NOVEMBER DECEMBER 09
BENEFITS OF PLAY
+
MPI KNOWLEDGE PLAN
1112-09_C2.indd C2
10/20/09 9:38:16 AM
November/December 2009 • Volume 1 • Number 6
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
COVER DESIGN
Jason Judy, jjudy@mpiweb.org
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
EMEA DIRECTOR OF SALES/PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Antonio Ducceschi, Phone: +352 26 87 66 63, aducceschi@mpiweb.org
EMEA SALES & PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
Anne Forsstrom, aforsstrom@mpiweb.org
PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR
Kathryn Welzenbach, kwelzenbach@mpiweb.org
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Bruce M. MacMillan, C.A., President and CEO
Jeff Busch, Vice President of Strategic Communications
Meg Fasy, Vice President of Sales and Marketplace Performance
Trey Feiler, Chief Operating Officer
Vicki Hawarden, CMP, Vice President of Knowledge and Events
Diane Hawkins, SPHR, Director of People and Performance
Paula Hughes, MPI Foundation Executive Director
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.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: One+EMEA is the official publication of Meeting Professionals
International, a professional association of meeting planners and suppliers.
Members receive One+EMEA as a membership benefit paid for by membership
dues. Non-members may subscribe to the publication for €99 annually.
“One+EMEA” and the One+EMEA logo are trademarks of Meeting Professionals
International.
One+EMEA is printed bi-monthly. © 2009, Meeting Professionals International,
Printed by CIP Group–Lettershop Luxembourg S.A.
One+EMEA ETHOS: Just as a meeting is always one person plus at least one
more, a human connection is always you plus another person, market opportunity
nity
or community. One+EMEA is your connection to a global meeting and event
community and to a world of ideas, multiplying your potential. Engage. Enjoy.
Be successful. One Connection at a time.
MPI MISSION: Make our members successful by building human connections to:
o:
Knowledge/Ideas; Relationships; Marketplaces
MPI VISION: Build a Rich Global Meeting Industry Community
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS
Dallas, TX
REGIONAL OFFICES
Doha, Qatar
Luxembourg
Ontario, Canada
Singapore
A Little Play is a Good Thing
WEEKENDS ARE FOR FAMILY AROUND MY HOUSE. This last weekend my
wife, Amanda, and our daughter decided to take advantage of the beautiful
autumn weather. We spent some time at the park, did some grocery shopping,
a little yard work (I love to dig in the dirt!) and I did a little woodworking (I
have a hobby of making furniture).
An idyllic weekend of fun and relaxation—just what the human mind needs
to stay sharp, according to our cover story this issue (Page 32).
I am a firm believer in the theory that without play, burnout is inevitable.
So for that reason, whenever possible I try to leave my iPhone at home on the
weekends and clear my head of work-related thought completely—even if it’s
only for a few hours.
My other secret for staying sharp during the workweek is to take a short
break in the middle of the day whenever possible. Most days you’ll find me
on a short run around the neighbourhood where our office is located. It’s the
perfect time to clear my head, zone out and get some good exercise.
At my most recent job, before starting with MPI, I would leave my home
office and take a hike with our dog up the mountain that was just outside
back
my b
bac
a k door. In the job I held prior to that, I would take a walk
street and back. It worked. While my coat lunchtime up the str
dragging through the afternoon, I was as fresh
workers were draggin
as if the morning had just started.
breaks, play, whatever you want to call it, benDowntime, break
business.
efits the success of bu
this issue discusses this issue and will make
Our cover story th
you think twice tthe next time you decide what to do with a
minutes in the middle of your day.
spare 30 m
you’re a decision maker in your business, it
If yo
will pre
present you with some valid reasons to offer
your eemployees a little play time, and if you’re
employee, don’t be afraid to ask for some.
an em
In an age in which mobile technologies
keep
kee us constantly connected to the office,
even the smallest break increases produceve
tivity and success.
tiv
When it comes right down to it, a little
play
is a good thing.
p
One+EMEA is printed on paper with recycled content.
DAVID BASLER is editor in chief of One+EMEA.
He can be reached at dbasler@mpiweb.org.
Follow him at www.twitter.com/onepluseditor.
1
one+EMEA july.aug. 09
Staff Page 1112-09.indd 1
mpiweb.org
1
10/21/09 5:57:51 PM
1112-09_02.indd 2
10/16/09 1:26:42 PM
ISSUE
NOV
DEC
Play Works +32
Professional fun results in a
happier you…and a healthier
bottom line.
MPI Knowledge Plan +38
Introducing an innovation essential
for industry growth and survival.
Ask Ali +42
Ali Al Saloom is changing the way
visitors experience the United
Arab Emirates and perceptions
about Arabs and Muslims in
general.
H1N1 +48
Be prepared, not panicked.
+32
+42
+38
First Impressions +26
A group’s initial experience in
Dubai pays off for them in
big ways.
+28
Where the Future Begins +28
The ancient Adriatic seaside
tourism destination of Rimini
is poised to open Italy’s largest
conference centre in
early 2010.
+48
+26
TOC1 pg3 1112-09.indd 3
mpiweb.org
3
10/21/09 3:42:48 PM
1112-09_04.indd 4
10/16/09 9:46:41 AM
ISSUE
N OV
DEC
CONVERSATION
In It Together +1
Editor’s note
The Energy of Many +6
IGNITION
Standing Out From
the Crowd +22
Lesley Everett
Global View
Global update from MPI
Irrelevant +20
Coffin Couches
To Tweet or Not
to Tweet +24
Jon Bradshaw
Reboot Your Brain
INNOVATION
Agenda +9
Where to go, in person
and online
RECOGNITION
Top Spots +10
New venues + re-openings
+10
Spotlight +12
Industry leaders announce job
advancements
Your Community/
Making a Difference +17
European Chapter Leaders
Forum, meet Paula Hughes
Meet Where? +52
Wow us with your knowledge
+20
CO-CREATION
Hot Buzz +14
Responsible travel, tourism in
Tasmania, Germany’s carbon
calculator, the art of meeting,
aviation emissions caps,
Liverpool’s legacy, Indochina
partnerships, global business
travel forecast
+18
Connections +18
Yacht Club + City
mpiweb.org
TOC2 pg5 1112-09.indd 5
5
10/21/09 5:45:45 PM
The Energy of Many
Meet to Change the World
50 per cent of our sales and by bringing them together
for a meeting they will be able to increase their producboth personally and professionally. These include things tivity by 20 per cent while reducing costs by 5 per cent,
would you be able to say no to the meeting?
such as finding your true love, the birth of a child, an
It is critical that we lead these discussions in our
inspirational speech that changed a behaviour and
organisations—the ones connected to results. I will sugmany more. While these can be few and far between,
gest that gone are the days of framing meetings in terms
the question that each of us has to answer is, “Did I
of just hospitality. While hospitality certainly can’t be
play an active role in making this happen, or was I
overlooked, it is only a piece of the equation. With
simply on the receiving end?”
a focus on the meeting’s outputs, the inputs become
We are at a crossroads in the meeting and event
supporting items that enable the outputs, not the sole
industry. The global financial meltdown—while
purpose of the discussion. When properly framed, cost
forcing change on many things around us—
discussions are a component of “value” and used to
created an opportunity for us to truly
enhance the productivity of the results.
exhibit our value and be indisputable
The window of time we’re currently in to lead these
business leaders in our organisations.
Everywhere around us, people are looking discussions won’t last forever. We have a unique opportunity to fill this need within our organisation and, if we
to justify expenses and prove ROI/ROO,
and meetings and events are no exception. don’t, someone else will.
To quote John Maxwell from his book Leadership 101,
The beauty for us is that when done correctly, meetings and events truly do change
Followers
Leaders
the world.
•
React
• Initiate
The key is to understand that
• Lead; pick up the phone • Listen; wait for the phone
conducting strategically
to ring
and make contact
sound business meetings
• Spend time living day-to• Spend time planning;
and events is posday reacting to problems
anticipate problems
sible and then be
• Invest time with people • Spend time with people
able to articulate it
• Fill the calendar by
• Fill the calendar by
with facts to the
requests
priorities
decision makers.
We’ve all heard
In this issue, you will learn about MPI’s Knowledge
“gone are the
Plan (Page 38). This is an incredible opportunity to
days of boontake control of your own success through continued
doggles,” but
education and personal development. It will also proshould they be? vide you the opportunity to prove your own worth in
If I can prove
your organisation, arming you with the skills, training
the business
and resources to speak the language of business on
case that the your own career path. When we meet, we change the
top 20 per
world—make sure it can’t happen without you.
cent of our
sales team is
responsible for
WE EACH HAVE TIMES IN OUR LIVES WHEN
WE’RE PART OF LIFE-ALTERING EXPERIENCES,
TREY FEILER is MPI’s chief operating officer. Contact
him at tfeiler@mpiweb.org.
6
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
Energy of Many 1112-09.indd 6
10/21/09 7:02:20 PM
1112-09_07.indd 7
10/21/09 2:29:46 PM
1112-09_08.indd 8
10/22/09 9:47:51 AM
Agenda
27-30 NOV. xenia
ATHENS, GREECE
Held at the Metropolitan Expo, Athens International Airport, xenia offers
hoteliers hundreds of connections with suppliers, from catering equipment
companies to hotel software and wireless ordering systems to renewable
energy providers. The event attracts thousands of professionals in the
accommodation, food and beverage and catering sectors. Visit www.xenia.gr.
1-3 DEC. EIBTM
BARCELONA, SPAIN
One of the industry’s busiest exhibitions (greeting more than 8,000 visitors
last year), EIBTM promises to deliver business ROI this year with 3,300 exhibiting companies representing 92 countries, more than 30 education sessions
and five official networking events over just three days. Visit www.eibtm.com.
10-13 DEC. Travel Turkey Izmir Tourism Fair & Conference
IZMIR, TURKEY
Empower your company in Eurasia with Travel Turkey Izmir, featuring 324
exhibitors and 12,534 visitors from 35 countries. Discuss hot topics in information-packed sessions and panel discussions held concurrently with the fair.
Visit www.travelturkey-expo.com.
20-24 JAN. Fitur, the International Tourism Trade Fair
MADRID
Establish lines of action, strategies and alliances to energise and consolidate
business and answer the changing demands of the market. The last edition
earlier this year featured 12,312 exhibiting companies from 170 countries/
regions, 136,177 industry professionals and 8,470 journalists. Visit www.
ifema.es.
Connected
VISITING FARMER
FOOTPRINTS
BUMPTOP
Consider helping out on a farm for
your holiday this year with World
Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms,
an organisation founded in 1971 to
encourage people to share a more
sustainable way of living. Visit Wwoof.
org to find lists of organic farms,
smallholdings and gardens across the
globe. Choose a host and make direct
contact to arrange a stay. Volunteers
receive room and board for their work.
No timetables to keep to, no journey
delays, healthy, green, free and direct,
walking can be the best way to get
around town. Select any of nearly 20
U.K. cities at Walkit.com and get a
route map between any two points,
including journey time, calorie burn,
step count and carbon savings. Choose
from direct, less busy and low-pollution
routes between your location and your
desired destination.
Reinvent your computer’s desktop with
BumpTop.com, a fun and intuitive 3D
desktop that keeps you organised and
makes you more productive. It’s like
a real desk, but better. Create work
piles, choose from dozens of themes,
pin up important files and sticky notes,
create a frame to watch your friends’
photo feeds or place a JPEG onto Twitter or Facebook to share with your
social network.
mpiweb.org
p09 EMEA Agenda 1112-09.indd 9
9
10/21/09 5:47:23 PM
Top Spots
N E W VEN U ES + RE-O P ENING S
1.
1. Hôtel Palais Stéphanie
Cannes
3. Sofitel Sydney
Wentworth
The Hôtel Palais Stéphanie Cannes
re-opened earlier this year after the
biggest renovation of any hotel
in Cannes in decades. Designers
gave the guest rooms a new blend
of luxury, glitter and an atmosphere
of French elegance: stitched leather,
sophisticated brown furniture and
shades of chocolate and cream,
all under the gaze of legendary film
stars. The hotel has 261 guest
rooms, an 820-seat auditorium and
15 meeting rooms. It is located on
the famous La Croisette, where
movie stars mingle for the worldfamous Cannes Film Festival.
The 436-room Sofitel Sydney
Wentworth in Australia recently
opened the city’s only hotel
Kosher kitchen. Under the supervision of Rabbi Aaron Groner of the
Kashurit Authority in Sydney, the
kitchen allows for the observance
and creation of kosher cuisine for
events of up to 600. In addition
to its kosher suppliers and kitchen
facilities, the hotel also offers 11
function rooms for events.
2. Liège Guillemins
TGV Station
Liège, Belgium, is a major node in
the European high-speed rail network
and a link between London, Paris,
Brussels and Germany. Opened
last month, the Liège Guillemins
TGV Station links two very distinct
areas of Liége previously divided by
rail tracks—the north side toward
the city and Cointe Hill to the south.
Designed by renowned architect
Santiago Calatrava, the station
features a grand passenger hall,
three parking levels and pedestrian
bridges and walkways under the
tracks.
2.
2.
4. Rome Cavalieri
The Rome Cavalieri hotel recently
completed a three-month renovation
of its grand ballroom, the Salone dei
Cavalieri. Known for placing its art
and antiques thoughtfully throughout the hotel, the Rome Cavalieri
integrated its tapestries and
paintings into the ballroom, allowing each piece of art to act as
a showpiece for receptions that
can easily be covered to become
projection backgrounds for presentations. The Salone dei Cavalieri can
accommodate up to 2,100 guests
in one grand space or four separate
rooms. The Salone dei Cavalieri is
part of the hotel’s convention center
and has a separate entrance for VIP
arrivals.
3.
6
10
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p010-011 EMEA Top Spots 1112-09.indd 10
10/21/09 8:09:53 AM
4.
4.
5. Radisson Blu Hamburg
The 556-room Radisson Blu Hamburg recently reopened following a
renovation that included a new conference area and ballroom, a new
lobby with two lounges and designer
modern furnishings, two new event
locations, individually designed guest
room themes, two restaurants and
bars and a state-of-the-art fitness
centre. The hotel is located next to
Hamburg’s botanical gardens and
within walking distance of major
cultural attractions.
5.
6. Hyatt Regency
Curaçao Golf Resort,
Spa and Marina
6.
The Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf
Resort, Spa and Marina will open in
January. Located at Santa Barbara
Plantation, a luxury resort community, the beachfront resort will feature
350 guest rooms, uninterrupted
water views on three sides,
the Hyatt Pure spa, a full-service
marina, event space and the island’s
only Pete Dye-designed golf course.
Guests will also enjoy three different
restaurants, all of which will feature
dishes inspired by indigenous ingredients and techniques.
5
2
1 4
3
mpiweb.org
p010-011 EMEA Top Spots 1112-09.indd 11
11
10/21/09 8:35:18 PM
Spotlight
Corinthia Hotels welcomes
Matthew Dixon as general
manager of the Corinthia
Hotel in London, scheduled
to open in late 2010. In his
early career, Dixon gained
international experience in
various senior executive
roles with Mandarin Oriental
in Hong Kong and Manila.
He has also worked for the
Rocco Forte Collection as
general manager of the
Hotel de Russie Rome and
the Brown’s Hotel London.
As part of its ongoing commitment to
developing creative communications
offerings, BCD M&I adds Matthew Wall
as the new vice president of strategic
communications in EMEA. With more than
20 years’ experience in the private, public
and volunteer sectors, Wall has been
instrumental in shaping the communications
strategies of organisations ranging from
government departments to some of the
world’s biggest B2B brands.
12
Andrew McEvoy joins Tourism
Australia as managing director
following an extended tenure
as chief executive of the South
Australian Tourism Commission. McEvoy has previously held
senior management positions
at the Melbourne Convention
Bureau and Ballarat Tourism.
His first foray into the tourism industry was with Tourism
Victoria, which he joined after
a career as a journalist in both
Australia and London.
Formerly the group exhibition
director for Reed Travel Exhibitions, Paul Kennedy, MBE, joins
MEETINGS:review as executive
chairman. Kennedy will lead the
continued development of the
channel’s association, event and
publishing partner relationships.
On top of this, he will oversee the
elevation of the company’s content and reach.
The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London appoints
Sue Etherington as acting commercial director, following the
departure of Jonathan Byrne.
Etherington has extensive knowledge of the corporate and MICE
markets with former positions at
Red Carnation Hotels, Eynsham
Hall & Chewton Place and Grosvenor Hotel. She formerly served
on the board of the MPI U.K. &
Ireland Chapter.
Visit the careers blog at www.mpiweb.org by
selecting “community” and then “blogs”
to tell MPI about your recent job change.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p12 EMEA Spotlight 1112-09.indd 12
10/21/09 5:48:48 PM
1112-09_13.indd 13
10/21/09 2:31:39 PM
HOT BUZZ
+
Being Sustainable
Harold Goodwin will play host to a groundbreaking one-day conference, “The Business Case for
Responsible Tourism,” on 12 November at ExCeL
London, bringing together some of the world’s
most respected and experienced responsible
tourism specialists. Goodwin is a responsible
tourism professor and director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds
Metropolitan University and advisor to the World
Travel Market.
“Tourism companies, particularly small firms
from developing countries, suffer from poor targeting, market segmentation and positioning, low
consumer product knowledge and consumer risk
perception,” Goodwin said about sustainability
efforts in the developing industry. “However, I am
pleased to say that many successful companies
large and small are clearly demonstrating that
responsible tourism can and is an important part
of a successful sales and marketing strategy.”
14
Tourism Tasmania
The number of business visitors to Tasmania increased 33 per cent in fiscal year
2008-2009, according to the latest Tasmanian Visitor Survey. Denise Bradley, CEO of
the Tasmanian Convention Bureau, attributes the results to internal marketing efforts. The bureau designed a Local Host
Development Program, encouraging resident association members and business
leaders to promote Tasmania as a viable
host country. Bureau staff work with these
local ambassadors to prepare bids.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p14-16 EMEA Hot Buzz 1112-09_sg.indd 14
10/21/09 5:30:24 PM
+
Carbon Calculator
The German Convention Bureau and eco-friendly
event firm CO2OL have launched a calculator that
identifies the carbon footprint of conventions,
meetings and events. Apart from calculating
carbon footprints, CO2OL offers detailed advice
on how to reduce CO2 emissions. Unavoidable
emissions can then be offset by certified climate
protection projects in order to make events
climate-neutral.
The Art of Meeting
In celebration of its 21st anniversary, the
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has
partnered with the Art Gallery Society of New
South Wales to offer special tours. The convention centre not only plays host to meetings and
events, it also acts as home to a diverse range
of contemporary Australian art. Many of the
pieces were specifically commissioned for the
centre’s 1988 opening and are on a monumental scale to match the building’s soaring walls,
while the themes reflect Sydney and its worldfamous harbor.
Aviation Emission Caps
The Committee on Climate Change has advised the
U.K. government that global aviation emissions
should be capped as part of a wider global agreement to tackle climate change. Developed countries will need to take the lead in making significant
reductions in aviation emissions, the agency said.
An interim period where rising aviation emissions
are offset by emissions reductions in other sectors
would be feasible. Over time, however, aviation
emissions growth will have to be constrained.
The committee’s recommendations are designed to reduce aviation emissions in line with a
global reduction in emissions of all greenhouse
gases of 50 per cent by 2050 in order to
stabilise global temperature and avoid dangerous
climate change. If left unchecked, global aviation
emissions could account for 15 per cent to 20
per cent of all CO2 produced in 2050. A new
and ambitious policy on aviation is therefore
required, it said.
Cutting gross U.K. aviation emissions in 2050
to 2005 levels together with 90 per cent emissions cuts in other sectors would achieve the
required economy-wide 80 per cent emissions
reduction that has been committed to by the U.K.
under the Climate Change Act.
mpiweb.org
p14-16 EMEA Hot Buzz 1112-09_sg.indd 15
15
10/21/09 5:35:54 PM
HOT BUZZ
Liverpool Legacy
Two Liverpool organisations have signed an agreement that
could generate millions of pounds to the local economy. The
Mersey Partnership and venue ACC Liverpool have agreed to a
significant investment into the Liverpool Convention Bureau to
attract events and conferences to the city.
The agreement comes shortly after the announcement that
the Labour Party will hold its autumn conference at ACC Liverpool in September 2011, marking the largest ever conference
held in the city. In fact, Liverpool has witnessed a steep rise in
business tourism since ACC Liverpool opened to national and
international acclaim last year. With the help of the new bu-
+
‘Three Countries,
One Destination’
Business Travel in 2010
Pent-up trip demand coupled
with supply base changes will
cause prices to increase (albeit
slightly) in most travel categories
by the end of 2010, according
to the American Express Global
Business Travel Forecast. Business-class airfares in particular
will increase in line with reduced
capacity and ongoing demand for
international travel.
Europe
As companies looked for ways to
curb travel costs, many businesses in Europe traded down
from traditional airlines to lowcost carriers in 2009. Overall,
airlines in Europe saw declines in
volume and—while demand is
expected to grow in 2010
—fares are expected to decline
in the first half of the year as
16
reau, officials hope for continued meetings sector success.
The Liverpool Convention Bureau promotes the region as a
conference destination and develops bids to target potential
conference business nationally and internationally. It also provides additional services to conference organisers to incentivise
them to bring events to the city, including accommodation,
dinner and reception bookings as well as an online delegate
registration service.
The Liverpool Convention Bureau also receives funding from
the Northwest Development Agency, the European Regional
Development Fund and membership subscriptions.
Tourism officials in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
gathered at the International Travel Expo in Ho Chi
Minh City last month as part of ongoing efforts to
build a single destination among the three Indochina
countries. Tourism ministers from the countries
signed a joint declaration on tourism cooperation in
2007. At the recent event, they agreed to discuss
a single visa scheme for international tourists travelling through the region.
airlines compete for marketshare.
Hotel rate changes will likely
vary by country, but overall rates
will only increase modestly at
best in Europe next year. Opposite from the trend in the U.S.
to unbundle services, however,
European hotels will give travellers additional amenities as a
means to attract business and
loyalty and retain price levels.
Asia-Pacific
After a 7 per cent reduction in
business travel in 2009 in the
Asia Pacific region, growth for
the major countries serviced by
American Express in Asia Pacific
is expected to be 6 per cent in
2010, as much of the region escapes the protracted recession
in North America and Europe.
Correction
In the July issue of One+ and the July/August issue of
One+EMEA, the International Congress & Convention
Association list of best countries for association meetings omitted No. 13 Switzerland and No. 14 Australia.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p14-16 EMEA Hot Buzz 1112-09_sg.indd 16
10/21/09 7:04:30 PM
What People are Saying
Your Community
Leading in a Changing World
A record-breaking 44 chapter leaders from 14 countries converged for the annual MPI
European Chapter Leaders Forum (ECLF) 9-11 October at the Radisson BLU hotel in Krakow,
Poland. Each year, MPI’s European chapters send up to three volunteers to the event, where
they network with colleagues, develop leadership skills and discuss successes and challenges
with international counterparts.
Chapter leaders were greeted by local supporters and the MPI Poland Club, which formed
just this March and already totals 33 members and displays an infectious enthusiasm for MPI.
Forum content focused on leadership development and collaboration with the theme “Learning
to lead in a changing world.” Delegates exchanged knowledge, ideas and experiences through
a variety of meeting formats—including breakout sessions, workshops, presentations, forums,
team-building activities and networking—many of them aided by a collaborative tool provided by
Swarmworks.com.
Following great reviews at the European Meetings and Events Conference this spring, David
Bancroft-Turner returned to train leaders in political intelligence, and keynote speaker Jim Lawless challenged delegates to face their fears and pursue their dreams. Meeting design was
also a focus; participants sat on gym balls that broke the ice among delegates, putting them
in the right creative mood to think outside the box and be open to new ideas. A gala dinner
160 metres underground in the Wieliczka salt mine proved a dramatic close with enchanting
music from a glass harp duo.
—MARIA JACOBSSON, Chapter Business Manager, EMEA
“ECLF 2009 was an opportunity to meet new people, embrace new content and therefore add to my
personal development. As a chapter leader, I was
delighted to come away from ECLF both energised
and excited about the future.”
—Paul Cook CMP
VP International Relations, UK & Ireland Chapter
“I feel enriched, inspired and more motivated to
contribute to the growth of our Italia Chapter. Being
a member since 2001, I deeply regret not having
decided before to be engaged in MPI as an active
member.”
—Francesca Pezzutto
VP Sponsorship, Italia Chapter
“I was given tools that we can use in our local
chapter management. The cooperation and openness from the central management of MPI was also
a pleasant experience. This was indeed facilitating
exchange of knowledge and ideas.”
—Claus Westh
VP Communication, Denmark Chapter
ECLF Sponsors
Host Sponsors
Radisson BLU Hotel,
Krakow
MPI Poland Club
Platinum Sponsors
Convention Bureau of
Poland
Krakow Convention Bureau
SwarmWorks Ltd.
Gold Level Sponsor
Meeting Designers sp.
z.o.o.
Silver Sponsors
Maestro Meetings and
Incentives sp. z.o.o.
DMC Poland
“Wieliczka” Salt Mine Tourist
Route Ltd.
Making a Difference
The MPI Foundation Europe thanks the
following organisations and individuals
for their generous support.
Meet Paula Hughes
Paula Hughes has accepted
the role of executive director
for the MPI Foundation.
A public relations and
marketing guru, Hughes
previously served as the
executive director and chief
professional officer for the
Juvenile Diabetes Research,
Arthritis and Cystic Fibrosis
foundations. During her
20-year career in nonprofits,
Hughes has raised more
than US$50 million. Here’s
what you need to know about
the MPI Foundation’s executive director.
Education: I have a
bachelor’s degree from the
University of North Texas
(formerly North Texas State
University) in journalism and
radio/television/film.
Favorite Food: I love chocolate (easy question!).
Dream Vacation: I enjoy going anywhere with my family.
Pet Peeve: Drivers in Dallas
are terrible.
First Concert: I saw too
many when I was 15 and
16: Elton John, the Rolling
Stones, Yes, the Doobie
Brothers—I love music!
Heritage Club
EIBTM
IMEX
Favorite Movie: I love the
old film To Kill A Mockingbird.
Best Weekend: They are
all good...getting out to our
friend’s cabin in East Texas is
always fun.
Biggest Challenge: I am
looking forward to my new
challenge with the MPI
Foundation to raise crucial
funding during a difficult
economy.
Did You Know?
The MPI Foundation funds a bi-monthly Business Barometer that reports what
industry professionals are collectively thinking, doing and planning based on actual and
anticipated economic conditions. The Business Barometer was created in partnership
with American Express to monitor the meeting industry’s most immediate needs in
relation to economic concerns and opportunities. For the latest report, visit www.
mpiweb.org/Education/Research.aspx.
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
mpiweb.org
p017 EMEA Foundation 1112-09.indd 17
17
10/21/09 7:48:25 PM
WHO:
Connections
Melike Cetiner, member
of the Bodrum Cup
organising committee
yacht club + city
Halil Danaci,
deputy mayor of
Bodrum
The sun sets on the cerulean
Aegean Sea, as winking last rays
shine through the tall masts and
riggings of 100 wooden sailing
yachts.
This western view has been the same in
Bodrum, Turkey, for 2,000 years. Wooden
yachts (or gulets) are native to the southwestern coast, where sailing isn’t just a hobby—it’s
life. And every year, nationals and foreigners
alike celebrate this maritime tradition with an
international regatta.
“Bodrum Cup is an indispensable symbol for
Bodrum,” said Halil Danaci, the city’s deputy
mayor. “The cup is the messenger of the ending
summer season, and the welcoming of the winter
season as well. Bodrum Cup is a feast.”
Known as Turkey’s St. Tropez, Bodrum
lives up to its name. The peninsula is a tableau
of whitewashed stucco homes, purple bougainvillea, orange groves and olive-green hillsides
set against a dramatic backdrop of craggy rock
peaks. Bodrum is also famous for housing one
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,
the Mausoleum of Mausolus.
The peninsula’s population of 30,000
more than triples in the summer months, as
national and international travelers assemble
on Bodrum’s golden beaches. The area
was largely provincial—inhabited mostly
by fishermen and sponge divers—until the
1950s, when it gained a reputation for intellectualism and the arts, resulting in a city of
modern-day amenities that recall the area’s
endearing past and natural beauty.
18
EVENT:
Bodrum Cup 21st
International Wooden Yacht
Regatta
20-24 October
Bodrum, Turkey
But during the cup, all of Bodrum looks
to the glassy sea, which has provided for and
sustained life here for more than 5,000 years.
“I must be clear. Bodrum does not host
the regatta, because the regatta was born in
Bodrum, so it belongs to Bodrum,” Danaci
iterated. “Bodrum organises the races for
itself, but greets all guests with the creak
of wooden yachts, huge sails and Aegean
allure.”
In essence, the 21-year-old event is Bod-
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p18-19 EMEA Connections 1112-09.indd 18
10/21/09 5:49:53 PM
rum’s harvest feast, filled with days of sailing and nights of play. Heels and cufflinks
replace deck shoes and sailing hats as revelers
flock to the evening’s galas in restaurants and
nightclubs along the seafront.
“There are many cocktails and dance
shows,” said Melike Cetiner, a member of
the Bodrum Cup organising committee. “The
sailors come together to meet their rivals and
sing and dance all night. The next day, they
are out on the water, sailing again.”
In fact, the primary goal of the annual
event is to promote interest and skill in
sailing among the captains and crews of
Bodrum’s charter fleet. But it also extends
the cruising term, welcoming passengers
on board competing yachts for one last sail
before the cooling winds of winter end the
high season. For many, the cup also offers a
chance for friendly encounters among charter yacht owners who normally cruise on
their own.
Tourists rent any assortment of boats
and yachts, following the race from safe
distances, sunbathing on decks or even
participating in the race itself with borrowed gulets. Hotels offer up prime seating
on wooden jetties that extend out over the
shimmering sea. Bodrum Cup isn’t just another boat race—it’s a cultural encounter.
Here, it is not important to win, just
important to compete, says Danaci, who
is a devoted sailor like so many of his constituents. He speaks with unrestrained enthusiasm about the regatta, as if he himself
owns it.
“I am from Bodrum. The Bodrum Cup
belongs to the volunteers who organise it
and to the city of Bodrum, but it is mine
before all else,” he said. “If you ask anyone
in the street you will take the same response.
‘Bodrum Cup is mine.’”
—JESSIE STATES
mpiweb.org
p18-19 EMEA Connections 1112-09.indd 19
19
10/21/09 8:37:00 PM
IRRELEVANT
Dead Alive
Get a feel for
death with a coffin
couch made from
Southern California
funeral home
rejects. Choose from
green lantern, back
draft, purple haze
or any number of
other funky colour
schemes. And feel
good knowing you
are purchasing
recycled (albeit
unused) goods.
(Coffincouch.com,
US$3,500)
20
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
EMEA Irrelevant 1109_sg.indd 20
10/21/09 7:31:12 PM
1112-09_21.indd 21
10/21/09 7:26:57 AM
Lesley
Everett
Global View
Standing Out
from the Crowd
WE ALL HAVE A BRAND IMAGE
WHETHER CONSCIOUSLY CULTIVATED
OR NOT. Your personal brand is what peo-
22
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg22 EMEA_Global View 1112-09.indd 22
BIO
ple say about you behind your back; it’s the
words they use to describe you to others.
Of course, during interviews the way
we present ourselves is vitally important
and reflects our brand in the eyes of others.
However, what are you doing to build your
brand reputation even before you get to the
interview stage?
Personal branding is becoming a significant element to consider when it comes to
managing careers. Here is a seven-point plan
for personal branding.
Stride 1—Who You Really Are. Uncover
your personality and individuality. What it
is that you’re outstandingly good at? What
are your values? How do others see you in
three words?
Stride 2—The First 7 Seconds. It takes
just seven seconds for people to judge us
initially. Don’t leave this thought in your
subconscious—it is never more important
than at an interview.
Stride 3—Dress Like You Mean It.
Style and grooming are the packaging
of your personal brand. Do you present
yourself in a way that invites trust, credibility and professionalism as an immediate perception of your brand?
Stride 4—Silent Indicators. Your body
language can speak volumes about you. A
genuine smile, a good handshake and positive eye contact are essential when you meet
people. You will be judged on these things.
Stride 5—Speak Easy. What does your
voice convey about your brand? Listen to
your voice mail message critically.
Stride 6—Be Interested and Visible. Being
genuinely interested in others will make you
a more interesting person and more memorable. How visible are you? Do people really
know who you are?
Carpe Diem—today’s
the day to take
control of your
personal brand and
start managing
those perceptions,
which in turn propels
you toward greater
success.
Stride 7—Each Time, All the Time. Consistency is crucial. For any brand to be 100
per cent successful, it has to be 100 per cent
consistent.
Carpe Diem—today’s the day to take
control of your personal brand and start
managing those perceptions, which in
turn propels you toward greater success.
LESLEY EVERETT is a U.K.-based international speaker on personal branding. She is the author of Drop Dead Brilliant - Dazzle in the Workplace with
Confidence and Panache. Vist her Web site at www.lesleyeverett.com.
10/21/09 8:23:42 AM
1112-09_23.indd 23
10/21/09 5:11:12 PM
Jon
Bradshaw
Reboot Your Brain
To Tweet or
Not to Tweet
I SENSED THAT THE PASSENGER TO MY
RIGHT WAS GROWING INCREASINGLY
24
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg24-25 EMEA_Reboot Your Brain 1112-09.indd 24
BIO
IRRITATED as the British Airways Boeing
777 taxied toward Heathrow Airport’s
easterly runway. I opened one eye, slightly
annoyed to have been woken from my
usual pre-flight doze, to see exactly what
the issue was. In his right hand, held high
as if a holy relic, was his BlackBerry being
poked and prodded from every direction as
its owner’s frantic voice boomed across the
cabin, “Does anyone know how to turn a
BlackBerry off?!”
Now both eyes were open as I watched
in fascination as a woman seated several
rows behind us was given permission to
unbuckle, run to our row and succeeded
in turning the device off less than a minute
before takeoff, much to the relief of all
concerned.
The subsequent flight gave me ample
chance to chat to the BlackBerry’s amicable
owner, Phil, who shared details of the complicated love/hate relationship he has with
the device, somewhat similar, he acknowledged, to the rapport he shared with his
now ex-wife, a situation he directly attributes to his BlackBerry use, too. Regarding
the incident onboard, he rather sheepishly
admitted that since the delivery of the device
several weeks ago, he hadn’t once turned it
off. He had discovered Facebook and Twitter and with an international social circle,
wanted to keep in touch 24/7.
The episode led me to consider the effectiveness and the emotional cost of utilizing
the plethora of networking tools now at
our disposal and whether social obligation,
touched with an element of narcissism, is
actually the prime motive behind our desire
to stay LinkedIn.
To the astonishment, frustration and ridicule of many of my friends and colleagues,
I have yet to embrace the world of Twitter,
LinkedIn, Facebook and the like. Don’t get
me wrong, I’m no technophobe. I’m proud
to say that I stopped relying on a transAtlantic pigeon to deliver my column to the
editor some months ago. It’s just that I’ve
yet to be convinced that these new tools are
all that time efficient, my limited experience
telling me that the time invested in keeping
them fully updated offers diminishing marginal returns.
“But old school friends get in touch,”
implore my peers. Let me tell you, the idea
of hearing from my childhood sweetheart
Rosa and re-living the time aged 11 when,
in the middle of double science, she showed
the whole class the letter I had written
informing her of my undying love, is avoidable self torture and far better left as the
first entry in the bulging “Disastrous Female
Encounters” file of my memory bank.
With Rosa in mind, I was interested to
read an article recently about a phenomenon called Facebook Suicide. Reportedly
hundreds of people a day actually close
down their Facebook accounts as apparently the unanticipated pressure of connecting with old friends becomes too much,
the quoted psychologist arguing that it
JON BRADSHAW presents and trains internationally on a variety of subjects in the field of human behaviour 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.
10/21/09 5:39:43 PM
countered the natural social ebb and flow of
life that allows people to enter and leave our
world almost without us noticing.
A conference speaker I heard last week
extolled the virtues of using social networking sites for business development. His
estimate that it took roughly three hours of
his day to keep his “walls” updated, upload
photos and post his tweets astounded
me. While he was obviously very proud
of the number of Facebook “friends” he
had recruited, I noted somewhat ironically
that his Twitter followers were far fewer
in number than the potential customers he
chose not to engage with at the final night
gala dinner. He sat at his table, BlackBerry
in hand, tweeting to his followers the news
that proved pivotal in clinching his next customer—yes, his steak was overcooked. Better connected? More business? I think not.
What about the impact on our relationships with those closest to us? I’m not
preaching here, as I’m sure I’m not the only
owner who has changed the settings on his
handheld to prevent the red light flashing
when a message sits unread. Previously,
too many evenings with my girlfriend had
been interrupted as I obeyed the red light’s
I’ve yet to be convinced that
these new tools are all that time
efficient, my limited experience
telling me that the time invested
in keeping them fully updated
offers diminishing marginal
returns.
hypnotic command to check e-mails only to
discover they were usually from a company
offering help with my performance in the
bedroom rather than the boardroom.
I am, of course, choosing to ignore the
undoubted benefits that using these tools can
bring, but I do wonder where it will all stop.
I know that for some of you my challenge
to disconnect occasionally will be met with
ridicule, but I ask that you at least consider
locating and engaging your own off button
every now and again.
As usual I look forward to comments
via e-mail, phone or, of course, pigeon.
mpiweb.org
pg24-25 EMEA_Reboot Your Brain 1112-09.indd 25
25
10/20/09 2:43:27 PM
+
What’s New
in Dubai
First
Impressions
A group’s initial experience in Dubai pays off
for them in big ways.
BY SANDI CAIN
AFTER THE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
ACCOUNTANTS
(IMA)
CHOSE
DUBAI FOR ITS FIRST INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE, IT ENDED UP OPENING
AN OFFICE IN THE REGION, promised to
stage its global conference in other member
countries and granted Dubai annual one-day
conferences in years when that city doesn’t
host the larger event—all stemming from that
first experience.
The 60,000-member organisation counts
about 12 per cent of its membership in the
Middle East. The United Arab Emirates
(UAE) accounts for the biggest block of
those members, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt
close behind—a big plus for Jim Gurowka,
IMA director of international development,
who was able to leverage members’ local
expertise to choose the city and venue for
the global event. Though the group considered destinations in Saudi Arabia and Egypt,
it ended up in Dubai in part because of easy
access and a wealth of tourist attractions to
draw people to the city.
The local chapter helped select the venue—
a vital component of a successful event in
Dubai, Gurowka says.
26
“Location matters tremendously in
Dubai,” he said. “Which side of Dubai
Creek you’re on and what district you’re in
has a big impact on whether people from the
region come to the event.”
By choosing the Deira district (and the
JW Marriott Dubai), the group had a convenient business location where the 150 attendees could stay on site. That’s a big plus in a
city known for Western-style traffic jams,
Gurowka says.
Because of the large local membership
base, IMA was able to land some royal
patronage for its conference, lending credibility to the new event and providing exposure
for it in a burgeoning city where it’s increasingly difficult to garner attention. Gurowka
says royal patronage is a plus for marketing,
but also brings its share of protocol and security requirements that groups must address.
For other conference arrangements,
IMA employed the services of DMC Congress Solutions, an affiliate of the Emirates
Group.
“We liked their ability to tap into the
[Emirates] marketing potential,” Gurowka
said.
Exhibition City, a meeting
and convention complex,
will open Phase I in 2009
and be completed by
2020. When finished,
it will offer more than
496,000 square metres
of space, including 19
exhibition halls.
The Dubai Mall in Downtown Burj Dubai opened
at the end of 2008. The
1.1 million-square-metre
mall has 1,200 specialty
stores, more than 150
food and beverage options
and an array of worldclass attractions.
Numerous hotels are
scheduled to open this
year, including the 371room Hilton Jumeirah
Beach, the 301-room
Amwaj Rotana Resort,
the 160-room Armani
Hotel Dubai, Business
Bay Hotel with 300 guest
rooms, the 1,050-room
Dubailand Conference
& Convention Hotel with
1,579 square metres of
meeting space and the
486-room JAL Tower.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p26-27 Dubai Destination 1112-09.indd 26
10/21/09 8:44:38 AM
The DMC proved useful for onsite logistics such as multilingual signage, registration
assistance and culturally suitable marketing
materials.
Gurowka says a big plus was the DMC’s
ability to arrange for regional delegates to pay
in local currency. U.S.-based organisations
can’t do business with certain countries and
some international banks, yet IMA has members in those countries. Congress Solutions
took care of the currency transfers, which
enabled more people to easily attend. The
DMC also arranged to pick up speakers at the
airport, take them through customs and bring
them to the hotel for a reasonable fee.
For last year’s event, IMA asked the Marriott to help the group reduce its overall
expenses. Hector Mendonca, the hotel’s director of event management, says the property
reviewed the programme and recommended
using different and more flexible meeting
space and found ways to reduce audiovisual
costs. In addition, the hotel allowed IMA
to release rooms from its block at 90-day,
60-day and 30-day intervals that helped IMA
meet its guarantees while allowing the hotel
to manage inventory.
“IMA was very organised with the meeting program and knew exactly what it needed
to achieve,” Mendonca said. “That makes it
easier for the hotel.”
The Marriott, Congress Solutions and
local chapter members worked as a team
with IMA leadership to make all delegates
as comfortable and welcome as possible.
The hotel made certain that staff knew the
makeup of the group and details of the event
so they could properly acknowledge the delegates during the conference.
Chapter members provided translation
services for the Web page and printed materials and helped educate other members about
cultural issues such as the proper way to
greet people of the opposite sex. They helped
design the schedule so that lunch and other
breaks could be built in around Muslim
prayer times.
Even with local help, there were a few
minor glitches. Gurowka says he learned
the first year in Dubai to start sessions later
than he would in the U.S. When he scheduled
the first session to start at 08.00, the room
was nearly empty. They quickly moved starting times to 09.00—more in line with local
customs. And though the group strives to be
respectful of attitudes toward alcohol, even
organisers were surprised on a dinner cruise
when one group that didn’t drink wouldn’t
even sit at the same table with those who
did.
“There were no hard feelings, just cultural
differences,” he said.
The teamwork between the organisation,
its local members, the hotel and the DMC
helped IMA achieve a successful conference
and led to the decision to launch in other
countries.
The most positive part of the event
aside from the professional development,
Gurowka says, has been the “amazing networking opportunities” and the friendships
that develop.
They’re so confident they can replicate that
experience that the group will stage its next
global event in China.
+
Transportation
Tips
Dubai International Airport is
approximately 3 kilometres from
downtown Dubai and is served by
more than 100 airlines with service
to 130 destinations aboard 4,000
weekly international flights. An
expansion expected to be complete
this year will increase its capacity to
70 million passengers annually.
Citizens of the following countries
do not need a visa to enter Dubai:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark,
France, Finland, Germany, Greece,
Holland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, San Marino,
Singapore, South Korea, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, the U.S. and
Vatican City.
Fun Facts
+
Dubai is the second-largest of
the seven emirates that make
up the United Arab Emirates.
SANDI CAIN is a freelance writer based in
Laguna Beach, Calif.
CONGRESS SOLUTIONS INTL.
Dubai Creek is actually a
saltwater inlet that runs through
the city centre and is the only
natural port entrance to the city.
Oil revenue accounts for just
10 percent of Dubai City’s gross
domestic product.
mpiweb.org
p26-27 Dubai Destination 1112-09.indd 27
27
10/21/09 8:44:46 AM
Where the
Future Begins
+
The ancient Adriatic seaside tourism destination of Rimini
is poised to open Italy’s largest conference centre in
early 2010.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
this emerging city of 140,000 residents, one
FRIEND OF RIMINI. Originally settled as an of Italy’s more popular summer destinations
Adriatic seaside fishing village, the city has for leisure travellers.
Even now, at least a millennium after
grown and flourished over the centuries in
part by being located at the crossroads of Rimini became a crossroads, its strategic
two important Roman consular roads, the location proves to be one of its more compelling attraction factors for conferences.
Via Emilia and the Via Flaminia.
“It’s a factor that it’s convenient to the
“It’s safe to assume there were meetings here even in the ancient times,” said most important Italian cities—Bologna, FlorAnnalisa Giannini, sales manager for the ence, Rome, Venice—because we want our
Convention Bureau della Riviera di Rimini international attendees to get a chance to see
(CBRR), which markets to conferences in Italy, and that becomes easy to accomplish
GEOGRAPHY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD
28
What’s
New in Rimini
The opening of the new
Rimini Palacongressi
convention centre, which
is set to open its doors
by the end of the year, is
part of a massive, €350
million capital improvement programme that
will add a wide array of
new infrastructure to the
Rimini area.
The neighboring beach
community of Riccione
opened its new Palazzo
dei Congressi, with room
for 2,400 delegates and
a terrace overlooking
the Adriatic Sea, in May
2008.
The Rimini Riviera
Metro, a light rail transit
system that will link Rimini
and Riccione, is scheduled to open in 2013.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p28-30 Rimini Destination 1112-09.indd 28
10/21/09 8:50:55 AM
Fun Fact
+
The Arch of Augustus, just inside the ramparts of the original Roman city of Rimini, is
one of the city’s most famous architectural
monuments, not just because of its ornate
stone carvings, but because of its age.
First constructed in 27 B.C., it is the oldest
known archway still remaining in Italy from
the days of the Roman Empire.
+
Transportation Tip
Rimini’s Federico Fellini International
Airport has direct service to European
cities such as London and Paris, but no
direct trans-oceanic service to North and
South America. Veteran meeting planners
recommend using larger airports such as
Guglielmo Marconi Airport International
in Bologna, which has more international
flights and is about a 45-minute commuter
rail ride from Rimini.
from Rimini,” said Fabio Fava, Ph.D., professor of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Bologna, and also
chair of the 14th International Biotechnology
Symposium and Exhibition (to be held in
Rimini in September 2010), considered one
of the main worldwide events on biotechnology for human sustainability.
And while Rimini has been at a literal
strategic crossroads for centuries, it now has
placed itself at a figurative strategic crossroads as well, seeking to move up the rankings among European conference destinations
with the construction of what will be Italy’s
largest conference centre, the Palacongressi di
Rimini, featuring more than 28,000 square
metres of usable event space, a main hall that
seats 4,700 and an amphitheatre that seats
1,600.
When the new conference centre opens in
early 2010, it will be an architectural statement designed by Volkwin Marg of Studio GMP in Hamburg, Germany, who also
designed the Rimini Expo Centre, which
opened in 2001. The new Palacongressi di
Rimini will also make something of an environmental statement as well, incorporating
all the latest in green-building technology,
such as a rainwater recirculation system and
a cooling system that involves freezing water
at night and using the ice for refrigeration
and cooling during the day. And the centre
will utilise the latest in green operating practices as well, ranging from recycling waste
to composting food waste from the kitchen
facilities.
“That’s one of the great things about
building a new conference centre from the
ground up,” Giannini said. “The Palacongressi reflects all the best of the collective
strategic thinking of the conference industry
in Rimini as it has evolved and developed in
recent years.”
She says Rimini’s conference industry,
which last year accounted for about 6,800
events that collectively attracted more than
1.1 million participants, does in fact trace its
beginning from bygone centuries.
“Clearly there were visitors to Rimini
going back for centuries, but it became a popular and well known beach resort with most
Europeans going back to the 19th century,”
Giannini said. As a result of Rimini being
such a popular beach destination for such a
long time, the Rimini area has developed a
sizeable and sophisticated hotel community,
she adds.
“The Province of Rimini [the geo-political
area in which the city of Rimini is located] has
about 70,000 hotel rooms, with more than
400 three-, four- and five-star hotels, open
year round so our hotel room availability is
among the best in Europe,” Giannini said.
The modern conference industry in Rimini
got started in the late 1960s and early 1970s,
she says, when association meetings began to
come to the city because it was such a popular place among attendees, who liked to bring
their families to enjoy leisure travel amenities.
And the tourism industry in the Rimini area
began to capitalise on the huge hotel room
inventory to turn the destination into a popular place for trade fairs and exhibitions, with
the first combination exhibition centre and
conference centre in the early 1980s.
A strong flow of association meeting and
trade show delegates to Rimini made it possible to attract investors to finance the building
of more tourism infrastructure, and it also led
to the creation of public-private consortiums
to not only promote the convention and
trade show industry in Rimini, but to manage it and formulate high standards of service
among the many vendors needed to make the
industry flourish.
One of the key organisations to result from
that industry evolution in Rimini over the
past two decades was the convention bureau
itself, the CBRR, which, when it opened in
1994, was actually the first city convention
bureau in Italy.
“CVBs are a relatively recent occurrence
in Europe as compared to North America,”
Giannini said. “So we were in the vanguard
of the movement in Italy when we began
operating 15 years ago.”
European destinations have had tourism
mpiweb.org
p28-30 Rimini Destination 1112-09.indd 29
29
10/21/09 8:51:01 AM
bureaus and tourism ministries for decades, she explains, but not
official bureaus to promote and facilitate conventions, meetings and
trade shows.
One of the more important strategic moves by the CBRR was
the creation of Rimini per i Congressi, Italy’s first local organisation for standards certification of all the suppliers needed to make
a convention industry run smoothly. The function of Rimini per i
Congressi is to ensure standards and best practices among Rimini industry suppliers that meet the highest standards in Europe, a
move designed to make Rimini not just attractive to regional and
Italian groups, but to groups from around the world.
The CBRR has also organised a permanent local housing task
force for conferences and trade shows, which includes the local
chamber of commerce, trade show organisations and the municipality of Rimini. In 2007, the CBRR created the Ambassadors Club, a
group of 114 members who promote within their own industries,
seeking to bring conferences and trade shows to Rimini. The CBRR
also has formed a partnership with the nearby city of Riccione,
which itself opened a new convention centre in 2008.
Not to be understated, Giannini says, is the importance of
the opening 15 years ago of a Rimini branch of the University of
Bologna, one of Italy’s premier higher-learning institutions, with
the Rimini campus offering degrees in economic development and
tourism marketing.
With the coming of the University of Bologna to Rimini, the
tourism marketing and management community became more
sophisticated and cohesive.
But perhaps the biggest impetus to move forward with the new
convention centre was the opening in 2001 of the new Rimini Expo
Centre, which offers 169,000 square metres of usable exhibit space
in 16 halls.
“With the opening of the new expo centre, the community began
to seek to move forward with a new convention centre, so we can
have a state-of-the art facility that will attract international conferences—to this point, our clientele has been largely from within
Italy,” Giannini said.
That goal is starting to become a reality as the new Palacongressi
nears its grand opening. Already booked are the International Congress of the Bureau du Tourism Social in 2010 and the World Leisure Congress in 2012, two important international events within
the tourism industry, and the International Biotechnology Symposium and Exhibition in 2010, which will bring both academic professionals and private industry professionals from the biotechnology industry around the world.
Professor Fava is familiar with Rimini from attending various
trade shows there, such as the Ecomondo International Trade Fair
on Material and Energy Recovery and Sustainable Development
(he is a member of the organisation’s advisory board) and recommended Rimini to the Biotechnology Symposium.
He says the city is an emerging destination in the conference
industry, with more reasonable room rates than one can find in most
other European cities large enough to host the conference, which is
expected to attract about 1,500 delegates from around the world.
And of course, the new Palacongressi counted a lot in the decision to bring the Biotechnology Symposium to Rimini.
Among the more important components at the event will be the
presentation of research papers by academics in the biotechnology
field, the presentation of exhibits by industries and manufacturers
of biotechnology hardware and software and the interaction of the
academic and industry professionals to form consortiums and partnerships for further studies. The Palacongressi is well suited for all
of those functions, Fava says.
Fava has become quite familiar with the design and construction
progress of the new convention centre, and is quite comfortable
with the Palacongressi as his choice.
“It’s quite a flexible building that can be configured exactly to
our requirements, and of course it’s a green building as well, which
will certainly will be appealing to our attendees.”
Giannini says the new centre was designed with flexibility and
state-of the art technology as priorities, with the ability to create up
to 42 modular spaces to the specifications of any event.
The convention centre, which has been built on land as part of
a greenway that connects the famous Arco d’ Augusto—the oldest surviving archway from the Roman Empire—with the Adriatic
beachfront, is part of the multiyear, €350 million capital improvement program designed to take the city of Rimini forward into the
21st century, in keeping with the CBRR’s marketing slogan: “Here
the future has already begun, but the soul of the Rimini Riviera
stays the same.”
ROWLAND STITELER is an experienced meeting and event industry journalist.
30
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p28-30 Rimini Destination 1112-09.indd 30
10/21/09 8:51:08 AM
1112-09_31.indd 31
10/21/09 7:45:49 AM
32
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p32-36 Benefits of Play.indd 32
10/21/09 2:36:25 PM
Play Works
Professional fun results in a happier
you...and a healthier bottom line.
Two departments were at war.
They didn’t share
anything, and nothing
was getting done.
So, Lynn Chilson,
PMP, CEO of Chilson Enterprises, was
called in to the insurance company to solve
some communication
problems between the
departments.
There
was
one
department, however,
that needed no fixing—a
group of programmers.
“I noticed that every
day in the afternoon
they’d take a short
break and toss a cricket
ball around. Just having
a good time for a little
while, and then they’d
go back to work. And
they were on top of
things.
“Then the company got a new chief
information
officer,
and when he saw those
programmers tossing
that cricket ball around
he called their managers and put an end to
it. Almost overnight
I watched that whole
department go from
being a happy bunch
of excellent workers to
a group of people so
stressed out and afraid
of crossing the CIO
that they became utterly
dysfunctional. By the
time I got my two
departments communicating and functioning
well, the programmers,
which I had nothing to
do with, were [emotionally] shot.”
Adults often consider play as something
they should squeeze
into their days, rather
than something hardwired into their brains
that must be part of
their lives for them to
optimize physical and
emotional conditions,
according to Marianne
St. Clair, a life coach
and author dedicated to
the importance of play.
Play can stimulate
creativity, increase problem solving and adaptive
abilities, bring joy into
our lives, reduce stress,
help us deal with the
daily grind in a positive
way, add to longevity
BY
PETER
GORMAN
mpiweb.org
p32-36 Benefits of Play.indd 33
33
10/21/09 12:33:45 PM
“I love using a Nerf ball as a
talking stick. You know, I throw
it to someone and they have
to tell me their ideas on what
we’re working on. You’d be
surprised at what good ideas
sometimes just come popping
out of people’s mouths when
they’re put on the spot like
that.”
Lynn Chilson
Chilson Enterprises
“Personally, I love working
on the execs to become
more playful themselves. If you
can videotape them at work,
interacting with others, you’ll
be surprised how they respond
when they see themselves
later. They often can’t believe
how they’ve acted. And that’s
the start of change because
when the boss changes, the
whole company changes since
the employees take their cue
from company leaders.”
J. Ariel Golden
International speaker
34
and help us in a host of
additional ways. Play is a
primal urge and St. Clair
equates the lack of play to
sleep deprivation.
It’s particularly important on the job, where so
many workers ignore play
to the point where they
burn out physically and
emotionally.
“It pays to play because
play raises our energy and
morale. But in our society,
it’s left brain rules and that
means work, work, work,
to the point where some
people even ignore their
vacations for fear of being
replaced. That is simply not
a healthy way to live and
certainly is no way to get
good creative work done.”
Stressed-Out Beasts
“Think of animals in the
old-style zoos, the ones
that were just cement cages
with bars on the front,”
suggested J. Ariel Golden,
an international speaker
on the topic of stress reduction at work through play.
Those animals were
stressed out. Well, people
are animals, too. And when
people get stressed out they
simply shut down. In the
business world, shutting
down means no communication, no creativity, no joy
in the work at hand.
“By the time companies
call me, their whole operation is often stressed, sometimes to the point where
employees are at war with
one another.”
Golden says the trick
to getting people to
communicate with one
another is to get them to
celebrate their differences,
rather than retreating from
them.
“To get that started, I
use play activities. I might
have everyone make origami figures, or finger
paint, or guess how I do
magic tricks—what I do
isn’t so important as getting people to forget they
hate everyone in the room.
If I can get them laughing
at one another’s paintings
or origami, they get out
of themselves, and that’s
when we can begin to open
the lines of communication
and reduce stress.”
Golden says results are
often immediate.
“I begin to see people
more willing to laugh
at themselves, relaxing
enough to talk to people
they work with but have
never been able to talk
with before.”
But people being people, they often retreat to
old patterns when they
return to the workplace, so
she arms them with simple
techniques to help them
avoid stress.
“Something as simple
as people looking at one
another and saying, ‘Hey!
We need to take a group
breath here!’ will get them
back on the same page,
rather than fuming at one
another. And once they’re
on the same page, their creativity shoots way up. They
interact, rather than acting
alone, and the cumulative
effect on people acting in
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p32-36 Benefits of Play.indd 34
10/21/09 12:53:12 PM
concert, particularly in the
workplace where problem
solving is so important,
is generally much greater
than what those people
could have accomplished
alone.”
The
bottom
line,
Golden says, is that play
reduces stress, which
boosts creativity and productivity. And companies
with happier workforces
do better business.
That takes us to the
perennial leader, it seems,
in workplace creativity
and happiness: Google.
The company’s offices in
France, Ireland, Italy, the
Netherlands and the U.K.
received the 2008 “We
have fun” award from the
Great Places to Work Institute Europe, a Denmarkbased group that has been
researching workplaces for
more than 25 years.
By hiring “Googley”
employees and providing a campus-like atmosphere—complete
with
video games, lava lamps,
bean bags and scooters—
Google was able to create
a fun place to work (an
astounding 100 per cent
of Google Italy employees described the office
as “friendly”!) while promoting teamwork, success
and innovation.
Still, problems can
exist, St. Clair says.
“Leadership is right
brain and management is
left brain,” she explained.
“Leadership is about
imagination;
management is about getting the
job done and maximising
work from the workforce.
But we need to have the
inspiration of the whole
brain to get things done
at the workplace, which
includes conceptual innovation, and you can’t do
that using only the industrially bent left side of the
brain. When businesses
and managers don’t value
the right brain side of creativity and inspiration and
want people only to concentrate on the left brain
side of getting the work
done, they are limiting
people and their capacity
to a great extent.”
St. Clair says a productive workforce is not just
about working harder,
it’s about allowing people
to be creative through a
sense of playfulness while
doing their work.
“When you do that,
your workplace will grow.
When you limit people to
doing their job and keeping
it all serious, well, that’s all
you’ll get,” she said. “If I’m
an employer, which kind of
person do I want working
for me? Someone enthusiastic about work, who
finds it challenging and
fun, or someone afraid to
stop by a co-worker’s desk
for a moment for fear of
being reprimanded? What
is that fearful, stressed-out
left-brained worker bringing to the table? Not much
at all.”
Chilson contends play
is important because
companies and groups
must have people relaxed
enough to be open.
“Stress shuts people
down. It makes you look
at the world very narrowly,
in a self-centered and often
pessimistic way. It makes
people less perceptive, less
creative, less adaptable,”
he said. “They stop being
team players, and that’s
where the workplace goes
awry. When that happens,
leadership has to change
the culture of the workplace. If it doesn’t, that’s
where companies get into
serious trouble.”
Chilson says it’s clear
when he first enters a new
workplace whether it’s the
kind of place that allows
a measure of playfulness
or not.
“The ones where they
don’t allow play are generally the places where
work’s gotten backed
up—often the result of
stressed workers simply
having shut down.”
Fixing the problem
starts with locating it.
There is the perceived
problem, he says, which is
what he’s told about when
management calls in his
services, and then there is
the real problem.
“The first thing I’ve got
to do is fix the people. I’ve
got to change their attitudes. It’s never due to a
lack of good technology
or good people that projects fail. They fail due to a
lack of leadership.”
It’s Not All
in Your Head
Play
as
an
important
element to relieve stress at
the workplace, to engender creativity, to help
people bond, to reinforce
communication and to
bring out the best in your
employees isn’t just some
new fad. There is hard science behind the theory.
Marian C. Diamond,
Ph.D., professor of anatomy at the University of
California at Berkeley,
has spent nearly 50 years
studying the effects of play
and enhancement among
laboratory rats and mice,
and during that time has
made some startling discoveries. One of them is
that the brain, thought to
basically be immutable,
isn’t. The cerebral cortex, the area of the brain
associated with higher
cognitive processes, actually increases in size—and
function—when
given
challenges, exercise and
play.
In her paper “Response
of the Brain to Enrichment,” Diamond states,
“It is essential to note
that enrichment effects
on the brain have consequences on behaviour.
Parents, educators, policymakers and individuals
can all benefit from such
knowledge.”
In many of her experiments, Diamond measured
brain mass and other anatomic changes in rodents
placed
in
enhanced
cages—cages with minimazes, objects to climb
on, wheels to play with—
with rodents placed in
mpiweb.org
p32-36 Benefits of Play.indd 35
35
10/21/09 6:02:54 PM
simple, non-enhanced cages.
Differences in the brain were
measurable in as little as four
days, and differences appeared
in older animals with a similar frequency to which they
appeared in juveniles. Though
she admits that extrapolating the brain changes exactly
to humans is difficult because
of the complexity of human
brains, individual histories and
control over experimental values, she does see a correlation
between humans and rodents.
“The brain is truly a phenomenal structure,” she said,
“and keeping it healthy for its
entire existence is something
we should all aspire to.”
In her paper “Successful
Aging of the Healthy Brain,”
delivered in 2001 to the joint
conference of the American
Society on Aging and the
National Council on Aging,
Diamond suggests five factors
of key importance to maintaining a healthy brain: diet, exercise, challenge, newness and
human love.
“There may not be anything
new with that list,” she wrote,
“but we now have important
scientific validation we did not
always have.”
Stuart Brown, M.D., who has
made a career of studying the
importance of play in humans,
36
echoes Diamond’s findings. A
former clinical director and
chief of psychiatry, Brown now
runs the National Institute for
Play (U.S.), and is the author of
the book Play—How it Shapes
the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.
“When you talk about the
work environment, you’re
talking about something that
tends to become repetitious,”
Brown said. “You begin to feel
like you’re in a cul de sac and
it becomes hard to bring your
imagination with you when you
go to work. So you try to get
your imagination going through
your work setting, through the
people you work with; if that
doesn’t work, you ought to just
get the hell out of that job. Of
course that’s not always easy in
our current world.”
Like Chilson, Brown tells
the story of a CEO watching
some of his company’s employees playing ball in a parking lot
and forbidding them to do it
any longer.
“He turned those people
into paranoid workers, and
their creativity went straight
down. If workers don’t have a
moment of genuine play during
a day they simply shut down.
“When I think about the
corporate world, particularly in
a period of economic downturn
when people are looking over
their shoulders to see if they
are going to keep their jobs, it’s
vital for people to keep their joy
and playfulness. People cannot
function when worrying about
their jobs. Playfulness prepares
you for change. People who are
nimble are able to move with
the flow. The grinders are toxic
to the long-term well being of
any industry.”
Asked how he thought corporate leadership could engender the spirit of playfulness in
employees, Brown said, “Workers need the permission to take
a moment to read a novel, play
a ping pong game, take a power
nap. Those things should be
recognised by the superiors and
the company as both pro-health
and proactive. Hours need to
be flexible enough for people to
keep their personal health and
priorities while at work. And it
turns out that people are more
loyal and stay at jobs longer
when that happens.
“If you have people who
are playing together in a corporate situation, they will have
a sense that ‘this is my place’
and they will give everything to
that place. If you can achieve a
state of play, a biological state
of being that’s physiologically
measurable—and you’ve got
to be practical, you can’t screw
around all day—in your work
environment, you will engender
belonging and trust.”
The idea that play can happen only when work is done is
simply skewed, Brown says.
“Play is what happens when
you work if you want work to
work. Our entire culture needs
to take a good hard look at
playfulness as an enhancement
to productivity and creativity, adaptability and preparation for the unexpected. Our
culture’s preoccupation with
youth having all the fun simply
isn’t valid. Physiologically, we
are designed to play our whole
lives. That includes the time we
spend at work. People need to
be in touch with their whole
selves, including their playful,
non-stressed sides, or they simply will not achieve the creative
heights they might otherwise
reach.”
“You can always tell the
difference between companies
that get the work done and
companies that love what they
do,” Golden said. “It shows
in the work, in the relations
to the clients, in every aspect
of the companies’ work.”
PETER GORMAN is an awardwinning investigative journalist.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p32-36 Benefits of Play.indd 36
10/21/09 6:07:09 PM
1112-09_37.indd 37
10/21/09 3:55:38 PM
38
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p38-41 Knowledge Plan.indd 38
10/20/09 2:07:49 PM
Introducing the
MPI Knowledge Plan,
an essential innovation for industry
growth and survival. We are experiencing a crucial
time in the life of the global meeting and event industry:
Unprecedented growth matched with newly realised vulnerabilities and
the dire need for workers. Although this represents a by politicians. The industry is also vulnerable to seemsignificant risk to the industry, it’s a call to direct our ingly unrelated economic turmoil. It is therefore crucially
collective and individual futures and create a road map important to be able to demonstrate clear measurements
on the return of meetings.
to success.
“Recent economic challenges have created a tipThe industry has simultaneously seen rapid growth
in some regions and sharp decline in others. New and ping point in the meeting and event industry,” said Dr.
expanded meeting and event infrastructure is booming Graydon Dawson, MPI’s director of global training
“And because of the recent
worldwide, with an explosion of space at convention systems.
negative attention meetings have
centres, hotels and all types of venues heading to marreceived, a paradigm shift in our indusket. Available meeting space is expected to more
try is occurring and there is no turning
than triple in some regions between 2007
back. Delivering real value is a renewed
and 2011.
focus. Although we hear that the recesAlong with this growth arises the
BY
sion is over, because of the impacts of
need for an expanded and more-skilled
MICHAEL PINCHERA
the economy on meetings and events,
workforce. Those developments and
AND
there are still difficult times ahead.
the growth of our industry in terms of
JESSIE STATES
Within this environment, it is absolutely
number of meetings and events has led
critical that all meeting professionals take
to an increasing demand for trained and
every advantage to equally retool their skill
skilled professionals with globally transfersets. Each of the products and services in the
able knowledge and competencies. The hosMPI Knowledge Plan is designed to facilitate
pitality sector workforce demand is expected to
increase at least 4.9 million by 2015, with an estimated one’s personal retooling regardless of your experience in
20 per cent specifically needed in the meeting and event the industry.”
The MPI Knowledge Plan is the most defined
industry. Along with that, there is a shift in business to
increasingly focus on performance and knowledge gen- approach yet to address these ever-growing issues and
eration. Unfortunately, our industry has lacked a body plot a course for personal and industrywide profesof knowledge to map the needed skills and competencies sional growth. The plan offers a clear career path and
for meeting professionals. There is, therefore, no clear a comprehensive knowledge set that will ease recruitment and retention and enhance training. It will deliver
career pathing and a limited pipeline for talent.
At the same time, we must also be prepared for a global standard through certificates and certifications
attacks on the meeting industry similar to those experi- providing transferability, employability and increased
enced earlier this year in the U.S. due to misperceptions compensation.
“The Knowledge Plan is especially important now
in the media and unfortunate and ill-formed statements
mpiweb.org
p38-41 Knowledge Plan.indd 39
39
10/21/09 6:08:22 PM
MPI’s Knowledge Plan
Why You Should Care
The MPI Knowledge Plan offers fast-track career
development; awareness on how to utilise globally
recognised skills and competencies at the local level;
cantly, the plan will give professionals at all levels
and in any country the knowledge they need to attain
the next echelon in their careers and share the same
increased transferability, employability and compensation;
knowledge as their peers across the globe. The programme
and increased recognition of the profession. Most signifi-
encompasses the following career steps (in order).
■ Skills Assessment (available
Convention Industry Council.
Includes access to MPI’s CMP
Exam Online Study Guide and
support-group study aids. The
Knowledge Plan will help globalise and expand this designation.
at MPIWeb.org)
Identifies critical experience,
knowledge and skill gaps and
then provides a prescriptive
and personalised development
plan for closing those gaps.
■ Introduction to the Meet-
ing & Event Industry (under
development)
Provides insights into the industry’s career paths and teaches
basic skills, delivered through a
blended approach of instructorled seminars, webinars and
other Web-enabled development tools.
■ Global Certificate for Meetings and Business Events I
(launched November 2008)
Presents students and early
career professionals with proficiencies to organise the logistics of meetings and events.
■ Global Certificate for Meetings and Business Events II
(launches in December)
Equips core-logistics-minded
project managers with
expertise to understand and
implement the full logistics of
meetings and business events
as well as the knowledge to
pass the Certified Meeting
Professional (CMP) exam.
■ Certified Meeting Profes-
sional (currently available)
Provides confirmation of
acquired skills and competencies in coordination with the
■ Global Certificate for Meetings and Business Events III
(scheduled launch first quarter
2010)
Provides skills for team leaders
with a focus on leading the
planning of the project and
leading the project team.
■ Global Certificate for Meetings and Business Events IV
(currently under development)
Builds on critical areas of
expertise for project own-
ers with the primary focus of
establishing the value of meetings as a critical element of
organisational success.
■ Certification in Meeting
Management (currently
available)
Looks at the business of
meetings as well as business
management modules related
to meetings.
■ Executive Leadership
Program (scheduled launch
mid-2010)
Focuses on MBA-level executive business leadership skills
and includes ongoing engagement between members of
the senior-level professional
community.
Advance Your Career
Register for the Global Certificate for Meetings and Business Events programmes and get late-breaking news
about the MPI Global Training plan at www.mpiweb.org/Education/GlobalTraining.aspx.
Take the Certified Meeting Professional exam while attending MeetDifferent Cancún in February.
since MPI is the global association in the
industry and we’re at a point in the industry where there is a growing academic
component to what we do,” said Carol
Krugman, CMP, CMM, industry consultant and educator with Denver-based
Krugman Maller LLC and member of
the MPI Body of Knowledge Task Force.
“The time has come when our two parallel tracks of academia and continuing
40
professional education must converge for
meeting planning to be recognised as a true
profession.”
Recognising the lack of consistent standards and feeling that current standards don’t
quite go far enough to meet the needs of the
community, MPI has undertaken the task of
expanding and validating the industry’s body
of knowledge, to update and fully define the
necessary skills and competencies that are
needed today in meeting management. The
Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation, for example, has been viewed as an
industry standard but hasn’t gone far enough
in addressing the needs of all industry professionals worldwide. To revive this important certification, MPI is partnering with the
Convention Industry Council to ensure the
growing relevance of the CMP and make it
more accessible worldwide.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
p38-41 Knowledge Plan.indd 40
10/21/09 9:54:17 AM
This body of knowledge is being developed in partnership with the
Canadian Tourism Human Resources Council, a governmental agency
with the task of creating portable and credible standards for the tourism sector in Canada. Once the body of knowledge is complete, it will
be a recognised standard within Canada, with plans to ensure adoption
by other governments around the world. As MPI creates the Global
Certificate for Meetings and Business Events as part of its knowledge
plan, they will all be tied back to this global body of knowledge,
ensuring participants who complete these programmes gain a comprehensive education and skill set to ensure their future success.
Members of the global meeting and event community will be best
served with these education standards as they provide portable recognition of expertise through training and knowledge development
at all career levels, including an executive leadership development
programme. A designation or certification will mean the same professionally in the United States as in France, Hong Kong or any other
place in the world. The promotion of standards of practice, such as
ROI/ROO and strategic meetings management, will permit a focus
on growth and development rather than repeated attempts at reinventing the wheel.
To address growing markets and aid management hiring duties,
this will ensure a continually expanding and knowledgeable workforce, trained in industry standards.
“The plan helps members as both job seekers and employers,
since a defined body of knowledge and standardised competencies
are one of the foundations for a true profession,” Krugman said. “A
globally recognised level of competency is critical in today’s multinational workplace and is also especially critical for the development of
curriculum in undergraduate programmes training the next generation of planners.”
All of this will show the meeting and event industry in a prominent, professional light, and it is hoped this will dissuade future
attacks and the spread of misinformation.
The MPI Knowledge Plan allows industry practitioners to access
relevant content in a variety of ways, through chapter meetings,
online webinars, international events and the One+ and One+EMEA
magazines. Additionally, MPI has announced plans for as many as
15 training centres for meetings and business events worldwide that
will provide standardised skills development courses at each career
level so that members worldwide are learning the same curriculum.
Each institution must have an accredited business/management programme, and five universities have already signed partnership agreements: CERAM Business School in Nice-Paris-Lille, France; Hong
Kong Polytechnic University; the Qatar MICE Development Institute; Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada; and San Diego State
University, United States.
MPI’s Dawson has worked with some of these education partners and will be creating course content with the curriculum development team to establish the highest-quality set of training materials
possible.
Creating the first set of global standards in the history of the
event industry, MPI will provide training for instructors as well as
curriculum for the programmes. Each certified administrator will
receive accreditation to teach all modules of the training practice.
Scholarships for students/delegates will be available through the MPI
Foundation.
“This raises the level of professionalism in the industry by clarifying exactly what we do, why we do it and why it is so important,”
Krugman said. “A specific, standardised body of knowledge that can
be taught, verified and certified through examinations and applied
globally will be a quantum leap in professionalism and recognition.”
This personal training and development plan will fast track not
only the education but also the career of MPI members, customers
and the industry as a whole. And when fully implemented, the MPI
Knowledge Plan will provide the industry with the clear career path
it has been lacking. Industry professionals will be able to prove their
competencies and show their progression through the standardised—
and globally recognised—body of knowledge.
“MPI’s mission—making our members successful—offers an
opportunity and an obligation to develop a learning path for the
global meeting and event community that ensures appropriate career
and personal development at each stage of an individual’s professional journey, from student to executive,” said Didier Scaillet, chief
development officer for MPI. “This knowledge ethos will ensure MPI
is a global knowledge leader in the field of meetings and events, with
the ability to attract, train and elevate talent for a rapidly expanding
global industry.”
MICHAEL PINCHERA is associate editor of One+.
JESSIE STATES is assistant editor of One+
mpiweb.org
p38-41 Knowledge Plan.indd 41
41
10/21/09 6:10:27 PM
42
one+
10.09
pg 42-46 Ali Feature.indd 42
10/20/09 2:11:48 PM
ASK
ALI
Ali Al Saloom
is changing the
way visitors
experience the
United Arab
Emirates—and
perceptions
about Arabs
and Muslims in
general.
BY LARA DUNSTON
PHOTOS BY TERRY CARTER
mpiweb.org
pg 42-46 Ali Feature.indd 43
43
10/21/09 10:08:26 AM
T
Tour guide, cultural consultant,
newspaper columnist, television presenter and founder of
Embrace Arabia and the Ask
Ali portal, 30-year-old Emirati
national Ali confidently strides
into the traditional majlis (meeting room) at the Abu Dhabi
Heritage Village on a sweltering
September afternoon.
The air-conditioning is on
high so it’s cool inside—some
people have even slipped on
sweaters and pashminas—yet,
outside it’s a typical sultry latesummer day with temperatures
hovering around 40 degrees Celsius. With 55 per cent humidity,
it feels like 45. Sweat still trickles
down our temples, yet there’s not
a bead of perspiration visible on
Ali’s brow.
He looks fresh and dapper
in his checked ghutra and agal,
the traditional Arab headdress,
and crisp camel-coloured dishdasha, the ankle-length cotton gown that is the national
costume, though most Emirati
men wear it in white. Like the
rest of us, Ali has removed his
shoes—the leather sandals that
local men wear—and left them
outside the door, as is customary. But whereas most of us have
curled our bare feet beneath us, a
tad embarrassed to be so naked
in front of so many strangers
in such a formal setting, Ali is
completely relaxed. He’s almost
30 minutes late, and it will be
44
another half hour before the
evening properly starts, yet not a
single one of the 50 or so people
in the room seems to mind—or if
they do, they don’t show it.
Time moves at a much slower
pace here—especially during
Ramadan, when Muslims are
fasting and work shorter hours.
Unless intent on driving themselves insane, the unhurried
pace of life here is something
to which new arrivals—expats
and visitors—need to quickly
adjust. Like in Mexico, where
everything is mañana—why
do something today when you
could do it tomorrow?—here,
on the Arabian Peninsula, it’s
enshallah, meaning God-willing.
If God wills it, it will happen. If
he doesn’t, it won’t. Or, Godwilling it will happen eventually,
but nobody is particularly worried if it doesn’t.
Another reason why participants do not seem particularly
bothered by Ali’s lateness is
because immediately upon his
arrival, he greets guests with
such sincerity and warmth, in
the way that a master of hospitality can. He acknowledges the
people he’s met before—some
have attended his cultural workshops organised as part of their
company orientation programs,
a handful have joined his guided
tours of Sheikh Zayed Mosque
and other sights around the
city and still others have read
his weekly column in Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper,
where Ali responds to readers
questions, such as whether it’s
acceptable for men and women
to hold hands in public. Then,
Ali warmly greets first-time participants he has never met, newcomers to the country who are
attending this Ramadan evening
to find out what the ninth month
of the Islamic lunar calendar is
really all about.
Ali’s enthusiasm is infectious
and his ability to put people at
ease impressive, but there is
something else in evidence that’s
not usually found in presentations given by Emirati men, generally known for their reserved
nature. As Ali gesticulates wildly,
peppers his stories with jokes
and casual turns-of-phrase and
moves about dramatically treating the majlis as a stage rather
than a meeting room, it becomes
apparent that it’s an element
of performance and a sense of
showmanship more commonly
found in the West that sets Ali
apart from other cross-cultural
speakers in the Emirates. But
then Ali is unique and very much
an individual in a society that’s
tribal and collective in spirit.
Ali is proud
of the fact
that he’s
lived life
a little
differently
than most
Emiratis.For
as long as he
can remember,
he has been
a traveller.
Ali is proud of the fact that
his life has been lived a little
differently than most Emiratis.
For as long as he can remember,
he has travelled. Ali’s father, a
teacher, avid reader and traveller, took his family abroad
regularly, and it was his dad
who encouraged him to study
overseas and enter hospitality.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg 42-46 Ali Feature.indd 44
10/21/09 10:09:02 AM
“When I was a kid, my dream
had always been to be a pilot,”
Ali says. “But then there was a
tragedy in the family—my cousin,
an air force pilot, died flying—so
I wasn’t allowed to become a
pilot. I asked my dad, ‘What can
I do now?’ He said: ‘Go into hospitality.’ He was a visionary but I
had no idea what he was talking
about. I was so ignorant then, I
thought he wanted me to work
in a hospital!”
Ali went to study in the
U.S. and Canada, doing stints
in between working in Europe
and the U.K. to develop practical skills. Once armed with his
undergraduate degree in hospitality management and tourism
and a master’s degree in brand
and cross-cultural management,
Ali returned to the U.A.E. and set
about developing more industry
experience working at Abu Dhabi’s Beach Rotana hotel where he
tried his hand at everything from
housekeeping to concierge.
Ali joined the newly launched
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority
in 2005, where he found himself
helping establish the emirate’s
first meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition department.
Working in an organisation that
was heavily staffed by foreigners,
Ali became the first choice when
VIPs visited and a local person
with knowledge of U.A.E. history and culture was required.
It was during this period when
Ali began showing everyone his
city—including movie star Antonio Banderas and celebrity architect Frank Gehry—that he began
to develop his guiding skills and
started injecting personality and
humour into his tours.
“I joined the Abu Dhabi
Tourism Authority, because I
had qualifications in tourism
and hospitality,” he says. “But
I also wanted the security that
a government job provides in
the U.A.E. However, I remember waking up one day, and
there was one thing in my head:
when Sheikh Zayed (the late
U.A.E. president and founder of
the U.A.E. Federation in 1971)
passed away he left us with
something—it was his legacy.
“Whenever Gulf Arabs travel
to other countries in the region,
the guys at the immigration desks
look at our passports before they
stamp them and they can tell by
our names where we’re from…
they’ll recognise the name and
say, ‘Ah, you’re from Qatar?
Welcome.’ Or, ‘You’re a Kuwaiti?
Marhaba!’ The amazing thing is
that when they identify an Emirati, they always say, ‘Sons of
Zayed, welcome!’ When I began
to reflect on that and think about
what Sheikh Zayed had done to
develop the U.A.E., and the legacy that he left us…I thought to
myself that if we don’t continue
his work it will all disappear.
“So that very morning I
decided I had to do more than
my secure government job. I
remember looking at my parents’ old photo albums, at how
tough life was then, and looking
at what they went through during those early years of development…they’d come so far.
So I found myself wanting to
contribute in a greater way,” he
says, “I felt that I had to embrace
what we had, to embrace Arabia…and to embrace and respect
other cultures, and show them
why they should respect us. It
was like a calling. I quit my job
straight away.”
Ali formed his own tour company, hired a mini-bus and began
showing small groups of tourists
his city. The incessant questions
people asked about his country
and culture—from how they
should dress to whether they
could take photos of locals—
inspired him to start his online
portal, Ask-ali.com. The cultural
awareness classes and activities
were a natural progression.
Something of a groundbreaker in the U.A.E. tourism and
hospitality field, Ali isn’t the first
Emirati to work in the industry.
Emirati women from neighbouring city-emirate Dubai have been
working in tourism and hospitality since the Dubai Women’s
College established a travel and
tourism program in 2000. Nor
was Ali’s Embrace Arabia the
first organisation to offer cultural
awareness programs aimed at
breaking down barriers between
different religions and nationalities. The Sheikh Mohammed
Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) in Dubai was
created in 1995 to do just that.
The main objective of its Open
Doors, Open Minds program,
which includes guided visits to
Jumeirah Mosque and Cultural
Breakfasts at its courtyard-house
headquarters in Dubai’s historic
Bastakiya quarter, is to raise
awareness of the local culture,
traditions, customs and religion
among foreign residents and
visitors.
D
Dubai, however, has been doing
tourism far longer than Abu
Dhabi. Indeed, companies such
as Arabian Adventures were
offering desert safaris with camel
rides, sand boarding and belly
dancing to foreign tourists well
mpiweb.org
pg 42-46 Ali Feature.indd 45
45
10/21/09 10:09:09 AM
before the city’s sail-shaped Burj
Al Arab (the world’s first “sevenstar hotel”) opened its doors
in 1999 and put Dubai on the
world map as a luxury travel
destination. The Abu Dhabi
Tourism Authority wasn’t established until 2004 and the city’s
own “seven-star” hotel, Emirates Palace, didn’t open until a
year later in 2005.
Ali has been the first Emirati
to use a charismatic personality
and name to promote tourism
and raise cultural awareness—
largely through his Ask Ali portal—and has become something
of a local media celebrity in the
process.
“I was the first Emirati to
offer guided tours in a mini-bus
I hired myself. I’ve written everything on the portal—I answered
700 questions in six months.
Now I’m writing a mini-guide
to the city, I’m developing TV
shows and I’m publishing a
guidebook,” he says proudly.
Up until Ali, tours were guided
by Indian or other Arab expatriates, portals were the domain of
the government tourism bodies, TV shows were limited to
foreign-produced programs on
the Travel Channel and guidebooks published by Time Out
and Lonely Planet were written
by long-term expatriates.
Ali adds a genuine local flavour and authenticity to the
U.A.E.’s tourism and cultural
offerings that has never been
available before. Whether visitors take one of his guided tours
or sign up for one of Embrace
Arabia’s cultural activities, they
now learn about the U.A.E. culture and experience the destination through a warm, friendly,
enthusiastic Emirati in a way
they couldn’t before.
The Ramadan program that
46
Embrace Arabia offered wasn’t
so different from activities
offered by the SMCCU or private
tour companies, but Ali’s personality—in particular, his passion,
energy and exuberance—sets his
tourism and cultural offerings
apart from the others.
A
Aside from his father, who died
earlier this year, and the late
President Sheikh Zayed, Ali’s
heroes include Oprah Winfrey and Australia’s “Crocodile
Hunter” Steve Irwin, someone he
had the opportunity to befriend,
and greatly admired. He respects
entertainers, performers and
storytellers.
This evening, Ali tells his
guests a story, all the time moving around the room, gesticulating with his arms, making eye
contact with his guests: “I was
asked to deliver a speech recently
for a company on the theme of
peace so I told a story that dates
back to the beginnings of Islam,
about the Prophet Mohammed,
peace be upon him… Every
day the Prophet would walk
the same way, and every day a
woman would wait for him, and
just as he arrived near her home,
she would throw her garbage on
him. She did this every day and
yet the Prophet did nothing. He
just kept walking the same way.
Until one day, when he walked
past her house, she wasn’t
there…maybe he had left earlier,
the Prophet thought to himself,
and continued to the mosque.
“The next day, the Prophet
walked by her house again and
he again didn’t see her, so he
decided to go to her home. He
found her inside, lying in her
bed, surrounded by her family—
she was ill. She said to him:
‘So, you’ve come for revenge,
have you?’ He hadn’t. He simply asked her how she was, and
whether he could do something
for her. She was astounded. She
was shocked that he forgave her
so easily. At that moment, she
believed that he was the Prophet.
For all the great Prophets—not
only Mohammed, but also Jesus
Christ—forgiveness was their
middle name,” Ali concluded.
The story was intended to
illustrate one of the meanings
of Ramadan for Muslims—a
time for forgiveness. Like many
of the stories he tells throughout
the evening, Ali’s intention is not
only to share his culture, religion
and country, but also to dispel
myths and make connections.
At the end of the long evening, after everybody has
enjoyed their traditional desserts
Ali has
used his
charismatic
personality
to promote
tourism and
raise cultural
awareness,
and has become
a local media
celebrity in
the process.
and cardamom-flavoured coffee,
Ali says goodbye to each and
every one of the participants,
then sits on the majlis cushions
and releases a small sigh. He
must be tired—after all, it is the
last week of Ramadan and he’s
been fasting all day every day
for four weeks, offering these
activities in the evenings—yet he
continues chatting with the same
energy and passion he showed
four hours earlier.
“You know, I feel disappointed when I see local people
who don’t appreciate the wealth
we have here, and how far this
country has come in 40 years.
I don’t want to be like that—I
want to leave a legacy,” he says.
So what next? I ask.
“I want to publish my books,
I want to make a film, I want to
do my Ph.D., and I want to travel
more. I want to travel all over the
world. And I want to do it all by
the time I’m 35,” he says.
That’s very ambitious, I think
as I remember something he told
the group earlier: “Things happen at a different pace here. Life
is so slow in some ways and yet
the country has developed so fast.
I like to say that the U.A.E. has
grown 10 years in one day.”
Ali has certainly achieved
in five years what many others
would in 10. And yet his grand
plans still aren’t enough.
“But most of all,” Ali says,
“I want people to remove
from their minds the idea of
Bin Laden when they think of
Arabs and Muslims. Instead,
I want them to think of Ali Al
Saloom!”
LARA DUNSTON is a globetrotting travel writer currently
based in the United Arab Emirates.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg 42-46 Ali Feature.indd 46
10/21/09 6:11:07 PM
1112-09_47.indd 47
10/21/09 3:56:59 PM
H1N1:
Be Prepared,
Not Panicked
BY DIAN BARBER
In preparation for the
Penny Arcade Expo
(PAX) 2009, alcoholbased sanitiser stations
were set up throughout
Seattle’s Washington
State Convention & Trade
Center. The festival was
the best attended to date
(60,750), and it seemed
to have escaped further
H1N1 complications.
Yet, the day
after the event
ended, organisers
learned that some
delegates had
confirmed cases
of swine flu. In total,
only around 100 people
had become sick—a
mere 0.165 per cent of
delegates.
“We knew there was
a potential for some
attendees to become
sick,” said Robert Khoo,
business manager and
show director for PAX.
“Any time you have a
connector event where
people from other
geographical areas are
48
converging on a hub and
will be in close proximity,
there is always that possibility.”
Once organisers knew
that some delegates
had swine flu, they took
to the Web to get their
late-breaking message
out, primarily leveraging
Twitter and the event’s
own Web site.
A list of outgoing
flights and trains of
delegates with confirmed
cases of H1N1 was posted
online and updated as
often as necessary.
Because the general
age range of tech-savvy
PAX delegates (23-32)
was not a group at serious risk, the concern
shifted to focus on whom
the ill delegates could
come in contact with.
“The idea to list plane
and train travel data just
seemed to make sense,”
Khoo said. “Why would
you not want to get that
information out?”
PAX organisers are
cururrently
ently
in
n the
early
arly stages
off researching
new
ew methods and
technology
echnology to mitigate
similar
milar problems at PAX
East next March in Boston.
DIAN BARBER is a
data wrangler and freelance contributor.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg48-49 H1N1 Feature.indd 48
10/21/09 7:18:20 PM
H1N1 RESOURCE LINKS
Swine Flu Update and Toolkit
www.mpiweb.org/Media/News/SwineFluUpdate
AndToolKit.aspx
European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control H1N1 Reports and Updates
http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/Pages/
Influenza_A(H1N1)_Outbreak.aspx
AH&LA H1N1 Influenza Management
in Hotels Fall 2009 Manual
www.ahla.com/flu
U.S. Travel Swine Flu Resources
www.ustravel.org/pressmedia/swine_flu.html
Latest News and Regional Pandemic Info from the
World Health Organization
www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
Travel Industry Pandemic Flu Checklist
http://fl
http:: u.gov/professional/business/travelchecklist.html
htt
http
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2009 H1N1 Home
www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/
H1N1
Updates and Resources from the International
H
Association of Exhibits and Events
http://www.iaee.com/iaee_membership/
center_for_exhibition_safety_and_security
H1N1 Toolkit for the Restaurant Industry
http://www.restaurant.org/fluinfo/toolkit.cfm
H1N1 Self-assessment Tool
https://h1n1.cloudapp.net/Default.aspx
H1N1 SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS
Swine Flu Tracker on Google Maps
www.google.org/flutrends/
iPhone H1N1 Tracker App
www.healthmap.org/iphone/
Android OS H1N1 Tracker Apps
www.cyrket.com/search?q=swine+flu
H1N1 WEBINARS
6 November
Pandemic Preparedness
for Meeting Planners
Luke Jerram’s
spherical swine
flu sculpture, part
of his Virology
exhibition at
London’s Smithfield
Gallery earlier this
year.
10 November
Be Prepared, Not Panicked
(Or Complacent):
A Swine Flu Update
17 November
Getting Your H1N1
Preparedness Plan to the C-level
Sign Up Now!
www.mpiweb.org/education
/webinarseries.aspx
TIPS AND ADVICE
FOR MEETING PROFESSIONALS
By now, we all know about the importance of regular
hand washing and the appropriate use of alcoholbased gels. But what else can meeting professionals
do to help ensure their own health and the health of
event delegates?
> CLEAN COMMON > CLEAR AIR
AREAS
The H1N1 “swine flu” virus
can survive on surfaces
for up to eight hours,
according to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention. So it makes
sense to pay extra
attention to the cleaning
of commonly handled
objects (door handles,
keyboards, cell phones,
pens, etc.) to help reduce
the spread of not only
H1N1 but also other
viruses and bacteria.
“It is well established that
influenza viruses can live
on fomites and hands,”
said John Swartzberg,
MD, FACP, clinical professor of medicine at the
University of California,
Berkeley. “The controversy is whether it can
transmit any way other
than being aerosolised.”
> STERILISING
LIGHTS
Many hospitals use ultraviolet lighting for sterilisation purposes, why
shouldn’t meeting professionals? A high-output,
handheld ultra-violet light
unit can help decontaminate surfaces and commonly handled objects,
according to Steven
Welty, CAFS, CIE, LEED
AP, an airborne infectious
disease consultant who
designs systems that
sterilise, capture and/or
kill airborne particles.
Both Welty and Swartzberg stress their belief
that viruses are transmitter primarily through
aerosolisation, so don’t
forget about the air when
considering the sanitation of common areas.
Welty advises meeting
planners check the MERV
ratings of air filters at
venues for a rating of at
least 13.
> HIGHER
HUMIDITY
Enhancing indoor humidity may be able to reduce
the transmission distance
for viruses. But don’t
expect a miracle; Swartzberg says the use of
humidifiers won’t prevent
the spread of H1N1.
> CLEAN SINUSES
“Although there is no
direct evidence that
nasal irrigation is effective prevention against
H1N1 specifically, there is
some evidence … that it
helps prevent viral upper
respiratory infections
generally,” said David
Rabago M.D., assistant
professor of family
medicine, University
of Wisconsin School
of Medicine and Public
Health. “Theoretically,
nasal irrigation could help
prevent infection by H1N1
through direct action and
by improved mucociliary
action i.e. general health
of the nasal mucosa.”
THE SMITHFIELD GALLERYLUKE JERRAM-VIROLOGY
EXHIBITION
mpiweb.org
pg48-49 H1N1 Feature.indd 49
49
10/21/09 8:05:48 PM
GLOBAL PARTNERS
InterContinental
Hotels Group
Meetings &
Exhibitions
Hong Kong
IMEX
Reed Travel Exhibitions
Canadian Tourism Commission and its Partners
EUROPEAN PARTNERS
IMEX
EIBTM
Contact: Vanessa Cotton
Phone: +44 7590 670457
E-mail: vanessa.cotton@reedexpo.co.uk
Web site: www.eibtm.com
EIBTM is the global meetings and incentives
exhibition, held annually in Barcelona providing
three days of the best business opportunities, best
networking and best professional education.
“This was the best industry trade show that
I have attended in my career,” Charles Drewe &
Associates, South Africa.
EIBTM brings together a visitor audience of
more than 8,000 industry professionals from
almost 100 countries with an extensive marketplace of international exhibitors. Over 3,700 visitors are top-level decision makers brought to the
event as part of the unique appointment-driven
Hosted Buyer programme.
EIBTM is totally dedicated to raising industry
standards, encouraging learning and development
through the expanding and innovative professional
education programme.
50
Contact: Ray Bloom, Chairman IMEX
Phone: +44 1273 227311
E-mail: ray@imex-frankfurt.com
Web site: www.imex-frankfurt.com
IMEX is the show that exceeds your expectations every time. The trail-blazing exhibition has
unleashed the energy of the global meeting industry with new ideas, new vision and a passion for
business amongst record numbers of worldwide
exhibitors and buyers. And IMEX is unique in
attracting more than 3,500 international hosted
buyers together with more than 4,000 decision
makers from the valuable German market. The
3,400 exhibitors include national and regional
tourist offices, major hotel groups, airlines, DMCs,
service providers and trade associations.
“IMEX just keeps getting better,” Roger
Tondeur, CEO, MCI Group.
Be inspired, make great contacts, do more
business. Don’t miss IMEX.
InterContinental Hotels Group
Contact: Rachel Ferrand
Phone: +44 773 674 6271
E-mail: rachel.ferrand@ihg.com
Web site: www.ihg.com
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the
United Kingdom is the world’s largest hotel group
by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels
Group owns, manages, leases or franchises,
through various subsidiaries, over 4,100 hotels
and 600,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group
owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected
hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels &
Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday
Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®,
Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel
IndigoTM, and also manages the world’s largest
hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, with
40 million members worldwide. InterContinental
Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and
information for the Priority Club Rewards program
at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from
InterContinental Hotels Group, visit our online
Press Office at www.ihgplc.com/media.
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg50-51 Sponsors.indd 50
10/20/09 2:14:28 PM
MCI
Rezidor Hotel Group
Torino Convention Bureau
Contact: Sebastien Tondeur
Phone: +41 22 33 99 500
E-mail: sebastien.tondeur@mci-group.com
Web site: www.mci-group.com
MCI is a globally integrated association, communication and event management company. For
more than 20 years, MCI has helped companies,
governments and associations bring people together to create meaningful connections and win.
Our combined expertise helps clients to outperform by offering strategy, creativity and execution in
the field of association management and consulting,
performance improvement, professional congress
organisation and meetings and events. Our support
services, which include global destination management in 16 countries and audiovisual and staging
solutions, “make it happen” by connecting the best
people in the right places.
MCI has 32 offices in 18 countries and
employs approximately 800 professionals worldwide. With several partnerships and alliances,
such as the “Uwin Iwin & MCI Strategic Alliance in
Performance Improvement,” the “SmithBucklin +
MCI Worldwide Partnership” and the “Ovation
Global DMC & the DMC Network’s global alliance,”
MCI offers integrated solutions and seamless services around the world, providing customers with a
truly global brand experience.
Contact: Ole Sorang
Phone: +32 270 29 200
Phone: +45 32 34 41 90
E-mail: ole.sorang@rezidor.com
Web site: www.rezidor.com
The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest
growing hotel companies in the world.
Rezidor offers a portfolio of great brands from
high class comfort to high class luxury. With five
unique brands to choose from, each with its own
distinct character and style, Rezidor is in a class
of its own serving destinations across Europe, the
Middle East and Africa.
Our five distinct hotel brands: Radisson SAS,
Country Inn, Missoni, Park Inn and Regent currently
feature over 330 hotels and over 68,000 rooms in
operation and under development in 51 countries.
Our properties lie in city centres and suburban
areas, at airports and exclusive resort destinations.
However, it is our Yes I Can! spirit that differentiates us from our competitors. Adopted by all
employees, Yes I Can! is a company-wide service
philosophy where each guest is treated with a positive service attitude.
Contact: Marcella Gaspardone
Phone: +39 011 81831
E-mail: info@torinoconvention.it
Web site: www.torinoconvention.it
The host city of the 2006 Olympic Winter
Games is ready to welcome your events. After
organising the Olympic Games on the ice and in the
snow, imagine what Torino, a city rich in art, history
and culture, can do for you. It offers top level structures and services as well as the support of Torino
Convention Bureau in organising events. Set up in
2000, Torino Convention Bureau takes care of the
promotion of the city and its metropolitan area as a
conference and convention destination.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Montreux Music &
Convention Center
Contact: Rémy Crégut
Phone: +41 21 962 20 90
E-mail: cregutr@2m2c.ch
Web site: www.2m2c.ch
Located in Switzerland, in the heart of Europe
and of the city, by the banks of Lake Geneva,
at the foot of the Alps, the Montreux Music &
Convention Centre’s (2m2c) unrivalled geographical
location make it easily accessible, as well as giving
it an all-in-one layout which is ideal for organising
international events. Doubtless the most famous
of these is the Montreux Jazz Festival which, each
year, greets more than 200,000 visitors over its
15 days. The 2m2c has 18,000 m2 of modular,
multifunctional surface areas, allowing it to host
large-sized professional and cultural events: conferences of up to 1,800 people and concerts seating
up to 3,500.
Contact: Kip Horton
Phone: +32 222 430 26
E-mail: kip.horton@starwoodhotels.com
Web site: www.starwoodhotels.com
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies
in the world with approximately 900 properties in
more than 100 countries focused on the important
meetings market. Our 155,000 employees are
focused on delivering an exceptional experience to
each meeting delegate whether they are with 10
of their fellow associates or part of a large citywide
convention. Starwood Hotels is an owner, operator
and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences
with the following internationally renowned brands:
St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®,
W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four
Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched
AloftSM, and ElementSM. For further information,
contact our properties directly and don’t forget to
ask about our Meeting Planners loyalty program,
“Starwood Preferred Planner,” the best way to earn
yourself that much needed break after organizing
your company’s events.
Tourism Toronto
Contact: Alice Au
Phone: +1-416-203-3819
E-mail: aau@torcvb.com
Web site: www.torontotourism.com
You work hard to make your clients happy. We’ll
work hard to make you happy. At Tourism Toronto,
we have two priorities: to make your job easier
and to make your meeting, convention or event
remarkable. Let the dedicated, professional staff at
Tourism Toronto help you plan the perfect Toronto
experience. We offer you a variety of time-saving
services, from booking accommodations for thousands of delegates to arranging site inspections
and liaising with Canada Customs.
GULF PARTNERS
mpiweb.org
pg50-51 Sponsors.indd 51
51
10/21/09 10:12:22 AM
Meet Where?
S UB HEAD ?
CONTEST!
Correctly identify this venue and its location and you could win a
(PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPod Shuffle. Global Fund’s (PRODUCT) RED initiative directs up to 50 per cent of gross profits toward
African AIDS programs focusing on the health of women and children. One winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.
Submit entries to jhensel@mpiweb.org by 15 December, and find out
the answer and winner online at www.mpiweb.org/pluspoint.
52
one+EMEA nov.dec. 09
pg52 Meet Where 1112-09.indd 52
10/21/09 5:58:49 PM
1112-09_C3.indd C3
10/20/09 9:39:00 AM
1112-09_C4.indd C4
10/21/09 7:40:19 AM