01 Jun 11 Break out of the boring and go for unforgettable at your next meeting
At every conference and corporate meeting, attendees are crammed into a hotel ballroom or conference center and basically told what they are expected to do. Whether its motivating them to do something, teaching them to do something different, or setting expectations for what you envision them doing, the message remains the same; you are telling them to change their ways because yours is better. That’s the main point behind David Gurteen’s article We must stop doing things to people. He goes on to say that “we need to approach people with ‘How can we work better together?’.”
Tags: Antithesis, Attendees, Audie, Auto Pilot, Cookie Cutter Approach, Cruise Ship, Engagement Team, Excitement, Free Time, Gurteen, Hotel Ballroom, Invitation, Little Time, Meeting At Sea, Meeting Center, Middle Of The Ocean, Rsquo, Social Interaction, Team Building, Traditional Hotel, Typic, Typical Conference, Voicemails
20 Jan 10 The Importance of Self-Care
Meeting planners are very good at reading between the lines, determining what their clients really need – as opposed to what they might think they need – and doing whatever it takes to ensure that their clients are well taken care of, satisfied and happy.
All of this takes quite a bit of time and effort and can leave meeting planners with very little time at the end of the day, and next to no personal time after they finish taking care of their clients, their employees and their families. With all of this focus on meeting the needs of others, it is easy for busy meeting planners to put themselves on the backburner and forget that they need to take care of themselves as well.
We all know that this can lead to poor health, burnout, less joy and lower quality of life, but it can be very difficult to force ourselves to take a step back from a busy, thriving career for a personal check-in to see if our needs our being met. For those of us who prefer to, or simply cannot help but, focus primarily on our careers, it sometimes helps to keep in mind that we cannot give our clients and our families are all if we are rundown, tired and quickly burning out from lack of self-care.
Tags: Backburner, Burnout, Focus, Little Time, Meeting Planners, Met, Personal Check, Personal Time, Poor Health, Quality Of Life, Reading Between The Lines, Self Care
04 Sep 09 Destinations for 2010
The April “Meetings and Conventions” Perfection in Planning supplement took an in-depth look at where planners were looking for their overseas destinations in 2010. Europe took the lead, with a whopping 51%. Canada and Mexico took second place with 38%. It’s the third in a row Europe was solidly in first place.
In some ways this is a stamp of approval for those of you who are looking at European destinations for your offshore meeting plans. However, it is also a call to action for those of you who have clients trying to save money.
Canada and Mexico, at second place, may be poised to provide better prices and service. Mexico has suffered recently from h1n1 flu scare as well as crime waves, but there are destinations that are perfectly safe–and the flu has moved out of Mexico for greener pastures (the U.S., for one).
Asia came in third, and yet offers beautiful scenery and top notch service in many destinations, including Vietnam. The Caribbean and Bermuda are tropical and laid back, and offer relaxing seaside destinations.
Africa, the Middle East, and other destinations that came in close to last also may be better choices, depending on your client’s needs. The bottom line is that you can save money and offer beautiful and interesting destinations at the same time. A little research can help you a lot, so don’t be afraid to put in a little time and stock up on alternative meeting targets.
Tags: Beautiful Scenery, Bermuda, Bottom Line, Caribbean, Choices, Conventions, Crime Waves, European Destinations, Flu, Greener Pastures, Laid Back, Little Time, Notch Service, Overseas Destinations, Planners, Scare, Seaside Destinations, Stamp Of Approval, Targets, Vietnam
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