February 2005

A MONTHLY DIGEST TO INFORM AND ENLIGHTEN MEETING PLANNERS

Meeting planners on an aircraft carrier? see Page 3

IN THIS ISSUE Book review

6

Rare Indigo relaunch

7

The importance of dĂŠcor

8

Empowered teams

10

Specialized exhibit training

14

Interview: Terri Breining

15

Mining for Gold

17

Hotel News

20

February 2005 Edition

VOL. 3 ISSUE 1

A California dream come true...

BY LEO GERVAIS

S

omeone once said that when you mention Southern California, people think of Los Angeles but they dream of San Diego.

After spending the better part of a week there attending the PEC-NA for Meeting Professionals International, I can say without reservation it is the best city I have ever visited in the United States, New York City’s abundant charms notwithstanding.

The reasons for this are many, but here are a few: the variety of activities, including a host of family-oriented excursions and destinations; a surprisingly varied collection of good restaurants and bars; the historical Old Town and great museums; the ocean-related things to do; the nearby mountains and desert; the friendly people; and finally, the incredible weather. Read on for more about this fabulous destination...

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

NOTES

FROM THE EDITOR

Plan for the future If you’re a planner, you are paid to think, organize and prepare for the future. If you’re like the rest of us, you need the time and mental energy to do so. Communications overload however threatens your ability to do this, you have to keep current but what do you read, what do you skip? Time is your most precious and irreplaceable commodity. How do you cope with the torrent of information washing over you?

At The Planner our goal is to give you information you can use, ideas that can save you time and enlightenment to new and better ways. As always, if you have suggestions, ideas, or comments on how we can improve our publication let us know.

As you can see we try and keep it simple, we strongly suggest to our advertisers that they provide us with informative advertisements, information that can help you when looking for something specific or something different, not just a pretty girl on a bed or in a shower.

We have tried to do the same with the articles by keeping them short, while still informative. By a lot of the comments we have received this is what you want, and considering that we have more than doubled the number of planners receiving our publication monthly (over 11,000) we have to assume that we’re on the right track.

New contributors: This month, our newest contributor is Walter Galvao, president of Décor With Grandeur, Inc. He explains the importance of décor for an event... On page 15, we’re very pleased to showcase an interview with planner extraordinaire Terri Breining, president of Concepts Worldwide and a former MPI Chairperson. Terri provides some excellent insight into the business and how it is changing...Your tireless (some say tiring) editor Leo Gervais pulls double duty this issue and offers his take on San Diego, site of the 2005 PEC-NA a few weeks ago...

We’ve also begun a new section called Hotel News with items of interest on hotels from around the world... Finally, please check out our advertisers as they help us publish The Planner every month and we couldn’t do it without them.

Other stuff: If you would like to be a monthly correspondent for The Planner providing 150-200 words a month for the Industry News section, please e-mail us at: info@theplanner.ca.

Need to change your address?

Want to receive The Planner?

Next issue: March, 2005

As always thanks for reading us,

Email us at:

2

info@theplanner.ca What would you like to read about?

Please e-mail me at: lgervais@theplanner.ca

Published by: 2105 rue de la Montagne, suite 100 • Montreal, Quebec • H3G 1Z8 Telephone: (514) 849-6841 ext. 333 • Fax: (514) 284-2282 We welcome your comments: info@theplanner.ca

Our Mission and Goal Our mission is to inform and enlighten meeting planners. Each edition will have no more than 30 to 35 per cent advertising (all of which will be informative) with the rest of the publication dedicated to articles to help meeting planners in their day-to-day activities. Our goal is to give out the accumulated profit as educational grants to planners.

Editor: Leo Gervais Proofreader and researcher: Nathalie Caron Translator: Dominique Lamarche Administration: Patrick Galvin, Julie Boisvert Sales: James Paulson, Camille Lay Contributors: Mike Auctor, Thomas Chalmers, Sharon Danley, Peter De Jager, Cathleen Fillmore, Walter Galvao, Barry Siskind, Harriet Wezena The Planner is a monthly publication distributed to 11,000 professional meeting planners and growing.

Another 1,000 copies are distributed to individuals working in the service industry.

Poste-publication No. 40934013

FEB. 2005

MPI conference had record attendance

FEB. 2005

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Opening General Session In the Opening General Session, chairman Hugh Lee gave a report to the crowd he called the “shareholders” of MPI. In his address, he discussed Career Pathways and Technology Integration, projects which MPI has committed well over a $1 million dollars to in the past year. He also addressed the topics of ROI (Return on Investment) and procurement. MPI Foundation Chairman Steve Armitage also discussed ROI and some of the foundation’s initiatives like Women's Leadership and the Multicultural Initiatives as well as the online interactive membership community MPI-MIX (Meeting Industry Exchange). Judging by the chat during the conference, Mr. Lee knew what his audience wanted to hear, and MPI did an excellent job of addressing these and other issues in the Give & Take Roundtable sessions.

Other interesting discussions centred on Futurewatch 2005, the second annual

W. To ronto ON 41 6.504 .9777

M

eeting Professionals International held the largest Professional Education ConferenceNorth America to date from January 2325 in San Diego, California, as attendees from 14 countries descended on the city.

This year’s PEC-NA had a record 2,733 attendees —of which 881 were planners —a sold-out tradeshow and $3.2 million in sponsorship (according to figures available at press time). The annual winter conference provided a plethora of opportunities for meeting planners to learn new skills and interact with industry veterans and a variety of knowledge experts. The conference included more than 90 topnotch learning sessions, six Personal Power Keynotes, and two days of interactive workshops.

Just as important, it was a useful networking opportunity for planners, suppliers, and other professionals connected to the meeting planning industry.

Joe Timko, Director of National Public Relations for the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it’s easy to sell San Diego as a great place for a conference like PEC-NA. “San Diego has been rated as having some of the best weather in the world, after the Canary Islands (just off the northwestern coast of Africa)

report produced jointly by MPI and American Express.

The report, subtitled “A Comparative Outlook on the global Business of Meetings” stated there was more room for optimism as meeting planners in several segments forecast a 5 percent budget increase in 2005, building on a solid 3 percent increase in 2004. One Monday afternoon session was dedicated to Futurewatch 2005.

Adel aide St.

BY LEO GERVAIS

so it has near idyllic weather—like today where it’s 70-plus degrees in the middle of January, “ he said. “The other factor is that it is a very diverse region—about the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined—and within that region you have a very diverse product offering. You can go surf in the morning, take a mountain bike ride in the afternoon, and then sleep in the desert. The meeting planner or traveler who comes has a very diverse experience awaiting them.”

3

Drop in to our new Event Showroom for coffee

16

Education the theme of PEC-NA

3

www.eventfusion.net

Industry Trends “Hello... I’m Always Happy...”

4

The Wyndham Hotels group has a new employee: An automated reservationist who’s never in a bad mood.

The automated voice can approximate a conversation with a human agent, while saving time and money.

Callers who used to wait up to two minutes for service on the busiest days will now have that wait cut to less than 15 seconds, says David Mussa, Wyndham’s vicepresident of reservations.

The new feature is part of a group of automated call-center agents created

by Alameda, Californiabased Voxify.

Next month, Aer Lingus will adopt the technology, while Continental Airlines began using Voxify to confirm reservations in September. Voxify says its agents understand more than just key words. “Instead of saying “New York,” you can say, “Well, my brother booked me out of New York,” says CEO Adeeb Shanaa.

Wireless sneaks Ever wonder who all those people are crowding your hotel lobby?

As more hotels add wireless Internet access, laptop-toting travelers who aren’t hotel guests, as well as locals, are taking advantage.

At Boston’s Hotel Commonwealth – near Fenway Park and Boston University – so many people were mooching Internet access, management began issuing passwords to guests.

“People were on the side street behind the hotel trying to use our signal,” says hotel spokeswomen Didi Lutz. “Students are smarter than we think.”

The free wireless service in New York City’s 70 Park Avenue hotel, which opened in July, extends to its lower-level restrooms, and management is keeping tabs on users. “Until we notice a proliferation of freeloaders, we won’t say anything,” says sales and marketing director David Chu. More than 6,000 hotels world-wide are Wi-Fienabled, up from about 2,500 in 2003, according to Pyramid Research in Cambridge, Mass. Many charge a nominal fee for the service, but others use it to attract business travelers. Mark Johnson, publisher of travel blog HotelChatter.com, says he holds meetings in Wi-Fi-enabled lobbies and even posted messages from the Parker House lobby in Boston during the Democratic National Convention last summer. ‘No one has ever discouraged me from doing it,” he says.

Some hotels are actually courting non-guests. San Francisco’s Hotel Monaco has responded to the influx of Wi-Fi users by delivering room service to the lobby, and offering free technical support and use of the business center’s printer for all. “We’ll sell clusters of 10 people, some from the retail stores around us in Union Square, who use our lobby as an extension of their office, “ says general manager Jimmy Hord.

To find hotels with wireless Internet access, go to www.wififreespot.com, or buy a PCTEL Wi-Fi Seeker ($29.95), a device that fits on a keychain and picks up network signals – but doesn’t tell you if logging on is free.

Another very good spot to find WiFi access is www.hotspothaven.com. The great thing about this site is it has a simple interface and lists potential search menus by continent and postal codes.

Finally, for lots of info on wireless devices try www.bluetooth.com. This site features many devices that use wireless, including several for the Macintosh platform.

"This has always been a man's world, and none of the reasons that have been offered in explanation have seemed adequate."

Simone de Beauvoir

FEB. 2005

American Airlines to begin selling food in coach class indicated they’d prefer buying a $3 snack box instead of getting the free Bistro bag, which typically includes a cold sandwich and chips.

Initially, American will accept cash for the food sales but in exploring the possibility of accepting credit and debit cards.

A

MR Corp.’s American Airlines will no longer offer free meals in coach on domestic flights, and instead will start selling food, including on many flights that currently offer only beverage service.

The Fort Worth, Texas, airline said it expects to save $30 million a year by pulling free food off of 360 domestic flights.

Food in first class will continue to be complimentary, the airline said.

American will also stop offering special dietary requests—like kosher or lowsodium meals—on transcontinental domestic flights to help simplify operations throughout the company.

The food-purchase option, tested on select routes during the month of September, 2004, will be available on all domestic flights longer than three hours.

Most option will include a morning snack box and an afternoon snack box, each priced at $3.

The morning snack box will include name-brand products such as a Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Muffin Bar, Ocean Spray Craisins, New York Style Brand Mini Bagel Chips, and a cream-cheese spread.

The afternoon box will include items such as Pepperidge Farm crackers, Sparrer’s gourmet beef salami slices, cheddar cheese spread and Oreo cookies.

American will offer more extensive food-purchase options on about 120 transcontinental and 40 Hawaii flights, including a $5 turkey sandwich wrap

FEB. 2005

starting at midday and a turkey and cheese croissant sandwich in the morning. On these flights, food sales will replace free food now.

The free beverage service will still include a snack of pretzels or granola bars.

After the terrorist attacks of 2001, most airlines came under intense pressure to cut costs, and curbing food service in coach was an easy target. Some food has since been added back, but airlines are still scrambling to trim further expenses as high fuel prices, and glut of airline seats, and brutal fare competition have kept most carrier mired in the red.

The selections American has made for its official food sales will start in February and are expected to be on the more modest side of what it tested in September.

An American Airlines spokesman said feedback from passenger surveys

5

BOOK REVIEW

The Simple Way to Success by Larry Winget

BY HARRIET WEZENA

S

uccess can be achieved through very simple principles that most of us usually overlook. It starts with who you are, what you do and what you have.

It goes beyond abundance in material wealth, to include your values and your general outlook on life.

Larry Winget was inspired by what he describes as his “best/worst” experience to write this book. After his relentless efforts to save his five-year old independent telecommunications company—the second largest in the States— failed, he finally had to declare bankruptcy. It was in the midst of this “mess” that he discovered what success really is.

He realized that “it (success) is not what you get by reaching your goals, but what you become on the way to your goals.”

You may want to be a success in life, 6 but have you ever paused to ask yourself what is your definition of success and how you are going to achieve the level of success you desire? These are the principal questions that Larry Winget, tackles in his book “The Simple Way to Success.”

The book provides a group of simple principles that when followed will allow you to achieve what is success to you as an individual.

Larry attributes many people’s inability to reach success to their unwillingness to take responsibility “for where they are, who they are, and what they have,” because that’s where it all starts.

He suggests that you should stop making excuses by blaming it on circumstances and follow billionaire H.L. Hunt’s advice that if you want to be a success, you have to make a decision about what you want in life and what you are willing to give up to get it.

Quit saying that things will change for the better because they won’t if you don’t. And stop doing things that impede your efforts to get to where you want to be. For instance, the people you hang out with, your attitude and the television shows you watch. He empha-

sizes that, “change is necessary for us to grow, and growth is key to success.”

Larry states that just having goals isn’t enough, you have to set them. He describes this process as scientific and it “requires thought and planning.”

He encourages you to write down your goals and make sure that they are specific, don’t conflict with one another, and that you get emotionally committed to them and they are really your goals.

“Your journey to success,” Larry says, “is engendered with challenges, adversities and problems so learn to deal with them and stay grounded on your track.”

He refers to these as setbacks and not failures, as they are pertinent to your course of success. So learn to love them “for the opportunity they offer” and that is “for each of us to be a solution,” he writes.

According to Larry, we are all salespeople. We’re constantly selling someone else on seeing it our way, doing our way, or taking action on our ideas.

Believe in yourself and your abilities and what you have to offer and be nice to

others because all the money you are ever going to have is currently in the hands of someone else.

Experience has shown Larry that “you have to be before you can do, and you have to do before you can have” which is why all of us have to get smarter, invest in our courses, and be the right kind of person. You can’t be an inspirational speaker if you haven’t taken the pains to learn the techniques and you can’t pretend to be one because you will be stuck when the time comes for you to take the podium and the mic. Be true to yourself and others for only then, Larry states, “will you have the personal credibility with yourself and others to become a success.” Also, be positive.

As pertinent as the above elements are to experiencing success so is ensuring a balance in all aspects of your life. Larry points out that balance isn’t mediocrity, nor moderation, and you need to be thankful for what you have while you’re acquiring more because “success is a journey not a destination.”

An internationally recognized speaker and seminar leader, Winget concludes his book by stressing that the principles outlined are “sound, moral, ethical, smart and solid to learn from. However, the magic is not in this book or any other. The magic is you, because success is not only your right—it is your obligation!” he states.

His unique, humorous anecdotes and simple style of presentation makes the 211 page-book fun and easy to read. It’s all about universal principles that will work for anyone, anytime, and in any business.

For more information, check out www.amazon.com, search title Book: The Simple Way To Success Author: Larry Winget Publisher: Win Publications!, 2000 Price on Amazon.com: US $12.71

FEB. 2005

Rare Indigo relaunch a howling success V

ancouver, British Columbia — It may be 10 years old, but Rare Indigo Ventures Inc. is young again.

The BC-based corporate event and destination management company had a relaunch in December and Vancouver’s tourism industry came out in force to support the event.

Rare Indigo has re-opened under the leadership of president Vivian Farkas as well as chief financial officer Vera Farkas and director Yvonne DeValone, with the financial backing of the well-established Farkas family holdings.

Vivian Farkas believes the re-launched Rare Indigo will benefit from Western Canada’s rapidly growing tourism industry.

“Destination travel will increase dramatically leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The eyes of the world will be not only on Vancouver and Whistler, but on the whole country,” she said. “This opens up new opportunities in Victoria, Banff, Jasper and the Sea to Sky corridor between Vancouver and Whistler.”

Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell was on hand to celebrate the re-launch, and was sworn in as Deputy Moondog during an initiation ceremony marking his support for the company, and witnessed by more than 150 guests.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this occasion,” said Campbell.

“Tourism is vital to our city, so I’m especially pleased to support such an innovative company in this industry.”

Farkas says the wolf, or moondog, is an important part of Rare Indigo’s brand and corporate culture.

“The wolf is an icon of Western Canada’s wilderness,”

The Rare Indigo team celebrated the relaunch of the company on December 13. Left to right are: client services manager John Philip, director Yvonne De Valone, president Vivian Farkas, office coordinator Vicky Farkas, chief financial officer Vera Farkas, and manager of logistics Valentin Farkas. explained Farkas. “Becoming a moondog is all about shared vision and celebrating successes. It symbolizes leadership, teamwork and survival instincts. Mayor Campbell shares these values and we’re pleased to have him join our Wolf Pack.”

Rare Indigo Ventures Inc. specializes in event management and corporate incentive travel planning throughout BC and Alberta. Visit www.rareindigo.com for additional details about the company.

A note about the San Diego MPI PEC-NA 2005 San Diego was the perfect backdrop, the waiting canvas, for the perfect convention. MPI has once again risen to the challenge, raised the benchmark, and pushed exceeding expectations to a new level beyond Wow. MPI sets the standard and San Diego proudly rises to the occasion.

From the surf to the sunshine, opening session to the closing gala, from all of the educational sessions to the overwhelming success of the exhibit floor it was a perfect balance between social and educational, between learning and living. The only negative is that MPI may be becoming victims of their own success.

Lines were excessive at the Opening Night Gala, and this will have to be addressed in the future.

As Marcus Buckingham put it “You have to know who you serve.” MPI has in the past and continues to serve the entire meeting industry with a cutting edge that conFEB. 2005

stantly forges new ground.

Their members are their strength, why they keep moving forward, what makes them a leading force in this industry.

Being part of the audiovisual industry I thrive on outstanding visual and perfect audio. San Diego could not have offered a more perfect visual backdrop, and just listen to what the people are saying, their awe says it all.

From the Gas Light district to the Midway, from La Jolla to Coronado where Orange avenue will lead you down the yellow brick road, where unlike Dorothy you really do not want to go home. MPI PEC NA 2005 draws to an illustrious end, new friendships are made, relationships reinforced and the tools that are required to make a difference are in hand. Thanks MPI for a job well done.

Don Murray dmurray@avtec.ca

7

The importance of décor for an event

BY WALTER GALVAO

I

8

n the meeting and event planning industry, there are many misconceptions about what décor can do for an event.

There are some who feel it’s at the bottom of the budget and in most cases it tends to exist only when there are funds left over after contingency fees.

Some guests or delegates who attend these events are doing so on an ongoing basis whether it’s a gala, conference, annual general meeting, Christmas party, tradeshow, or retirement party and are asking for change. The days when there were no décor or props at any event are over due to the fact that people want to feel inspired, motivated, and get a sense that the event is going to be different from all others.

In order to do this successfully the planner should check the key information required by finding out which theme or décor colour would best suit their delegates or guests. The demographics like sex, marital status, profession, and income levels of the guests are the first things to check. Each of these factors plays a role when creating the décor design for the event.

Another key which many planners overlook is asking the décor company to do a site inspection and see the venue in its entirety. Look at other areas such as load-in and load-out, access times, participate in tie-down meetings, and get an overall sense on the flow of the event. This will also give the planner an opportunity to share their ideas on what they would like to see.

The next stage is to figure out a budget that is realistic for the décor company to create a concept that will appeal to the attendees while staying in line of costs. Once the decor proposal has been compiled, allow the individual to make their presentation and review the key elements most important to

Décor at the Trillium Gala in Toronto, Ontario.

you but do not hesitate to increase or decrease some of the quantities or negotiate better pricing. The initial proposal is never set in stone. After the proposal has been accepted, ask the décor company to arrange for samples to be made for final approval on the selection.

Once that has been confirmed, request that the contact from the décor company remains the same throughout the duration prior to and during the event set-up and dismantle. This saves the planner from having to explain the logistics repeatedly to other people.

Finally, after the contracts has been signed follow the payment terms carefully (they should be specified clearly in the contract) or you may default and find out you’re not getting the décor you ordered.

••• Walter Galvao is President of Décor With Grandeur Inc., a full service décor company located in Toronto, Ontario. He will also be guest speaking at the CSEME taking place in March, 2005. Please visit their website: www.decorwithgrandeurinc.com.

FEB. 2005

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s a REALLY big plane!

T

he Boeing 747 has been the heavyweight champ of jet airliners for 35 years. But the new Airbus 380 promises to a deliver knockout punch and take over as the new champ.

With the capacity to carry 850 passengers at once (200 more than the 747), a wingspan wider than 70 parking spaces, and a fuselage longer than eight city buses the Toulouse, France based Airbus debuted the new airliner on Jan. 18 at its headquarters.

The new jet is 15 metres wider, four metres taller and two metres longer than the Boeing 747. It will also have a staircase extending up from the main deck to an upper level where firstclass and business-class passengers will be seated. Economy seats will fill the main level, which boasts four aisles and 49 percent more space than the 747, according to Airbus.

The belly of the plane will house a third deck that can accommodate washrooms, sleeper cabins, showers or crew-rest areas.

Airbus suggests this space is also suited to being used as a cock-

tail lounge and could also accommodate a pool table.

Airlines hope the additional seating capacity will reduce their costs by 15 percent. And officials at England’s Heathrow airport expect the introduction of the Airbus 380 will mean 10 million more passengers through their facility each year by 2016 with no increase in the number of flights.

The airport will spend US $ 842 million to build new facilities to accommodate the plane’s wider wingspan. Other airports preparing for the plane include John F. Kennedy in New York, along with Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Frankfurt.

Fourteen customers have committed to buying 149 A380s so far (at a price tag of US $280 million each), but Airbus says it must sell 248 to break even.

It is scheduled to enter service in 2006. FedEx will be the first operator to take delivery of the A380-800F, the all-cargo version of the airliner, in 2008.

For more information, visit: www.airbus.com

Frequent Fliers benefit from “Read & Return” offer

N

ow here’s a half-price deal travelers will love: Buy the latest Tom Clancy novel in your local airport, read it on the plane, then sell it back for half price a the end of the flight.

According to the Wall Street Journal, that’s the offer many holiday travelers will discover at the 206 newsstands and 19 bookstores operated by the Paradies Shops Inc., one of the nation’s largest airport booksellers. At a time when many think retail book prices are too high especially at airports, where discounts off the cover price are harder come bythe “Read & Return” program has caught the eye of the publishing community.

The program works like this: A customer walks into a Paradies store, such as the CNBC newsstand at the international airport in Milwaukee, and buys ‘My Life” by former President Bill Clinton for the full retail price of $35. The cashier staples the receipt to the dust jacket or attaches it with a piece of adhesive tape. The customer also gets a bookmark that lists the airports nationwide where Paradies does business. Providing

FEB. 2005

the traveler holds on to that receipt, he can return “My Life” within six months (whatever its condition) and gets $17.50 back. The retailer then resells the book — unless it has sustained too much damage — as a used book for $17.50.

Atlanta-based Paradies has a presence in 63 airports, under the Paradies name, under names such as Arch News & Gifts in St. Louis, and under names the company licenses, such as CNBC. Visit www.theparadiesshops.com for more information on the chain.

But what should you read? There are dozens of new books published each month, but we all have a finite amount of time that we can dedicate to the pursuit of reading. This is where The Complete Review comes in...

Self-described as “A Literary Saloon and Site of Review,” it is a six-year-old survey of various old and new books, with more than 1,300 books at present count being reviewed. Some of their sections are entitled What’s New, The Best (in their opinion), The Rest (foreign, obscure, and unusual), and The Review Index.

But what book to buy Not to be missed for the serious readers among you: www.completereview.com. This is a comprehensive website separated into four sections: What’s New, The Best, The Rest, The Review Index, and Links (to other review sites and various publishers). If you’re not sure you want to plunk down $35 for a book, definitely visit this site before taking the plunge.

Books with your booking A London hotel has come up with a novel service: it will deliver requested titles to your room within minutes.

The 230-room De Vere Cavendish St James’s has arranged that the Piccadilly branch of nearby Waterstone’s, which claims to be Europe’s biggest bookstore (or bookshop as they call them there), will deliver the books for customers who need to read. For more info, visit: www.devereonline.co.uk/hotel_cavendish/

9

Do empowered teams equal depowered management?

BY PETER DE JAGER

S

elf directed work teams require more than just lip service to a popular quality concept. They require the opportunity to fail, in order to have any hope of continued success.

The concept of the self directed work team rests upon an understanding of the term ‘Empowerment’.’ Empowerment is more than just delegating a task. It means that an employee has the power to act without needing to get permission (or asking forgiveness) from management.

Well meaning managers sometimes shy away from ‘Empowerment’ because empowerment has a ‘dark’ side, one we’d rather avoid. If staff are empowered, then, by definition, management must be ‘Depowered.’

Depowered?

The very thought sends shivers up and down the neck of anyone who has striven to enter the hallowed halls of management. This is not 10 what we signed up for! We became managers in order to make decisions. Empowerment and self-directed work teams, when they work correctly, take decisions away from management.

Or so it might seem at first glance. Managers manage people. They set goals in accordance with corporate objectives and employ people to meet those goals. There are more than enough decision-making opportunities in these two activities to keep any competent manager happy and content.

What then are the secrets to successful self-directed work teams? There are Six. The first three are directly related to our skills as a manager. (See... we still have work to do, even though we will have fewer decisions to make!)

called for? Every management intervention made, reduces the learning and growth of the ‘self directed’ work team.

Provide Coaching Performance is either meeting a goal or it isn’t. When it is, recognition is called for and when it isn’t then the strategy is ‘Coaching’ not ‘Punishment.’ The manager as a coach is a relatively new concept for many, but the phrase “The beatings will stop when morale improves” has never been a productive strategy.

The next three secrets focus on the whole issue of ‘depowerment.’ They are contrary to the entire traditional concept of management. Before you dismiss them outright... at least consider how you might react to them if your manager practiced them.

How big a mistake can we afford? How much learning are we willing to achieve?

Communicate Goals The question is “What” do we want our team to achieve?

Not “how” do we want them to achieve it. Our teams will decide how they meet their goals. How does this goal fit into the corporate strategy? Why is this goal important? How does it fit into the big picture? All of this information is important to the team, if they are to be instrumental in achieving the goal.

The most basic questions we all share are “What’s in this for me? Why is this important to me?”

Monitor Progress Is the team moving towards the goal? If not, can they make course corrections themselves? Or is management intervention

Don’t get in the way

Once we have initiated a team with good people, clear goals and competent skills, then stand back and let them loose. This requires faith in our people, and in a roundabout way, in ourselves. Did we hire the best possible people we could find? If so, then they are the best people to achieve our goals. If not, why did we hire them?

Don’t provide answers A self-directed work team should be able to find answers and solutions themselves. Sometimes they know the answers and are seeking verification from us that they’re ‘doing the right thing’. If our goal is to teach them to make good decisions then giving them the answers will thwart our long-term objective.

Let them make mistakes This is the toughest strategy to follow. An empowered self directed team will make mistakes. The only way for them to grow is to learn from these mistakes. If we step in to avoid errors, then we have failed in our attempt to create a self directed work team. How big a mistake can we afford? How much learning are we willing to achieve?

Finally, the real secret to self-directed teams is the realization that people are truly capable of managing themselves provided they have been given the right goals and the right training.

••• © 2005 Peter de Jager - Peter is a speaker, writer and consultant on Management Issues relating to Change. Read more of his work at www.technobility.com or contact him at pdejager@technobility.com

FEB. 2005

Wanted!

Change Management Case Studies When it comes to Change Management, what works?

What fails? What's more difficult? And what do most of us do when it comes to large change projects?

Enterprise columnist Peter de Jager and The Planner are collaborating on a large survey to answer some of these questions. Over the coming months we're going to collect somewhere between 20-25,000 Change Management case studies from all over the world. If you'd like to participate in this massive study, then visit: http://www.technobility.com/docs/sisyphus.htm This survey will take 15-45 minutes to complete depending on how much you're willing to contribute.

Your personal contact information will not be made available to anyone, for any reason.

If you have questions regarding this survey, please contact Peter at: Pdejager@Technobility.com

DATEBOOK — Upcoming Events — MARCH 20-23 2005 Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors—International Annual Conference Renaissance Nashville Hotel. acced-i.colostate.edu

MARCH 21-22 2005 Meeting Professionals International Mid-America Conference and Trade Show, Louisville, Kentucky. www.mpimidamerica.com, 1-800-626-1814

March 31-April 3 2005 International Association of Conference Centers, Roanoke, Virginia. www.iacconline.com, (314) 993-8575.

APRIL 6-7 Hospitality Sales and marketing Association International, Affordable Meetings Mid-America, Navy Pier, Chicago. Contact: George Little Management, (914) 421-3200; www.affordablemeetings.com.

11

FEB. 2005

The view at La Jolla, just north of downtown San Diego. Surfers and scuba divers abound on this beautiful shoreline.

San Diego: Surf and sun and fun 12

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LEO GERVAIS

Y

ou might think it almost impossible that a place with 1.2 million people (America’s seventh largest city) could have a feeling of open space, but San Diego somehow manages it.

Perhaps it’s the 70 miles of sparkling beaches.

In fact, San Diego County, which includes San Diego and 17 other incorporated cities like Carlsbad, La Mesa, and Del Mar has approximately 2.8 million residents. And seemingly all are happy they live there.

And why not? The average daily temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) and most days are sunny, with less than

10 inches (25 mm) of rain per year.

The birthplace of California and originally inhabited by Indians, the area has been governed by Spain, Mexico, and the United States (since 1846). With approximately 53,000 hotel rooms and an impressive 525,000 square foot Convention Centre (recently ranked number one in America by an annual survey of meeting executives), and a burgeoning cruise ship business, San Diego is a unique destination with lots to offer any group who wants to hold a meeting or convention there.

Best of all: airport is close by, very little traffic.

On the following page is my list of attractions and sights not to be missed in this fabulous California city:

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So much to see in San Diego La Jolla: One of the prettiest shorelines in the world, this coastal town is a haven for sun worshippers, surfers, and... shoppers! Think Rodeo Drive near the ocean. An abundance of good restaurants (bring the credit card) and best of all, no parking meters. TIP: Plan to stay for the day, there’s lots to see, and get there early for a parking spot.

Coronado Island: Technically a peninsula, this is the home of the world-famous Coronado Municipal Beach, with white sand and calm waters ideal for swimming. The Hotel del Coronado is also there, renowned for over a century as the place for the rich, movie stars, and American presidents to stay.

“The Del” has also been the site of several Hollywood productions, including Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe. You can get there via the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. TIP: Take a three hour City Tour (about US $30) and stop at “The Del” along the way. If you like what you see, you can always come back for a longer visit to the hotel and the beach right behind it.

Whale watching: How about going out on the open seas like Captain Ahab to look for whales? I went out on The Hornblower and after a scenic tour of the military installations and beaches of San Diego Bay, we headed out for the open seas (okay we were only a few miles from shore but you know what I mean). After about 60 minutes, we spotted our first whale, and we continued to marvel as the gray whales blew their spouts up to 15 feet in the air! There’s nothing quite like being at sea and hearing “Thar she blows!” and seeing the largest mammal in the world come up for air. TIP: No matter how sunny or warm it is, bring a jacket or sweater: it gets mighty cold out on the ocean in a boat. For more information, visit: www.hornblower.com

Where’s Gidget? A surfer rides out some Pacific Ocean waves.

The Hotel Del Coronado opened in 1888 and is still popular.

13

The San Diego Zoo: One of the world’s most famous zoos, this 100-acre site has 4,000 animals including lions, tigers, elephants, and pandas (on loan from China). Take the Skyfari aerial tram for a bird’s-eye view or stroll along the numerous paths to view the array of flora and fauna. Not to be missed: Reptile House, which is replete with snakes and lizards of all types. TIP: Go early in the day to avoid the crush of the crowds, and take the 35-minute double-decked bus tour which allows you to see about 70 percent of all the animals. Then walk to see the pandas and circle back to Reptile House.

Gaslamp Quarter: With more 100 restaurants, 35 bars and nightclubs, galleries, boutiques, and theatres, this 16 1/2 block historic area has pleasures aplenty for any taste. I highly recommend two places: Cafe Sevilla (Spanish food and Flamenco music) and the Sidebar (hip nightclub and lounge). TIP: Ask Sidebar’s dynamic manager Mike Georgopoulos for “The Canuck,” a mystery brew of fruit juices and spirits named by yours truly and invented by ace bartender Derek. Great drink.

Other recommendations: Old Town, Legoland (great for kids!), the Maritime Museum, Tijuana (in nearby Mexico), and Seaworld San Diego. For more information, contact the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau at (619) 236-1212 or visit their informative website: www.sandiego.org

FEB. 2005

Palm trees and art deco are common in San Diego.

Specialized exhibit training works

BY BARRY SISKIND Do any of these statements sound familiar?

• My staff has been doing shows for years. They know how it’s done.

• Trade shows simply aren’t that important to us.

• We don’t sell a product so there is no way we can measure our results.

• The only reason we exhibit is because our competitor does.

Can you add a few of your own? And, even with this mindset you continue to allocate resources to your exhibit program.

Wouldn’t you like to know that you actually got a return on that investment? Wouldn’t it be nice to know that your staff took their show time seriously and were equipped with the skills to turn their time into concrete results?

That is what specialized training is all about. Here are seven things you should look for when choosing a specialized exhibit training program.

1. Content. The depth of content. You can invest a few hours to several years learning all there is to know about exhibiting. The decision you need to make is how much detail you need and whether the depth of content being offered will be of value to you and your booth staff.

14

2. Credibility. At last count there were hundreds of trainers who have “exhibitor education” on their course menus. There are generalists and specialists? Determine if you want a trainer who deals with theory or the nuts and bolts of exhibit marketing.

3. Relevance. Is the material relevant to current trends you are experiencing at the shows you attend.

4. Applicable. When you negotiate in-house training you have every right to expect that the material will be customized to your unique needs. When you attend an open workshop where the material is generic in nature make sure you can bridge the content to your organizations needs.

5. Handout material. There are always limitations to the amount of material that can be covered in a workshop. Make sure your trainer has provided enough reinforcement material to allow you to re-visit each subject at a later date.

6. Post-workshop access to the trainer. There are always questions that come up after the workshop. You want a trainer who is available to answer questions after the workshop.

7. Cost. This should be the least important element in your decision. If you take your exhibit program seriously and want to see an improvement then generally the cost of training is a small fraction of your overall investment. Costs can vary from free (when your exhibit organizer offers training as a show service) to a few hundred dollars when you are part of an open workshop to a few thousand dollars when you initiate inhouse training.

The bottom line Studies have proven that a formal exhibit training program can produce tremendous results. If you take your exhibit investment seriously and want to see results at the end of the day, then arming your staff with the skills they need makes perfect sense.

Reprinted with kind permission from the author. Barry Siskind is North America’s foremost trade and consumer show expert, president of International Training and Management Company, and the author of several books. Visit him at: www.siskindtraining.com or e-mail him at: barry@siskindtraining.com.

En•tre•pre•neur•ship The ability to do a lot with a little—to galvanize resources and to build a an effective and efficient organization around an idea. Entrepreneurs are masters at mobilizing the resources, whether human or monetary, to drive their plans. ❖❖❖

FEB. 2005

AN INTERVIEW WITH TERRI BREINING

BY LEO GERVAIS

W

hen you think of the ultimate meeting planner, an effervescent and intelligent industry veteran from San Diego could definitely come to mind.

Theresa (Terri) Breining has been in the meeting planning business since 1976 when she was an assistant for the Ambulance Drivers Association of Sacramento. She went on to form the renowned Concepts Worldwide in 1988, which now has offices in San Diego and Chicago, and was MPI Chairperson in 2003-04 as well as its Planner of the year in 2000. She took a few moments to speak with The Planner at the PEC-NA in San Diego this past January.

The Planner: You list your company’s core values on your website at www.conceptsworldwide.com. Why is that important to you?

Terri Breining: Because it is fundamental to who we are. That helps define us as an organization and helps define our relationship internally with our own staff as well as with our clients and vendors. We like to think that we play fair all the way around, we don’t beat up vendors-which is not to say we don’t negotiate because we do-but we treat them respectfully, we recognize that they’re partners and I think it’s important to have our rules of engagement as an organization posted clearly. It reminds us what is important and it communicates to our vendors how we are going to participate with them.

Uncompromising truth is the most important of those core values. If we treat people with uncompromising truth all of the other values just support that. It’s the foundation of everything.

The Planner: What do you see as opportunities for women in the meeting planning industry?

Terri Breining: This industry has been primarily women and so the opportunities have been without some of the more traditional limits that other industries had. Because meeting planning really started as an

FEB. 2005

environment for-or as an opportunity for secretaries and administrative assistants who are primarily women-and so we are the ones who helped define and create the industry. There haven’t been the limitations that some other industries had because we don’t have a “Good Old Boys Club.” Or, actually we do, but it’s not quite as entrenched and it’s not quite as strong as other industries. So, I don’t think that there are more opportunities for women as much as there are more opportunities for people in this industry, men or women, to grow professionally, to take on senior management roles, but it’s less of a gender issue.

The Planner: You once said “Meeting planning is a job with little recognition and no respect.” What changed that and when?

Terri Breining: I think that the evolution of our industry has made that no longer as true. It’s still true in some circles, but as we meeting planners continue to expand our business skills and as we continue to recognize that we are part of the business world and not just a part of the meetings world, we become more credible, more articulate, and a more important part of the business community. And as that changes so does the opinion of the business community about meetings and about meeting planners. We’re not there yet, we’re not where we want to be, but we are on our way. That’s really been what MPI has focussed on-how do we give people who are logistics experts more business skills. And it’s been great, things are shifting-they haven’t gone all the way yet- but they are shifting.

The Planner: If you could put a barometer on it, what percentage are you at in getting to where you want to be?

Terri Breining: Hard to say, because the industry is still so diverse and we don’t really have any way of measuring that.

We’ve moved the needle but I don’t how far we’ve moved the needle. It’s not been done consistently-in some places there are meetings industry people who have absolute access to business leaders at the highest level and in other places, they don’t even know they’re part of an industry.

We’re all over the map-there’s a huge varianceso it’s hard to say how far we’ve moved the needle in relation to where we want to be, but I know we’ve moved the needle.

The Planner: What do you see as opportunities and threats to the meetings industry worldwide?

Terri Breining: The opportunities are for us to continue to step up and to proclaim ourselves part of the business world and to be a part of the business world-through learning skills and considering ourselves part of that world rather than the stepchildren of business.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

15

FIVE-MINUTE LIFE COACH Simplicity complex

BY THOMAS CHALMERS

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

— John Lennon

T

16

wo men having a conversation upon meeting in a store . . .

First man: “I lost my daughter recently.”

Second man: “I’m sorry; I didn’t know she was dead.”

First man: “Oh, she’s not dead. I was just too busy . . . ” One of the secrets of successful living is surely that of simplicity.

We very often over complicate our lives with the trivial, the unnecessary and yes, even the necessary - we can delude ourselves into chasing the

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unnecessary under a charade of necessity.

But in truth, the busy-ness which we frequently embrace is, in retrospect, relatively unimportant. It contrives to keep us from living the life that we really want and we become human doings rather than human beings. Time passes elusively and we are constantly challenged by the tyranny of having enough hours in the day, enough days in the week. Almost unconsciously we starve ourselves of devotion and thirst for that day when we will have more time for those we love.

Louis Armstrong sang, “We have all the time in the world.” What wonderful words from a wonderful man for a Wonderful World . . .

Ironically, the time to relax is, almost definitely, when we don’t have the time.

Of course society would have us despise a drug addict, avoid an alcoholic and yet worship a workaholic.

Why?

Certainly, have a work ethic, believe in the value of work, put your heart and soul into your work for it is worthy of its share of your time. But don’t be afraid to ask yourself if your work is an end in itself or a means to an end. Be mindful of what you are neglecting as you busy yourself.

It is a true maxim: Less is more. A streamlined operation is almost always an effective one. In early June I always plant summer flowers into tubs around our home. But the first year was a lesson.

I had planted complicated arrangements combining many species to supposedly provide an array of unimaginable colour.

To my disappointment the flowers withered and died within weeks. Too many flowers per tub.

Over-planted.

Undernourished. Over-complicated.

From that year on I have always planted no more than half a dozen plants per tub and they have always thrived. This is what it means to have a reserve of space. And it is the same rule for us. We must strive to strip out the trivial, the unnecessary and even the ‘necessary’ in order to create reserves of space and time.

How can you simplify your life today? Do you need to make that call?

Do you need to make that journey? Do you need to make that ‘to do list’?”

You can achieve success through simplification. You can create space in no time. You can find serenity in simplicity.

And contrary to that man in the store you will reminisce without regret.

Simplify your life and have an outstanding day.

Website: www.idealife.co.uk

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN THE PLANNER? CALL (514) 849-6841 EXT. 331 FEB. 2005

Mining for gold: Websites to use

BY CATHLEEN FILLMORE

Ed. note: Part 2 in a series of related articles.

W

hile maintaining an up-to-date database is a critical component of any online marketing strategy, so is having a state of the art website.

Never mind the bells and whistles, the only measurement of success here is how well your website functions.

What returns do you want from your website? And what returns do you actually get? There’s all too often a discrepancy between the two.

What action do you want browsers to take? Have you made it as easy as possible for them to take that action?

The call for action that gets the best response is simply a request for more information. Browsers don’t often buy or hire over the net, they want more information by phone or an in-person meeting. Have a click-through on your front page that automatically opens up to a request for more information.

Don’t ask for too much information about the browser on the form or many will leave the site at this point. They’re just looking, after all. Optional fields are okay but the form should not be burdensome.

Keep your website simple, accessible and easily navigable is important so that the browser is not distracted from taking action.

You’ll get a better response to your call for action if you have your name and picture on your home page. You’re in the people business and your clients need to know that you’re there to answer their questions and/or complaints if necessary. They want to deal with a real live person rather than a company.

When you get the request for information, respond promptly and ask for a phone number so you can speak in person. Your chances of getting hired for that project go up with a personal phone call.

To increase your client base, you need lots of traffic on your website. Are your keywords current? Check out your competition’s keywords by visiting their website and clicking on View and then Source. After checking out a few sites, you’ll find out what keywords others are currently using and that will help you determine what is optimum for your needs.

Here are some free online tools that will help you increase your web traffic: http://www.add-me.com allows you to submit your page to many popular sites for free, using one form.

At http://www.webposition.com, you can download a free trial of software called Web Position Gold that will help you build traffic by submitting your site regularly to the top search engines.

FEB. 2005

When you’re submitting your website to search engines, submit the unique url of each page of your website. For example, I’ll submit: http://www.speakersgold.com along with http://www.speakersgold.com/events.htm or http://www.speakersgold.com/products.htm Submit your website on a fairly regular basis - certainly whenever you’ve made major changes, it needs to be resubmitted. The time it takes is well worth the returns.

You want your site to come up on the first page when someone types in meeting planner Canada - browsers rarely go beyond the first page.

Right now, if you Google Meeting Planner Canada and click on Canadian pages only, you’ll find page after page of meeting planner associations and hotels, but not one listing of an independent meeting planner. Still, two professional speakers managed to get their pages listed in the first couple of pages of this search. If they can do it, so can you.

What they did was simply to find out what keywords were important and they paid to have browsers click on their site.

Another way to increase your traffic is to affiliate with siteswith large amounts of traffic by exchanging links. Find non-competing but related businesses and services that you can exchange links with.

17 You can also drive traffic to your site is by submitting articles you’ve written to ezines. Do a search of your keywords and look for sites that publish outside articles on their site. Ask them to post your article. Or visit http://directoryofezines.com to see a list of appropriate newsletters that may want your article.

If you’re really interested in exploring the possibilities of your website, I recommend signing up for Dr. Ralph Wilson’s online newsletter at: http://wilsonweb.com.

Dr. Wilson wrote the book Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy and he’s a wonderful source of information.

So is Susan Sweeney and I highly recommend her updated book, 101 Ways to Promote your Website, available on her website - www.susansweeney.com. A visit to Susan’s website is a worth-while venture in itself - her website is top of the line. Sign up for her newsletter and her webinars online seminars on marketing your website.

More and more of your business and your client base will come from your website in the future and the business with the best, most Effective website wins!

••• Cathleen Fillmore is President of Speakers Gold, The proactive Speakers Bureau. Visit www.speakersgold.com or call 416-532-9886.

Breining: We haven’t been able to prove our value CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 The Planner: Do you think that’s the perception of people in the business world or outside of it?

Terri Breining: Both. I think there’s a lot of what we do as meeting planners that holds us back. And part of that is what we believe about ourselves and our own industry. And that’s also the threat, by the way.

The Planner: So what would be the self-defeating things that meeting planners do?

Terri Breining: One of the challenges we’ve always had is proving the value of what we do. And all of the other business segments can prove it: marketing can prove it, finance can prove it, purchasing can prove it, and manufacturing can prove it.

Meeting planning has never had those tools until recently. And so we have always had to scramble to prove our value. Beyond cost savings, ROI, and were people happy, how do we know that this meeting was even worthwhile? It’s great that you saved money and that’s important, but how do we know you saved money on the right things? There is now a methodology on ROI available to us that has never been available to us as an industry before. That methodology is going to enable us to accurately measure not only the broad return on objectives value but the monetary value of meetings. And it’s using a methodology that has been available to different segments of the business for a long time and that methodology is being transferred and translated to the meetings world and that’s going to give us the tool 18 that we need to say “This meeting not only made people happy

and provided good teamwork and that sort of thing but here is the bottom line benefit to the organization for having this meeting.”

The Planner: Where was this methodology developed?

Terri Breining: This methodology was actually developed by the ROI institute in Alabama by a guy named Jack Phillips. He is brilliant and he has been doing ROI measurement for other industries for many years. And he has translated all of that information to our industry and given us a tool that we’re just starting to talk about and I think that’s our greatest opportunity: measurement. The other opportunity is again, learning the language of business and figuring out how we can sit at the same table with the marketing folks, the manufacturing folks, and everybody else at the same level and making a contribution that’s important. Part of the reason we haven’t had any selfesteem as an industry is because we haven’t been able to prove our value as concretely as those other specialties.

The Planner: What role does MPI have to play in that?

Terri Breining: A huge role. They’re the ones who made the link between the ROI institute and our industry. They’re the ones who have real data and MPI is driving this: several of us got certified in this methodology and now our responsibility is to go out and give that training to members of MPI at the chapter levels.

The Planner: So you’re basically talking about developing the science to prove your worth (as planners).

Terri Breining: Exactly right. So MPI is driving the business skills that will allow us not only to have the science but communicate the science in business terms to people. There’s a quote from a CEO that says that he or she needs his meeting planners to know the business of meetings, not the meetings of business.

And we have become very good at articulating the meetings business but it’s a language that other people don’t understand in the world of business and they don’t care about room sets and décor. We speak our own language and we come together at PECs so we can be with our own kind, so we can speak that language but when we get back to our day jobs we need to make sure we can speak the language of business and communicate to those people. And MPI is helping people make that shift to being in the business of meetings.

The Planner: Meeting News named you one of the 25 Most Influential Meeting Planners. Give me your reaction.

Terri Breining: Isn’t that something... I was thrilled. I’ve been looking at that list for years of course and the people that have been included on that list have been heroes of mine and icons in the industry for a long time. To be included in that list was remarkable to me, so it was a surprise and a great honour. I was happy to be included.

The Planner: MPI Chairman Hugh Lee says you were great at the “buy-in.” Describe what the “buy-in” is and how to do it successfully with 20,000 MPI members.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 FEB. 2005

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Terri Breining: I think that my job when I came in as Chairmanelect was to communicate what the strategic plan was, the business skills, etc. one of the challenges MPI and a lot of other organizations have had over the years is that we come up with these plans and we get together and we unveil the thing and then nobody knows about it. And I felt very strongly that if we wanted this plan to work we had to tell our members and help them get excited about it so that when they saw the opportunities for business skills training. ROI, and that sort of thing they would get why that’s important. And so my focus was to introduce the strategic plan that had been introduced George Aguel’s year and make sure that our members and our chapters and other industry organizations understood why we were doing this and that we were going to stay focused on that. It remains the focus this year and Hugh has taken it to the next level of people know it, they believe it, now we have to do it and deliver on the promise we’re making.

The Planner: What’s your role as past chair?

Terri Breining: Well, I’m still on the board for another six months before I become just a regular member again, so I’m on the executive committee and part of what I do is continue to work with both Colin (Rorrie) and Hugh in whatever ways I can be helpful. I continue going to chapters to talk about MPI and the evolution of the industry, I show up here (at the PEC-NA) and I continue to support that. I came up from the bottom of the industry but I also started my MPI journey at the chapter level here in San Diego and so I understand what the chapters are dealing with as well. So because of that, I have the ability to talk with some credibility about those things.

The Planner: What are you most proud of after such a long career?

Terri Breining: I think I am most proud of what contributions I have been able to make to the evolution of the industry, and I’ve done that in a few ways. Certainly my participation in MPI, I have taught meeting planner certificate programs for 18 years, and it is there that we get people that are just brand new to the industry but don’t even know in some cases that it is an industry, that just have some vague notion that they might like to do this and what I like to think is that I not only teach them the tolls and techniques that they can us as meeting planners but I talk to them about the evolution of the industry and the responsibilities we have on an ethical basis, and as people who want to be a part of the business world we have to be grown ups. I also do some educational programs with the chapters on ethics-I’ve been singing the ethics song for a long time-and it’s important that we keep that in front of people. We have to continue to not just talk about ethics every few years when there’s some big scandal and because it’s good press today, partly because we have to remind ourselves that’s what’s real and that’s what counts and partly because we have to continue to educate people in the industry about the rules of engagement. Meeting planning is a great industry but if we’re going to maintain it as a viable, credible industry we have to play responsibly.

The Planner: What do you want to accomplish still?

Terri Breining: The whole ROI thing is the big new message and I want to be able to spread the word on that so that it’s not as frightening as it first sounds. Because it’s a complex process and

FEB. 2005

it’s not a slam dunk checklist. So it’s going to be a lot of work to help people understand that it’s possible and then to help them understand how to get through it. As far as my business goes, I’m still defining that. I can’t leave the industry because I wouldn’t know what else to do. And I’ll continue to teach-I just get high on that. To watch people understand that they’re going in the right direction, to see them understand the possibilities of this industry is just incredible and there’s nothing else that does that. It feeds me as much as it feeds them.

The Planner: What advice Terri Breining: A planner for life would you give to people who want to get into the business?

Terri Breining: They should make sure that this is a good fit and that they love it. They should figure out what specific niche fits them the best. The great thing about this industry is that there are so many possibilities and specialties for every personality. If they’re outgoing and like sales, there are plenty of opportunities.

If they’re more of the organizing type then planning is good, but 19 depending on what environment: convention centre, planning company, corporation, etc. They need to look at the world that is included in this industry and see where they fit. No matter what happens they should keep learning and learn business skills.

Prepare to work hard, play fair, and have a good time. It’s an amazing gift that we have to be able to participate in this industry.

The Planner: Let’s end it with a word association. I’ll give you a word, you reply with whatever comes to mind.

Terri Breining: Okay, I’ll do my best.

The Planner: Team.

Terri Breining: Padres The Planner: MPI. Terri Breining: Great organization Planner: Future.

Terri Breining: Changing.

The Planner: Challenge.

Terri Breining: Exciting.

The Planner: Integrity.

Terri Breining: Always.

•••

Work hard, play fair, and have a good time.

TERRI BREINING

Hotel News from around the world Get ready to negotiate Attention meeting planners: get ready for tougher negotiations in 2005.

According to the 2005 U.S. Lodging Forecast by PricewaterhouseCoopers, planners are heading into a seller’s market, especially during the higher occupancy periods.

The shift applies to not only room rates, but also to food and beverage, meeting room charges, and other meeting-related costs, PWC’s Bjorn Hanson was quoted as saying in a recent Association Meetings article.

The average daily rate rose to 3.7 percent by the end of 2004 to $86.03, up sharply from $83.08 at the end of 2003. Over the next two years, the average occupancy rate is expected to increase to 61.5 percent in 2005 and 62.1 percent in 2006 as compared to 59.2 in 2003 and 60.6 in 2004. PWC attributes the increase to a combination of economic growth and moderate expansion in hotel room supply.

Luxury properties are the biggest benefactors of the economic recovery: The year-end average occupancy rate was projected to rise 2.8 percent for 2004, with economy properties likely to end the year with the lowest ADR and occupancy increases.

It’s in the stars 20

Looking for the absolute best treatment while travelling?

Maybe it’s time to check into a six-star hotel.

With everything from personal butlers and private swimming pools—and prices that would be a fair down payment on a new car—they are targeted at the leisure classes with lots of disposable income.

Horst Schulze, former chairman of the Ritz-Carlton company, says he is planning to launch a six-star chain next year in locations including an Austrian Chateau as well as Mexico, Ireland, Southern Italy, and Atlanta. Schulze wants his chain to be mentioned in the same breath as places like the if-you-haveto-ask-you-can’t afford-it Burj Al Arab in Dubai, whose

smallest room is more than 1,800 square feet.

Luxury travel seems to be bouncing back after several bad years, with high-end hotels enjoying a 9 percent rise in operating profits for the first half of 2004, according to PKF Consulting.

According to a Merrill Lynch analyst, there are almost 7.7 million millionaires world-wide (the U.S. has 2.3 million of them) with their wealth expected to grow at 7% a year through 2008.

In the U.S., the five-star has long been a synonym for the top level of luxury afforded by any hotel, although Mobil Travel Guides, the primary arbiter of hotel stars in the U.S., rarely gives it to any individual hotel. By Mobil’s reckoning, a hotel is five-star if it meets an extensive list of requirements including bathrooms that have a separate toilet stall with a telephone.

The Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton are widely considered fivestar chains.

Grease the palm, gild the tongue Ever wonder if the concierge who sent you to a particular restaurant has received a “fee” to send you there?

According to a recent report in the New York Times, guests at many full-service hotels are complaining about unreliable information from hotel employees because these employees have been paid off. Experts cite the main culprit as the growing relationship between hotels and local restaurants, which reward concierge referrals with free meals, commissions, or cash, says the Times. This common European practice is now becoming prevalent in Canada and the U.S. The most common payoff is a free meal, to both the concierge and his supervisor. Sometimes, however, there is a referral fee for each guest, or even a percentage of the patron’s bill. A representative from the National Concierge Association defended “free meals” as a form of restaurant review by the concierge, but added direct payments cross the line.

On the other hand, some say the culprit is the failure of guests to tip the concierge adequately for good advice. This leads the concierge to seek compensation elsewhere.

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Hotel News from around the world Planners should beware of this practice and provide recommendations based on solid research.

For more information on the concierge industry, please visit: www.conciergeassoc.org

Booking trouble In recent years, most hotels—especially business properties— would let people cancel up until 6 p.m. the day of arrival.

But now the tide is changing.

As business travellers hit the road again, many hotels are requiring guests to cancel at least 24 hours before arrival, while others are extending the cancellation window to as long as 72 hours in an attempt to make more money as the occupancy rate rises. So don’t take a chance, and find out what the hotel’s policy is on cancellation before booking rooms.

As hotel profits rise, deals go the way of the dodo Hotel profits will rise 25 percent in 2005, according to a recent study.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers said in the survey that fast-rising

hotel-room prices are the main reason for the rise in profits.

Hotels have been yanking Internet discounts and other hotdeal offers as business travellers have reappeared on the road, armed with healthy corporate profits. The spending will boost hotel profits to US $20.8 billion in 2005, according to the forecast. That is up from $12.8 billion in 2003, when the poor economy and war in the Middle East created a travel trough.

In addition, powerful hotel owners like publicly traded Host Marriott Corp. are pressuring their managers to be more aggressive in raising prices.

Most corporate meeting planners—55% of more than 900 polled—say the cost of hotel accommodations is the single most important factor in selecting a destination, according to an annual survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell.

Fairmont goes European Fairmont Hotels and Resorts announced on Jan. 19 that it will manage the Savoy Hotel in London. Built in 1889 as an annex to Richard D’Oyly Carte’s adjacent Savoy Theatre the 263-room Savoy offers 19,000 square feet of distinctive function space, stunning views of the Thames River, and an incomparable location close to Covent Garden, the West End theatres, Trafalgar Square and the City financial district.

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Opening night reception was held on an aircraft carrier CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Also discussed at the conference was Careers Pathway, part of MPI’s strategic plan, Pathways to Excellence. MPI President and Chief Executive Officer Colin Rorrie said meeting planners need to change to be accepted in the modern business world. “ Planners need to move from the sole focus of being a tactical planner to being a strategic planner. Traditionally the focus has been on executing the tactical elements of a meeting—the room set-up, those things—and what we’re saying now is you have to have vision,” he said. “For example, if you’re a corporate planner you have to understand what the corporation’s goals are, what are they trying to achieve, so you have to be strategic in your thinking and you’ve got to then place meetings in the context of the CEO or CFO’s goals for the company. How can meetings help achieve these goals?

Our program Business Skill for Life helps provide some of those technical business skills that will help planners be strategic so they can make that shift.”

Rorrie added that Pathways is really a way to help you map out where you want to go, vertically or otherwise. The key is any planner will need some up-to-date education just to stay relevant and more if they want to progress.

The PEC Expo 2005 was sold out and the list of exhibitors was impressive. Numerous hotel chains were represented, including Hyatt Regency, Marriott, Loews, and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Many of the exhibitors seemed to really catch the eye of

attendees, including the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau who handed out Mardi Gras beads and nTAG, who offered a complete on-site event communication system via interactive nametags—very neat.

All work and no play would surely dullen the faces of the visiting meeting planners, so MPI went all out for the Opening Night Networking Reception entitled “Hot Landing on Steel Beach” onboard the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, formerly the USS Midway. There was food galore (including a sumptuous sushi spread that had a VERY long wait attached), several open bars which filled revelers glasses with flashing ice cubes, flight simulators, clowns on stilts, a harp player, as well as a collection of vintage navy aircraft. The event, which began at 7 p.m., wa hosted by the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and featured the band NRG who rocked the house with a collection of oldies and contemporary hits, including the nugget “Takin’ Care of Business’” by Canadian band BTO, as well as other musicians and artists.

The decor and atmosphere were marvellous, and included great mood lighting, ice sculptures, an artist who drew names in Japanese characters, and a spectacular fireworks show at 9:15 p.m. over San Diego Bay. MPI is the largest profession for the meeting profession with more than 19,000 members in 66 chapters and clubs.

••• For more information, please visit the MPI website at: www.mpiweb.org.

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MEMORIES FROM THE PEC-NA 2005

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The USS Midway, site of “Hot Night at Steel Beach”; attendees using the free high-speed Internet at the Global Village, San Diego Convention Centre; Japanese drummers impress at the opening night reception; planners browsing the exhibitors at the sold-out tradeshow in the Convention Centre.

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PHOTOS BY

FEB. 2005

LEO GERVAIS

Barnes, McInerney Montreal is an join forces inexpensive S

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ometimes, things go together like toast and jam. Hard to say which is which, but the Barnes Organization, which offered investor relations, road show marketing and new media services to corporate clients has been put together with McInerney & Co., a company that focussed mostly on road shows involving the raising of capital, and mergers and acquisitions.

The new company will be called BarnesMcInerney Inc., which describes itself as the Canada’s leading capital market communications firm.

“We merged our operations because we need more specialization and more capacity,” said Ken Barnes recently, who owned his previous company for 19 years. He, along with Brian McInerney, will be a managing partner in the firm.

McInerney & Co. had been around for 12 years.

“The goal is straightforward—to continue to grow the business and exploit our advantage as the country’s leading road show firm,” said Barnes, adding that during 2004, the two organizations separately assisted with 23 capital market transactions that raised about $5 billion.

In the new firm, Barnes will focus on investor relations, while McInerney will focus on road shows.

Barnes is organizing the road show to assist in the initial public offering of Sprinrite Income Fund, while McInerney is leading the launching of the IPO by K-Bro Linen Income Fund.

place to live A study prepared by the Toronto office of Runzheimer International—a management consulting firm specializing in transportation, travel and living costs—found the cost of living for a single person earning $15,000 a year in Montreal is 39 % less than in Toronto, 8 % less than in Vancouver, 122 % less than Boston and 57% less than Philadelphia. For a family of four with an annual income of $75,000, the differences in percentages are 19, 6, 55, and 26 respectively.

Speaking of Montreal...

World-renowned chef Anthony Bourdain went on a fourday food excursion in Montreal recently, and he liked what he saw... and ate. His highest praise was reserved for Globe, Au Pied de Cochon, and Schwartz’s. “Absolutely impeccable, and the ambience was just right,” the famous Frenchman said of the smoked meat delicatessen. “My kind of place.”

His high praise of Montreal’s most famous smoked meat restaurant echoed the words of Denis Beaulieu, a legendary Montreal hotelier, who in the October issue of the Planner said his favourite Montreal location to take visitors was the lookout followed by a bite to eat at the venerable Schwartz’s.

FEB. 2005