June - July 2005

A MONTHLY DIGEST TO INFORM, ENLIGHTEN AND HUMOUR MEETING PLANNERS It’s no longer just the thought that counts.

In this fast-paced global economy, just giving a gift is no longer enough. With the massive amounts of coffee mugs, pens and golf jerseys emblazoned with corporate logos, there is a need to go beyond the traditional and to redefine the meaning of personalizing corporate gifts. No matter the occasion, creativity is key.

The gift needs to be well thought out, well packaged and customized

BY ALLISON BOMAN, MBA if it is to carry the message and produce the results that are intended.

Whether giving corporate gifts to a client for the holidays or planning gifts for your next event, keep the occasion, the message, and of course the recipient in mind. Try to incorporate the theme into the gift if it is for an event. For instance, you can include food native to the city or country where the event is being held.

Deciding between promotional items with logos and more mainstream gift items can be challenging. Sometimes a gift should be just that—a gift and not a promotional tool.

Many believe that if a logo is on the gift, the client is more likely to remember the company that gave it to them. In reality, many of these gifts are left hidden in drawers.

Thinking outside the gift basket

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

IN THIS ISSUE Using HR to grow business

4

Book review

6

Trends

7,11

The exhibit manager

8

Loyalty Pt. 2

12-13

To do or not to do... on the Internet A few pointers on Internet manners = net etiquette = netiquette

Datebook

15

UNNI SOELBERG-CLARIDGE, CMP, CMM

Working with visual aids

16

Being productive on the train

17

H

Hotel News June-July 2005 Edition

20-21 VOL. 3 ISSUE 4

ave you ever received an email that’s written as if the sender was from another planet? Or, been copied on something of no interest to you – and with 2 pages of email addresses before you find the message? I’m sure you have, and I’m sure most of you find that as annoying as I do. Conversely, maybe

you, as I, have been guilty of doing something similar on occasion – without thinking or because we didn’t know any better, particularly when we were new to the “net” and to emails. So, how can we avoid the most obvious faux pas?

Well, first of all there is simply the case of “good manners”. Sounds antiquated? Maybe, but good old-fashioned manners on the net will do as much for your personal branding and professional stature as any schmoozing at a networking event will ever do.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

NOTE

FROM THE EDITOR

“Why i.e.?”

Published by:

M

any readers pose the question to us: Why do you call your company i.e. publishing?

Well, as you may know, i.e. stand for “that is” in Latin. So the short answer is “That is publishing.” The longer answer stems from what we want to do—our mission statement in two tidy letters.

Let’s start with the “i”: ”i” stands for instant. With its easy-to-read format of short articles (max two pages), The Planner provides instant reading; “i” also stands for ideal. You can take The Planner with you to read on the plane or in line at the bank. There’s no ink on the fingers and it’s easy to photocopy if you want to pass on an article to your colleagues as many planners like to do; “i” can mean impressive as well. The Planner has a simplicity that allows planners to retain information from it.

At least, that’s what they tell us; “i” definitely means informative. With the hundreds of tidbits, articles and advertisements we have provided to planners over the course of the past few years, we believe our subscribers are getting what they really want: useful information that makes their jobs and lives easier.

Now on to “e”: “e” is for entertain, a word we take seriously. The format, presentation, length, and subject of all articles are the criteria we believe needs to be met if our publication is to be entertaining. “e” means enlighten and it’s not easy to do since many planners are very knowledgeable. It’s always a challenge to find information or trends that most people know little about, and remain vital to most meeting planners. “e” is for educate, always a lofty goal. In my book, you can never have enough education, and it can come from many sources, not just school or motivational speakers. We like to think we have a small hand in the education of our subscribers, and we hope to keep helping educate planners for a long time.

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 Editor: Leo Gervais Assistant Editor: Nathalie Caron Proofreader: Keith Motton Translator: Dominique Lamarche, Marc Levasseur Administration: Patrick Galvin, Julie Boisvert Sales: James Paulson, Camille Lay Contributors: Mike Auctor, Allison Boman, Anne Biarritz, Thomas Chalmers, Peter De Jager, Nicole Gervais, Michelle Ventrella, Stacey Hanke, Unni Soelberg-Claridge, Barry Siskind, Harriet Wezena The Planner is a monthly publication distributed to 11, 500 professional meeting planners across Canada and the U.S..

Poste-publication No. 40934013

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 dayto-day activities. Our goal is to give out the accumulated profit as educational grants to planners.

GIVING BACK EDUCATIONAL GRANTS

Coming soon • Survey: Ideal cars for planners • New hotel policies

What would you like to read about?

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

• Protocol and etiquette • Combatting jet lag 2

JUNE–JULY 2005

The more information you gather the better CONTINUED

FROM

TO DO

After all, we seem to spend an awful lot of time on the net these days. So, if you are concerned about how you appear to others – and trust me, appearance is important in business, then think … or lurk before you leap, as it is called in netiquette speak.

Let’s start with emails. First of all, take the time to address each person to whom you are sending an email as you would address someone to whom you are writing a letter, and end with a greeting of sorts, just as in a letter. Also, use proper sentences, good grammar and spellcheck before hitting the send button.

Oh, I can just hear some of you saying .…. forget it, the point of email is that it’s supposed to be fast and easy to use so why bother with spelling and punctuation! Why? Because if you don’t bother, it tells people that you don’t care enough about them to take the time to do it right. How do you think a client or prospect would view your poor communication style when it comes to doing business with you?

Or a colleague, or your boss? Why take a chance of upsetting someone’s sensibilities for the sake of saving a few seconds?

The same goes for joining a chat room/discussion group. Lurk – or listen – first, just as you listen before you speak when joining a group of people talking at a function; you don’t just join in with a comment before you have a very good sense of what’s going on. You may even decide that the present discussion isn't for you after all, and you have saved yourself possible embarrassment by an untimely or disconnected comment. Good manners usually save the day, any time!

But there is more to it than simply good manners. In fact, there are some commonly agreed to netiquette “rules” when using the Internet. Since there are several good websites you can tap into to read more (see end of article), I won’t give you loads of details here, but will highlight a few of the main points.

1. Remember there is always a real person at the other end, so don’t offend.

2. Properly identify the topic in the subject line (allows the recipient to decide whether message is of interest or not).

3. Use proper introductions and sign-off, sentence structures, grammar and spell-check.

4. Keep messages short and to the point; common abbreviations are acceptable in casual messages.

5. Remember that anything you write in an email can re-surface, particularly items posted to a newsgroup or in a chat session.

6. Remember that private e-mails ought to remain private.

Particularly now with FOIP, PIPEDA and various provincial privacy legislation in place, you may want to obtain the

OR

NOT TO DO

PAGE

1

author’s permission to pass it on. At least, if in doubt, err on the side of caution.

7. Edit email threads before responding; remove parts that are not necessary for the ongoing communication (shows consideration for the recipients’ time and bandwith, and the online environment).

8. Don’t use “respond all” if not asked for.

9. When sending a message to a large group, use the BCC feature, unless a CC has been requested or agreed to (keep in mind FOIP, PIPEDA and other privacy legislation).

10. Minimize/zip large files before attaching them (many have limited capacity on their server) 11. Don’t spam, and don’t forward jokes unless you know the recipient’s sense of humour well.

12. Lurk before joining a chat room/discussion group, e.g. get a feel for the group, its culture, language, type of issues discussed, etc. before you post a comment or a question.

13. Don’t “flame” anyone (post or email a criticism or very strong opinion) unless used in a constructive way to correct bad manners or misinformation.

14. Count to 50 before you reply to a nasty comment or message. In other words, cool down.

15. Be cautious when using “smileys” (emoticons); know what each means before using one.

Good old-fashioned manners on the net will do as much for your personal branding and professional stature as any schmoozing at a networking event will ever do

JUNE–JULY 2005

As you can see, there are rules that govern our use of the Internet. Although they are not laws (except for FOIP, PIPEDA, etc.), they are good, sound suggestions for how to behave and interact with others on the net. So, take some time to become familiar with the most common rules and learn where to go when you need to check for others. In sum, mind your manners and be professional. Become a good “netizen” (another net term you’ll see when you read more); you’ll set a good example and be respected for it!

Suggested links: www.albion.com/netiquette www.fau.edu/netiquette/net www.learnthenet.com/english/html/09netiqt.htm www.onlinenetiquette.com/courtesy1.html ••• Unni Soelberg-Claridge is the Founder/President of EventPlan coordination & management inc., a full-service meeting and event management firm in Calgary. She is a professional meeting planner and also an occasional writer, speaker and facilitator.

3

Use HR to grow your business Here are eight new ways to turn those human-resources challenges into opportunities

improved performance and behavior.

5. Use (lack of) size to your advantage: Paying more money doesn't always make happier, more productive employees.

Interestingly, employee commitment is an area where you have an advantage over huge corporations. Because your company is smaller, employees tend to work on projects that are more closely linked with the organization's core goals. This gives employees a higher sense of organizational purpose, increasing your ability to retain strong talent.

BY MICHELLE VENTRELLA

I

f you're seeking insight into how to manage your human resources (HR), you'll find that most of the books and reports on the subject only apply if you're a big company with a substantial human resources department. Entrepreneurial firms need a different approach. Here are eight key strategies for dealing with HR issues likely to face your company.

6. Embrace diversity: A diverse workforce can offer your company insights into how to sell to particular communities, and reduce the risk of “groupthink” that may arise if everyone on staff has similar backgrounds. Large companies often have a specific department charged with managing and promoting diversity. To assess the current diversity of your business, walk around your plant or office and ask yourself whether your workforce is a good reflection of your business market. If it's not, then consider whether you have any obvious or even hidden barriers to diversity. Take a close look at your hiring and promotion practices and see if you can get creative in making improvements.

1. Build a leadership pipeline: Spending time on leadership transition is crucial, because the departure of one key executive can have devastating effects on a business's viability.

Allocate time each quarter, if only for a few hours, to review key management roles and responsibilities. What would you do if one or two key managers left or were promoted? What are you doing now to ensure knowledge and skills are shared among your team members?

Get out to talk face-to-face with employees

7. Invest in face time: Forget about complicated newsletters, annual meetings and company picnics. Roll up your sleeves and get out to talk face-toface with employees. Find out what's working and what needs improvement. More importantly, act on recommendations. And give praise where it's due: a simple “thank you” or “good job” can have far more immediate impact than any sophisticated employee morale program.

2. Spread power around: The inability (or unwillingness) to transfer leadership responsibility to line managers is one of an entrepreneur's biggest challenges. This reluctance to delegate is a key factor in why many businesses fail to grow — or fail altogether. For most owners, it boils down to a fear of loss of control. But if you expect to grow your business, you'll need to learn to delegate authority to other members of your team.

Ease slowly into this. Implementing a more formal performance management program tied to specific, objective results can make the transition easier.

8. Measure results: Some larger HR departments have a bad habit of creating work where none is needed e.g. flavor-of-themonth initiatives with little or no measurable ROI. While you don't need to get bogged down in complicated ROI analyses, it's important to identify and prioritize which humanresources initiatives will give you the biggest bang for the buck, as well as to monitor results. If turnover is a problem, do a quick measurement of your cost per hire times the number of people leaving each year. You might be surprised to find that a 10% reduction in turnover can easily be achieved by a small investment in recruiting practices such as testing, screening and reference checking.

3. Use your brand to attract talent: You'll probably never have the brand clout of a Microsoft or WestJet, so to attract high-profile talent you need to do things differently from large employers. Figure out what makes your firm unique and successful. Where did your current superstars come from? Why do they stay? Networking, employee referral incentives and flexible workplace practices are all powerful tools to attract and retain top talent.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in PROFIT-Xtra / October 7, 2004.

•••

4. Train, train, train: Competitive advantage isn't just due to your products and technology — it's keeping employees trained and up-to-date. Historically, most small- and mid-sized companies have underinvested in training, partly because it's not perceived as generating a measurable return on investment. To measure training ROI, follow up on your training to ensure that it has been understood, is being used and has

Michelle Ventrella is a human resource director within the Managed HR practice of Pivotal Integrated HR Solutions (www.pivotalsolutions.com) in Mississauga, Ont. Pivotal is the largest provider of integrated HR solutions for mid-market firms in the Toronto area. She can be reached at mventrella@pivotalsolutions.com.

4

JUNE–JULY 2005

Gifts can be tremendous tools for branding or launching products CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

For those who don’t have the time to devote to selecting and packaging the gift, or simply find this to be a daunting task, it would be wise to turn to a professional. There are many companies who can help you create customized gifts. They can handle the selection as well as the fulfillment services required for large orders.

Whether you choose to outsource the task or take it upon yourself, keep a few last notes in mind. Don’t forget that certain subjects are taboo in the corporate world—avoid gifts or cards with political or religious undertones as they can be offensive to the recipient. Be sure to research cultural traditions before sending gifts to recipients in foreign countries. Lastly, begin the planning early and consider the lead time required.

If at all possible, try to start at least 6-8 weeks in advance.

If executed correctly, corporate gifts can prove to be tremendous tools for branding, launching a new product or reinforcing corporate values to clients or employees.

If the gift is appreciated, the recipient will always remember who gave it to them, and that is more powerful than a logo.

If the decision is to include a logo, consider more discreet or less permanent options. For example, a golf shirt can be embroidered using thread in the same tone as the shirt; picture frames can be customized by inserting a card with a logo. The card can then be replaced with a family photo. Remember that whatever the occasion, the gift will be fully appreciated if it is useful and it fulfills a need.

Wrapping the gift is important as well Once the gift has been selected, most people believe their job is over. However, a well-wrapped gift shows how much you care. Whether packaging a single item or a gift arrangement, affordable options are available e.g. a simple white box can be dressed up with striking organza ribbon. The packaging is also a great opportunity to incorporate a logo. To personalize the gift even further, remember to include a hand written note.

Hand-written cards stand out from the masses of e-mails and are truly appreciated.

JUNE–JULY 2005

Allison Boman, MBA, is president of Ali B. Creations which specializes in Gift and Event Services. She can be reached at: Allison@alibcreations.com or (514) 483-4278.

FOR MORE ON THE ART OF PERSONALIZATION, SEE PAGE 18.

5

BOOK REVIEW

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Meeting and Event Planning

by Robin E. Craven and Lynn Johnson Golabowski

BY NICOLE GERVAIS

F

ew things can strike terror into the heart of an employee as when their boss asks them to organize an event.

Have no fear; Robin E. Craven and Lynn Johnson Golabowski have come to your rescue with this comprehensive publication that will help even the most naïve debutant plan a successful meeting or event.

This 317-page book of 28 chapters, divided into four sections, will walk you through all the essential steps to follow in order to become a triumphant event planner. It starts when you open the cover and see The Complete Idiot's Reference Card with such topics as “Ten Tips for a Successful Meeting” and “Ten Common Pitfalls When Planning a Meeting.”

Part I of this book offers an answer to one of the most basic questions: What is the difference between a meeting and an event? More importantly, it asks the questions of why are you running this particular event, and what you hope to accomplish; in other words, what are your goals and objectives.

The chapters in Part II take the reader through the nuts and bolts of event planning from: Creating a timeline (managing your project), Dollars and Sense (keeping expenses under control), Negotiating the Best Deal with vendors (includes everything from airlines to web site providers), contracts, marketing and exhibits. The importance of site visits is stressed noting details such as requesting guided tours, virtual inspections and consideration for event attendees with special needs.

Part III delves into the details that can make or break an event with such subjects as: Floor Plans (from classroom to chevron), Name Badges, Give Aways, Awards, Hiring Speakers (where do you find them), Transportation (how to move your people), Receptions/Banquets (food and beverage planning) AudioVisual Needs and Housing.

Behind the scenes Finally, Part IV illustrates to the reader the importance of what happens behind the scenes with topics like: Meetings about your meeting, The Three R's – review, review, review, Staffing, Crisis (Event emergencies- keeping them in stride), Paying the Bills, and Your Final Report. The importance of a Final report, Post–Con (post-conference or post mortem meeting) is stressed so that the planner can confirm what went well (what didn't!) and how to best plan for your next event.

The question of ethics is also 6

addressed, given the competitive nature of the meetings industry and the fact that incentives (rewards) are often offered to clients. It is essential for event planners to remember that they represent their respective firms and their behaviour must always be professional and ethical.

Interestingly enough, Part IV offers chapters with valuable information for suppliers on successfully managing their relationships with their clients, various event planning certifications as well as, the value of having a mentor or coach.

The three appendices at the back of this book offer valuable information to the beginner event planner especially Appendix A with its sample forms and checklists, essential to solid event planning.

This book addresses the general logistics of event planning from a beginners point of view, with a winning format of liner notes in the form of text boxes offering The Inside Scoop, Meeting-Speak, Food for Thought and Don't Drop the Ball. Each chapter begins with a synopsis entitled “In this Chapter” and ends with valuable wrap up bullets under “The Least You Need to Know.” While this book is a first-rate reference tool for junior event planners, it is just as valuable for intermediary and senior event planners with checklists, reminders and cheat sheets that will jog your memory.

It might not be the Holy Grail of event planning manuals but it certainly deserves to ride on Sir Galahad's horse.

Book: The Complete Idiot's Guide to: Meeting and Event Planning Authors: Robin E. Craven and Lynn Johnson Golabowski Publisher: Alpha Books - A Member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. ISBN: 0-02-864004-7 Price: U.S. $ 19.95

JUNE–JULY 2005

Food Trends A picture is worth 1,000 meals

Aperitivo. A bitter, his creation uses 60 natural ingredients: herbs, spices and fruit peels along with its active ingredient quinine (a bitter extract from cinchona bark).

He opened Café Campari in Milan and in 1860 released his potent new concoction (25% alcohol). It makes a splendid aperatif, or pre-prandial, and costs between $20-$25 in Canada.

In our world of billions of websites, here’s one that will likely interest a lot of would be travelers: www.airlinemeals.net.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is billed as “the world’s first and leading site about nothing but airline food.” The truly original site features people’s comments and photos of various airline foods (including business class meals) as well as vintage photos of meals from the 50s and 60s, a forum, reviews of airline lounge food and even airline reviews. The site is put together by a 30-ish Dutch graphic/web designer who was inspired when he was travelling back and forth to Turkey and his mom asked him what he ate on the plane. He replied, “I’ll take a picture for you next time...” And now, there are more than 7,000 pictures of airline food on the website.

Carbs still popular: StatsCan Life’s not all turkey and tuna, as recent Statistics Canada figures show Canadians still crave their carbs.

Low-carb diets may be all the rage, but Canadians each ate 66.8 kgs of cereal products last year, up from 65.8 kgs in 2003.

Canucks apparently were still loading up on pasta, bakery products and cereal-based snacks despite the popularity of lower carbohydrate diets like the Atkins plan.

The report also noted that rice consumption by Canadians has doubled since 1990. Last year, Canadians ate on average 7.3 kgs each.

Elsewhere, the study found that beef consumption fell about 4 percent in 2004. Last year, Canadians ate on average 13.6 kgs of beef. In 2003, beef consumption rose about 5 per cent over the previous year as Canadians rallied round the industry. Currently, Canadians consume 8 percent less red meat than at the beginning of the new millennium.

If you’re not Charlie Brown...

You could be allergic to peanuts. Actually, it is the protein in peanuts some people are allergic to, and these proteins cannot be destroyed during cooking. Half of adults and more than half of children who have an allergy to peanuts are also allergic to other nuts like walnuts, Brazil nuts, etc. Minor symptoms can include a mild rash, tingling mouth and tongue or stomach ache. Serious symptoms (anaphylaxis reaction) can include facial swelling, difficulty breathing, collapse, coma and even death. Anyone can develop an allergy to peanuts, but it is more common in people who have other atopic conditions like asthma or eczema. The U.K. Department of health recommends that if a member of the immediate family has an atopic condition, any pregnant mother should avoid peanuts and peanut products during pregnancy and breastfeeding to avoid the risk of a child developing a peanut allergy. So be careful on the plane when you get those little peanut bags...

Industry Trends Flyers are not callers, it seems Despite the common view that people who fly (i.e. businesspeople) have a strong need to use their cell phones on airplanes, a recent survey rejects that very notion.

National Business Travel Monitor published a recent survey of American business travellers that found only 23 percent thought cellphone calls should be allowed on board, while more than two-thirds said, if permitted, callers should be confined to a designated section. On the heels of a recent report from Scandinavian Airlines that passengers were using laptops to make cheap calls via its in-flight Internet access, the survey may give carriers pause for thought.

Campari bitter is better for summer When Gaspar Campari become an apprentice drink maker at Turin’s Bass Bar at the age of 14 in 1842, he probably never thought his name would live on as the creator of Campari

Courtesy Charm Character Calm Cuisine - Canadian

Relais & Châteaux has set a worldwide standard for elegant hospitality defined by the five C’s. Now a select group within the family has added a sixth: Canadian.

Redefines life in the Country R.R. 33 Cambridge, Ontario N3H 4R8

Langdon Hall offers escape into a world of gracious hospitality, elegant amenities and exemplary service. An excellent meeting and entertaining venue. For 2005 AAA/CAA has awarded Langdon Hall the coveted Five Diamond Award for dining.

LANGDON HALL IS ONE OF 13 R&C MEMBERS ACROSS CANADA W W W. R E L A I S C H AT E A U X . C O M

519.740.2100 1.800.268.1898 www.langdonhall.ca

JUNE–JULY 2005

7

What is the role of the exhibit manager?

BY BARRY SISKIND

C

ongratulations, you have just taken on the role of exhibit manager.

Now you are probably asking, “What the heck does an exhibit manager do?” Good question.

You have likely worked on trade or consumer shows, so you know what exhibiting involves. You might have set up a display at a trade show, conference, sporting event, mall, hotel lobby or boardroom. The exhibit manager is the person responsible for planning, organizing and executing the exhibit plan.

Which begs the question, “What exhibit plan?”

Exhibiting is face-to-face marketing and has two essential ingredients: the hardware and the software. Hardware refers to the actual exhibit and materials - the physical means of creating the right image and attracting the right audience.

The software includes the planning and implementation of programs required to make the face-to-face interaction possible. To do the job well, the savvy exhibit manager must carefully orchestrate both of these elements into one harmonious package with one goal in mind—results.

In a nutshell, that’s what the exhibit plan is all about.

Exhibit management is a relatively new corporate function. While some large organizations have dedicated exhibit staff, often the role of exhibit management lands on the desk of

unsuspecting and overworked sales or marketing person or the owner/operator of a small business. These people often feel like they bought a new car without an ignition key. The car looks good but it will not take you where you want to go.

THE STRATEGIC LOOK Exhibiting is serious business with a real payoff. The job of the exhibit manager is to take a strategic look at the overall plan, set a focused objective and then harness the power of three key resources:

1. Your fiscal resources Exhibiting is not the least expensive marketing option in town but if you allocate your financial resources properly, exhibiting can be the most profitable.

To do this you need to co-ordinate your exhibiting activities into your overall marketing plans to increase the value of each. There are lots of opportunities to amortize the cost of one marketing initiative with another. For example images, slogans, signs and graphics that are created for one marketing tool can often be easily adapted to another.

2. The physical resources These are the tangible assets needed to do the job. They include booth hardware, promotional products, catalogues, signs, product samples and displays.

Think of this resource as your hardware.

Take inventory of all existing hardware including materials used for other mar-

8

keting campaigns and events. Evaluate these assets for their suitability in your new plans and decide what needs to be replace or added to.

3. The human resources This is the software that converts your hardware into results. Without a welltrained and motivated team this might not happen. Getting the results you deserve starts when everyone understands your exhibiting objectives and their individual responsibility to achieving. You must give your staff the skills they need to accomplish the mission.

Any good general knows that without a well-trained army, success is impossible.

If one of these three resources is lacking then it throws everything out of whack. This is a mistake made by many neophyte exhibit managers who put their efforts into one resource and leave the other two to chance.

However, when the exhibit manager properly orchestrates these three as resources, the chance of success is dramatically improved.

••• Barry’s newest book, Powerful Exhibit Marketing, is available in major book stores everywhere or visit his web-site at: www.siskindtraining.com.

If charity is milk, devotion is its cream.

François de Sales

JUNE–JULY 2005

KEYS TO FAILURE

W eb si te s of in te re st

The top reasons most businesses fail, according to 1,900 professionals who help troubled companies:

Too much debt

www.itravelcanada.ca This Canadian site is designed to allow people to book specific aspects of a Canadian trip, such as a flight or hotel. Great site if you’re not sure where to go in Canada (try the Destinations browser link).

Inadequate leadership

17 %

Poor planning

www.spafinder.com Okay, so maybe walking is not your bag. But who doesn’t enjoy being pampered? This is a connoisseur collection of the best day spas and vacation spas known to women. If you need info on spas chances are you’ll find it here, so surf the site to relax..

14 %

Failure to change

11 %

Inexperienced management

www.concierge.com This is a fantastic place to browse for travel ideas, good deals and destination guides. The perfect thing for the traveler who is working way too hard. Be sure to check out the Editors’ Picks.

Not enough revenue

Do you have a website you want to share with other planners?

Email us at: info @theplanner.ca

JUNE–JULY 2005

28 %

9%

8%

Source: Bucciono & Associates, Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business

9

When the schoolyard bully graduates

BY PETER DE JAGER

B

ullying is somewhat difficult to define. At the root, it’s an abuse of power. It is perpetuated through the use of force, whether it is the ability of the schoolyard thug to generate fear of pain, or that of a manager with the ability to terminate our employment.

The key phrase is “an abuse of power”.

The role of management always includes the ability to terminate employment of an individual, but a bully uses that ability as a threat to gain unreasonable control over other individuals.

Sometimes the violation of dignity is obvious as in many forms of sexual harassment, other times the abuse is more subtle, even debatable. Consider the following example; A manager from another department walks into the accounting office. An employee, well known to this manager as a long time dedicated worker, is sitting at their desk obviously in great pain. Her face is ashen, her breathing laboured and hands trembling as she types at the computer.

The manager asks what is wrong and the employee answers she has a swollen abscess on a wisdom tooth. The manager advises the employee to leave the office and get to a doctor immediately. The employee responds that she can’t leave; because her manager is out of the office and that “there will be hell to pay if this work doesn’t get done.”

Some Short Term

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She continues to work in pain because she can’t afford to lose her job.

It is obvious to the manager, the employee is more afraid of the thought of her manager getting upset, than she is of the pain she’s enduring.

Is this the act of a dedicated employee willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to meet a deadline? Or is it an example of an abuse of power? Personally, I cannot think of any deadline in a normal office environment which could justify the type of fear capable of chaining a seriously ill employee to a desk.

What is also interesting is that the “bullying” manager wasn’t even present. They had created a poisonous office environment which posed a threat even when they are absent.

Bullying does not have to threaten physical violence.

Economic violence, executed at a later date is as much an abuse of power as a punch on the arm.

The word “fear” is important to this discussion. I suffer from debilitating migraine headaches. I’ve worked through a headache from time to time, but I did so out of a sense of responsibility and certainly never out of fear of losing my job.

It should be obvious that “fear” has no legitimate place in the workplace, yet if headlines and anecdotes contain any grain of truth… organizational bullies thrive and prosper. The cost of bullying is significant, even if it is difficult to measure.

How many sick days are attributable to a fear of going to the office? How much employee turnover is due to people simply seeking a safer work environment? How many people don’t apply to your organization because they’ve “heard stories”?

If neither the existence of bullies, nor the above examples of hidden costs, are convincing enough to force us to impose, and strictly enforce, an anti-bullying policy in our organizations then perhaps some hard cold figures will do the trick.

An employee, Kavanagh, of the Government of Newfoundland was harassed, bullied, and subjected to emotional and physical abuse by fellow employees with the full knowledge of management. The case went to court Kavanagh was awarded damages of almost $875,000 (More details at: http://www.hra.ca/newsletter/newsletter_preview.cfm?id=54#113) The arbitrator pointed to several failings of the employer, two of which make the case that employers have responsibility for bullying in the workplace; • The employer allowed and did nothing to stop the campaign of harassment.

• The employer ignored several complaints regarding the harassment, and when it did respond its actions were insufficient.

We expect bullies in the schoolyard, but predatory behaviours have no place in the work environment. Left unchecked, the consequences range from the invisible to tragic headlines on the evening news.

The solution is to create policies which define the unacceptable forms of behaviour and the commitment to investigate, and take action if necessary, all complaints of harassment and bullying. © 2005, Peter de Jager – Peter is a speaker, consultant and writer on issues relating to Change and Management. Read more of his work at www.technobility.com

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JUNE–JULY 2005

Industry Trends Passport required for U.S. Homeland Security is making its presence felt. International travelers who typically do not need visas to enter the United States must present machine-readable passports to U.S. border officials by June 26, the federal Department of Homeland Security announced recently.

The June date, for travelers from 27 countries included in the federal Visa Waiver Program (VWP), is an extension of the previous deadline, Oct. 26. Prior to the new deadline, the department authorized a one-time waiver of the machine-readable passport requirement for travelers from countries participating in the program.

Beginning June 26, the government will fine transportation carriers $3,300 per violation for carrying any VWP traveler to the United States without a machinereadable passport, and VWP travelers without the passports will be denied entry, according to the department.

A machine-readable passport contains a bar code that conveys to border officials the passport holder's identity and other information typically found on a passport's inside cover.

The 27 countries participating in the VWP are the following: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

JUNE–JULY 2005

and the United Kingdom.

The machine-readable passport requirement does not affect the Oct. 26 deadline requiring that VWP country passports additionally contain biometrics for visa-free travel to the United States.

Last year, approximately 15 million VWP travelers visited the United States.

you open up a Web browser for each ticket you’re buying and buy them all simultaneously. This keeps you in the know that enough tickets are available.

Another way is to call the airline directly to book your flights.

Buy airline tix in a group for big savings The next time you’re flying in a group, buy your tickets individually.

It can be cheaper.

This is because most travel and airline Websites search for adjoining seats when you look for two or more tickets.

If you do not find two seats together in the economy class for example, the search engine looks for them in the next fare level which is usually more expensive. This is likely to be the case especially when a flight is more than half full.

Check this out. One roundtrip ticket on an American Airlines flight from New York to Paris costs US$1,436, according to a search on orbitz.com. But buying two roundtrip tickets together for those same flights costs US$2,047 per ticket.

Travel experts say though this strategy doesn’t work all the time, it often works on long-haul domestic and international flights since the have a greater number of seat classes and fare levels.

To avoid the flight filling up before you get the chance to purchase all your tickets, travel experts recommend that

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Need to change your address? info@theplanner.ca

The end of paternalism, but not of ideology Ed. Note: This is the second in a two-part series on loyalty.

W

hat makes the Highland Scots' story relevant today is that they never lost their famous capacity for loyalty. Though persecuted, impoverished and dispersed, they went on to form some of the greatest regiments in the British Army; their descendants also formed some of the finest fighting units in the Canadian Army. They transferred their loyalty from their clan chiefs to their regiments . In so doing, they gave their highest loyalty to each other as mutually dependent comrades in arms.

If nothing else, their bitter experience shows that human beings have a need to be loyal. The eminent psychologist Erik Erikson believed that what he called “fidelity” is a necessary stage in psychological growth.

“Fidelity,” explained Erikson, “is the ability to sustain loyalties freely pledged in spite of the inevitable contradictions and confusions of value systems.” It comes when the narcissism of adolescence has passed.

Loyalty is connected with maturity because it requires the kind of unselfish sacrifice of personal autonomy that can only be made by a self-confident adult. A mature person sees no conflict and no threat in giving loyalty to someone else, providing it is earned. That proviso also applies to institutions. If people today seem apathetic towards governments and other organizations, perhaps it is because those bodies cannot demonstrate that anyone really owes them loyalty.

In Eastern Europe, the strong loyalties to the former Communist establishment have been destroyed by abuse, suggesting that we may be witnessing what the sociologist Daniel Bell called, in a 1960 book, The End of Ideology . But Bell, too, believes that human beings have an irrepressible need for attachments, and hence loyalties.

“I did not say that all ideological thinking was finished,”

he later wrote. “In fact, I argued that the exhaustion of the old ideologies inevitably led to a hunger for new ones.” This raises the point that even rebels have a desire to be loyal. They simply replace a loyalty to the old order with a loyalty to the new.

Like every generation before them, people today want to cling to something. The difference now is that it must demonstrably be worth clinging to. The old blind loyalty which once impelled otherwise sane individuals to shout “my country right or wrong” is obviously dead in places where there are effective mass communications and high educational standards. Political parties lately have been learning this. No longer will citizens vote out of sheer staunch support for a party, as their forebears once did.

Shrewd political tacticians are well aware that the least likely way to appeal to potential followers these days is to tell them to leave everything to you; you will take care of it all; you know better than they do.

Paternalism is a spent force, permanently discredited by individuals in various positions of respect who have been exposed as betrayers of trust.

A deep skepticism has overtaken the public mind which has serious implications not only for politicians, but for business people both as marketers and employers. In marketing circles, they now talk about the new breed of “tough customers” who will stick to a brand for only so long as it is clearly superior in its class.

The readiness to jump among an ever-broadening array of choices is not confined to buying. Speaking in support of his contention that North American society has entered the “postmodern” era, futurist Jay Ogilvy recently commented: “Postmodern man and woman are all dressed up with everywhere to go. They have costumes for every occasion, but no truly compelling reason to prefer one occasion over another,

Loyalty is connected with maturity

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

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JUNE–JULY 2005

Learning to harness the “wisdom of the anthill” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 one career over another, one life over another.”

For management in North America, postmodernism means having to deal with workers whose commitment to an employer can never be taken for granted. This does not, however, mean that they have no emotional investment in their employment. According to attitudinal research, they feel angry and guilty when the organization they work for violates their personal values. They are no longer willing to let management unilaterally dictate policy on external issues such as ecology. If they feel strongly about their employer's negative actions, they feel just as strongly when it does things which they perceive as positive. Thus a company that makes its people feel they are engaged in doing something socially worthwhile can be the beneficiary of a degree of motivation money can't buy.

But unquestioning loyalty to the firm is history, and nowhere more so than in corporations that have had to trim their payrolls in the interests of productivity or simple survival. The assumption behind old-fashioned dedication was that there was a more or less permanent pact between employees and employers. They would throw themselves body and soul into their jobs in return for (nearly) life-long employment.

In the present atmosphere of intense competition and financial stringency, no North American company is in a position to make that sort of guarantee.

According to Toronto lawyer Brian Grosman, “Traditional concepts of loyalty will not survive. Loyalty—like business itself—will change, adhering to leaders whose actions, not doublespeak, command respect and commitment.” The “doublespeak” he mentioned includes cosmetic language which misrepresents the increasingly tough corporate reality— the kind of language that speaks of a firing as a “dehiring,” and the like. “"In a corporate world that softens every blow with. positive rhetoric about employees being members of the family, both the employer and the employee feel failure and guilt when the need arises to make decisions in the corporate interest, contrary to the employee's interest,” Grosman said.

Corporate loyalty and the employee’s point of view If corporate loyalty has to be redefined to contend with the hard new facts of life, it must be done from the employee's point of view , not from that of an employer who expects heroic efforts from people in return for a pay cheque which might not be forthcoming in the near future. It may seem a difficult task to elicit dedicated efforts from people whose future is insecure, but the fact is that they basically want to think well of the company they work for, because it means thinking well of themselves, their friends and colleagues. They will recognize the need for retrenchment, technological change and bigger individual workloads as long as it is honestly explained to them.

A major Canadian corporation recently conducted an attitudinal survey among its hourly-rated employees. In it, the employees consistently talked about restoring a sense of pride

JUNE–JULY 2005

and team spirit to the operation, which had been considerably “down-sized.” They urged management to trust them to do a good job without heavy-handed supervision. Above all, they said, they wanted to be treated with respect.

When thinking about corporate loyalty, it is hard not to think of Japan, where the workers' wholehearted commitment to their firms is legendary. Watching television clips of Japanese workers starting the day by singing the company song, people in the West may be inclined to think of their dedication as a carry-over from Japan's feudal past. But if vestigial feudalism exists in Japanese business life, it reflects the pure idea of the system, in which reciprocal commitments between the superior and subordinate are solemnly made and cheerfully fulfilled.

In a 1989 article in Harvard Business Review, business scholars Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad noted that all of the Japanese companies that have come from the back of the pack to dominate markets in the past 20 years “created an obsession with winning at all levels of the organization and sustained that obsession over the 10-to-20-year quest for global leadership.” They did so by “motivating people by communicating the value of the target” and leaving room for individual team contributions. "Japanese companies win not because they have smarter managers, but because they have developed ways to harness the ‘wisdom of the anthill,’” the authors wrote.

While Japanese workers are kept fully engaged in carrying out company strategy, their American rivals are often kept in the dark. In one case the authors studied, “the only time the work force heard about the company's competitiveness problems was during wage negotiations when problems were used to extract concessions. Unfortunately, a threat that everyone perceives but no one talks about creates more anxiety than a threat that has been clearly identified and made the focal point for the problem-solving efforts of the entire company. That is one reason honesty and humility on the part of top management may be the first prerequisite of revitalization. Another reason is to make participation more than a buzzword.”

Making the transition This brings us full circle back to Erick Erikson's theory of fidelity. In Japan, corporate loyalty has become a matter of mature adults “freely pledging” commitments in an atmosphere of mutual trust in which they know that their abilities are respected and their work is prized. It is no accident that the outstanding corporate performers in North America and Europe in recent years have developed the same type of working atmosphere.

Although there are many brilliant exceptions, it seems that we in the West have yet to make the complete transition from the old authoritarian demand for loyalty to the new egalitarian appeal for loyalty among interdependent parties who have something to offer each other. We would be wise to re-examine what loyalty really means to the well-informed and well-educated people of today.

••• Reprinted with permission from the Royal Bank of Canada.

Visit their website: www.royalbank.com

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FIVE-MINUTE LIFE COACH I’m perfect

BY THOMAS CHALMERS Perfection has one grave defect; it is apt to be dull.

- W. Somerset Maugham (1874 -1965) British Novelist.

I

used to be a perfektionist but (as you can see) I’m alright now!

Being a perfectionist can be bad for your health. To achieve perfection in every single thing that you do is admirable but there is usually a price to be paid. Perfectionists harbour the frustration of having to get it right or be right all the time.

Undo your top button for a moment – it is altogether much easier on your wellbeing if you strive for excellence rather than perfection. Maintaining a high level of excellence is perfectly acceptable!

Perfectionism imprisons. But excellence pardons you from dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. The very thought of making a mistake or getting things wrong or achieving anything less than perfection can prevent us from even trying, never mind moving forward.

The distinction between perfection versus excellence was first introduced to me several years ago by my dear friend, Dr Rodney K. King at his website: www.supersmartnetwork.com

Rodney also introduced me to the 80/20 Rule. This equation serves to demonstrate that, for any given task, in 20% of your time available, you will achieve 80% of that task. In the remaining 80% of your time you will only achieve the final 20% of the task. And a large percentage of that latter 80% of your time will be dedicated to polishing and perfecting. Ever spent two hours washing and drying and polishing your car . . . and then the heavens open?

There are many, very successful individuals, who have the ability to let go at excellence without wearing themselves into the ground chasing perfection. I am not, for one minute, saying that perfection is not always attainable or desirable.

For example, there is no point in having a dozen typographical errors in a C.V. boasting your ‘attention to detail.’ On occasions such as that it is critical that your attention to detail is indeed perfect.

I am not suggesting that a perfect moment or a perfect day or a perfect experience is outside the realm of possibility. What I am saying is that in every day living, in day-to-day challenges, or in wanting to try something new but not sure whether you have what it takes, the pursuit of excellence will allow room for error as you move forward. On the contrary, the constant pursuit of perfection can be daunting if not wearisome.

A retired friend offered to prune our hedge a few years ago and I jumped at the opportunity. After a couple of hours I looked out the window to see how he

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was doing. To my surprise only half the hedge had been cut and our new gardener was packing away his shears for the day. Previously, when I had pruned the hedge I hadn’t stopped until the entire job was finished - for the sake of perfection, you understand. When I ventured outside he explained.

“Thomas, I’ll be back tomorrow to finish the hedge. You know, you must walk away from a hedge otherwise you could go on clipping all night long.”

Our gardener is 76 years old and lives a stress-free life.

I learned two lessons that night.

Firstly, you can leave most jobs and go back to them another day feeling totally refreshed. You don’t have to punish yourself with perfection. And secondly, you can learn to let go. Hedges grow, you know. There will always be cars to wash, crumbs to vacuum, ornaments to polish, clothes to press . . . don’t be too hard on yourself.

Let me leave you with a lovely quote from Dr. Richard Carlson, author of ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.’

“Make peace with imperfection.”

And don’t allow those imperfections to stop you from moving forward.

Look after yourself. Know when to let go of perfection and enjoy peace of mind every day of your life.

Website: www.idealife.co.uk

JUNE–JULY 2005

DATEBOOK Upcoming Events JULY 9-12 Meeting Professionals International World Education Conference, Miami Convention Centre, Fla. www.mpiweb.org, (972) 702-3000.

JULY 11-15 Trade Show Exhibitors Association TS-2 The Trade Show About Trade Shows, Washington (D.C.) Convention Centre, D.C. www.tsea.org, (703) 6838500, ext. 221.

AUGUST 3-6 International Association of Convention & Visitor BureausAnnual Convention, Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, Calif. www.iacvb.org AUGUST 11-13 International Special Events Society Eventworld, Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.. www.ises.com, (312) 321-6853; AUGUST 13-16 American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: ASAE, (888) 950-2723; www.asaenet.org

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Only 90-minutes from Halifax, yet worlds away from a culture that relies on words like; traffic, hurry and elevator.

For more information call: Anne Stevens, Director of Sales

902.423.8887 anne@whitepoint.com

www.whitepoint.com JUNE–JULY 2005

15

How to effectively interact with a visual aid

BY STACEY HANKE

S

everal weeks ago I found myself sitting in the audience observing a presentation delivered by an individual whom I perceived as confident and credible. This perception quickly reverted backwards when he began to interact with PowerPoint and his notes. As he turned to have a conversation/relationship with his slides and notes, his energy deflated, he disconnected with his audience, his vocal projection was inaudible and his rate of speech took off with record speed. You’ve been there before, sitting in the audience watching a speaker talk to their visual as if you were not there. Your mind wanders and you begin to think, “Gee, should I leave the two of them alone?” It’s what we call visual aid madness. We’ve lost the meaning and purpose behind visuals. Have we forgotten who is more important, the visual or ourselves?

Are we using the visual to hide from our listener? When used appropriately, a visual provides impact, control and emphasis for you, the listener and your message.

Are you thinking to yourself, “I don’t present. I don’t use PowerPoint nor do I have future plans for doing so.” When I speak of visuals, I’m referring to much more than PowerPoint, I also mean: • The notes you read to during a meeting.

• The computer or papers on your desk you speak to when a peer is sitting across from you trying to convey their message.

• A face-to-face conversation when you repeatedly look away from your listener in mid sentence. They begin to get a complex wondering, “What are you looking at?”

Whether we’re using PowerPoint, flipchart, notes, or marketing pieces at a trade show, we’ve allowed these pieces to become our message rather than support our message.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s essential we incorporate visuals to support and enhance our message. In fact, we’re kidding ourselves if we believe our words alone will persuade listeners to take action. The key is how we interact with visuals. Have you

ever considered that not only are marketing pieces, props or PowerPoint visuals but you are a visual. Your non-verbal behavior will positively or negatively impact the amount of information your listener remembers. When you lose eye contact with your listener or fidget with your paper, pen, etc., you’re creating distractions that will minimize the amount of information they’ll receive. As a result, the chance they’ll take action is slim to none.

According to a study by the University of Minnesota, visual aids increase your chance of persuading your listener to accept your position by 43 percent. In addition, studies by Harvard and Columbia show that visuals improve retention by up to 38 percent. This is why it’s critical that your visuals don’t become a victim of a meeting planner’s most common mistake – losing sight of the message objective and becoming enamored with the visual.

Here’s another example for you; how many times have you been in a face-to-face conversation with a peer while they were trying to multi-task? They’re responding to email, answering their phone or fidgeting when they quickly glance at you and say, “Go ahead, I’m listening.” You’re smiling right now because the person who is multi-tasking may be you. Imagine the perception your listener creates when you’re not giving your full-undivided attention? The perception may be uninterested, insincere, and unprofessional with little respect and the list goes on. I’m talking about eye connection. No, this isn’t a spelling error, eye connection allows you to connect and engage your listener. Looking away when you’re talking to one or more individuals will immediately force you to loose your train of thought. (Stay tuned for my article on what you’re behavior communicates in the August publication.)

When we communicate, we need to remember who is more important, you or the visual. Avoid the visual aid madness — talking frequently to the visual, using one too often as your “security blanket,” or using the visual as part of your gestures.

(Sometimes a pen in your hand will become a gesture and distraction while you’re unaware that you’re holding it.) The trick is remembering the visual supports your 16

message and shouldn’t distract from your message.

Interact, not to distract: The following skills apply to all visuals during a presentation, face-to-face conversation, trade show or meeting. (For example; PowerPoint, marketing brochures, handouts, notes, props, flipcharts or dry erasable boards.): • Provide an introductory statement prior to displaying the visual. This will engage your listener’s attention and heighten their anticipation.

• Pause immediately after displaying the visual to give yourself time to think and to give the listener time to absorb the visual.

• Pause and think every time you look at the visual to gather your thoughts.

• Talk to the listener, not the visual! Turn from the visual to the listener in silence, connect with their eyes and then speak.

• Disregard the visual if it no longer supports your message e.g. if you’re explaining an idea while referring to a marketing piece and you’ve now transitioned to a new subject, place this piece off to the side. This will bring the listeners focus back to you.

• Become familiar with your visual(s) and how to work with them smoothly and effectively. Your knowledge of these resources is just as important as the knowledge you convey in relaying your message.

Rule Of Thumb If you do not see a pair of eyes, do not talk. The floor, ceiling, computer or any other object you’re looking at while you’re talking will not talk back to you. Trust and credibility will be created when you connect with the audience not the visual.

The next time you’re having a face-toface conversation, participating in a meeting or delivering a presentation, pay attention to your non-verbal behavior when you interact with a visual. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you follow these steps how you’ll enhance your relationships, stay on track and increase listeners to take action.

Isn’t that what communication is all about?

Stacey Hanke is an Executive Consultant, Author, Coach and Speaker with 1st Impression Consulting, Inc. Contact her at (773) 209-5970 or via e-mail at: staceyhanke@ameritech.net

JUNE–JULY 2005

Being productive while travelling

BY ANNE BIARRITZ

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hen travelling for business, good organization is necessary. On short or long trips, the time we spend on business travel is counted and we always try to improve our travel conditions in order to increase our productivity.

Experiencing the train is an incredibly efficient way to not waste any precious time on your trip.

My frequent trips between Montreal and Toronto during the month made me discover the services offered by Via Rail which allow me to be very productive on board until the final destination. Most of us endure fatigue during such trips and therefore we are not always in our best shape when it is time

The train is a solution

Via’s spacious cabins are popular among businesspeople.

to meet a crucial client upon arrival or organize a longdistance event. With VIA1, those problems simply disappeared: 4.5 hours on the train can be spent working in tranquility being connected to the wireless Internet, making phone calls, etc. It is an excellent way to follow up with e-mails left behind at the office, which always looks more professional to your correspondents. Your research about the city you are going to can also be done on board, as well as some contact development. And for a well-deserved break, a breakfast is served to morning travelers and a three-course meal (including a hot dish) to day and evening ones.

The train is a solution that all professionals should consider. In contrast to the plane, the train allows you to keep your energy and to save time when you check-in and board; train stations are usually downtown and the departure lounge for VIA1 users offers priority service. Therefore, we can go everywhere and keep up with our professional activities while improving our productivity when we travel by train.

For more information, please visit www.viarail.com

The Montreal-Toronto corridor is a well-travelled route.

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JUNE–JULY 2005

17

Practicing the art of the handwritten note

BY HARRIET WEZENA

A

nytime I receive a bunch of letters in the mail, I’m always eager to open the handwritten ones. Why, you may ask? Because they are vastly more intimate and personal.

With the advent of the Internet and e-mail and their accessibility, millions of people prefer this form of electronic correspondence to writing a handwritten note because of its instantaneous nature. So does it make any difference if you send a handwritten letter to a relative, friend or client? Or is the handwritten note a dying art?

Many would say it makes a huge difference to send a handwritten note as opposed to a typewritten one due to its numerous virtues. In contrast to a phone call, a handwritten note is less intrusive. It doesn’t arrive demanding to be read when you have other pressing issues to attend to.

Acclaimed calligrapher Margaret Shepherd writes in her book “The Art of the Handwritten Note” that “…when you write you are giving yourself to the reader in the most civilized way… a unique gesture that offers more of you without demanding more of them.”

You may say, “I don’t just have the time to sit down and write, it’s faster to email or make a phone call.” But consider the alternative. “The handwritten note tells me the writer cares a lot about me. Considering that the person took the time and

effort to put pen to paper just for me. You couldn’t help but feel very special,” says Nicole Gervais, an Administrative Assistant at the Canadian Space Agency.

The handwritten note also gives you the opportunity to express yourself in ways that you otherwise could not have done. Your personality and emotions flow through giving the reader a glimpse of who you are. The whole process involving choosing the right writing pad, pen, decorations and pouring your thoughts on paper are determined by your individuality.

People need to know who you really are, be it in a friendship, family or business setting.

They handwritten note is also very courteous. This is why it is very pertinent to add a few handwritten words in printed greeting cards you send to people. This gives the card a personal touch rather than just the prefabricated words in the purchased card. For instance, if you are sending thank you cards to clients be careful to mention specific tasks they have done to warrant your thanks in your thank you note and don’t generalize. It tells the client you remember what they have done and value their contribution.

According to Shepherd, a real letter (handwritten) is the best way to maintain the long-term commitment and enduring warmth that characterize the close friendships of compatible people who live apart.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

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JUNE–JULY 2005

Personal notes will be cherished CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

It allows you to gracefully mix daily details with overarching themes.

“Your handwriting makes you vividly present to your reader, who becomes almost a part of your inner voice if you write letters regularly…” she emphasizes in her book.

If you value your privacy and uniqueness, the handwritten note ensures that. Its rarity heightens its appeal and the anticipation preceding reading its content upon its arrival. You are sure of its uniqueness because nobody else has received exactly the same kind of letter, which is personal, private and just for your eyes only. With the problem of hackers on the Internet you cannot be sure that someone else isn’t reading the most private thoughts you want kept between you and the recipient. But with the handwritten letter you avoid this menace.

You may not be able to pick up the phone to call Prime Minister Paul Martin’s house to ask a question. What you can do is to write him a letter which anyone can do. The handwritten note thus, “…facilitates social equality without eliminating courtesy” states Shepherd. Virtually everyone can pick up a pen, afford a stamp, and set their thoughts on paper.

It could be a poor person writing to a rich person, a young person to an older person, a subordinate to a boss, etc.

So if you think the handwritten note is a dying art, Shepherd counters “wrong! It’s healthier than ever.” But it certainly is an art, because it brings out the best in both the person who creates it and the person who looks at it.

e The handwritten not tunity to also gives you the oppor that you ys a w in f el rs u yo ss expre e done... v a h ot n ld u co e is w er h ot

Summer airline delays Get ready for delays this summer if you’re travelling by air: crowded flights, tight security will lead to delays in about 25 percent of flights according to the American Federal Aviation Administrator.

Airline economics dictate that airlines will likely fly fewer flights with more passengers and delay rather than cancel flights even in cases of severe weather like thunderstorms.

About 800 million North American passengers are expected to fly this year, the most since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and up about four percent from 2004. One reason for the increase is the continued drop in airfares.

JUNE–JULY 2005

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Baton down the hatches Hurricanes will once again ravage America’s coastlines later this year, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) recent annual forecast.

Forecasters predict seven to nine hurricanes this year, compared with a forecast of six to eight in 2004—and last year was far worse than predicted, with 12 major storms.

Four storms hit Florida within six weeks.

Hurricane season stretches from June 1 to Nov. 30, traditionally a profitable period for U.S. airlines going to Florida and the Caribbean. Most airlines took a substantial hit in last year’s third quarter.

For more info : http://hurricanes.noaa.gov

Hotel News from around the world Extreme hotel makeover?

The mini-bar is going the way of the coin-fed bed and watercolours are being replaced by stylish B & W photos—sure signs hotels are sprucing their rooms up to get with the times.

From new mattresses to flat-screen TVs, a broad spectrum of hotel chains are emulating the boutique hotels who seem to have tapped into the Gen Xers (and their parents) by emphasizing brighter rooms and improved in-room technology.

Many chains put off remodeling during the post-9/11 travel slump, but as demand increases chains are flush with cash and ready to spend it—Hilton Hotels Corp. and its franchisees, for example, are spending millions of dollars to redesign 230 Hilton brand hotels by the end of 2006.

The industry’s biggest push is to install flat-screen TVs. Marriott plans to roll out 50,000 flat-panel, high definition TVs in the next four years in its Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance hotels and the Mayflower in Washington, Conn., has begun installing so-called mirror flat TVs that look like a mirror when they are turned off. And no worries about the old TVs, armoires, and mini-bars going to the landfill—most are being picked up by college students at dirt-cheap prices.

Is there room at the inn… or in Central Park?

Due to a downsizing in the number of hotels and ipso facto rooms, New York City is facing a severe room shortage. Much of the year, Manhattan’s 64,000 or so hotel rooms are effectively full. And with the price of real estate in NYC (the average condo price is US $1.2 million), it makes more sense to sell off rooms in former hotels like The Plaza as apartments than rent them out each night. Over the past few years, NYC has lost about 3,300 rooms, including 1,093 in 2004. During the same period, only three new hotels opened, with a total of 339 rooms. And this classic illustration of supply and demand is reflected in the occupancy rate and average daily room rate (ADR): NYC has an 81.6 occupancy rate (compared to distant second Orlando at 63.4%) and ADR of US $230, more than double second-place Boston at US $111. Critics of the new trend

include the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, a union that has vowed to fight the trend of disappearing rooms which for them translates into disappearing jobs.

Here we go, Indigo Hotel Indigo, a “lifestyle” brand from Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC, plans to open its second property in Chicago in June. The first hotel, featuring a casual look characterized by oversize lobby chairs and whitewashed wood furniture, opened in Atlanta last fall and more are planned for Sarasota, Fla., Houston and Palatine (outside of Chicago).

“I’m nice and in need of ice.”

Karim Rashid’s Hotel Semiramis in Athens was recommended by a plethora of well-known sources (Tater 100 Best Hotels, The Guardian, The Times of London, etc) for stuff like broadband access via flatscreen plasma screens and digital locks. Then they installed electronic message boards outside every guest room linked to in-room keyboards. So instead of “Do Not Disturb” people might write “Hello, I’m single. Please come in.” Sounds a bit high on the cheese factor… but check it yourself: www.semiramisathens.com

Not to be outdone, Starwood...

Starwood Hotels & Resorts searched the alphabet to find a good name for its new brand of hotels that aims to inject the trendy ambience of its W Hotels at a lower rate. The new chain, currently referred to as “Project XYZ” will go after travellers who are now spending their nights in relatively inexpensive (US$125 approx.), but often nondescript, quarters under brands like Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott. It’s a profitable market segment that has seen recent growth as business travel rebounded after the post-9/11 slump. An average night’s stay at a W hotel costs at least US$200, but an XYZ room would be in the US$125-$150 range.

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Hotel News Going Cosmopolitan in T.O. On June 1, 2005, the Cosmopolitan Toronto hotel opened its doors to leisure and business travelers in the heart of the city.

Located in the busy Financial District, this new hotel offers views on the city and lake and provides ultimate modern comfort. With its discreet meeting space providing high-speed and wireless Internet access, plasma screens and surround sound, a luxury spa and an Asian-Japanese fusion restaurant, the Cosmopolitan is a new venue to accommodate visitors with 26 floors and 97 suites, including two penthouses.

For more information, visit the Cosmopolitan website: www.cosmotoronto.com or call at (416) 350-2000.

Room rates rise, reaching record A closely-watched lodging forecast is forecasting that American hotel-room prices will reach record high levels in 2005.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers is forecasting that the average nightly room rate will reach US$89.97, a jump of 4.3 percent from last year. Bjorn Hanson, the New York consulting group’s head of hospitality practice, said “We’re in a period of record growth, both the number of years anticipated in the cycle and the percentages of increases being achieved.”

Hotels in the biggest cities in the U.S. are reaping a windfall, with occupancy buoyed by international visitors flocking to America to take advantage of a weak U.S. dollar.

They’re Going Fast – Poolside Summer Special Host a meeting between June 1 and Sept. 9, 2005, select from one of our exciting Summer Packages and We Will Jazz Up Your Breaks; try outdoor refreshment breaks and lunch on the Patio!

Looking for something different?

Motivate your group with services from One Spadirect Wellness Center

Please call 416-385-6771 or 877-474-6835 for more information Summer Group bedroom rates start at $115.* Mention this ad and get a complimentary upgrade to a suite, based on availability

Crowne Plaza Toronto Don Valley 1250 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, ON M3C 1J3 www.crowneplazatdv.com

* Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply. Taxes and services are extra.

JUNE–JULY 2005

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A tent event checklist B

rian Newman usually works from his office at the ultramodern showroom and warehouse facilities of Celebrations on Victoria near Jean Talon West. Founded in 1919, Celebrations is comprised of ACME Tent, Bench & Table and Party Time Rentals, specializing in top-quality rental equipment and services to the special events industry for everyone from major corporations to event planners, charities, and private functions.

After more than 30 years in the tent rental business, Brian has served countless clients. His company has done more than 6,000 installations of every shape and size, including attaching

tents to buildings, installing temporary gutters, and even putting tents over swimming pools and on top of buildings.

His equipment ranges from a simple canopy to a tent with air conditioning and or heating and is primarily for private and corporate events designed to cover all budgets. ACME also specializes in so-called “uneven” installations such as attaching a tent to a house with multi-level terrain. Acme once put up a series of tents for the opening of the Miramichi Pulp & Paper Plant in New Brunswick for 6,000 guests and co-ordinated all the rental equipment requirements.

ACME’s customers include three Canadian prime ministers as well as leaders in the business and entertainment fields.

We asked Brian to provide our planners with a checklist for doing events in tents, and you’ll find it on the following page.

A tent can be a fabulous venue for an event, but there are many considerations to be made beforehand.

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Call us for your corporate events!

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Brian Newman’s Checklist for doing an event in a tent

5. Do you need a floor?

Brian highly recommends a floor for most events where ladies may be wearing high heels or where there is a possibility that the ground may not remain dry due to uneven terrain—it’s an insurance policy for any event.

1. What is your budget?

There are many variables that can be part of a tent reception, so it is wise to be honest about the amount you have to spend on the total event.

6. Spend money where warranted.

Priorities in spending are important. A choice of less expensive décor or tent accessories might afford the client the investment in a floor.

2. Where’s the venue?

A site visit is always recommended to determine what space is available and verify the grade of the land including obstructions, if any. Brian develops floor plans with precise details for his clients on a planning board that provides an overhead view. He can also suggest appropriate sites e.g. waterfront or garden views.

7. What are the electrical requirements?

If you have a caterer, a band, lighting, photography, video, or audiovisual you must make sure that the electrical supply is adequate. A generator may be needed if there is not enough power onsite. The last thing you want is not having the proper electrical service for your event.

3. Will there be a buffet, bar, bandstand or DJ? The placement of these requirements if needed is important in the overall floor plan. The types of tables and seating arrangements are also crucial to the plans.

4. How much space will you need?

Marry the site to the number of people on the guest list and the use of that space. For example, the cocktail area may be used for dancing later.

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8. Look at examples.

Professional tent rental companies like ACME provide photographs, videos, or websites for clients to view successful jobs they have done.

9. Use a professional.

You only have one chance to make an event memorable, so ensure success by using someone with a reputation for experience and reliability.

Contact Brian Newman at www.celebrationsgroup.com or (514) 738-4755.

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