One + August 2010 - (Page 14)

U B THE Simple Sustainability A new application promises to change forever the way you calculate sustainable ROI. p.26 Need healthcare? Trade for it. Discover the magical world of bartering; it’s easier than you think. p.28 19 20 22 22 24 29 Know Thyself BY JESSIE STATES AFTER SPENDING YEARS ON LIFE SUPPORT, HAND-TIED BY FAILED PRODUCT LAUNCHES AND UNREALISTIC MARKET PREDICTIONS, Apple Inc. introduced its iMac in 1998 and began an unheralded ascent to tech giant that blindsided the industry’s top trenders and culminated with its ouster this May of Microsoft as the world’s largest technology ﬁrm. The story is like that of Greek myth, of gods and mountains, but the lesson is pertinent from the top of Mount Olympus to the lowly agora stall merchant: Keep an eye on your competition, or pay the price in market share and proﬁts. This message is no more relevant now than it was in the late 1990s or the annals of Greek history, but it’s one often forgotten, especially among virgin entrepreneurs—who now comprise a steadily growing segment of the meeting and event industry. Which means that now, more than ever, the 14 industry’s planner-side faces what its supplier-side has long accepted as business reality—the overwhelming prospect of a comprehensive competitive analysis. It takes more than ﬁerce intuition to be an entrepreneur, and many ﬁrst-time business owners don’t have marketing experience, belly ﬂopping into shallowended ventures without diving—much less swimming—lessons. The result is a business owner, shredding water to survive, who doesn’t know his competi- tion, much less the identity of his target audience. New business owners who don’t differentiate themselves from the competition jeopardize their success. They don’t understand the strategic objectives of SWOT1 analyses and end up with a business reliant on luck—which rarely proves to be successful. The answer is to follow the advice of MPI’s immediate past chairwoman, Ann Godi: Speak the language of business. Godi, of course, referred to the one+ 08.10

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + August 2010

One + August 2010
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Know Thy Competition
Agenda
Focus
Overheard
It’s Easier Being Green
Sign and Trade
Thoughts + Leaders
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
No Thanks, No Favors
All Together Now
It Was Always Social
The Shoe Did Not Fit
Deep in the Soul of Texas
The Big Green Apple
The City with a Thorn in its Side
The S Word
Sound Potential
Slick Business
Dan Pink Loves Work
Strategic Shift
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again

One + August 2010