or so, the highest rate of entrepreneurial
activity belonged to the 55-64 age group.
Corporate Travel Declines
Recessionary trends are driving a steep contraction in business travel in 2009, resulting in a 15 percent decline in the
U.S. corporate travel market to US$85 billion, according to
the U.S. Corporate Travel Distribution Fourth Edition by PhoCusWright. In contrast, the total U.S. travel market is projected to decline only 11 percent in 2009—below 2006
levels.
Blacklisted
Green Satisfaction
Guest awareness of “green” hotel programs has a strong
impact on overall hotel guest satisfaction. On average,
satisfaction is more than 160 points higher among guests
who report being aware of their hotel’s green programs,
compared to guests who are unaware of them, according
to a study by J.D. Power and Associates. Ratings are
based on a 1,000-point scale.
RESORT
AREAS
In late July, The Wall Street Journal
reported that several federal agencies, including the departments of
justice and agriculture, had issued
guidelines encouraging employees to
hold meetings and conferences only in
cities that are “non-resort locations.” U.S.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) has unveiled legislation to make
it unlawful for federal government agencies to design
travel policies that blacklist U.S. cities based on their
locale or because of their perceptions as tourism
destinations.
mpiweb.org
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8/24/09 3:02:06 PM
ART
of Travel
Klean Kanteen
bottles provide an
eco-friendly solution
for the thirsty
masses. Both the
classic and widemouth models are
made with recyclable,
food-grade stainless
steel that doesn’t
require a special
lining like aluminum
bottles do. The jugs
are BPA-free and
won’t leak chemicals,
toxins or funky
flavors. Throw your
Klean Kanteen into
your messenger
bag on your way
to the airport.
(Kleankanteen.com,
from US$14.95)
Reusable Bag
Proves Green
Can Be Chic
Carry a bag made of
recycled soda bottles
with the reusable
Envi tote, composed
of PET, which offers
a thick, luxe material
that looks better and
lasts longer than
other fabrics and
boasts both style and
purpose. Envi works
closely with business
clients as well to
help them choose
fabrics, styles, sizes
and shapes—using
any design, color
and layout and
adding a host of
extras including
zippers, grommets,
insulation, wine
pockets and more.
(Envireusablebags.
com, prices vary)
Thirsty? Try
These Reusable
Water Bottles
N
E
E
R
G ION
T
I
D
E
Eco Mask,
Blanket are
Über Comfy
Settle into your
seat and a
soft slumber
with a bamboo
blanket and eye
mask from pb
travel. As soft
as cashmere,
bamboo is
the ultimate
“green” product
and an ideal
companion for
that international
flight. Easy to
clean in a gentle
wash, the set
is absorbent,
hypoallergenic
and antibacterial.
(Pb-travel.com,
US$39.99)
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09.09
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Your Community
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT
Music in Italy
The 2009 MPI Italia Chapter’s General
Assembly held in early July in Acireale, Sicily,
was far from usual in its educational content—instead of lecture, keynote, network,
delegates embarked on an allegorical journey on the “making of” a meeting through
the rehearsal of an orchestra performing a
classic quartet.
MPI Netherlands Chapter member Ruud
Janssen facilitated the board retreat prior
to the meeting as part of the chapter’s
ambassador program, which invites each
of MPI’s 69 chapters to appoint an envoy
to exchange information and experiences
with MPI Italia and create joint initiatives and
partnerships. As for Janssen, he embraced
his role as facilitator.
“I knew I could trust the Italian emotional intelligence—the way people speak
and listen to each other—to enhance
interaction and maximize outputs,” he said.
“Generally speaking, a facilitator should
understand where the track is and try to
channel the discussion—just presenting the
hardware, where the software is crafted by
the experience and the cleverness of the
participants. This makes things simple and
less complicated than they are and brings
on a careful discussion; in this Italian general assembly I didn’t have to observe the
group dynamic, everything worked perfectly
by itself.”
—Stefano Ferri
Italia Chapter media relations manager
Got a Minute?
Share your passion for the MPI community—and profit. Every time you recruit a
new, full-paying member, you’ll receive a
$25 credit (U.S. or Canadian dollar or euro)
toward your membership renewal. Recruit
13 new members and your entire renewal
fee is covered. To get credit, have the new
member put your name or ID number in the
application’s “referred by” section.
Get Your CMP On
Speak Out in 2010
MPI calls all professional speakers, faculty, subject-matter experts and
meeting planners and suppliers to submit content proposals for the
World Education Congress 2010 (scheduled July 24-27 in Vancouver,
British Columbia). The event is the world’s largest annual gathering of
meeting and event professionals. Proposals will be accepted through
Oct.1. Visit www.mpiweb.org/events/callforspeakers.aspx for
more information.
Lifetime Status
The MPI Board of Directors has endowed industry consultant Ellen
Beckert with lifetime membership status. Beckert is a member of
the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter and joined MPI in May 1977.
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MPI will play host to the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
exam at MeetDifferent Cancún in February. Implemented by
the Convention Industry Council, the CMP recognizes industry
professionals who have demonstrated knowledge and excellence
in the meeting industry. Cancún will be the only Latin American
location for the CMP exam this year.
“During a complex time in the meeting industry, we will
supply the educational materials, training and testing required
to designate and elevate deserving meeting professionals,” said
Vicki Hawarden, CMP, vice president of knowledge for MPI. “By
conducting this test in Cancún, we will raise awareness of the
value of this certification and welcome many Latin American
professionals to take the exam.”
MPI has developed online study materials to supplement the
current MPI Foundation CMP Online Study Guide. The organization
will also facilitate a pre-exam training session and post-exam
luncheon for international test takers.
Individuals must apply by Oct. 28. For more information on CMP
certification, visit www.mpiweb.org/Events/MD2010.aspx.
09.09
p036-037 Community Foundation 0909.indd 36
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Making a Difference
Helping Individuals Succeed
Francesca Corradi, CMP, joined MPI in
February—less than a month before the
European Meetings and Events Conference in
Torino—eager to connect with colleagues and
peers from across the globe and continue
developing her professional skills.
“I wanted to attend the Torino conference
to increase my expertise in preparation for
the CMP exam,” she recalled.
And while her company
was unable to pay for her
attendance at the event, the
MPI Foundation was ready to
help. Prompted by Antonio
Ducceschi, MPI’s director
of sales and partnership
development in EMEA, Corradi
applied for a scholarship to
attend the annual educational
event for free. She was quickly
accepted.
“The grant allowed me
to attend the conference in
Torino, where I was able to
get a deeper insight on industry challenges
and trends and also expand my professional
network,” Corradi said.
Peers at the event also alerted her to the
MPI Foundation CMP Online Study Guide,
which she credits for her ultimate achievement—the receipt of her certification as a
meeting professional.
What helped Corradi can help any MPI
member. Every year, the MPI
Foundation offers thousands of
dollars for members seeking
to advance their education in
meetings and events. In 2008,
individuals received nearly
US$50,000 in scholarships
from the MPI Foundation for
educational projects and learning opportunities.
Applications for the next series of grants are due Sept. 30.
To apply, visit www.mpiweb.
com/foundation.
Did You Know?
Each month, the MPI Foundation awards
grants to chapters for projects that are
beneficial to the advancement of the organization’s vision and strategic plan. Last year,
the Chapter Grant Program donated more
than US$173,000 to local chapters across
the globe. The funds can be used toward
leadership development, membership marketing and recruitment, research projects and
program development.
To contribute to the
MPI Foundation, visit
www.mpifoundation.org.
FOCUS ON FOUNDATION
July 2009 Contributors
The MPI Foundation thanks the following organizations and individuals for their generous support.
U.S. CORPORATE
Platinum Donors
AT&T Park
Carlson Hotels
Dallas CVB
Detroit Metro CVB
Fairmont Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hyatt Hotels
IHG
Las Vegas CVA
Loews Hotels
Omni Hotels
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
The Venetian
Wyndham Hotels
Gold Donors
American Express
AV Concepts
Bloomington CVB
HelmsBriscoe
Maritz
MGM Mirage
ProActive
San Antonio CVB
Freeman
Silver Donors
Aimbridge Hospitality
Anaheim CVB
Aramark
Atlanta CVB
The Broadmoor
Encore Productions
Fort Worth CVB
Global Hotel Alliance
The Greenbrier
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
hinton + grusich
LA Inc.
LXR
Meet Minneapolis
Millennium Hotels
Park Place Entertainment
Pier 94
PRA
PSAV
Puerto Rico CVB
Salt Lake City CVB
St. Louis CVB
Walt Disney World Resort
Weil & Associates
Bronze Donors
Associated Luxury Hotels
Benchmark Hospitality
Destination Hotels & Resorts
Dolce
Experient
Gaylord Opryland
Global Events Partners
Hard Rock International
Harrah’s Entertainment
HelmsBriscoe
Accor Hospitality (replaced
InnFluent)
PC Nametag
Philadelphia CVB
SearchWide
Seattle CVB
Walt Disney World Resorts
Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin
Wynn
Small Business Donors
4th Wall Events
Best Meetings
Concepts Worldwide
Creative Meetings and Events
CW Worlwide Meetings Inc.
(Site Solutions)
Dianne B. Devitt
Kinsley & Associates
Landry & Kling & Seasite
Meetingjobs
Meeting Revolution
Meeting Site Resource
One Smooth Stone
Song Division
Swantegy
SYNAXIS Meetings & Events
Inc.
Special Donors
Blumberg Marketing
Boca Resorts
Carol Krugman, CMP, CMM
CVent
Dave Scypinski
David DuBois, CMP, CAE
David Gabri
Folio Fine Wine Partners
George P. Johnson
Jonathan T. Howe, Esq.
Katie Callahan-Giobbi
Ken Sanders
Kevin Olsen
Little Rock CVB
Mark Sirangelo
Pasadena CVB
Passkey
Production Plus Inc.
SAS Institute
Visit Raleigh
Friends of MPI
Alan Pini
Anne Hamilton
Brian Stevens
Catherine McKenna, CMP,
CMM
Chris Gabaldon
Colleen Rickenbacher, CMP,
CSEP, CPC
Gaylord Texan
Gus Vonderheide
Hattie Hill Enterprises
Helen Van Dongen, CMP, CMM
Hello Florida!/Hello USA!
Ivan Carlson
Jeff Wagoner
JetBlue
Joe Nishi
John Meissner
Ken Sanders
Kevin Olsen
Margaret Moynihan
Michael Massari
Mike Deitemeyer
Richard Harper
Rick Smith
Rob Scypinski
Scott White
Stephen Revetria
Vito Curalli
CANADA CORPORATE
Platinum Donor
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Gold Donor
AVW-Telav
Caesars Windsor
Convention Centres of Canada
Delta Hotels
PSAV
Silver Donor
AV-CANADA
AVW-TELAV
Calgary Telus Convention
Centre
Cascadia Motivation
Coast Hotels & Resorts
Evolution
Hilton Canada
IHG
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Canada
The STRONCO Group of
Companies
Tourism Calgary
Tourism Toronto
Tourisme Québec
VIA Rail Canada
Bronze Donor
The Conference Publisher
D.E. Systems Ltd.
Destination Halifax
Direct Energy Centre
IncentiveWorks
Tourisme Montréal
Tourism British Columbia
Tourism Vancouver
Special Donor
Accucom Corporate Communications Inc.
ADMAR Promotions
Calgary Exhibition & Stampede
Cantrav dmc
Centre Mont-Royal
Destination Winnipeg
Exposoft Solutions Inc.
Fletcher Wright Associates Inc.
Gelber Conference Centre
Groupe Germain Hotels
The Great West Life Company
Investors Group Financial
Services
Mendelssohn Livingston
Naylor Publishers Inc.
The Planner
EUROPE CORPORATE
Heritage Club
EIBTM
IMEX
Diamond Club
MCI
Platinum Key Donors
BTC International
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Gold Key Donors
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Malaga CVB
The Rezidor Hotel Group
Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre
VisitDenmark
EIBTM
Silver Partner Donors
ExpoForce
RefTech
Bronze Friend Donors
Amsterdam RAI
Hotels van Oranje
Ince&Tive
Visit London
INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Diamond
Mike Deitemeyer
Chris Gabaldon
Richard Harper
Michael Massari
Margaret Moynihan
Kevin Olsen
Alan Pini
Ken Sanders
Rob Scypinski
Rick Smith
Brian Stevens
Jeff Wagoner
Fellow
Kevin Kirby
Jonathan Howe
Evelyn Laxgang
Joseph Lipman
Robin Lokerman
Ping Liu
Cheryl Renzenbrink
Unni Soelberg-Claridge
Sebastien Tondeur
Carl Winston
CHAPTER DONORS
Arizona Sunbelt Chapter
Potomac Chapter
Rocky Mountain Chapter
Texas Hill Country Chapter
mpiweb.org
p036-037 Community Foundation 0909.indd 37
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8/27/09 4:51:46 PM
WHO:
Connections
Bill Brown, battalion
chief for the Indianapolis
Fire Department
CVA + Fire Department
Early spring is a bum time to be a
fire in downtown Indianapolis—
unless, of course, you are some sort
of sadistic fire that enjoys watching
enemies plot la résistance.
April heralds the annual return of 30,000
firefighters to the city’s center for their Fire
Department Instructors Conference (FDIC),
an effort that not only offers education and
equipment resources to attendees from across
the globe, but also unites two unusual bedfellows: the Indianapolis CVA and the city’s fire
department.
Once at home in beautiful Cincinnati, the
conference moved to Indianapolis in 1995
after heavy wooing by convention sales directors and the fire chief himself. Remarkably,
FDIC’s early contacts with the city have
remained the same during the past decadeand-a-half—Susie Townsend, then-field sales
manager, now convention services vice president, and Battalion Chief Bill Brown of the
Indianapolis Fire Department—an unusual
occurrence in the high-turnover meeting industry.
There is reason for this annual pilgrimage
to The Crossroads of America, and a central
location in the U.S. Midwest is just one of
many factors—foremost of which is the staggering amount of logistics entrusted to the
local fire team. Fifty regional departments
contribute to the event by providing training scenario equipment, radio transmission
and onsite location scouting. Brown says his
department works yearlong with the city government and local contractors to coordinate
and obtain permits for the use of future demolition sites for fire training programs.
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Susie Townsend, vice
president of convention
services for the
Indianapolis Convention
& Visitors Association
EVENT:
Fire Department Instructors
Conference
Indiana Convention Center
and Lucas Oil Stadium
April 20-25
As many as 25 offsite Hands-on Training (H.O.T.) sessions occur during the
conference’s first two days. The four- and
eight-hour courses offer live education in
everything fire from advanced extrication
tactics to survival training to private dwelling
search procedures. The conference has even
played host to a simulated plane crash. Each
H.O.T. Evolution requires long- and shortterm logistical support from the Indianapolis
Fire Department for site selection and setup,
equipment management, program planning
and day-of safety personnel.
Meanwhile, Townsend and the CVA act
as local liaisons to FDIC’s housing firm, fund
the conference’s welcome program and signage, pitch discount packages to downtown
nightclubs and restaurants, finance shuttles
09.09
p038-039 Connections 0909.indd 38
8/27/09 7:19:53 PM
during the conference and even sponsor
an annual exhibitor roundtable preceding
the expo. To be fair, the convention is well
worth the sweat, bringing in an estimated
US$30.9 million annually and generating a
near-sellout of city guest rooms.
The proximity of the new, 2 millionsquare-foot Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the
National Football League Indianapolis Colts)
doesn’t hurt the city’s cause. Separated from
the convention center by South Street, the
neighbors will become an even greater asset
when the stadium connects to the expanding
center via skywalk in 2011.
And FDIC, for one, needs as much accessible exposition space as the city can provide.
In addition to trade show standbys (monitors, detectors, protective clothing, sirens,
lights and alarms, training services)—which
require standard booth space—the outdoor
exposition must be able to accommodate
aerial ladder, nozzle and hose demonstrations
as well as big trucks and engines.
Despite the thousands of hours of local
volunteer work needed to produce the conference, Chief Brown says the educational
opportunities provided to the area’s emergency fire personnel are priceless—especially
since the show offers free credentials to local
firefighters to attend the education and training sessions. And, as with most any conference, the person-to-person connections made
during workshops and conversations and on
the trade show floor create true opportunities
for innovation and learning.
“We’re networking with firefighters from
all over the world,” Brown said. “We learn
from them; they learn from us.”
But it’s not just the Indianapolis and surrounding fire details that think FDIC and
the city are a perfect match. Eric Schlett,
publisher of Fire Engineering magazine and
FDIC executive director, says Indianapolis
offers something few other cities enjoy—passionate and reliable volunteers and a history
of quality service.
“Without the support of the Indianapolis
Fire Department, we could not do this event,”
he said. “Cities have been clamoring for us,
but our relationship with the fire department
here is what keeps us coming back.”
—JESSIE STATES
mpiweb.org
p038-039 Connections 0909.indd 39
39
8/27/09 7:20:01 PM
IRRELEVANT
Rise ‘n’ Shine
Clocky offers the perfect solution for
perpetual snoozers. You get one chance to
get up. If you do fall back into the embrace
of sweet, sweet sleep, Clocky starts beeping,
jumps three feet off your nightstand, runs
away and hides somewhere in the bedroom.
Now, you have to get out of bed to silence
the alarm. We can’t think of a better way to
wake up. (Nandahome.com, US$59)
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p040 Irrelevant 0909 Rev1.indd 40
8/27/09 2:25:29 PM
0909_041.indd 41
8/25/09 8:39:11 AM
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Walt Disney World Swan
and Dolphin Resort
www.swandolphinmeetings.com
This new approach lightens the load
for meeting professionals. “ReImagine
Meetings” ultimately means the
resort takes on the responsibility of
achieving the“wow” factor.
ReImagine your next meeting in a place where
unforgettable surroundings inspire creativity.
Expertly designed facilities provide the perfect
backdrop for meetings from 15 to 15,000. With
two decades of service expertise backed by awardwinning accommodations and dining, that’s the
world you’ll experience at the Walt Disney World
Swan and Dolphin Resort.
The resort knows exactly what it takes to create
the most imaginative meetings that generate the
highest results. But how have they kept it fresh for
two decades?
“We keep reinventing ourselves…our services,
our offerings, the way we think, the way we look.
We’re always challenging ourselves to do it better,”
said Eric Opron, director of sales and marketing
for Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.
“Meeting professionals have a tough job. Walt
Disney himself would be baffled at the amount of
imagination it takes these days to plan one great
meeting after another. Trends change daily and
demands change even faster. So we have to stay far,
far ahead if we’re going to deliver the world’s most
imaginative, successful meetings.”
And they have done just that with their new
approach aptly named “ReImagine Meetings.” The
focus is on creativity. Not just in the theme of the
meetings, but how you do it, the technology you
use, the relationships you build, the partnerships
you rely on and the solutions you create. This team
literally looks at meetings in a different way.
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 09.09
Walt Disney_ADVERTORIAL.indd 42
8/25/09 4:57:33 PM
Don’t miss out on our incredible
ReImagine Incentives Offer*! Book a
meeting by Dec. 31, 2009, and consume
by Dec. 31, 2010, and pick two of the
following fabulous incentives:
“We want to think up things you’ve never heard
of. Deliver service like you’ve never experienced. We
want to pump up the energy so high it takes all the
pressure off,” Opron said. “Being right here in the
Walt Disney World® Resort gives us an incredible
advantage to achieve that.”
This new approach lightens the load for meeting
professionals. “ReImagine Meetings” ultimately
means the resort takes on the responsibility of
achieving the “wow” factor. That frees up meeting
professionals from a web of endless details and
allows them to really focus on the meeting content
and message.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort
offers more than 329,000 square feet of indoor
meeting space comprised of the following:
• 84 meeting rooms, including two executive
boardrooms
• Four ballroom options ranging from 3,500 to
55,000 square feet, which can accommodate up to
6,457 theater style
• 110,500 square feet of contiguous convention/
exhibit space, capable of handling 673 8' x 10'
booths
• A one-hour cruise aboard our classic cruising
vessel, the Fan-ta-sea. Cruise includes refreshments
and on-the-water view of Epcot® IllumiNations laser
and fireworks show (up to 15 people maximum).
• A reception (food and beverage) for up to
50 people in the awe inspiring Galleria Sottil art
gallery.
• A complimentary ticket for each member of your
group to access Epcot® IllumiNations to accompany
your private Disney catered event (Access to Epcot®
at 8 p.m. for 9 p.m. show. On evenings with Disney’s
Extra Magic Hours schedule, possible to remain in
the park until midnight).
• For every 10 rooms actualized/occupied, receive
one complimentary upgraded accommodation.
• Enjoy a Cabana Bar and Beach Club bash. Hot
and cold hors d’oeuvres, South Beach décor—an
elevate your senses event!
• Other imaginative ideas may apply based upon
group size.
* Does not pertain to existing definites. Not valid
in conjunction with any other offers or incentives.
Restrictions apply.
For more information on the Walt Disney World
Swan and Dolphin Resort, please call (800) 524-4939
or visit www.swandolphinmeetings.com.
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 09.09
Walt Disney_ADVERTORIAL.indd 43
8/25/09 4:57:44 PM
Richard
John
Global View
In Their Minds
Richard John reveals what might be
going on in the minds of some conference
speakers…
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09.09
p044 Global View 0909.indd 44
BIO
Thank you chair, whose name I’ve
already forgotten. I’ll start by failing to give
any clear objectives about my speech, or
benefits to you in listening. Then I’ll throw
some unstructured thoughts around and not
link my contributions with my fellow speakers because I regard myself as too important
to turn up on time and listen to what they
have to say.
I’m also not going to give you something you couldn’t get from reading this
online, and I’ll do that by hiding behind this
podium, rustling my notes in this irritating
fashion and ensuring a lack of any sense of
energy through movement.
Already my presentation doesn’t match
with what I’m saying. Five minutes in, I’m
still showing you a slide with my name on.
I’ll fill the space as I frantically click the
mouse with a collection of “umms” and
“errs,” which you will find set your teeth
on edge.
Now this slide, at last, shows the key
points of my speech. But I’ve given out hard
copies, and you have calculated by the number of pages that there’s no way I’m going to
finish in my allotted 20 minutes.
My next slide is 12 dull statements about
my company, which interest no one. So, I
will read them to you very slowly.
This slide is unintelligible, because I
didn’t think to change the font size. But rest
assured that when I created it, everyone in
the office thought it was brilliant. I’ll follow it with this slide containing a logo of
another company. I didn’t like you enough
to prepare a bespoke presentation, believing
instead that a cut-and-paste job from three
others would do.
And because I can’t be asked to do anything different, I used exactly the same standard template with these next seven slides.
Notice the excess text, in a variety of fonts
and sizes, with two typos. Next, I thought
some crap clip art with a stick man would
somehow make some arcane point. It didn’t
though, did it?
I haven’t time to explain the next three
slides; although I was given a clearly defined
speaking slot, I didn’t rehearse. But I have to
go through each of them, because I forgot
how to skip them.
There you have it. Or rather you don’t,
because you lost the will to live some time
ago. Your muted applause makes me think
I’ve done well, rather than recognizing a
spontaneous celebration that I’ve finished.
Worry not. I’m off now, and the next two
speakers are even worse than me. Thanks
for not listening. Ever.
Of course, if any of that sounds familiar,
who would you blame? If your answer is
anything other than the event organizer,
think again. Make sure speaker training is
an integral part of your next event. Because
when they mess up, you carry the can!
RICHARD JOHN is managing director of U.K.-based RJA GB Ltd, training
and consultancy specialists for the meeting and event sector, and is a
regular speaker at industry events worldwide. E-mail him at contact@
rjagb.com.
8/28/09 9:54:31 AM
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8/14/09 8:53:22 AM
Jon
Bradshaw
Reboot Your Brain
I Know What
You’re Thinking
DO YOU RECALL THE CHILDHOOD
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BIO
DREAMS in which you could accomplish
impossible things you’d love to do but
couldn’t? Not to worry—my column hasn’t
turned into a therapy section—but I am
interested to find out if we shared any fancies. I remember three such dreams and
recently considered whether any of them
would prove useful in the grown-up world
of meeting professionals.
My first dream was to become invisible—based on the innocent desires of an 8
year old who wanted to steal homemade
cookies from the kitchen—yet, to be honest,
the dreams I’m thinking of now are rather
less innocent. So, based on this (and the fact
that exploring the professional benefits of
invisibility may not be entirely aligned with
the editorial guidelines of One+), let’s set it
aside for now.
My second dream was to be able to fly.
I still recall running at full speed flapping
my arms and being genuinely confused as
to why I didn’t sweep up into the higher
branches of the majestic oak tree that sat
at the bottom of the garden. And while it
would be tremendously useful to ask delegates to fly Superman-style to meetings, my
MPI membership may be revoked on mental health grounds if I encouraged readers to
do so, the aim of which would be the right
to add an MHF (mastered human flight)
certification to their professional resumés.
My final dream was to anticipate events
or read minds in some way, and I regularly
tried to predict the next song on the radio,
guess the playing card I’d randomly pick
from a deck and prophesize the number in
my sister’s head.
But, after recently observing a National
Psychic Association Annual Conference
billboard, I must admit to some skepticism
regarding psychic abilities. The fact that
the advertisement detailed the full date and
time puzzled me somewhat. Surely it should
have simply read “Psychic Conference. You
Know Where, You Know When.” I predict
you’re skeptical about psychic abilities too,
so let me focus on mind reading instead.
Now, I understand if you want to put
mind reading into the same “impossible
dream” group as invisibility and human
flight, but unless you know something I
don’t—in which case you should tell a
scientist rather quickly and retire with the
millions you’d make—the former is the
only one that we use daily and can in fact
develop.
Consider this: Have you ever mistrusted
someone because they didn’t make eye contact, claimed someone had a false smile or—
one that I know too well—20 minutes into
dinner felt your date was wishing they’d
stayed home alone watching Ugly Betty?
The fact is, consciously or otherwise, we
are continuously playing the guessing game
and reading other people, and we do not
have to claim to have special abilities to do
it. Much of what you see mind readers do is
simply the result of years of practice.
Malcolm Gladwell discusses the work of
two fascinating psychologists, Paul Ekman
JON BRADSHAW presents and trains internationally on a variety of subjects in the field of human behavior and performance. He is also director
of business development for IMEX, the European Meetings and Events Exhibition and can be contacted via www.equinoxmotivation.com.
8/13/09 10:16:17 AM
The fact is, consciously or otherwise, we are
continuously playing the guessing game and
reading other people, and we do not have to
claim to have special abilities to do it. Much
of what you see mind readers do is simply the
result of years of practice.
and Wallace Friesen, in his bestselling book
about human thinking, Blink. Ekman and
Wallace’s work catalogued 3,000 different facial expressions that appeared to give
away certain emotions regardless of gender
or culture. Gladwell also cites an example of
a scientist who claims to be able to predict
the success of a marriage based on watching
the couple interact for just 15 minutes. Add
to this the fact that practitioners of Neuro
Linguistic Programming (NLP) will tell you
that someone’s eye movements, language
and physiology gives away all you need to
know about how they are feeling, and it
seems a wonder that we have to ask anyone
anything, ever.
Of course, things aren’t that simple, but
the idea that some of us can actually develop
a sense for what others are thinking seems
remarkable and a fantastically useful business tool we should be coached in. There are
plenty of training courses out there, but you
won’t see the words ESP or mindreading
in their titles. Instead, investigate courses in
body language, physiology or even elements
of NLP.
Contact me with comments/suggestions,
but for now I’ll combine a bit of positivity
with psychic ability and make a prediction—
your next meeting is going to be fantastic!
Post your comments/questions
to Jon Bradshaw at
www.mpioneplus.org.
mpiweb.org
p046-047 Reboot Brain 0909.indd 47
47
8/17/09 8:41:40 AM
Steve
Kemble
A Dose of Sass
Fabulous Frugal
Ideas for Your
Next Event
You can give your soirée some glitz and
glamour without breaking the bank.
Use these ideas for a frugal and fabulous
event.
Establish a Budget
First and foremost determine how much
you can afford to spend on your event
and then invite guests accordingly. The
amount you can invest into your fete will
help you determine the number of guests
you can realistically entertain without
breaking the bank. Just don’t forget to
invite me. I love parties! Additionally, be
sure and ask for an RSVP; this will enable
you to better monitor your budget.
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BIO
Consider a Co-Host or Sponsor
Consider asking a business associate or
sponsor to help you co-host. Not only
will sharing duties help with the monetary aspect of the event, it will also
bring some new and fresh ideas to your
party. Not only can you divide the event
expenses among your co-host or sponsor,
you can also delegate the responsibilities
during the event itself.
Create Your Own Invitation
Create a fun and unique invitation. Not
only will a hand-crafted invitation provide memories for years to come, it’s just
plain fun to make.
Timing of Your Event/Menu
on a Small Budget
There are many times a day a fabulous
event can take place; it does not have
to occur just in the evening. Consider
playing host to a holiday breakfast or
brunch, or even an afternoon tea. One
of my favorites is to have a dessert party.
Guests can come after they have been to
a dinner party or other soirée. Who does
not like wonderful coffees, cordials and
delectable desserts? With your budget in
mind, I very much encourage you to set a
time limit to your event of two hours. A
good event does not have to go on to wee
hours of the morning.
Theming Your Event
Many people think that if they play host
to an event, it must be a cocktail party.
A great gathering and mix of friends and
associates can take place in many wonderful and budget-conscious ways. For
example, consider playing host to a movie
night with flavored popcorns or a games
night, with a collection of your favorite
board games and wonderful snacks. One
of my favorites is to be invited to a fantastic wine tasting and fondue party!
It’s All in the Presentation
Once you have determined your menu,
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.
8/25/09 5:04:38 PM
Candles are the
most cost effective
way to create an
atmosphere.
work with your caterer and determine
what you can do to dress up the presentation without spending a lot of money.
One of my favorite examples is to think
about how much more amazing a pitcher
of water looks when you simply put
lemon slices in it. Dress up your service
trays with wonderful leafy lettuces and
other garnishes.
Minimalistic Decor
It is not so much about having lots and
lots of decor but making what you have
look fabulous. For example, consider
using lots of candles. Candles are the
most cost effective way to create an
atmosphere. One of my favorite party
“tricks” is to change the light bulbs in my
lamps from bright white to a soft pink; it
is amazing the wonderful glow this creates (and everyone looks more fabulous
out of bright white light!). Another great
party “trick” is to rearrange furniture in
clusters (much like you would see in a
hotel lobby). Not only will this give your
event a new look for the party, it will also
create conversation areas and nooks for
your guests.
Dress the Part
Ask your guests to dress in a particular
color to your event. You will be amazed
at the impact of asking everyone to dress
in red (not to mention the free decor).
Don’t forget YOU
No one likes a frazzled host, so be sure
and leave plenty of time for yourself on
the date of your event. It is never a good
idea to stress yourself out over trying to
impress your guests. Leaving ample time
to relax before your guests arrive will not
cost you a thing and will make all the difference in your fabulous but frugal event!
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Margaret
Chopp
On Campus
Emerging
Leaders
THIRTY STUDENTS MET AT THE IMEXMPI FUTURE LEADERS FORUM (FLF)
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BIO
JULY 11-12 IN SALT LAKE CITY, directly
preceding the World Education Congress
(WEC). The event marks an annual professional development and networking opportunity aimed to encourage and guide students
entering the industry, as well as build relationships among academic institutions, students and faculty members for the long-term
benefit of the global meeting industry.
Leaders encouraged us to move out of
our “comfort zones” and meet not only
other FLF students, but planners, suppliers
and educators attending the conference.
They offered words of advice: Always be
authentic and comfortable with who you are
and make others feel at ease, valued, understood and listened to, and create a personal
brand consistent with who you are and how
you want to be perceived (your core values,
goals, strengths, interests and passions).
Speakers encouraged us to network and
build relationships through all forums and
always think about what you can do for
someone else. And, don’t be afraid to ask
for help. The willingness of industry professionals to mentor students entering into
this profession is unprecedented. This is a
very nurturing, supportive and inspiring
community.
We met with our local chapter leaders
and they encouraged us to get involved, even
if it is only a few hours a month to start. We
will grow both personally and professionally
from chapter involvement. And we shouldn’t
wait to be asked—just get involved.
Author Sheryl Sookman Schelter, CMP,
reviewed tips on resumé design and career
strategies. We also reviewed the dos and
don’ts of the interview process.
Later, we attended MeetingPlace, the
WEC trade show, which provided an
opportunity to meet and connect with MPIaffiliated suppliers. We were given tips to
efficiently navigate the showroom.
What did we take back with us? Knowledge and a large network! We are all students, and learning is an important aspect of
leadership. We must embrace opportunities
along with new technology. Learn to effectively communicate, even if it takes you out
of your comfort zone. Be flexible in your
ways, and take advantage of networking
and building relationships. Create your personal brand. Set goals, and don’t let yourself
or anyone else sabotage who you are and
what you want to become.
Make an investment in yourself and your
community. Be a scholarship recipient. I
encourage everyone who is eligible to apply
for FLF 2010 scholarships. It is a privilege
and an opportunity to network with industry professionals. You will be part of a small
student network that continues to expand
globally. This is an investment in your
future.
MARGARET CHOPP is currently enrolled at St. Mary’s University in
Minnesota to earn a Master of Business Administration degree. She
completed her hospitality degree and certifications this past year with
honors. She works part time at AAA MN-IA.
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What’s
New in
New Orleans
ANDREW GOETZ (2)
Essentially NoLa
The ESSENCE Music Festival and the city of New Orleans
have designed an inextricably entwined brand and style.
BY JESSIE STATES
THE
STACCATO
MATING
DANCE
BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
AND THE ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL
culminates in an R&B-gospel-soul (and
sometimes-dissonant) explosion every July,
resonating across the birthplace of jazz to the
sea beyond.
The festival originated as a 25th birthday
bash for ESSENCE magazine 15 years ago.
Always held in New Orleans, it now attracts
more than 420,000 attendees and comprises
three full nights of performances by top-shelf
African-American artists. (This year’s roster
included Beyoncé, En Vogue, Al Green, John
Legend and Lionel Richie.)
Meanwhile, the free-of-charge Empowerment Seminar Series provides a daytime
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destination of inspirational content from
the black community’s most renowned leaders—comedian and commentator Bill Cosby,
Bishop T.D. Jakes, CNN pundit Roland
Martin and the Rev. Al Sharpton, amongst
others.
A vibrant expo of fine art and crafts
reflective of the rich cultural heritage seen
throughout the African Diaspora provides
guests with access to original paintings,
mixed media, art prints, photography and
fashion—all from the confines of the Ernest
N. Morial Convention Center.
But the secret to the event’s success has as
much to do with New Orleans as it does with
tier-one entertainment and speakers. Since
its inception, the event has co-branded with
The Roosevelt New
Orleans hotel, the
116-year-old historic
grande dame, reopens
this summer after a
US$145 million renovation to become a Waldorf
Astoria Collection property, adding 504 luxurious
guest accommodations (of
which 135 will be suites)
and 60,000 square feet of
meeting and event space.
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz
Playhouse at the Royal
Sonesta opened to the
public March 21. The
award-winning trumpeter
will headline and present star-studded musical
performances.
Mid-City Lanes Rock ‘n’
Bowl has moved to a new
location. The classic New
Orleans venue combines
musical acts and bowling and was established in
1941.
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the city so that any mention of ESSENCE
brings thoughts of New Orleans, a city of
music, culture and community pride, says
Joy Collins, general manager of ESSENCE.
“When you think music festival, you
think New Orleans. You think Jazz Fest. You
think ESSENCE,” she said.
It helps that the two New Orleans Metro
CVB liaisons to the festival have been
involved with the event since its inception
15 years ago, albeit in slightly different roles.
Raquel Dufauchard, the bureau’s senior convention sales manager, served as a conference coordinator at the convention center
in 1994; her partner, Nikki Nicholson, vice
president of convention sales, was the CVB’s
event rep.
In addition to New Orleans Metro staff,
representatives of the mayor and the lieutenant governor work with ESSENCE throughout the year to provide full community
and state support. Meetings concerning the
annual July 4 weekend event commence in
October, when officials meet to discuss the
challenges and successes of the last event and
begin preparations for the upcoming year.
Following are a series of regular meet-
+
Transportation Tips
In July, Aeromexico began flying six
weekly nonstop flights from New Orleans
to Mexico City. It is the U.S. city’s first international flight service since Hurricane
Katrina in 2005.
The New Orleans Airport is located just
15 miles from the Central Business
District and the French Quarter. By Bus:
US$1.50 will get you from the airport
to Tulane Avenue near Elks Place, a few
blocks from the Superdome and Canal
Street. By Airport Shuttle: The shuttle
costs just $13 each way and departs
every 15 minutes from the airport.
Groups of two or more that buy roundtrip fares at the airport receive a
discounted rate of $24. By Taxi: Taxis
charge a $28 flat rate for one or two
people. An additional $12 per person is
charged, up to a total of five passengers.
By Airport Limousine: Walk-up limousine and sedan service is available to the
Central Business District and the French
Quarter. The rate is $35 for one or two
people and $10 per additional passenger
for up to eight passengers.
GUS BENNETT
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ANDREW GOETZ
GUS BENNETT (2)
+
Fun Facts
New Orleans will play host to several
sporting events in the near future, including
the National Football League’s Super Bowl
2013. The city has also been awarded the
NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2012, the NCAA
Women’s Final Four in 2013 and the BCS
National Championship in 2012.
The New Orleans tourism industry is the
largest employer in the region—78,000
people in the city depend on the hospitality
industry for their jobs and paychecks.
The Canal streetcar line is expected to
carry more than 31,000 riders each day
by 2015, bringing local residents to work
and play downtown and tourists to the
many shops, restaurants, art galleries and
entertainment venues in historic Mid-City.
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ings with different agencies—New Orleans
politicians, state officials, Superdome and
conference center staff and, of course, the
convention bureau.
“We talk about how we can elevate the
brand recognition and think about an integrated approach—which includes the event
Web site, e-mail distribution lists, local readers, radio partnerships and hotels,” Collins
explained.
Both ESSENCE and the CVB work to
promote this cobranded message, especially
now as the economy weighs heavy on large
events and people consider so-called staycations instead of vacations. The ESSENCE
Web site extols the virtues of the Creole
State, giving attendees more than a dozen
reasons to visit Louisiana.
“Incredible music, a strong sense of community, real inspiration—the same things
I love about the ESSENCE Music Festival
are what I love about Louisiana,” Lt. Gov.
Mitch Landrieu writes on the site. “There
is no better place for this kind of party than
Louisiana, and no more natural setting for it
than America’s cultural capital.”
Collins, for one, isn’t worried about
attendance.
“Last year, on the cusp of economic challenges, our festival surged because of the
strength of the content and the rich talent
we generate,” she said. “People save up to
come, and they attend the festival and then
spend a week vacationing in the city of New
Orleans.”
This year, attendance jumped by a stunning 150,000 over 2008 numbers. The surge
can be attributed in part to the city’s relationship with ESSENCE, which has grown
stronger over the years, Dufauchard says.
“Fifteen years ago, we set up the exhibit
hall at the convention center for 3,000
people,” she said. “Now we use two halls
and prepare for 10,000 people. And we are
always willing to accommodate the needs of
the event—from additional chairs in the hall
to additional police on the street.”
A local host committee helps coordinate
efforts between shows, and the CVB steps in
to organize housing and auxiliary events.
“ESSENCE and New Orleans are tied at
the hip,” Nicholson iterated. “They know
they have a team here that understands the
event and has done so since the beginning.
It gives our partners a great deal of confidence.”
She says other positive aspects for the
annual show include the proximity of the
Superdome, convention center and renowned
French Quarter (some 10 blocks) and the
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relatively low costs of staying in the city.
“Whether you’re a struggling student or
a middle-class adult, you can always get a
US$5 po’ boy,” Dufauchard said.
All this adds up to an exciting July 4
weekend that not only provides an extraordinary experience for attendees, but also benefits ESSENCE magazine and the city of New
Orleans. Collins says she plans to continue
reaching out to the city and its residents to
prove her appreciation for their hospitality.
ESSENCE contributes to the local branch
of the Children’s Defense Fund, benefitting
youth sports and literacy programs. And this
year, the festival played host to an appreciation day for area taxi drivers.
“We know who and what makes our
event successful,” Collins said. “It’s the people of New Orleans who have been so generous and accommodating over the years.
JESSIE STATES is the assistant editor of
One+.
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+
Breaking 300
Tracy Kwiker brought Southern California’s most competitive,
cutthroat players together for a three-day meeting that was
more about problem solving than peacocking.
BY ANDREA GRIMES
IN MAY, A HUNDRED LAWYERS, REALTORS, DEVELOPERS AND OTHER LANDHOCKING AND MANAGING GURUS ended
a long day of talking about the state of Southern California real estate only to trod through
downtown Los Angeles to go bowling in their
pantsuits and Prada. L.A. is, after all, the land
of cult bowling classic The Big Lebowski.
Unfortunately, taking The Dude’s laid-back
attitude to, well, everything, isn’t exactly the
way to get ahead in a time when “Has the
market bottomed-out yet?” is a question that
gets asked every other day on every other
(failing) newspaper’s front page. The Dude
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may abide, but attendees at the 38th annual
Crocker Symposium on real estate, law and
business couldn’t afford to.
The Crocker Symposium is a meeting of
the minds for anyone interested in getting or
maintaining a slice of the Southern California
real estate pie, and in a city that houses some
of the world’s richest, most famous folk, that
can be a pretty pricy piece of pastry. Event
planner Tracy Kwiker and her company,
Pivotal Events, had the challenge of bringing
the area’s most competitive, cutthroat players together for a three-day meeting that, this
year, was more about problem solving than
What’s
New in
Los Angeles
The expansive new L.A.
LIVE entertainment campus is definitely a place to
play—whether you’re seeing Bruce Springsteen at
Nokia or the Los Angeles
Lakers at the STAPLES
Center—but it’s also a
place to stay, whether
that’s for one night or
one lifetime. In 2010, a
123-room Ritz-Carlton
boutique hotel will open
its doors in the complex
alongside 224 Ritz-Carlton
residences. The adjoining
JW Marriott will feature
878 guest rooms.
The California Science
Center in L.A.’s Exposition
Park is in the midst of a
25-year expansion plan, including the ambitious new
World of Ecology, which
will open in spring 2010.
Zoos and aquariums will
fuse with interactive learning opportunities to double
the size of the museum.
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peacocking in the name of the latest-greatest
high-rise investment.
“Our theme was ‘building the new real
estate paradigm,’” said Kwiker, who decided
that the event should not only be about the
future of real estate but physically embody
that future as well. She booked the symposium at the Los Angeles Convention Center
and its affiliated brand-new, bright-lights-bigcity entertainment complex L.A. LIVE, placing Crocker delegates at the epicenter of newera real estate in the city. Because, really, what
kind of reputation is a symposium centered
on a “new real estate paradigm” for Southern California going to have if it’s not held at
one of the area’s most progressive mixed-use
locations?
“The event itself was part of the learning
experience,” said Kwiker, who looked at her
Crocker delegates this way: “You’re collective leaders who are at this conference. You
need to be engaged and involved in [the new
paradigm.]”
To that end, the symposium—which
began as a real estate lawyers’ meeting in
1972—is today a partnership between the
University of California, Los Angeles’ Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate and the
Los Angeles County Bar Association. Kwiker
says she fought an “uphill battle” convincing
her Crocker planning committee members to
hold a high-profile real estate event in downtown Los Angeles, especially when SoCal residential and commercial real estate has taken
some of the first and hardest hits in the struggling economy. But the US$2.5 billion L.A.
LIVE project, which houses the STAPLES
Center, the Nokia Theatre, the Grammy
Museum and numerous nightspots and restaurants, represented something important
to Kwiker—the hope for a brighter economic
day.
“L.A. LIVE will play a major role in the
health of our Los Angeles economy,” said
Kwiker, who had her delegates party at L.A.
LIVE’s posh Lucky Strike bowling lanes
after spending the day in the adjacent Los
Angeles Convention Center—which is also
one of the largest U.S. “green” campuses,
receiving its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S.
Green Building Council in 2008. It’s all very
forward thinking for a neighborhood and a
real estate industry that’s seen better days.
But don’t tell that to LA Inc., the Los Angeles
CVB. A representative says there’s never been
a better time to visit—or live in—downtown
Los Angeles.
“It’s an exciting, lively place to be,” said
Carol Martinez, LA Inc.’s vice president of
communications, who moved into the neighborhood four years ago to raised eyebrows
from friends when she told them she lived
downtown. “People would be like, oh, you
do?”
Today, she says, “everybody wants to live
here.”
But even with L.A. LIVE, the CVB, the
Los Angeles County Bar Association and the
university on her side, Kwiker says her budget for the Crocker Symposium was slim and
attendance potentially slimmer, thanks to the
+
Transportation Tips
Los Angeles International Airport—
which sounds way more awesome
when you call it LAX and pretend you’re
Jack Bauer—is the world’s fifth-largest
airport.
Don’t want to haul your luggage around
during your last meeting day at the L.A.
Convention Center? No problem—if
you’re on a domestic flight, the center
is TSA-certified to check your bag and
hand you a boarding pass right there on
the center’s campus. Sorry, long lines at
LAX. You lose.
Southern Californians love their cars,
but nobody’s getting by without some
green on their conscience these
days. Increased light rail service
and an expanded subway connect
ever farther-reaching parts of the city,
whether you’re hopping on the red line
to Pasadena or the blue line out to Long
Beach. Affordable, fast bus service is
also available from L.A.’s Union Station
to LAX or, if you’re connecting, from
LAX to Van Nuys Airport.
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Fun Facts
It’s not for nothing that the classic image
of a fast, sexy, red convertible sweeping
through the Hollywood Hills is so pervasive:
Southern California features breathtaking
landscapes from sea to summit. See some
of Los Angeles’ notable neighborhoods, from
Beverly Hills to the Miracle Mile, by renting
wheels and motoring down Wilshire
Boulevard to the Pacific Coast Highway.
If off-roading is more your thing, get a Jeep
and head down the Angeles Crest Scenic
Byway. Mountains, forests and a picnic
lunch make this an ideal day-trip for the
event attendee who needs a break.
History buffs and aspiring archaeologists
will want to head north out of L.A. to
Old Mission Santa Barbara, the only
Franciscan mission that’s remained in
working order since it was founded more
than 200 years ago.
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hard modern realities of ever-growing foreclosures and limited loan options.
“We have faced exceptional challenges in
terms of getting the attendance we targeted,”
Kwiker said, undaunted by the cloudy economic climate.
She decided to “stretch” the Crocker goal
of 300 delegates to more than 400—and that
she did, with a final count of 440 academics,
lawyers, brokers, property owners and other
real estate players in attendance. And she did
it without taking out an inch of pricey advertising space. In fact, Kwiker says, getting all
those folks there barely “cost us a dime.”
Her secret: targeting an interested, niche
group of individuals who were already members of real estate and law-related professional
associations and giving those associations
high-profile placement in Crocker literature
through a kind of promotional swap in what
Kwiker called the event’s first-ever “allied
associate program.”
Instead of disappearing in “logo soup,”
Kwiker wrote magazine-style profiles for the
affiliated associations in Crocker programs
and created individualized press releases
announcing the partnerships. Affiliated association members were given discounts on
Crocker admission, which increased the value
of membership dues for both the associations
and the members—an important benefit in a
time when everyone’s looking to get more for
their money.
To that end, the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is equipped to play host
to meetings for as few as 30 and as many as
70,000, is ideal for event planners looking
to maximize resources and minimize cost,
according to the campus chief operations
officer, Phillip Hill.
“How can we use the current facilities
and engineer options?” Hill asks when meeting professionals present him with economically contracted needs and budgets.
Hill says the convention center, which
offers onsite catering and partnerships with
surrounding businesses, has the resources
to keep nearly everything in-house and high
quality. Most importantly, Hill echoes Kwiker’s emphasis on the importance of downtown Los Angeles as an economic booster for
the SoCal area.
“We’re an economic and employment
engine for the region,” Hill said, citing a
recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report that
found the center helps maintain 12,000 jobs
in the surrounding community.
Even in uncertain times, there are some
things that even the slimmest budget can’t do
without. Carving out a space for innovative
minds to meet and greet is one of the reasons Kwiker says playing host to the Crocker
Symposium was so important.
“This is quite crucial…these are the influencers of what will happen in real estate,” she
said.
And while teleconferences and e-mails
might save a little bit of money, Hall agrees,
they don’t always do the trick.
“Sometimes a deal can only be made with
face-to-face contact,” he said.
Old-fashioned business tactics meets
green, progressive, multiuse facilities—these
are things we can definitely abide.
ANDREA GRIMES resides in Austin, Texas,
and has written for the Austin Chronicle,
Broadsheet, the Dallas Observer, Heartless
Doll and Salon.
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+
BRITAINONVIEW
Cool Capital
BY ROWLAND STITELER
+
Transportation
Tip
The Oyster Travel Card, which is
offered by Transport of London,
offers fare discounts on London’s subway system. Generally
the system, in combination with
the Oyster Card, is the cheapest way to travel (besides
walking) between any two
points in London. The card is
also good for discounts on other
transport services such as the
Gatwick Express, the non-stop
train from Gatwick Airport to
downtown London.
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“ENGLAND SWINGS LIKE A PENDULUM
DO” proclaimed a song by U.S. country
music star Roger Miller in the 1970s, proclaiming a truth that most North Americans had realized when exports such as
supermodel Twiggy and The Beatles came
to American shores in the 1960s. Ever since
then, London has been considered one of
the world capitals of “cool,” if not the capital of that tres-chic quality.
But it was only last year that Visit London—the official destination marketing
organization (DMO) of England’s capital city—decided to focus on that concept
with a new marketing campaign designed
to attract chic-seeking groups. The name of
the new campaign: “The Capital of Cool.”
“We did it in conjunction with our
upgrading of our services for groups from
being merely a booking service to a full,
360-degree support service that helps
planners find venues that are just right for
them, ranging from a hotel to an exclusive
meeting venue to simple services like those
of a florist,” said Zanine Adams, U.K. business and events solutions manager for Visit
London.
Adams says Visit London chose the
name for the new campaign not to brag, but
to simply focus on the idea that London is
a city with literally hundreds of chic venues
large and small—in some cases exclusive,
private places you’d never know existed
without insider guidance.
The campaign works simply because
London is, in fact, cool, says event planner
Michael Cerbelli, president of special events
for Carlstadt, N.J.-based Total Entertainment, who has been traveling to London
recently to consult with city planners on
events for the upcoming 2012 Summer
Olympic Games that are to be held there.
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What’s New
in London
The 2012 Summer
Olympic Games in London
are having a profound
effect on lodging in the
city, even in the current
tight economic times.
Visit London forecasts the
construction of 20,000
new guest rooms in the
city by 2012, resulting in
a total citywide inventory of
120,000. Additionally, ExCeL London, the 02 Arena
and the iconic Wembley
Stadium will be upgraded
to host Olympic events.
can seat up to 500.
Fletcher’s favorite urban garden spot is
just one of scores of choices listed in the
“Cool” guide. Following is a representative
cross-section of the venues.
Hush. Located on a private courtyard
at the corner of Brook Street and Bond
Street in the heart of the Mayfair district,
this combination restaurant and upscale
bar also includes Strictly Hush, a group of
small private dining rooms on the top floor
that can be rented individually or opened
up for use as one long room. The menu is
of North African origin, featuring dishes
such as monkfish and mussels with saffron
potatoes and roasted fennel. The in-house
events team can arrange entertainment
ranging from a very British brass band to
Arabic belly dancers. Hush seats up to 80
for a banquet and 160 for a stand-up cocktail party.
The Long Room at Berry Bros. & Rudd.
The headquarters of this world-famous
vintner, which was founded in 1698, is as
historic as it gets, occupying a 280-year-
JASON HENSEL
+
“London is clearly a force to be reckoned
with,” Cerbelli said. “Not only because it is
such a vibrant city with so many options for
events, but because of the high energy and
the creative talent of the event production
community there. In terms of being ‘cool,’
in my opinion, there is no other city on a
par with London besides New York.”
London-based planner Alan Ramirez,
managing director of Premium UK DMC
Limited, says that strangely enough, the
tight economy is having one positive effect
on London venues: more private venues are
opening their doors to meeting and incentive groups because of the potential revenue
from rentals.
“This is a good time to be looking for
ultra-exclusive private venues in London,”
he said. “The scope of options is growing.”
Some of Ramirez’s favorite, recent
“cool” events include taking a group for a
cocktail party onboard a 100-year-old tea
clipper, sailing up the Thames River and
under the famous Tower Bridge and taking
a group from Dubai to the top floor of 30
St. Mary’s Axe, the spaceship-shaped skyscraper that offers an exclusive club room
in the glass dome on the top floor of the
591-foot-tall building.
“The view of the city is so spectacular
that I would put it in the ‘must-see’ category,” Ramirez said.
“Must-sees” from industry insiders
around London were part of the research
for the current “Capital of Cool” guide,
available as a PDF on the Visit London Web
site (www.visitlondon.com).
The guide was compiled and edited by
London-based journalist Mike Fletcher,
who says his toughest task was narrowing
down the listings in the guide, because London has so many of what he calls “inspiring
event spaces.”
Fletcher’s favorite: The Roof Gardens, a
one-and-a-half acre outdoor space owned
by Sir Richard Branson on the roof of a sixstory building on Kensington High Street.
“It’s 100 feet above the busy, urban
thoroughfare below, and it’s remarkably
serene,” said Fletcher of the venue, which
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JASON HENSEL
+
Fun Facts
The popular phrase “one for the road”
originated on London’s Oxford Street, now
a chic and crowded shopping district. It
used to be the road to the public gallows
at the edge of town, and condemned
prisoners were allowed to stop over on
Oxford Street for one last drink before
facing the rope.
Benedict Arnold, the famous U.S.
Revolutionary War general who was
widely considered America’s most famous
traitor, is virtually unknown as a historical
figure in England but is buried in a crypt
in the basement of London’s St. Mary’s
Battersea Church.
In a week, the steps on the 409
escalators in London’s 287 subway
stations travel the equivalent of two trips
around the Earth at the equator.
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she likes Old Billingsgate for its flexibility
as a venue and its proximity to other compelling, historic venues, such as the Tower
of London, the riverside castle that was a
famous prison in King Henry VIII’s days.
(The Tower of London also rents private
event space.)
“It’s a really historic part of the city, and
with the Thames right there, it truly reflects
the character of this great city,” she said.
QEII Conference Centre. The Queen
Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC)
is located in the heart of the Westminster
district, across the street from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament
and Big Ben, and across the river from the
British Airways London Eye. A modern,
purpose-built conference center, QEIICC
was expanded in 2008 and has state-of-the
art audiovisual and Internet connectivity
systems. The center, which has in-house
catering, can handle seated events for up to
1,300.
Hampton Court. It would be impossible
to find a more opulent or historic building
on this planet that allows private group
events within its walls. This is King Henry
VIII’s own castle, a massive structure on
the banks of the Thames (just upriver from
London in Richmond on Thames) where the
king entertained thousands of regal guests
in banquet halls and stunning gardens that
surround the castle. One of the most grandiose castles in Great Britain, it was originally created as a royal palace by the Archbishop of York, who massively expanded
a 14th-century manor house in a six-year
project that began in 1515. During the rule
of William and Mary, much of the Tudor
architecture of Henry’s day was made more
opulent in a five-year renovation that began
in 1689. Now, many of those same spaces
such as the Great Watching Chambers, with
ceilings covered in gold leaf, are available
for events. Hampton Court can handle up
to 1,400 for a standing event and 280 for a
banquet.
old building on a square where duels with
swords and pistols were fought in the 18th
century. Private event options include a
stately room on the upper floor of the
townhouse (which can seat up to 14) or the
300-year-old Napoleon Cellar (which predates the building upstairs), where groups
of up to 60 can be seated for a meal and
tasting of some of the 2,000 vintages. The
Long Room is located at 3 St. James St., in
the heart of the city.
Old Billingsgate. Overlooking the
Thames River with a grand view of landmarks like Tower Bridge from the riverview terrace, this is a “blank palate” meeting space that can be decorated to suit each
group’s needs. The Grand Hall, which opens
onto the terrace, can seat up to 1,700 for a
banquet or handle up to 2,400 for a standup reception. Billingsgate was originally a
commercial fishing dock and fish market
area, dating to Roman times, but taking the
name “Billingsgate” in A.D. 1000. The current three-story building in which the venue
is located was constructed as a public fish
market in 1873, went dormant in the late
20th century and then was refurbished in
2001 as an event venue.
Planner Sally Webb, managing director
and CEO of The Special Event Co. (with
ROWLAND STITELER is a freelance writer
offices in London and Durham, N.C.), says based in Crystal Beach, Fla.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT 09.09
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Are We Doing
Enough?
“W
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e have just four months. Four months to secure the
future of our planet,” United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon warned last month while
addressing the Global Environment Forum.
For one week in December, as many as 15,000
delegates, press and officials from 192 countries will
descend upon Copenhagen for the United Nations
Climate Change Conference (COP15). The conference’s goal is to hammer out a Kyoto Protocol
successor to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions. An international agreement to reduce
emissions is considered crucial to staving off the
worst effects of global warming: melting polar ice
caps, rising seas, intensifying droughts, the spread
of disease and biodiversity loss.
“We must seal the deal in Copenhagen for the
future of humanity,” Ban said.
That’s a heavy agenda. And the conference
itself underscores the difficulty of the task. Despite
efforts by conference organizers to mitigate the
environmental impact of COP15 and Denmark’s
heavy use of wind power, the ecological footprint
is likely to be very large, as 15,000 people fly, drive,
dine and consume in the name of combating global
warming.
Conference organizers are still estimating the
conference’s footprint—it will depend on final delegate count and the attendance of heads of state who
travel with a carbon-heavy entourage and security
detail—but last year’s COP14 in coal-heavy Poland
generated roughly 22,000 metric tons of CO2.
And sustainability, while important, has to take
a back seat to security and a productive meeting
environment.
“The priority of the conference is to reach a
global deal on GHG reduction,” said Svend Olling,
head of conference logistics for Denmark’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. “What we can do is to point to
some of the solutions.”
Solutions abound, and many will be on display in Copenhagen, from hydrogen-powered
cars to green ship technology to wind power. And
tourism-related
d industries have pledged to reduce
their footprints.
ts. Earlier this year, the World Travel
& Tourism Council
ouncil (WTTC) vowed to cut carbon
emissions to 50 percent of 2005 levels by 2035.
In their report,
t, “Leading the Challenge
on Climate Change,” the WTTC put
forth 10 action
n items to help accomplish
this goal, including
cluding 1) identify climate
change hot spots
pots in the travel trade and
develop strategies
gies to reduce their emissions, 2)
support effortss to reduce deforestation, 3) adopt
environmentall management systems to regularly
measure the travel
ravel trade’s emissions and 4) encourage governments
nts to offer incentives for travel trade
businesses to actively reduce their emissions.
Despite alll the eco-talk and green ambitions,
transportation,
n, lodging and food and beverage still
leave a hefty imprint
mprint on the environment. Companies are treading
ng carefully to ensure that they don’t
compromise the
he quality of their services as they
move toward greener practices. With the global
economy still reeling from the financial crisis, even
the best-intentioned
tioned environmental efforts can fall
prey to bottom-line
m-line considerations.
For instance,
ce, the fast-growing wind energy market is expected
d to slow for the first time in years, by
20 percent in 2009, according to HSBC Bank. Likewise, sales of organic goods are down, financing for
commercial renewable
enewable energy projects has stalled
and recycling has suffered along with a drop in
global commodity
odity prices. The same financial pressures are weighing
hing heavily on the tourism industry
as well, especially
ally airlines and hotels.
In general terms, tourism accounts for about
5 percent of total
otal manmade global
emissions, or about 1.75
billion tons out of almost
36 billion metric
tric tons. Of the
tourism-generated
ated emissions, 40 percent
comes from aviation,
viation, 32 percent from cars and 20
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BY AMY CORTESE
It’s neither quick nor easy to turn a giant
ship. Yet, the meeting and event industry
is coming to terms with its environmental
impact and moving forward with globally
significant changes.
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BREAKING DOWN
Tourism-Related Emissions
Automobiles
Lodging
20%
32%
8%
40%
Other
Aviation
Tourism accounts for about
5 PERCENT of total manmade global emissions
Source: United Nations
percent from lodging, according to United
Nations estimates. Unless you plan to walk
or swim to your next destination and sleep in
a tent once you arrive, environmental degradation is most often part of the deal.
The UN doesn’t break out emissions from
business travel and meetings, but the U.S.
Travel Association states that 15 percent of
domestic travel can be attributed to business
travel. The same figure is reported to be the
European average, according to Germany
Trade and Invest, the nation’s foreign trade
agency.
The numbers may seem reassuring—5
percent of manmade emissions are not that
terrible—but may mask a more damning reality. Given that much of the world’s
population—an estimated 98 percent—
does not fly internationally in a given year,
the tourism-related GHG burden falls on a
disproportionate percent of the population,
according to Stefan Gössling, a professor at
the Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism
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at Western Norway Research Institute.
Moreover, with global travel growing
briskly, companies have to work even harder
to meet their goals. In 2007, more than 900
million people traveled abroad (42 percent
via air transport), up from just 25 million in
1950, according to the United Nations World
Tourism Organization. Despite the recessionary dip, the upward trend is expected to continue. By 2020, the number of international
travelers is expected to pass 1.6 billion.
AIR OF TOMORROW
In 2007, the airline industry generated about
671 million tons of CO2 —2 percent of total
manmade GHG emissions, according to the
IATA, a trade group whose 230 members
account for 93 percent of scheduled international air traffic. Historically, the industry
has grown by 5 percent per year, yet improvements in fleets and technology have kept
emissions growth to just 3 percent per year.
As airlines retrenched and cut capacity in
the face of a weak economy, emissions actually declined in 2008 and are expected to
decline by a further 7 percent in 2009.
Still, the declines will most likely disappear when the economy rebounds, so the
aviation industry is tackling emissions reduction on many fronts.
This year, the IATA pledged its commitment to carbon neutral growth by 2020 and
a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.
The association aims to achieve these goals
through its four-pillar strategy of “improved
technology, effective operations, efficient
infrastructure and positive economic measures in delivery results.”
It’s not all rocket science. Up to 18 percent
of fuel is wasted through operational and
infrastructural inefficiencies. To address that,
the IATA created “green teams” in 2005 that
visit member airlines to advise them on fuelsaving measures. These assessments typically
result in reductions of 2 percent to 15 percent
of fuel bills. Quentin Browell, assistant director of aviation environment for the IATA, figures these efforts have saved 33 million tons
of CO2 since the program began.
Lobbying for more direct routes is another
focus. Pilots may often be forced to fly in zig
zag patterns rather than taking the most direct
route, due to regional vagaries. The IATA has
been working with local governments and
aviation authorities to shorten routes. Last
year alone, 200 routes were shortened, saving
4 million tons of CO2 , Browell says.
Flying techniques can translate into further savings. Typically, when a plane comes
in for a landing, it is guided by a series of
ground beacons, causing the plane to descend
in stepped intervals. A smooth continuous descent is more efficient and will soon
become more common thanks to new satellite technology and sweeping new air traffic
management plans in Europe and the U.S. In
Europe, 200 airports will be equipped with
the satellite systems by 2013.
Beyond operational measures, new technology promises to radically transform aviation, including a new generation of planes by
Airbus and Boeing that use lighter, stronger
materials and reduce fuel use by more than
25 percent. The resulting rate of fuel use per
100 passenger miles will compare favorably
with small family cars. Savings in fuel costs
and emissions will be substantial, especially
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TONS OF CO2: A COMPARABLE LOOK
In 2007, the airline industry released more than FIVE
all volcanoes combined.
TIMES AS MUCH CO2 as
The lodging industry is responsible for AS
MUCH CO2 as the entire nation of Thailand.
Graphical comparisons are estimates. Sources: International Air
Transport Association, U.S. Geological Survey, United Nations
in the U.S., which has the world’s oldest air- and jatropha.
plane fleet on average.
Aviation officials are hoping to get bioThe exciting promise on the horizon is fuels certified for commercial use as early as
biofuel made from organic matter such as next year—not a trivial step considering the
algae and jatropha (a hardy, drought-tolerant safety requirements and high-altitude condisucculent grown in the tropics). These second- tions in which these fuels must perform.
generation biofuels do not rely on food crops,
Once that happens, commercial-scale
a major drawback of their predecessors. Even production is expected to begin in earnest.
oil giant Exxon Mobil recently said it would Two challenges will be producing biofuels in
invest US$600 million to develop algae-based a way that doesn’t create harmful emissions
biofuels.
that would offset the benefits and finding
Commercial use of biofuels is tantaliz- the estimated $300 billion in investment it is
ingly close. In the past year, four test flights expected to take to scale up production in a
have been conducted using biofuels by air- tough capital market.
lines including Continental and Japan Air
The industry isn’t stopping at biofuels:
Lines (JAL). Best of all, the new generation Radical new aircraft designs and technoloof biofuels can work with existing engines, so gies are being drawn up in research and
airlines can start with blends of conventional development labs across the globe. One conkerosene and biofuel and transition to 100 cept, the blended wing body, would basically
percent biofuel. JAL showed that the latter approach aircraft design as if it were one big,
can be done: its one-hour test flight was pow- super-efficient wing. In addition, solar-powered solely with biofuel made from camelina ered planes could be tested as early as 2011,
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and a hydrogen fuel cell-powered plane was
flown last year in Spain. Browell says the
IATA is encouraging innovation and radical
aircraft designs.
Still, a cold-headed skeptic might see
things a little differently.
“Many CEOs tell you to wait 10 to 15
years and all will be fine,” Gössling said. “But
of course, they will be gone by then.”
ROOM FOR
SUSTAINABILITY
At 284 million metric tons of CO2 annually, the lodging industry contributes much
less to global warming, at least relative to
aviation. But lodging emissions are expected
to increase, with much of the growth coming from the Asia-Pacific region. (Currently,
North America is the largest regional contributor, accounting for 40 percent of hotel
emissions, thanks to larger room sizes and a
dependence on coal-based energy.)
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MPI IN THE CSR Sphere
The following are some highlights from MPI’s paper
“Our Common Vision: Corporate Social Responsibility,”
detailing the organization’s CSR efforts. Download
the entire report at http://tinyurl.com/n8ckv5.
Practice Leadership
• First to be third-party certified under British Standard
8901 and with a commitment to this and other standards
in the future
• Will be launching the ECOS Project (Events for ComThought Leadership
munities of Sustainability) with the MPI Canadian chap• First industry association in our space to sign the Global ters this summer
Compact and produce a Communication on Progress
• Will be participating in the creation of global industry
Resource Leadership
reporting protocols through the Global Reporting Initia• Working on an environmental and social
tive (GRI) beginning in 4th quarter 2009
footprint measurement tool for meetings
The hotel and lodging industry enjoyed a long spell of prosperous
expansion when energy prices were low. While the fast growth of ecotourism has been an important factor in saving energy, the economic
implosion provided the real jolt and hotels have scrambled to slash
costs. In doing so, they’ve found that going green makes excellent
business sense.
“In times like these, innovation can really be tapped into,” said
Mari Snyder, vice president of social responsibility for Marriott International. “People are interested in savings, efficiencies and returns.”
As in aviation, hotels can get dramatic results by taking some basic
steps to improve operational efficiency. The Inter-governmental Panel
of Climate Change figures that almost 30 percent of global emissions
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generated by commercial buildings, including hotels, can be eliminated by 2020 by implementing energy-efficient solutions for lighting,
heating and cooling. Better yet, these investments in energy efficiency
can pay for themselves over time in cost savings.
Many new hotels are built to LEED standards and incorporate
sustainable features. The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., last
year became the first U.S. hotel to obtain LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. One hundred solar panels line the roof, natural lighting is used
throughout the hotel and adjacent restaurant, 87 percent of construction materials were recycled and 40 percent of the building materials
were sourced locally, according to the hotel.
The hotel industry has systemic challenges, however. It is fragmented, with many players and one-off hotels, and industry benchmarks are scarce. In addition, the typical business structure—property owners contract with developers to build hotels and property
management companies to operate them—can create competing
interests.
It’s one thing when you have an enlightened owner, such as Bank
Of America, which owns the new Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte (N.C.) set
to open in October as the city’s first LEED-certified hotel. Like the
sparkling green state-of-the-art office tower the bank erected in New
York, the hotel will have the latest eco features, including a green
roof, a hotel-wide water purification system, an air transfer system
and employee uniforms made from regenerated plastic bottles. The
hotel will serve as a model for additional eco-friendly Ritz-Carlton
hotels.
Of course, it’s easier to be eco-friendly with a shiny new green
building, but many hotels were built, at a minimum, decades ago
when oil seemed limitless and An Inconvenient Truth wasn’t even a
glimmer in Al Gore’s eye.
Hotel chains such as The Ritz-Carlton and its parent company,
Marriott International, are retrofitting older hotels. This process can
trim operating costs by up to 10 percent per property and typically
has a payback of six months to two years, Marriott’s Snyder says.
Marriott has saved $3 million in energy costs from retrofits over the
past three years, she says. Similarly, the 20-year-old Embassy Suites
Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort is on track to save $500,000 this year
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after investing $200,000 in energy-efficiency
improvements.
Hotels have also introduced green meeting programs to reduce the waste and footprint generated by events. Typical measures
include eliminating bottled water, offering
local and organic food items and beginning
to green the supply chain.
That last item, the supply chain, is a particularly thorny challenge. Denise Naguib,
corporate director of environmental programs for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., says
that while they’ve been able to source green
alternatives for a dozen day-to-day items it
buys in bulk, such as paper, bottles and pens,
“that’s a dozen out of thousands of things
we buy.” Therefore, she says, it’s important
to get private industry—the makers of everything from showerheads to construction
material—on board as well, and it must be a
winning proposition for everyone.
The hotel industry’s report card is still
mixed: Most hotels gently prod guests to
reuse towels and cut down on water use, but
in-room recycling (cans, bottles or paper)
is still rare. (To be fair, recycling is highly
Carbon Footprint Feature 0909REV.indd 74
A survey by the Hartman
Group conducted earlier this
year found that more than
75 percent of consumers
consider environmental and
social aspects when making
purchase decisions and 33
percent are willing to pay
more for that
benefit.
dependent on the local jurisdiction.) And key
card systems that turn the power off when
a guest leaves the room, while widely used
in Europe, have seen slow adoption by U.S.
hotels.
Then there are the overachievers, such as
Scandic, the leading hotel chain in the Nordic region. The company has reduced its CO2
output per guest night by 72 percent since it
began tracking its emissions in 1996. Scandic’s goal is zero carbon emissions by 2025,
to be achieved through a combination of efficiencies and renewable energy. In Sweden and
Norway, the chain purchases 100 percent of
its electricity from renewable suppliers.
Scandic has also opened up its reporting
system for all to see. Its Web site gives a live,
up-to-the-second accounting of its savings in
energy, water, unsorted waste and CO2.
These sorts of practices are not only
accepted, but becoming expected. The RitzCarlton’s Naguib has noticed a marked
shift in customer attitudes, through focus
group studies, in the past few years. In the
company’s most recent focus group, customers made it clear that doing nothing to cut
down on environmental impact would be
irresponsible.
Broader research bears that out: A survey
by the Hartman Group conducted earlier
this year found that more than 75 percent of
consumers consider environmental and social
aspects when making purchase decisions and
33 percent are willing to pay more for that
benefit.
No wonder that swimming pools are
going saline and spa products organic. Even
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AAA will begin flagging environmentally much rests on the outcome of COP15.
As the world’s leaders hammer out a plan,
responsible hotels in its guidebooks with a
conference organizers will attempt to play
new “eco” icon starting next year.
host to the greenest conference they can without compromising security and comfort.
SETTING COURSE FOR A
The main meetings will take place at
RESPONSIBLE FUTURE
For all of the momentum, getting the hospi- Copenhagen’s Bella Center. The center has
tality/meeting/tourism industries to go green made a €1.7 million investment in energy saven masse is a daunting challenge. Local and ing measures, including installing LED lights,
national governments can help by offering insulation and more efficient heating systems,
incentives and setting the right policies. But which have led to a 20 percent decrease in
a truly effective solution must be global, and CO2 emission from 2007 levels. Catering
services will supply at least 65 percent organic
food, much of it local, and organic waste will
be separated for composting or biofuel.
Local transportation is another area
of focus. All delegates will be able to ride
Copenhagen’s public transportation for free.
VIPs, meanwhile, will be chauffered around
in a variety of green vehicles including hydrogen-powered cars (from BMW and Mercedes
Benz), as well as hybrids, electric cars and
biofuel models. In addition, bicycles will be
freely available to delegates who want to join
the local Danes in a favored mode of local
transportation.
Organizers have also prodded hotels to
beef up their green-certified efforts. When
they began their planning a year and a half
ago, there were about 1,800 green guest
rooms available in greater Copenhagen,
according to Jan-Christoph Napierskic, a
Denmark Ministry of Affairs logistics officer.
That’s since increased to more than 5,800
green-certified rooms and the number continues to grow.
Still, that’s not enough to house all COP15
delegates. The reality is that sustainability, as
important as it is, must take a back seat to
practicalities.
And there is little that organizers can do
about GHG emissions from air travel to and
from Copenhagen, which they figure will
account for 90 percent of COP15’s climate
impact.
“We have a lot of opportunities to save
energy and reduce our footprint,” Napierskic
said. “And it doesn’t need a big investment.
What is needed is a change in attitude regarding sustainability.”
To that end, COP15 attendees will be able
to tally their own GHG footprints and the
impact of their decisions to, for example, take
public transportation instead of taxis.
Increased awareness and behavioral
change is worth at least as much as all the
new-fangled technology in the pipeline. As
the economic crisis takes a toll on the pace
of commercialization of green technologies,
that amounts to some good, low-tech and
low-cost news.
“Awareness is the first step,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “The challenge now is to act.”
AMY CORTESE is a freelance writer based
in New York.
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Green
TECH
A look at
innovative
green
technologies
shaping the
industry’s
future.
Interactive
Surfaces
he field of multi-touch interactive surfaces will play a major
role in the meetings and events of tomorrow. Tables can become portals
to collaborative work and documentsharing spaces, crucial meeting room
controls, individualized presentations
and more. Equipped venues would
ease an event’s carbon footprint by
significantly reducing, or eliminating,
the need for onsite printed materials,
better engaging attendees by providing a more personalized experience
and potentially inducing a positive
or neutral impact on event budget by
limiting freight costs.
CRISTAL (Control of Remotely
Interfaced Systems using Touchbased Actions in Living spaces) is
an integrated multi-touch screen
table that displays a live video image
of the room and permits control of
T
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networked and remote-control appliances—revolutionizing the event
planner’s role over audiovisual control. Currently being developed for
consumer use, consider CRISTAL’s
potential applications in event space.
Dim the lights, cue intro music, increase volume of keynote speaker’s
microphone, begin video presentation. These are fairly conventional
functions, but as easy to control as
sliding your fingers across a coffee table. CRISTAL can also enable
groups of delegates to view presen-
tations specific to their needs (on
digital picture frames, for example)
while the keynote continues. Digital
slide shows become a little less boring, suddenly.
Think bigger and greener. With
similar interactive table technology,
groups can communicate with each
other through intuitive touch-screen
controls that make even the most
minimal social networking sites seem
cluttered and cumbersome by comparison.
The MOTO Development Group,
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Fungus Among Us
G
reen and CSR
benefits are both
delivered with Life Boxes.
Developed by mycologist
and author Paul Stamets,
the recycled cardboard for
Life Boxes is impregnated
with tree seeds as well
as mycorrhizal fungal
spores. Plant the impregnated cardboard to grow
seedlings protected by
a symbiotic relationship
with the fungus.
Stamets has since tested Life Boxes with food
plant seeds. The plants
are grown and the food
and seeds harvested—
that’s win No. 1. Next up,
Stamets inoculated some
harvested corn kernels
with mycorrhizal fungal
spores. Mushrooms grew
and were harvested and
the mycelium converted
the cellulose into fungal
sugars, which could
then be processed
into fuel ethanol. What
Stamets developed was
a method with which
to use mycelium as a
natural intermediary in
converting cellulose to
fuel ethanol—a route
to fuel ethanol which is
less expensive and more
environmentally friendly
than current processes.
Logically, he dubs this
Econol—yes, this is win
No. 2.
During his TED talk last
year on how mushrooms
can save the world,
Stamets said, “I want to
reinvent the cardboard
delivery system use of
cardboard around the
world so they become
ecological footprints.”
Consider the impact
of using Life Boxes for
event shipments. Upon
completion of the event,
boxes not needed for reshipping can be donated
to community gardens or
reforestation programs.
Suddenly the event is
giving back in a unique
way to its host community, and potentially the
world. How’s that for a
beneficial life cycle of a
cardboard box?
Life Boxes are not yet
available to the public,
so stay tuned to Lifebox
company.com.
By Michael Pinchera and Alan Kleinfeld, CMP
a product development consulting
firm, is working on scalable multitouch surface technology for collaborative projects and brainstorming. With no projectors or cameras
required, the screen can be as thin as
an LCD panel, thus much less bulky
and open to more practical applications than the Microsoft Surface
table and Perceptive Pixel’s screens.
MOTO’s prototype boasts truly
multi-touch capabilities, only limited
by the number of fingers that can fit
on the screen, and is scalable to at
least 50 inches diagonal (the prototype is just 19 inches).
The Association for Computing
Machinery will delve into these and
other future tech possibilities at its
2009 International Conference on
Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces in
Banff, Alberta, Nov. 23-25.
On the Green Road
“
Climate-friendly
transportation is
clearly a reality waiting
to happen,” said Michael
Luehrs, sustainability
services manager for
MCI Group’s Stockholm
Office. “More efficient
engines powered on alternative forms of energy
represent huge market
potential and are being
pursued by many entities. I see surface and
air transportation solutions that will include
captured solar power
converted to low-weight,
high-power, long-life
fuel cells. This will have
profound impacts on all
communities and industries.” (See Page 66.)
An example of innovative transportation
options can be found in
the Global Electric Motorcar (GEM) company.
Although in limited use,
GEM offers street-legal
(in most U.S. states),
low-speed vehicles
powered by electric
battery. These vehicles
Walk It Up
t MPI’s 2009 World Education
Congress in July, staffers wore
pedometers to measure the total
distance walked while on site—one
person logged more than 30 miles.
Conference and trade show planners and attendees endure the reality of extensive walking while on
site—yet, they also struggle to find
time to charge essential electronic
devices, such as mobile phones and
digital cameras. The nPower PEG
(Personal Energy Generator) doesn’t
solve the need to walk, but through
kinetic energy it converts pedestrian
efforts into a valuable commodity—an hour of walking can charge
a device up to 80 percent. Super
eco-friendly users will be pleased to
know the nPower PEG even charges
devices while riding a bicycle (perhaps the ConferenceBike, featured
on Page 32).
The nPower PEG is expected to
reach consumers this fall at a price
of US$149.
A
look like souped-up golf
carts and are finding use
as shuttles at special
events. They give off no
emissions and have the
ability to recharge via
solar panels.
Perhaps the greatest
driver of innovation,
GEM vehicles cost a
mere US$1 to run 50
miles—remember when
gasoline was 50 cents
per gallon?
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THE WRAP
STAR
Syd Mandelbaum is
smashing poverty and
hunger one concert,
ballgame or special
event at a time.
BY JENNA SCHNUER
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A
At 31, Syd Mandelbaum accompanied his father to the
first world gathering of Jewish Holocaust survivors in
Jerusalem. At the time, he was a married graduate student with three kids and a full-time job, but because his
mother felt it would be too emotionally painful for her
to attend—“her losses were still fresh [in her mind]”—
he agreed to step out of his life to go on the trip.
“It was a mind-blowing experience for me,” he says.
“I was at the Western Wall...one of the most holy sites
of all religions. We were waiting for a speaker to come
on and my dad looked at me and I looked at him. Something passed between us. I had this epiphany with him
that lasted 20 or 30 seconds. When I kind of came out of
it, I said, ‘Dad, I have to go back and change the world.’
He said, ‘I felt the same thing.’ It was so earth moving
that it has influenced me to this moment now.”
GROWING GIFTS
As a scientist, Mandelbaum has walked
through DNA history, working on some of
the most prominent forensics cases ever—
“Anastasia,” Thomas Jefferson and, yes, O.J.
Simpson. He now spends more time in the
rock music world than in the lab.
So what’s a nice boy from Brooklyn doing
hanging out with rock royalty? Fighting poverty, of course.
The mission of Rock and Wrap It Up, Mandelbaum’s anti-poverty think tank, is simple.
“We exist to increase the assets for agencies that fight poverty so that they can use the
money that we’ve saved them to purchase services to treat the root causes of poverty. So, if
I save an agency US$1,000 a month, they’ll
be able to hire tutors and social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and job placement counselors,
which we know in the aggregate will lower the poverty
level because it all boils down to money. It’s our belief
that the more successful we are, [the more] we can
incrementally decrease poverty because these assets
will be available. That’s what we do.”
The Rock and Wrap It Up mission has its own roots
in the life stories of Mandelbaum’s parents—throughout his childhood they regularly talked about their
Holocaust experiences.
“I was very much affected by my parents near starvation when they were teenagers and losing their entire
families,” he says. “I dedicated Rock and Wrap It Up
as a testament to their survival. It is very much at the
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Wrap Up
YOUR MEETING
Wrapping up extra event food isn’t
should not have some element of
just the stuff of rock concerts and
[green or corporate social responsi-
hockey games. Syd Mandelbaum,
bility],” Mandelbaum says. “Rock and
CEO of Rock and Wrap It Up, offers
Wrap It Up thinks that this should
the following tactics to make the
be an integrity [element] in every
most of the assets at your meeting.
company that is doing work in a
1. Use your contracts. You never
down-spiraling economy. If they are
have more power in planning than
going to have meetings, part of that
before signing contracts with hotels
meeting should [work] to increase
and caterers. Develop a contract
the physical and economic health of
clause that requires the hotel to
all people.”
donate extra food to a local food
bank or other service organization.
“We launched a project and it
3. Offer an asset recovery program. “If conference attendees are
PUSHING AHEAD
traveling with their own toiletries, let
Mandelbaum is all forward motion. Ask
him to reflect on the past and he’ll put sharp
focus on the highlights in rapid succession
to drive ahead to his current passion, Rock
and Wrap It Up.
“I never look back. It slows you down,”
he says. “The past was the past because it’s
not the future, when you are always looking to improve and morph and do a lot
more things. If you look back, what’s that
going to do?
“I use the same processes today [that I
used in science]. The same processes I do to
be successful in fighting poverty, I use those
same skill sets in everything I’ve ever done.
I had a work imprint in my brain. That is
really what I depend on. [Moving on is] the
only way I could continue to change the
world.”
Although Mandelbaum may not want to
do a big rewind, his past accomplishments
are far too interesting to leave out. Having
spent most of his career in cutting-edge,
high-end medicine, Mandelbaum not only
worked on high-profile DNA cases, but he
was also part of a think tank that helped
greatly improve the chances of conception
through artificial insemination; introduced
went to fruition with the Langham
them take [the hotel toiletries] and
Huntington Hotel & Spa Pasadena,”
set up a large box in the registration
Mandelbaum says, “where Fortune
areas to collect those toiletry items.”
magazine and its event planner put in
4. Share the swag bags. “Maybe
the contract that all of the food that
meetings can print up an extra 100 or
was prepared but not served from
200 bags since they’re getting them
meetings could not go into landfills. It
at wholesale rates.” Pass the extras
must feed the hungry of Pasadena.”
along to local service agencies.
In addition, Rock and Wrap It Up
“If people are using soup kitchens
asked the hotel to start saving paper
and shelters, a lot of times when they
products and toiletries from room
move from the shelter to a place that
cleanings after guests checked out.
may be temporary housing, I don’t
“When a guest left, they would
throw out the toilet paper roll which
want to see them going with paper
bags to hold their belongings.”
maybe had five sheets removed, the
5. Put Rock and Wrap It Up to
box of tissues, the elegant toiletries.
work for your meeting. Mandelbaum
They immediately stopped [throw-
says his organization will gladly help
ing them out]. These are the kinds of
meeting planners connect with local
items [that shelters need].”
food banks and shelters.
2. Plan a “greening day.” During
Contact Rock and Wrap It Up at
the conference, offer delegates the
877-691-FOOD or sydmandelbaum@
option of working for a few hours at
worldnet.att.net. For more infor-
a local soup kitchen or food bank.
mation, visit them online at www.
“I think in 2009 and 2010 there
isn’t a conference going on that
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heart of what I do, to try and end hunger
on this planet.”
His parents—one from Germany, one
from Poland—met at the Landsberg Displaced Persons camp outside Munich after
the liberation of the concentration camps
in which they’d been imprisoned. They
married in 1947.
“They waited, literally, for a country to
take them in,” Mandelbaum says.
The couple arrived in America the first
day of spring in 1950—just eight weeks
before Syd was born.
The family settled first in a derelict area
of Brooklyn and, when his father had saved
enough money, moved to “an Italian neighborhood where none of us really spoke English well,” says Mandelbaum, who spoke
German for the first four or five years of his
life. “I had a really great upbringing. We
were dirt poor and didn’t know it.”
rockandwrapitup.org.
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home run measurement into baseball; and
founded the DNA Shoah Project, which
uses DNA evidence to reunite families separated by the Holocaust (www.dnashoah.
org). Mandelbaum’s papers from his work
on the Anastasia case—which disproved a
woman’s assertion that she was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia—
are on display at the Dolan DNA Learning
Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
“A lot of what I’ve done has changed
the world,” he says matter-of-factly.
“That’s fun to look at, but I don’t have
time to look at it.”
THE ANSWER APPEARS
The strong desire to do something for others was, at the time, out of character for
Mandelbaum: “I really wasn’t a doer. I
really wasn’t a volunteer.”
However, attending that gathering of
Jewish Holocaust survivors with his father
set off a string of events and meetings that
led to the founding of Rock and Wrap It
Up in 1993. In 1990, Sandy Chapin, singer
Harry Chapin’s widow, who had recruited
Mandelbaum for the board of directors of
the Long Island Cares Regional Food Bank,
introduced him to legendary concert promoter Ron Delsener.
“[He] was a friend of everybody and
said to us, ‘We have no money for you—
rock stars aren’t cheap. But we always
have food at Jones Beach Theatre [on New
York’s Long Island] and we throw it out.
You’re welcome to it.’”
With the start of the spring 1991 concert season, Mandelbaum picked up food
after every show at the venue. By summer’s
end, he had hauled about 4,000 pounds of
food to a soup kitchen he had been working with, The Claddagh Inn. It was enough
for 8,000 meals. He continued the pickups
through the summers of 1992 and 1993.
One night, the backstage manager at
Jones Beach showed Mandelbaum the rider
for a band’s upcoming show in which they
had detailed what goodies they required on
hand for their performance.
“It hit me like a thunderclap,” he says.
“Could we say in the rider that food can’t be
Going
STATE TO STATE
One of Rock and Wrap It Up’s
there’s no reason it can’t work [at
recent feats was researching and
the state level]. This is the time to
writing what became the U.S. Fed-
get as much [food] out [to those
eral Food Donation Act.
who need it] as possible.”
“It encourages all federal build-
But that’s going to take some
ings to give their prepared but not
serious encouragement from state
served food to local communities,”
residents. Consider talking to your
says Sharona Thall, Rock and Wrap
meeting attendees about getting
It Up’s director of public advocacy.
involved with Rock and Wrap It
“What we’re doing now is trying to
Up’s letter-writing campaign. Visit
approach each and every governor
the organization’s Web site for
and have this work for the states as
more information: www.rockand
well. If it works on the federal level,
wrapitup.org.
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thrown out? [The backstage manager] looked
at me and said, ‘That’s a great idea.’”
Rock and Wrap It Up was born.
Mandelbaum met with band management for every act that hit the stage at
Jones Beach. They all agreed that, if Rock
and Wrap It Up would handle the logistics,
they would gladly put it into their riders at
shows around the U.S. Then Mandelbaum
approached MTV newsman Kurt Loder,
who he had met years earlier at a Joan
Jett concert, and asked him to do a story
about the organization. The piece, which
ran throughout the 1994 Labor Day weekend, resulted in a groundswell of volunteer
support that really made the organization,
according to Mandelbaum.
“I had already gotten commitments
from the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Phish,
Michael Bolton, Bruce Hornsby, Candlebox and Nine Inch Nails—all saying that
they would put us in their rider. We had
about 15 cities covered. We had very solid
people and we were feeding people—just
through rock and roll.”
By 1996, the list grew to 75 bands.
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Group managers, who shift from band to
band, “were taking us with them in their
heart and philosophically. It really was
a very word-of-mouth kind of thing. We
never went after a lot of publicity. It’s my
belief that good ideas travel on their own. I
don’t need to do a lot of pushing on things
that just make sense.”
One of the program’s most supportive
proponents is Sharon Osbourne, wife of
rock icon Ozzy. She once called Mandelbaum to see if they were in need of shampoo and other toiletries. She collected her
way through a European tour and shipped
dozens of boxes worth of goods in the
direction of those in need.
Clearly, a lot of people think the idea
is a sound one. Rock and Wrap It Up has
extended far beyond backstage food tables.
Now, more than 30 professional sports
teams—across baseball, basketball, football and hockey—donate prepared but not
served food from their concessions. Schools
and hotels have also jumped in.
Mandelbaum estimates that in 2009
Rock and Wrap It Up will feed up to 20
million people in the U.S. and Canada, and
plans are afoot to move food in Germany
and New Zealand as well.
“The larger programs we’re getting
involved with have occurred because we’ve
morphed so much into being a green company,” Mandelbaum says, “feeding by
greening our country [and keeping excess
out of landfills].
“I love quoting Eli Wiesel for this,”
Mandelbaum says. “Eli Wiesel would say if
you hear the testimony of a survivor of the
Holocaust, you have an obligation to repeat
it to somebody else. I’ve always viewed that
if I have this passion, if I could [not only]
influence somebody else to feel this passion
but, even more importantly, to go inside of
their brains to show them what they could
do, then they have that responsibility of
going to find somebody else to go and fight
hunger and poverty.”
JENNA SCHNUER is a freelance writer
based in New York (www.jennaschnuer.
com).
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GOVERNMENT
LEMONADE
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Government contracts may satiate
your THIRST FOR WORK when
traditional business heads south.
“
T
BY ELAINE POFELDT
he government is steady business, and
it is not going out of business,” said
Jennifer Collins, CMP, president and owner of the Event
Planning Group in Washington, D.C.
Her firm generates about 25 percent of its sales from
government work and the rest from corporate and nonprofit clients and she is currently working on a five-year
contract with a public relations firm that produces about
15 trade shows annually and a dozen committee meetings
for a diabetes education program run by the U.S. National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
“They have hired us to manage all of the logistical
pieces,” she said.
Subcontracting has given her the chance to learn the
nuances of working with government, without investing the
time in contract administration, which is all being managed
by the primary contractor.
That doesn’t mean her team can operate unaware of
government requirements, though.
“There’s a considerable amount of time and work in
making sure federal regulations are being adhered to,” she
said.
Once you grasp the requirements, finding subcontracting opportunities with firms that do business with the
government can be a good way to dip a toe in the ocean
without the pressures of having to swim through a contract
yourself.
Armed with the knowledge she has gathered from subcontracting, Collins recently won a contract to organize a
small meeting for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I have learned so much with subcontracting that has
put us in a better position to go after work with the government,” she said. “The government is going to ask you
if you have any experience working with the government.
If you don’t, they find it hard to award you any particular
projects.”
At the same time, Collins hasn’t slowed her subcontracting, which remains a profitable part of her business.
She won the NIH job from a firm where she once worked,
but to find other subcontracting projects—as well as those
where she can act as main, or prime, contractor and partner
with a subcontractor—she peruses FedBizOpps.gov, a Web
site listing federal business opportunities. She looks for any
projects in which she could team up with a PR firm to go
after a job that requires some services her company doesn’t
offer in house.
“If you’re not willing to team with potential competitors,
you probably want to get out of the business of government
contracting,” she said. “You have to get over yourself. At
the end of the day, it’s all about trying to win the bid.”
Some of Collins’ efforts, such as her recent application
for certification as a woman- and minority-owned business,
are taking several months, but she views them as an investment for future growth.
Meeting firms can also make profits by subcontracting
in niche government markets says Ann Gynn, chief operating officer of Academic Ventures, an events and tour services firm in Rocky River, Ohio, that generates up to 50
percent of its sales planning government-funded meetings,
conferences and events for universities. A recent example
was a May conference at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland on the ethics of genetic research. By sharing its
knowledge of how government agencies like to work with
universities on events, Academic Ventures is in a position to
compete successfully for many jobs.
“We’ve found it’s better to advise clients on the government issues, whether they’re paying us for this or not,”
Gynn said.
Otherwise, snafus can easily take place. For instance,
some universities negotiate a discounted price for a block
of rooms at a conference, unaware that rooms booked at
lower government rates won’t count toward that block, she
says. Her team likes to get involved at the front end to help
find better arrangements.
“We always encourage our clients to involve us as early
as possible,” Gynn said. “If you negotiate a contract, we’re
happy to look at it.”
Another lower-stakes way for meeting professionals to
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GET STARTED AS A
Government Contractor
Here are some tips for meeting professionals who
want to work for the government as consultants,
contractors and subcontractors.
Attend workshops. The U.S. federal
government’s national network of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (www.
aptac-us.org) provides free advice to
help you a) determine if your company is
suitable for government contracting, b)
secure the registration you’ll need (such
as a listing in the government’s Central
Contractor Registry), c) obtain relevant
certifications for disadvantaged businesses that will help you get preferred
status in government solicitations and d)
find agencies that have previously bought
services or products like yours so you can
market your services to them.
“They work for you,” said Pegine
Echevarria, founder of Team Pegine Inc.
“They are tremendous resources of information. They can walk everyone through
making sure they have the logistics they
need to access government business. It
sounds a lot more difficult than it really is.”
Many federal agencies, such as the
U.S. Department of Defense, also run
workshops for suppliers who want to work
with them, so call their local procurement offices to find out if they offer one
in your area. The U.S. Small Business
Administration also offers a free online
course for smaller firms at www.sba.gov/
contractingopportunities.
The Society of Government Meeting
Professionals, which has chapters across
the U.S., also offers educational programs
and opportunities to network with both
government planners who outsource work
to private firms as well as other planners
who serve the government.
Find an accountant who works with
Uncle Sam regularly. It is important,
especially if you plan to go after larger
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contracts, to find an accountant who
knows how to comply with government
requirements, so you don’t run into problems getting paid.
“You need to get an accountant who
knows government accounting,” Echevarria said.
Watch out for accountants who can’t
answer specifically when you ask about
new government accounting rules, she
warns. Also be wary of hiring accountants who haven’t been to a government
accounting workshop recently.
“If they can’t tell you about the
workshop, forget about it—the accounting process for the government is always
changing.”
Also, seek word-of-mouth referrals
from other contractors to find a suitable
accountant.
Locate a lawyer who works with governments. Many law firms advertise their
specialty in this area, so it shouldn’t be
hard to find candidates with the expertise
to review your contracts with the government before you sign them. Never assume
that these documents are essentially the
same, even if they come from the same
agency.
“Every contract we’ve done is different,” Echevarria said.
If you’re unclear about any aspects of
a contract, ask the procurement officer
to explain. She recommends asking one
very important question, even if you’re
certain you understand what you’re signing (“What have I not asked that I should
be asking?”) as there may be policies,
procedures and regulations that you don’t
know about.
try government contracting is by going after
small jobs that don’t have the same strict
bidding requirements as the deals that giant
contractors pursue. Many of these “microcontracts” are for less than US$5,000, but in
some cases, they can be many times that size.
Pegine Echevarria, founder of Team
Pegine Inc., a 12-year-old meeting planning
firm in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., says the best
way to get into government contracting is
through smaller contracts.
These small jobs aren’t just available to
meeting planners—governments often hire
audiographers, videographers, photographers, suppliers and other firms that help
events, Echevarria notes.
But finding out about smaller jobs requires
some detective work, she says. Because many
gigs aren’t advertised on FedBizOpps.gov,
introducing yourself to government buyers
at their agencies’ procurement conferences,
which are held to introduce buying officers
to potential vendors, is a must for firms that
want to win sales.
“Every community has procurement conferences,” she said. “You will not walk in
and walk away with business, but you will
meet people within organizations who can
lead you to the people who do that business.
Everything in the government is a matter of
referral and being known.”
Offering your help with meetings to
branches of your local and state government,
as well as local outposts of the federal government, such as the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and the U.S. National Guard, can
also pay off, Echevarria says. Many government agencies don’t have a professional inhouse planner, so they are often thrilled to
outsource the work.
“What usually happens is someone says,
‘Let’s have a meeting,’ they’ll assign it to
someone who’s never held a meeting, often
an intern,” she said. “They don’t have a clue
about what they’re doing.”
GO BIG
Echevarria’s Team Pegine Inc. has worked
with branches of the U.S. government for
eight years. Clients include the U.S. Army,
U.S. Navy and NASA as well as smaller
branches of government such as the City of
Dallas, the City of New York and the North
East Florida Department of Aging. All this is
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on top of her company’s full roster of corporate clients, such as Colgate-Palmolive, Intel
and Booz Allen Hamilton.
She often wins contracts by making contact with and offering services to the right
government officials at the right time. Echevarria won one job for the U.S. Social Security Administration after participating in a
conference panel discussion with about 11
other speakers—it quickly became clear that
meetings and events totaled nearly $40
million last year, according to Amtower’s
analysis of the U.S. General Services Administration Schedule, a document that many
branches of the federal government use to
list contracts with vendors who have offered
the best value for their products and services.
Even adding another $60 million or so that
government officials spend on jobs that aren’t
included in the schedule, that number is rela-
Would-be contractors need to send carefully
tailored marketing materials to those who buy
for GOVERNMENT AGENCIES and attend
PROCUREMENT CONFERENCES and other
events to meet them and build rapport.
the panel was run by an intern.
“He ordered 12 lavalier microphones,
which cost a tremendous amount of money,”
she said. “They could have easily passed
around a handheld microphone.”
She approached the organizers and said
they needed an event coordinator.
“That led to designating me as the planner. So, I became the speaker, the planner and
the provider of materials.”
With government spending on the increase,
now is a good time to diversify client lists to
include branches of the government, as Echevarria has done, and opportunities in the
public sector for meeting professionals are on
the rise according to Mark Amtower, founder
of Amtower & Co., a Highland, Md., a company that produces meetings and seminars to
advise companies seeking business with the
government. While the last couple of administrations in Washington, D.C., curtailed
training for government employees sharply,
he says the current administration is ramping
up spending in this budget category, which
includes meetings and events—a trend sure
to raise eyebrows and possible ire in meeting
professionals.
“It’s going to be revitalized to a level we
haven’t seen for 15 to 20 years,” Amtower
said. “We talk about one of the worst economies ever, and government is one of the bright
spots.”
U.S. federal government spending on
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tively small compared to what it will be in the
near future.
“That could easily double or triple this
year,” Amtower said.
In keeping with transparency requirements, stimulus spending may also indirectly
trigger the need for more public meetings run
by the government.
Projects involved with meetings, events
and conferences aren’t run solely through the
federal government, though. Amtower points
out that more than 88,000 governments in the
U.S., including states, counties, municipalities
and school districts must make citizens aware
of how they’re spending public money.
“Once they say the word contracting,
they really have to open the kimono, so to
speak,” he said. “All of that entails meetings
to a greater or lesser degree.”
With many corporations and nonprofits
in tough financial straits, public clients offer a
benefit that others might not: “They’re pretty
timely with paying,” said John New, CEO
of The Hub, a meeting and event center that
works with U.S. government clients such as
the IRS, the Department of Labor and the
Environmental Protection Agency.
SIZING UP THE REALITIES
At first glance, government seems like a
golden opportunity, and for some meeting
professionals it can be. But there are plenty of
caveats to consider.
Government operates like a slow moving bureaucracy, government work veterans
say. It can take months to win your first job,
so these projects are not a quick fix for companies that need new clients immediately to
shore up plunging revenues. Even if your team
has done plenty of corporate and nonprofit
work, you will have to invest time in learning
how to do business with the government in
general and in understanding the rules that
apply to each branch you hope to serve. On
top of this, you also need to set yourself up as
a government vendor, which can take additional time and paperwork (see Page 88).
“A lot of people come into the government
market looking for instant gratification,”
said David Powell, chief operating officer of
the Federal Business Council, which specializes in organizing meetings and conferences
that bring government and industry together.
“And they leave very quickly because it’s
not an instant gratification market. But if
you can think long-term it’s an excellent
marketplace.”
But even if you win a contract, don’t
expect the bureaucracy to sweep itself aside
so you can complete a project in record
time. It’s not uncommon to have to wait on
a small decision—such as whether to serve
hot or cold breakfast—while a key decision
maker follows a series of slow-moving steps
required by a government agency, The Hub’s
New says.
“Because of government regulations,
often times certain people are the only ones
allowed to do certain tasks,” he said.
Companies that want to work with government also need the wherewithal to market themselves to clients that are very different from those in the corporate, nonprofit
and social fields. If your company has never
done government work, new clients aren’t
going to come flocking simply because you
joined the federal government’s Central
Contractor Registry—the main database of
available vendors, www.bpn.gov/ccr—or
because your team spent a month writing a
45-page proposal to win a job. Government
procurement officers will want to be certain
that if they award you a contract, you’ll be
able to deliver on it and follow the government’s rules. Would-be contractors need to
send carefully tailored marketing materials to
those who buy for government agencies and
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attend procurement conferences and other
events to meet them and build rapport.
“It’s developing trust,” Powell said. “Once
they know you and what you’re capable of,
know you have the credentials and are there
for the long term, then things can happen
very quickly.”
When working with government clients,
be careful about spending, as they are typically more budget-minded than corporate
clients.
“With the government, you’re spending taxpayer dollars,” said Brian Green,
CMP, CMM, a former in-house planner
for the Barbados government and now the
CEO of Atlanta-based F&G Events, which
works with government clients in the U.S.
and abroad. “You’re watching every single
penny.”
Additionally, many branches of the government set fairly low per-diem reimbursements for their employees who attend events,
forcing meetings professionals to be creative
about accommodating them if they want to
do business.
“We try to quote a rate that does not
exceed their per diems,” said Charlaine Montano, director of sales at the Hyatt Regency
Trinidad. “Otherwise they will go with a
hotel that will work with them.”
And even if you come up with inexpensive
ways to liven up a government event, officials
may be leery of, say, encouraging guests to
dance, lest a photo of partying public servants make it into the press.
“They’re becoming really sensitive about
what they book,” New said. “Perception is
reality.”
Accordingly, most government agencies
won’t pay for alcohol, so at evening events,
meetings professionals may have to get creative or perhaps arrange a cash bar.
Even if there is no press scrutiny, firms
that work with government have to be scrupulous about recording every expense in the
way public clients require, which can take
extra time.
“You want to make sure you’ve dotted
every ‘i’ and that everything is lined up the
way it is supposed to be,” Green said. “It has
to be that way for government clients. They
have to account for everything.”
READY TO GO
No matter how pumped you may be about
the idea of getting work from a big department like the Army or Navy, it’s always
important to evaluate whether you can turn a
profit on a job—before you bid on it.
“Make sure you are not so excited about
getting a contract that you under-price yourself,” Echevarria warned.
It’s not uncommon for a procurement
officer to ask for a few extras, such as tablecloths, after the contract has been signed.
“They’re very good at negotiating,” Echevarria said. “You have to be able to say ‘no’
or ‘We’ll have to renegotiate the contract
because that will add to the cost.’”
If you negotiate wisely—and impress your
government clients—the rewards can be plentiful in terms of new business.
“If you do a good job, they’ll pass your
name along,” Echevarria said.
Who doesn’t need champions like that in
today’s economy?
ELAINE POFELDT is a freelance business
journalist.
mpiweb.org
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Meet Where?
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CONTEST!
Correctly identify this venue and its location and you could win a
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