Apr 13
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners attendee interaction, Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences, team building, unique activities
Guest post – provided courtesy of AmEx OPEN Forum and written by Katie Morell.
Ahh, team building. These two words produce feelings of dread in many employees and bring up images of ropes courses and awkward renditions of Kumbaya around a fire pit.
Back when I lived in San Francisco, I worked for a company that was obsessed with team building. Instead of going to a ropes course, we went to a climbing gym. Even though I found it pretty fun, many of my co-workers did not like the idea of dangling from ropes while everyone looked at their backsides. These individuals bowed out of the activity and stood in the corner pouting…not much ‘team’ building happened that day.
Next, we went to a nature preserve. This time I was uncomfortable. I already have a difficult time with the concept of zoos—I’d rather just watch lions and tigers on Animal Planet. But on this particular day, I remember riding in an open-air wagon and staring into the eyes of a 1,200-pound water buffalo. Mrs. Buffalo was sitting less than 10 feet away from me and there was nothing but air separating us. I recoiled and urged the driver to go faster. I don’t exactly remember much ‘team’ building with that experience either, seeing that it took me about 30 minutes to calm down from my near-death experience.
So how do you plan an event that will cater to your entire team?
According to Kate Nasser, a.k.a. ‘The People-Skills Coach’ and president of CAS, Inc., a consultancy for corporations, governments and mid-sized businesses based in Summerville, New Jersey, it is important to determine an objective before diving into a team-building activity.
“Team building can be fun and boost morale,” she says. “It can also be designed to help address a work or communication problem.”
‘Fun’ team building
If you want your activity to strengthen bonds between employees, ask them what they want to do, suggests Nasser. “Expect that you will get diverse views, but know that they will be more engaged if the activity represents their definition of fun.”
Ropes courses and water buffalo aside, my former employer did execute one effective team-building activity. The objective was to strengthen bonds with our organization and it worked…and cost nothing.
We all crowded into a conference room and in the middle of a table sat a stack of index cards. We were instructed to tape one index card to each other’s backs and grab a pen. For the next 20 minutes, we rotated from person to person, writing something nice about them on their index card.
At the end, we all reached around and grabbed our cards to see more than 20 positive messages about ourselves. I hung mine on my bulletin board and so did many of my colleagues.
Nasser recommends going to a bowling alley and breaking up into teams. “It is easy and cheap—just make sure to bring small prizes to make it even more fun,” she suggests, adding that books such as Team Games for Trainers and The Big Book of Team Building Games are also filled with ideas.
‘Problem solving’ team building
If there are problems within a team, first sit down with employees individually to find out what they would like changed, Nasser recommends.
“Hold conversations with the promise of confidentiality,” she says. “Most teamwork problems are rooted in a lack of respect for diversity or communication problems.”
If respect is the issue, Nasser recommends this exercise: Have each person bring a photo of themselves doing something they love—something that reflects who they are as a person. Then, go around the table and have each person explain why the photo makes them happy or proud. “Make sure these are not work-related photos,” she says.
Play 20 questions—after someone describes their photo, give each person around the table the opportunity to ask for more information. At the end, “people will be talking to each other like human beings—this works really well.”
Another option is to instruct each member of your team to take a personality indicator test. “I recommend the Keirsey Temperament tests,” Nasser says. “Everyone can take the test, print off the results, and bring it to a team building meeting. Then everyone can guess each other’s type. It is a very insightful exercise.”
Once finished, participants then list one or two effective ways others can communicate with them. “To make it really fun, print up a sign for your desk that alerts others on how to communicate with you. For example, mine would be ‘Give me the big picture and get to the point.’”
Mar 22
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits Event Industry Networking, office slang
…comes to you in the form of a new office vocabulary word!
consul•to•babble n: the often indecipherable language of consultants, rich with technical jargon, and cliches.
Would someone kindly translate that last statement? I’m not fluent in consultobabble.
We all know someone guilty of this, whether it is your office IT guru or a know-it-all coworker. So tell us, who is it?
Word and definition courtesy of The Little Hiptionary by Ruth Cullen
Mar 03
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits Event Industry Networking, office slang
This post welcomes the second installment of a new weekly series to share interesting and useful lingo with our dear readers for their corporate lives.
blame•storm n: a common corporate activity in which people sit around and discuss why something failed and who is responsible.
When the dust settled after the blamestorm, only three people remained seated in the conference room.
Have you encountered a blamestorm in your office?
Word and definition courtesy of The Little Hiptionary by Ruth Cullen
Feb 23
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits Event Industry Networking, office slang
If you’d like to wow your colleagues with knowledge of the latest office slang terms, or if you just want a good laugh, be sure to stay tuned for this reoccurring blog segment.
We’ll feature a new word each week.
Al•desko adv: at the desk; usually refers to eating while sitting at one’s desk.
I’d love to join you for lunch today, but I’l be dining al desko. This report can’t wait.
Have you sprinkled this word into your vocabulary? If so, leave a comment and tell us what the reaction was!
Word definition courtesy of The Little Hiptionary by Ruth Cullen
Nov 02
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences, meeting planner feedback, meeting planner help
It’s a general consensus that networking is essential in the meetings industry…
…it’s the value-added aspect to a meeting that attracts attendees – and helps them build relationships outside the formal education sessions.
But networking is mainly for extroverts, right?
Not always.
Plenty of people are introverts (including lots of people in the meetings industry), and can network successfully – with the right strategies.
Vinay Kumar, a self-described introvert and first-generation immigrant from India, has written about the ways he has successfully leveraged networking to get ahead in the association community.
He runs Vinay Kumar Associates, a firm focused on helping small businesses & associations increase profits and productivity.
His mission is to help build healthy businesses and healthy relationships.
“Lacking the gift of the gab, I am poor at making small talk,” Kumar says.
“If you were to look up the words quiet, dull, and boring in Webster’s, you’ll probably find my picture right next to them. Furthermore, being on the quiet side, one of my biggest fears in taking a client out to lunch is what if we have total silence and I don’t know what to say. Yikes! Talk about sending chills up my spine!”
He offers these tips to fellow introverts:
1. Be clear on what’s comforting to you.
If you don’t like hanging out at the bar, then don’t take your clients there. Your discomfort will come through.
Also, I only ask individuals out to lunch with whom I am comfortable. If I do have to take someone out to lunch and I have a strong feeling it’ll be uncomfortable, I’ll ask a colleague to join me, someone whom I feel will get along well with the client.
2. Plan something unique and memorable.
When I discover someone likes Indian food, I’ll often take ‘em to some hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant that sells tasty Indian cooking, a place a non-Indian would probably never discover or go on their own.
3. Always be on the lookout for your client’s challenges – professional and personal.
Over 15 years ago, one of my clients had adopted a daughter from overseas who was having trouble learning English. Once I understood the challenge, I realized it’s very similar to what my daughter had faced. To help her learn, we had purchased a series of cassettes, which had helped her immensely. As my daughter didn’t need them anymore, I hand delivered them to my client, and they helped her daughter immensely, too.
Today, even after all these years, every time I run into this client, she makes it a point to update me on her daughter’s progress and thanks me for the tapes. She still remembers. I feel happy that I made a difference, and it’s been good business too.
4. Send hand written thank you cards by snail mail.
They are so rare these days, making them even more special. In today’s time where nearly everything seems to quickly become a commodity, standing out from the crowd becomes an increasing challenge. Sending out handwritten cards helps you stand apart and makes you memorable.
5. Send information that will be of interest to your clients.
By snail mail whenever possible and with a short handwritten note saying something like, “Hey Myron, thought this might be of interest to you – Vinay.”
It demonstrates to clients you’re thinking of them, which you are. By the way, this doesn’t have to be just business-oriented. It can be of a personal nature also.
The key is to be authentic and from the heart.
6. Send white papers and articles that you have written.
If you haven’t written any, I urge you to do so.
It’s one of our top-secret weapons to sales success, especially for us introverts. In the end, no matter how much you and the client like each other, the client has to find business value in the relationship.
Of course, many such relationships turn into lifelong friendships. First, however, is providing the business value. By sending out such materials that you have written, you are positioning yourself as the expert in the field, and that’s something we introverts do so well. So leverage it to the max.
“Look, my fellow introverts, we may not be the life of the party,” Kumar says. “We may not be the ones going to games screaming for our teams, and we may not be the ones who can easily ‘wow’ folks at a gathering.
But when people know you can help solve their problems, that they can count on you, that you’ll take the time to truly listen, they’ll be heard, and you take the time understand their challenges and then help them solve them, you’ll be well on your way to making your relationships strong, baseball tickets or not.
The key to success is to continually add value to other’s lives. As you do that, many will do the same for you. That’s the key to success and fulfillment.”
Are you an introvert? What are some of your personal networking strategies?
Aug 23
maureen-pickellTrade Shows ASAE & the Center, Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences
Los Angeles provided a warm welcome for delegates attending the ASAE the Center for Association Leadership’s Annual Meeting & Exposition…84 degrees and sun for Saturday and a perfect evening for the outdoor opening reception at L.A. Live. If you weren’t impressed by the delicious food prepared by Wolfgang Puck, the exuberant concert by Melissa Etheridge should have “rocked your socks off!”
Yesterday, I was accompanied by ConventionPlanit.com’s Julie on the trade show floor. We shared the floor with supplier partners such as the Anchorage CVB, the Mexican Tourism Board, the Detroit and Memphis CVBs and American, Continental and Delta Airlines among others. With extended hours and one fewer day for the Expo, planners and suppliers were making the most of this opportunity to connect.
More information to come as the expo continues!
Jun 07
Ashley ChalmersTrade Shows Event Industry Networking, overseas meetings, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows, upcoming meetings industry events
ConventionPlanit.com saleswoman extraordinare Julie Roberts has returned home to Florida after a whirlwind month of travel and sales calls, including attending the Mexico Showcase & Travel Expo. She has shared the below show recap with us:
If you have not had the opportunity to attend this terrific event in the past, do plan to do so for the future. Organized by the Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mexico Tourism Board and Global Incentive Management Mexico – DMC, the 3 day schedule offers a terrific opportunity to experience Mexico, research venues and evaluate services while reviewing your program details on a one-on-one basis with knowledgeable hospitality professionals.
There was plenty to digest this year, and we’re talking about more than just the wonderful cuisine. A warm welcome greeted guests at every turn. Professionals representing hotels, audio-visual/technology companies, decorators, restaurants, caterers, off-site venues, transportation, eco-tourism, were on hand to enthusiastically share the enjoyment and fun while providing their “know how” for every aspect of hosting a group, special event or congress. Charlie Moore, with Faith Christian Fellowship, has attended Showcase every year and uses it to evaluate and gather new ideas for his clients. He has run 3 successful programs in Cancun and finds “the event does what it says: it ‘showcases’ the tremendous variety available for events and really cements my relationship with hoteliers.”
The tradeshow is organized with an efficient appointment schedule. With the show being in Cancun, the destination was well represented, as were other zones of Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Everyone got down to the business of doing business in the atmosphere created by the Cancun Convention Center staff and decorator.
You need never be concerned with the delivery of service for detailed programs. Omega World Travel’s Alonzo Duncan commented, “Mexico Showcase has opened my eyes to some wonderful meeting alternatives in Cancun for my clients. The tradeshow networking appointments were very worthwhile, allowing us planners to focus our attention on specific products, maximizing the time available during the exhibition. I would definitely attend again.”
These folks are at the top of their game.
The Q & A game (Oh, the fun of “were you paying attention!”) at Saturday’s luncheon only added to the program touting Re-Evaluate, Re-Invent, Re-Investment and Re-Silient for updating planners, agents and brokers on the MICE business climate of Mexico today. Mexico is experiencing media sensationalism, just as any number of global destinations. Adding the economic climate and other challenges from the past few years, representatives did not shy away from acknowledging tough issues and then demonstrated how your price-points will get great value with flexible or no attrition clauses, expanded emergency management, additional airline service and competitive rates. Some surcharges are even disappearing! The luncheon panel gave an excellent “walk through” of master account management in regards to the VAT tax refund as well.
Another program presentation covered the ease with which larger groups can bring in exhibits, materials etc. through customs by working with local freight carriers at a most reasonable cost. The National Onion Association’s Wayne Mininger commented that he has done programs on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides of Mexico and what he finds most impressive is the “service, service, service” with a “can do” attitude of everyone involved (including the story of a gardener building an easel for him!) “The most extraordinary things are done just to make sure things work and run smoothly by this industry in Mexico,” says Mininger.
In planning for the future, Andy Ortiz with Global Incentive Management reflects on how 9 years ago a small ‘Showcase’ was organized solely for Cancun. Now, all of Mexico provides support.
“The wonderful participation and support of Mexico Showcase comes from a group of professionals who understand what this business is about and they want people to know we can deliver. They know having professional planners and organizers coming to actually experience our service, is what has produced the twenty million in revenue directly attributable to this show for our country,” Ortiz said.
Yes, Mexico is fun and always will be, given the warmth of its citizens, but know that the country plays on a global stage when it comes to group business, whether it’s a wedding party or an international congress.
You can learn for yourself at next year’s 10th Anniversary, April 28 – May 2, 2011!
May 06
Ashley ChalmersNews advisory council, Event Industry Networking
If you’re dying for more details from last month’s Advisory Council Meeting, which included tons of great ideas and feedback to improve CP for other meeting planners, check out the links to our Flickr Page and YouTube Channel.
We’ve posted photos from the meeting and reception, and added videos from the day, including some video testimonials!
Check them out…maybe you’ll see a familiar face!
Jan 11
maureen-pickellTrade Shows attendee interaction, Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences, pcma
The PCMA 2010 Annual Meeting “Convening Leaders” opened in Dallas this weekend with organization members giving back to the city. Five Dallas based charities benefited from the hard work, talents, donations and fundraising efforts of convention participants attending PCMA’s 5th annual meeting, Jan.10-13, 2010.
Attendees also enjoyed the Opening Welcome Reception sponsored by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. The event provided glimpses of the North Texas culinary scene, arts district, sports, hair and make-up professionals, shopping opportunities and carnival fun. Interactive entertainment, Texas food specialties and two-steppin’ music rounded out the evening.
Over the course of the four days, the annual meeting will offer <u>200 plus speakers and more than 60 education sessions</u> along with ample opportunity to network with colleagues. Attendees will learn new skills, share goals, solve problems and generally expand their horizons while reinforcing the position that “Face to Face” encounters are still the best example of “social networking.”
What is your favorite session so far?
If you’re currently at the show, be sure to say hello to Maureen Pickell. She’s been busy blogging about her experiences in between networking and attending sessions!
Nov 17
Ashley ChalmersNews, Trade Shows AH&LA, Event Industry Networking, meeting industry, Young Meeting Professionals
The ability to meet face to face, learn, network and connect with colleagues is near and dear to the event and meetings industry.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Fall Conference, held last week at the Jacob K Javits Center in New York City, gave us the perfect chance for this!
With a tradeshow, educational events, and networking sessions scheduled over the course of several days, there was something for everyone…including young professionals.
The Under 30 Gateway, launched in July of 2008, is AH&LA’s fastest growing membership category – with over 600 members in just a little over a year! We took part in some fantastic events, specifically for Gateway members last week.
The conference was a great way to learn valuable advice from industry leaders and connect with peers from all areas of the country. Check out the Gateway’s Facebook page for photos and more information.
If your employer is a member of AH&LA, Gateway membership is free for you; or you can join for a special reduced fee.
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